SOLID STATE LOGIC REVIVAL 4000 - CHANNEL STRIP

The unique sound of the SL4000 console

The Revival 4000 is Solid State Logic's all-analog channel strip, delivering the unmistakable sound of the SL 4000 series consoles from the early 1980s, a sound that set industry standards and helped shape the music of such iconic artists as Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Pink Floyd, Prince, U2, Metallica and many others. Drawing from the design of the B-Series and E-Series consoles, the Revival 4000 offers the distinctive sound and timbral flexibility that are at the heart of SSL's heritage.

Launched in 1976, the SSL 4000 Series consoles revolutionized music production, setting a new industry standard that shaped music history. It all started with the rare SL 4000 B console, installed in London's Townhouse Studios. The 4000 B console was used to create groundbreaking hits such as Peter Gabriel's „Intruder” and Phil Collins„ ”In the Air Tonight" with its distinctive gated drum effect. This made the SL 4000 E the most influential mixing console of all time. Launched in 1979, the 4000 E console became the heart of legendary recording studios such as Abbey Road, Electric Lady and The Hit Factory. The SSL enabled sound engineers such as Hugh Padgham (David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Police), Chris and Tom Lord-Alge (James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Santana) and Andy Wallace (Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana) to create their own sound.

Introducing the Revival 4000, a distinctive analog channel strip that combines the sonic excellence and unique features of the legendary 4000 series in a compact 1U format. Featuring the classic JT-115K-E Jensen E-Series transformer microphone preamp, B-Series De-Esser, discrete E-Series Class A VCA dynamics section and the iconic E-Series four-band parametric EQ - complete with high-pass/low-pass filters and switchable EQ with Brown/Black knobs.
Offering flexible routing, symmetrical insertion point and sidechain connection, the Revival 4000 is the essence of SSL sound perfectly suited to the modern studio.

Key features:

Classic SSL 4000 E microphone preamplifier equipped with Jensen transformer

With its JT-115K-E Jensen transformer preamplifier, the Revival 4000 delivers rich and crystal clear sound. This circuit contains the same Jensen component found in the original E-series channel strips.

De-Esser 4000 B series

The Revival 4000 De-Esser was derived from the original compressor/limiter design of the iconic 4000 B console, providing a 10:1 ratio and a 7 kHz sidechain filter. This configuration enables wideband compression that is precisely triggered by sibilants, making it ideal for softening harsh vocals, drums or other dynamic sources. The natural sound character is due to a circuit design that mirrors that of the legendary SSL Bus Compressor, imparting unparalleled character to any signal.

Ultimate 4000 E Series dynamics section

The iconic dynamics section that defined the sound of the 1980s - fully functional and faithfully reproduced. The compressor/gain design remains faithful to the original E-series channel strip, meticulously recreating the circuitry and components that gave it its legendary character. It includes a true RMS sidechain detector and a completely discrete gain reduction stage, identical to the discrete Class A VCA IC used in the original console.
Flexible controls allow you to bypass the soft-knee curve, activate fast attack mode and choose between logarithmic or linear release curves. Together, these features offer a wide range of sound shaping options, allowing you to capture the character that has helped create countless classic recordings on various E-Series consoles.

Classic 4-band SSL equalizer

The famous 4-band parametric equalizer that helped shape modern music. The Revival 4000 offers two iconic EQ options: the classic 4000 E Brown Knob (02) and the legendary Black Knob (242).

The Brown Knob equalizer includes two fully parametric midbands with SSL's signature symmetrical design for consistent musical intervals around the center frequency, regardless of gain or frequency settings. The high and low bands are 6 dB/octave shelving filters, with the option to switch to a fixed bell characteristic. This equalizer became a staple in recordings and mixes from the early 1980s.

The „242” equalizer circuit was developed in 1983 in collaboration with the legendary George Martin for the first SSL console installed at AIR Studios. Known as the Black Knob equalizer, it introduced a wider cut and gain range (±18 dB versus ±15 dB), improved control response and a steeper 18 dB/octave high-pass filter, offering tighter low-frequency control and greater sonic flexibility.

Flexible processing and routing

The Revival 4000 includes a dedicated symmetrical insertion point for seamless integration with the outboard. It also features a dedicated external sidechain (key) input, the ability to change the processing order of the audio track, and a sidechain link, ideal for connecting two devices in a stereo configuration.

Specification:

• The classic SSL 4000 E microphone preamplifier with Jensen transformer.
• De-Esser 4000 B section with one knob.
• +48 V, polarity reversal, Pad and Line input.
• The best dynamics section of the 4000 E series:
  • Class A VCA compressor section.
    • Soft or Hard Knee modes.
    • Enable/disable fast attack.
    • Logarithmic or linear modes for the release parameter
  • The classic gate/expander section:
    • With on/off fast attack.
• SSL's classic 4-band equalizer:
  • Fully parametric midbands.
  • Switchable Brown Knob „02” and Black Knob „242” equalizer circuits.
• High-pass and low-pass filters:
  • Brown 02 mode - 12 dB per octave HPF and LPF.
  • Black 242 mode - 18 dB per octave HPF and 12 dB per octave LPF.
• Symmetrical insertion point for connecting external devices into the signal path
• Enhanced „do sidechain” functionality:
  • Filters for sidechain dynamics.
  • EQ for sidechain dynamics.
• Flexible processing order in the signal path:
  • Filters for input, Dynamics and De-Ess after equalizer, insert for output.
• Line output adjustment.
• Switchable input/output meter.
• External sidechain input (key).
•  Sidechain Link dynamics - allows 2 Revival 4000 compressors to work as a stereo pair.