I agree! The BCA compressor is the star of the BCA show.
Because the console 1 strips are mimicking a console workflow, of which a big part is problem solving (especially with material that isn't perfectly recorded) I have found the BCA less useful in terms of utility. I will use the BCA to beef up a kick drum or bass- If I have a vocal that needs to be a bit more airy and sweet- the BCA is great- but because of the differences with the gate and EQ's I don't find the BCA as useful in terms of just console utility. I look the BCA almost as a piece of outboard gear to patch in.

The 4000 is what it is- and I love that sound and the way the gate, EQ and compression work.

The ACA for what I have been working on lately is my go to.

This is because although the EQ bands are different than the SSL I find that I almost always like the frequencies that are used on the ACA. In addition, the ACA drive really gets things to have that extra dimensionality that I love- things get bigger and livelier. I view the ACA as a utility strip with character and punch.

For what I do, the 9000 could be used but I do think it's more suited for EDM and other types of music than what I do.

You make a great point about the strips completing one another.

Use American Cllass A for Drums & Percs, The SSL(4000E & 9000K but mostly 4000E) for Electric Guitars, British Class A for Bass & Ac Gtr & keys & Vocals, and Finally the Summit Audio for Buss & Master....

I've just finished a full acoustic drum mix using American Class A on each track and Grand channel on the busses for shaping and it sounds really good. The speed in which I managed to get there was great too. I love the snare 'crack' you can get from the American Class A.

I can't believe I nearly sold my C1 6 months back! I just hadn't fully invested in the workflow.

I actually had a mark I and sold it only to turn right around a couple years later to buy a mark II-
I love it and now the fader as well.

I love the TLA 100 on vocals, so smooth and euphonic. I've tried their CL1B because I know the hardware is a favorite for vocals but I always end up using the TLA instead, the CL1B seems a little more erratic and jumpy, you can hear it working more.

I'd usually go SSL on drums and ACA on guitars. ;-) I love how everyone uses things differently.

In fact, the TLA is so smooth that sometimes you forget it's there working or think it doesn't do much. I remember when demoing the Summit Channel - looooong before C1 - I slapped the TLA100 on every track of a mix, 1-3db compression, and.selected the timing settings appropriate for the instruments to give em some depth perspective. I remember going “hm, this seems almost too smooth“ and when hitting global bypass I went “WTF?“ Instant buy, that I remember, too!

Does anyone here have experience with using the faders for "active" mixing (i.e., not just adjusting levels)? I don't know what they were thinking placing the mute buttons *between* the faders.

LOVE the BCA on vocals and most of the time on drums.

SSL 4000 for the rest usually, but there is also that great "Neve vibe" that comes from just having the BCA as the "default" strip on all channels and then switching the EQ and compressor to taste. Love the Summit compressor and I also use it stand-alone quite a bit. BCA compressor works great as a mix bus compressor as well.

I don't own the 9000 or the new Zener.

For all the talk of Grand Channel in the past few days... it's currently on sale for $89 using promo code "grandsummit" on the Softube website. Code is only good for the rest of today, expires sometime in the next 12-20 hours.

do it. that's an amazing price.

yeah, anyone who doesn't have the grand channel should jump on that. It's great. The TLA is like an LA2A plug in, and a damned good one at that.

Where do you find this? Why softube doesn’t use emails?

I’m still on the standard 4000 and think it sounds great and is versatile. I’m into edm/trance/techno. Would the Summit add anything significantly for me you think?

I think it is hard to know each characteristics and subtle nuances - thus being able to choose which strips would be best in a certain situation - without just owning it and just try it on whatever sound source and getting to know it better that way. 30 days to demo all strips at once isn’t really enough to get to know them all thoroughly... and I rather pick the best and get to know it very well than to own them all and be overwhelmed by the choices...

Would be great if there was something like a clear table with a description of all characteristics/possibilities of every component (eq, compressor, etc) of all the various strips.

In a word, yes. In terms of compression, I think the SSL is better suited for anything with transients or a sharp envelope, but for pads and risers and any gradual onset of sound I think the Summit is better. The SSL thins things out a bit more, the Summit is more full sounding. As far as the EQ, the Summit again would probably be better suited for the same elements, it's a more euphonic tonal enhancer, it will give you smoother mids and a bigger more expansive sounding bass, though the SSL EQ has a cool bass sound too, it's just different, tighter. I think in a mix it can help separate elements a lot to have these different characteristics, just like separating dry vs wet (reverb, delay..)

You give a very interesting point of view,a different compression on pads and maybe synth and lead sounds can be a good starting way for differentiate these elements in the mix.
I made edm/trap/hip hop/electronic music and i have the 4000 (obviously),the 9000 that i use in ALL my mixes and the summit.
I sell the american and the british because they don’t give me anything,i use the uad stuff on the bus and the drums,they are hounderd times better,and on synth and pad i put the summit.
So for simply equing the 9000 and the summit is more than sufficient,that’s the reason why i sell both.
Now i’m thinking everyday at the zener bender,if that can be good for some stuff or for mix it.
For example i think to use on hihat the xl9000 eq and the drive of the zener,or on a pad the curve bender eq and the summit compressor.
Aaa,so many doubt!

