Solid State Logic SSL Native Channel Strip 2

What SSL Native Channel Strip 2 Is For

SSL Native Channel Strip 2 is a channel strip plug-in designed to speed up and make your mixing decisions more reliable on every track: vocals, guitars, synths, drums, buses, and even light mastering. It combines the essentials of "console" processing into a single interface to sculpt tone, control dynamics, and manage gain staging with a coherent approach from initial setting to final balance.

Thanks to its SSL identity and workflow designed for stacking multiple instances, it is particularly suited for productions seeking a clean yet lively sound, with firmness, impact, and a natural sense of cohesion between tracks.

Main Features

Fader Level + Output Trim: the right balance between character and cleanliness

Previous versions relied solely on an Output Trim control. Channel Strip 2 adds a true Fader Level, developed on the SSL fader scale and designed to integrate with the 360 Plug-in Mixer for a "virtual console" workflow. When you adjust the Fader Level, your existing Output Trim settings are preserved, allowing you to use both controls together.

In practice, the Fader Level provides a soft saturation digitally modeled, while the Output Trim remains a clean gain control. Combining both lets you precisely set the output level while choosing how much "grain" and density you want to retain in the signal.

SSL 4-band EQ: precise, fast, musical

The core of Channel Strip 2 is a 4-band EQ with the traditional SSL layout, digitally modeled on the XL 9000K circuit curves. The built-in filters cover everyday needs for cleaning and shaping: a 12 dB/oct low-pass filter and an 18 dB/oct high-pass filter. The mids are split into lower mids and upper mids for better targeting of sensitive areas in vocals, guitars, snares, or keyboards.

"E" Button: two curve behaviors (Series E / Series G)

The "E" button allows you to change the EQ character between two iconic signatures. The Series G mode offers shelves and filters with a curve behavior showing slight overshoot and undershoot depending on frequency, which can help add definition and a more "console" feel. The Series E mode removes this effect and provides slightly smoother slopes.

Another key difference: in Series G mode, the mid band bandwidth varies with gain level (same Q setting), which suits subtle corrective EQ on already dense or grouped sources. In Series E mode, bandwidth remains constant at all gain levels, resulting in a tighter behavior often appreciated for shaping drums and gaining precision.

Flexible routing: adapt processing order to your intent

Channel Strip 2 goes beyond the original hardware by allowing you to choose the processing order of filters, EQ, and dynamics blocks. For example, you can compress before EQ to stabilize a signal, or EQ before compressing to shape the compressor's response. This routing freedom makes the plug-in especially effective when you want a fast, reproducible result tailored to each source.

Anti-Cramping Technology: more natural highs without forced oversampling

Digital filters can suffer from a "cramping" effect near the Nyquist frequency, which can limit the sense of air when boosting high frequencies. SSL incorporates proprietary Anti-Cramping technology to maintain a more symmetrical and linear response, even with high boosts, without requiring you to change the project's sample rate or enable external oversampling.

Modern dynamics: smoothness, parallel, and side-chain

For more musical compression, Channel Strip 2 offers a soft compression characteristic called Over-Easy that facilitates smoother transitions. The plug-in also includes an external side-chain input to trigger compression from another track, and a Wet/Dry dynamic balance control to easily perform parallel compression without complex routing.

SSL 360 and control surfaces: a true "hardware" feel

Designed as an SSL 360 plug-in, Channel Strip 2 integrates with the 360 Plug-in Mixer and can be controlled from UC1 and UF8 surfaces. The goal is simple: keep your hands on the controls and your head in the music, with quick and consistent adjustments across your entire session.

Technical specifications