Miami Beach, FL (December 2, 2021)—Mix engineer Tom Lord-Alge acquired a new Solid State Logic Origin analog console following a recent move to his new home in Miami Beach.
When SSL asked Lord-Alge to demonstrate the Origin at the 2019 NAMM Show, he pulled the multi-tracks of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” “When I was recording that album in ’84 and ’85, we were working on an SSL 4000E console, so I thought it was appropriate to use the song ‘Higher Love’ as the origin of my own career,” he says. “I sat down at the console and forget it — it was immediately familiar. From that moment on, I talked about the console and joked about getting my own one day. Fast forward, and here we are today!”
His new mix room, which measures 15 ft. x 18 ft., was able to accommodate Origin along with two custom-made Malvicino side desks he acquired for patchbays and various rack gear. “To be honest, there was no way I would have been able to get my old SSL 4000E in there, so I thought it would be a great time to try the Origin. I didn’t even think of purchasing anything else that was out there, because honestly, I’m an SSL guy.”
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Lord-Alge says certain elements of his new Origin remind him of his old SSL 4000E: “Everything is laid out very similarly to the 4000, except the equalization section on Origin is exactly where it should be — on the lower portion on the channel strip. This is important because you can change equalization settings while you are sitting in the sweet spot. When you need to use the sends, they are right there just above the EQ section.”
Lord-Alge integrated several SSL 500 series units including VHD mic pres, LMC+ compressors and SSL E Series Dynamics modules in one of the console’s side desks. He also chose to include the new SSL Ultraviolet EQ 500 series unit: “I love that one knob controls stereo left and right,” he says.