Doubt? You mean FUN! I know some people like to streamline, but I like having them all, and I really do use them all, if not all on one mix then I might be glad I have them on the next one. I use their Tube Tech channel a lot actually, I love that EQ. Also for my money the best saturation EQ they make is their Trident A Range, that thing kills on leads. I even pay for an SSL Duende bundle subscription too. The valve compressor in that sounds fantastic and the X-Saturator is significantly better than the softube 9000 vhd drive, also X-EQ is to my ears the best sounding digital EQ for mastering. I think it takes awhile to get to know each one, but I think after awhile you do just hear something and have a pretty good idea what to reach for. The only tool I wouldn't want to have is one that I thought was mediocre, and I don't think any of Softube or SSL plug-ins are mediocre.

Ok man,beste mastering eq?
Believe me,check immediatly the sonnox dynamic eq,is a little difficult to set and understand,but when you do it,your master will ben so musical,powerful and simply sweet&full. I’m in lovo with that.
And for the british and american i will sell both another 100 times,xl9000&summit and UAD stuff,is more than enough,i really can’t find any usage for them

My take... just buy whichever one is currently on sale and get to know and love it until the next one goes up for sale. From time to time, they are all on sale at the same time. If you just can't bond with one, someone will always be willing to scoop it up on the KVR used marketplace.

As far as a list of their characteristics, just look at the equipment they model. There is plenty of info out there on the "sound" of a 4000, 9000, API, Neve, etc. Those descriptions definitely transfer over to the C1 strips.

It's from their email list for Console 1 users. I'm on their normal email list, but I think they may have a separate one targeted at C1 purchasers? I got mine used so maybe I am not on that database (even though I now own every individual strip!)

This isn't the first sale they've run this way, I got American Class A from one of their exclusive email discount codes and bought Summit today. I joined the Console 1 Facebook group, they get posted there and I've been posting them here when I see them.

What do you mean with "active mixing"? I've only just gotten my C1&C1F but I find using the right hand mute/solo buttons already more than those in between the faders.


Herwig

How's your initial experience? Hope you like it.

Hi,

As written before on this thread: new user here. Got my C1&C1F yesterday and started playing around, redoing some old mixes with it in Cubase.


Some thoughts that might be of use for others:

- This setup replaces a constant quest for the ultimate controller. I've had the Novation automap, several Mackie controllers, Lemur-on-an-ipad and many more.

All the "extra buttons" (*) on those controllers don't get any use, I know my keyboard shortcuts thank you.
(*) play/rec/rew/ff/rec enable/mixerview/blahblah

Also good to know: I'm a leftie, trackball on the left, right hand on the NumPad

- Before I got the units I was thinking of setting them up side by side (I have more "horizontal" space than "vertical" space on my desk) but after a mere 24h I see that's not going to work. The "stacked on top of each other" works a great deal better. The C1F is at the bottom and the bottom right shift is thus way easier for me than the top left one. Great that they are "shareable" between both units!


- First thing is I disabled the "Use DAW Track Number" feature. I tend to use a lot of group tracks (KickIn & KickOut -> KickGrp) and enabling that left quite some empty spaces in the C1 numbering.
Drawback is that whenever I add a channel after init/preset/template-loading I need to do some re-arranging.
I might revert back to something I did before: have all my "mixchannels" (groups & VCA's) at the top of the session and have the audio tracks (which are just routed to those mixchannels) below.


- Sound is great. Haven't compared to other plugins, it reactes like the 1073's, 2254's and SSL Channels I know. The speed I can get already now is amazing which makes for better mixes in my book!

- Drive is great, the character is a very handy sculpting tool as well.

- CPUwise it's awesome: 24 channels of TrueIron/Tape/C1 + some 10 send + 5 bus compressors and some smaller stuff hasn't made my 3950x sweat at a 32buffer size!

- One time C1 crapped out was when loading a bunch of my "default channels": Kazrog TrueIron->Softube Tape-> Console1. Cubase craps out quite often when I try to load over 8 channels of Tape in one go and the C1&C1F stopped responding :/


- The '3 sends'-limitation is easily circumvented with the help of my X-Touch Mini: I have it programmed to be a channel editor (8x send on/off, level, insert edit/bypass). Just need to find the best place for it now.
I know this'll get even better when I streamline my projects a bit and get into muscle memory land.


Now back to experimenting in these lockdown times,
Herwig

The drive should really be out as a single plugin.
The 4k drive is amazing. The 9k is also very,very cool in another way.
Do not remember how the other models sounded cause I dont own them.
But 4k drive on a drum room is a cool sound when it breaks up

Hello,

I just could not resist. See the Chandler strip for console 1 at 125€.
I immediatly jump on the bargain.
This should be nice sounding.
Cheers

Sergio

Try it and give us some personal feedback

There is so much information to be found on each specific model. Would be great to have a nice summary for each model in 1 overview or something like that. With their strengths and weaknesses and examples on which they work particularly well.

I really like the BCA on busses. Just put it on with EQ engaged and Drive set to 5. Utilizing the famous Neve EQ curve on all busses, with all EQ values set to default, just opens up the mix in a great way.
Good summing tool.

Hi guys

Long time user here. I currently have the 4K, 9K, and the BCA. I have the UAD Curvebender, but tend to use the Manley more on the master bus. I use the 4K the most.

I’m looking at these Summit Channel and Zener-Bender deals and wondering if should go for it. For those in the know (who have both), would you rate one above the other?

Cheers in advance

Two curiosity,what genre of music you do and why you prefer the massive more than bender?

Yeah I really like the 4000 drive as well.

Kind of like the free one knob saturator as well

Speaking of drive: the Console 1 Fader has its own drive, isn't it? Or is it just controlling the drive of the selected channel strip?