Hello,
This is a long first-post..... After a long time of reading and following you all, the plunge to join the SSL Mixed family has been taken....
CML Audio comprises a group of experienced audio electronics engineers based in West Yorkshire, UK. The 3 of us who carry the weight of responsibility are Neil, Bill & Gareth (who is writing this introductory post). The 4th, and an equally as important member of the CML team is Craig, who works as a freelancer.
CML Audio is closely associated with GJC Designs (electronic, PCB & electro-mechanical design & build services) and The Signal Transfer Co (suppliers of quality audio amplifier PCBs & kits).
And the relevance of CML Audio to an SSL Forum is what, exactly, you may ask? Well, first, here is some background on us:
Neil, Bill & I have been in pro-audio for around 30 years each and all of us have extensive experience of working on high-end mixing consoles for manufacturers as well as our time as self-employed freelancers.
Neil has been a console installation and service engineer with mainly Neve experience, but also SSL, Soundtracs, MCI and Otari. Name any high-end studio in the UK, Europe and USA that has a Neve VR or 88R console, and there is a good probability that Neil has been there!
Bill’s experience is also wide-ranging, with involvements in test engineering, studio installation, console refurbishment, project/business management and mechanical design.... He can sometimes be found on the outside of a console, mixing sound for theatrical productions.
Gareth is mainly from the design and R&D area of the industry, starting off at Soundcraft, then moving on to Nemesis Electronics, followed by Focusrite and Calrec. Most of the past 32 years have been as a freelancer. Gareth looks after much of CML’s electronics design and manufacturing work. When not “pushing mouse” on a design-office computer he is usually on the tech-bench or working the surface-mount PCB assembly machinery.
Craig is a man of many talents ranging from sound engineering (live and recording), to welding! He expertly undertakes PCB assembly, console wiring, console recapping (both through-hole and surface-mount) and PCB repairs.
About 5 years ago we were approached to do some work on servicing a small SSL 4K console. We seem to have done a good job as the customer has had us do more work on at least six other 4K and 6K consoles since then.
The SSL 4K & 6K work that we now undertake includes:
• Console service,
• Customisation,
• Re-sizing of large consoles to smaller, compact units.
• Design & manufacture of replacement cards.
• Design & manufacture of welded steel stand-frames for the downsized consoles,
• Re-wiring of patchbays & consoles as part of the customisation service,
• Installation & commissioning of consoles that we work on.
For various reasons, our SSL console work has required that we design replacement cards for cards that were missing and unavailable. We have now built-up quite a collection of board types. It’s a long story as to exactly why each new card type has been developed, so without making this post any longer, suffice it to say that that the cards exist and are in everyday use in most of the consoles that we have worked on.
As we are all involved in SSL consoles, it seems sensible to talk about what we at CML have developed and also to make our developments available to other SSL fanatics.
These are the cards that have been designed and built to date:
• 82E13 Channel VCA Card. CML reference VQ1436. Based on THAT Corp 2181 VCA chips. Has additional trim facilities for a greater degree of accuracy of alignment and fader scaling.
• 82E05 Console Phase Meter Card. CML reference IQ1419. Driver card for a Sifam centre-zero moving coil phase meter. Ribbon cable connector is pin-compatible with the SSL phase meter card’s S24E ribbon cable.
• 82E237 Meter distribution card. CML reference IB1461. This is a cut-down version of the SSL card, providing distribution for the LF, RF, LB, RB main output meters as well as the phase meter and mono summing & drive.
• 82E37 8-way Channel Fader backplane for VCA faders. CML reference SL82E37
• 82E38 VCA Master Fader Backplane. We do 2 versions of this card, a 4-way version for mini-consoles that have a master section that is only the width of the 651 module, and an 8-way version that is a direct replacement for the SSL card. CML references are SL82E384 for the 4-way version and SL82E388 for the 8-way version.
• 82E26 QB Mix Amp, Patch, Compress Side Chain card. CML reference is MV1460. There are 4 variants of this card
• MV1460A Fitted with THAT Corp VCAs. Use in SSL 4K console.
• MV1460B Fitted with DBX202 VCAs. Client must supply the DBX VCAs. Use in SSL 4K console.
• MV1460C Fitted with THAT Corp VCAs. No mix amp. Use in SSL 6K console.
• MV1460D Fitted with DBX202 VCAs. Client to supply DBX VCAs, no mix amp. Use in SSL 6K console.
During the development of this card, we have done extensive research into mix amp design and performance. The MAT02 transistors that were originally used by SSL are no longer manufactured or appropriately available. Our technical research has led to the development of a mix amp that is as close as can be got to the original SSL design but using currently available parts.
• LED illumination card to replace the festoon lamps used above the Sifam VU meters. CML reference IS1418. This is a direct replacement in the form of a PCB with pointy-ends that lock into a festoon lamp holder. The end edges of the cards are gold plated for good contact (they can be soldered to the festoon holders if required). We have also fitted them internally to VU meters that have a pair of lamps (or LEDs) internally and at the bottom of the meter. There are 3 colour variants:
• IS1418W warm-white
• IS1418C cool white
• IS1418Y pale yellow
We usually fit the IS1418C to consoles that we work on and this type is available ex-stock. The other variants are available to order, with a typical lead-time of a week.
• LED phase meter in a Sifam bezel. CML reference NI1451. This is a 2-card assembly, comprising of a LED display card (fitted into a Sifam meter bezel) and a driver card. This unit was designed as a result of a console project where the moving-coil phase meter had been removed. As with many classic audio components, the original meter type was no longer available, so we took our existing LED phase meter driver and married it up to a new display card that mounts in the same bezel that the original meter would mount into. The driver card does require a specially wired ribbon cable, but with this ribbon it plugs directly into the SSL 82E237 meter distribution card.
• Power distribution card. CML reference PB1462. This card was designed for console frames up to 40 channels and it replaces the hand-wired power distribution arrangement that is part of the console connector panel. When used as intended, it does require a different panel and mounting arrangement when compared to the traditional SSL method. We have used 2-pole circuit breakers (similar to those used on the Ultimation power distribution assembly) so as to ensure that both the positive and negative audio supply rails to each bucket are disconnected simultaneously in the event of a fault. When the circuit breakers are switched on, they drive relays that switch the phantom and logic rails, thereby automatically emulating the 4-pole bucket toggle switches. The board has been designed with thick and heavy copper tracks which are augmented with copper rod. All circuit-breaker and out-going wiring looms are on connectors for easy serviceability.
We also manufacture a range of blank panels, such as the 160mm x 245mm middle and upper blanks in the centre section (CML reference C650-010) and the VCA group 5-8 cut/solo panel to the right of the 651 (CML reference is C623-015).
Another part of our console service work we can manufacture new meter panels (excluding Sifam VU meters) or have existing meter panels stripped, re-painted and re-printed.
A future development project is the design and manufacture of VU meter panels that are complete with meter driver electronics and that are intended to be used as moving-coil meter replacements for plasma meters.
Gareth.
