Airshow Mastering Embraces Versatility and Sound Quality of Solid State Logic THE BUS+

Unparalleled versatility

“THE BUS+ can sound really heavy-handed,” Glasser confirms. “It can also sound really, really subtle. You can make it even more subtle with all the sidechain compressor and sidechain filter options. You can dial out frequencies in the areas where the compressor is hitting it too hard. That turns it into more of an enhancer than a compressor. I basically use it to lift things up and tie the different musical elements together, for mixes that need that. Depending on the program material, it does also seem to make some things wider and deeper.”

Front panel controls offer three options — Low THD, F/B and 4K — that shape the unit’s overall sonic character. “I mainly tend to use compressors as a color and vibe thing rather than a sledgehammer. With the Low THD mode, for instance, it’s a really clean compressor. I seem to use that almost all the time,” Glasser reports. “I also seem to be using the Wet/Dry Mix at around 40 or 50% all the time, too.”

Classic SSL ergonomics

Glasser is also impressed with the ergonomics of the front panel design. “It’s laid out really well and really efficiently. There are some clever things in there. There’s a lot of almost hidden features that you can still get to pretty easily,” he says. For instance, “The dynamic EQ section is just crazy. I’ve really been liking that. And selecting the frequencies of the dynamic equalizers using the meters is clever.” A combination of multi-function controls on the two-band D-EQ, or dynamic EQ, section are used to dial in each band’s frequency and range, with the unit’s VU meters providing a visual indication of the settings.

THE BUS+ offers any number of mastering-friendly features, including stepped pots, enabling the engineer to precisely recall settings from a previous session. Further, those pots are read by a microcontroller, translating the digital control settings to the all-analog circuitry, thereby eliminating potential stereo mismatches or component tolerances.

More to come 

With the addition of THE BUS+, Glasser now has an added sonic coloration tool available to him as he embarks on any given project. “I’ll listen a bunch before I do anything and try and get the vibe of the project,” he says. “I’ll formulate in my head what direction it should or should not go. I’ve got a variety of things to pick and choose from, so I’ll try out a bunch of different approaches until I find the one that works. Then I’ll whittle it down to the least amount of hardware and least amount of processing that I need to do to make it sound how it should sound.”