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The largest SSL recording console ever made

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jimlfixit:
I saw a post on Gearslutz asking about the biggest SSL ever made and have viewed the responses to this question on that site. Having worked exclusively on an SSL project for Brunei during 1996-97 and after consulting SSL to confirm the details, the largest SSL recording console ever made was a 120 channel 9k (although some 5K film consoles may have had more input channels).

This console was shipped to Brunei in early 1997 along with 3 other very large SSL consoles (an Axiom and 2 Omnimixes), £25k of drum equipment, roughly the same amount in guitars and amps plus £75k of keyboards, 18 x 39u racks full of very expensive analog, computer and video gear along with hundreds of units of high end outboard to die for (which was opened, tested and put back in the boxes).

Also, many thousands of metres of finished DL and Edac type finished installation cables were shipped along with numerous patchbays and very expensive custom made Control room equipment racks in metal and wood.

The whole installation package along with the latest Mac computers at the time (9500's I think) was worth nearly GB£10 million. As far as we all know, most, or at least some of this stuff (I still have the equipment lists which will make you sick with envy) is still sitting in air conditioned warehouses in Brunei which is quite (no ... very) frustrating really considering there is a vast amount of gear out there somewhere which could put a smile on many faces if it could be put to good use. There is a possibility that some of it has been sold at auction since then of course. If you know about any updates on this, please respond as I'll be interested to know.

This very large 9K console was not commissioned by SSL and therefore probably remains out there in Brunei collecting dust. The Recording Archecture console mentioned in an answer on GS was a previous install about a year beforehand and was not as large although it had some extra mic amps to increase the number of input channels available. I wish I had taken some pictures of all this equipment at the time to prove my points although I still have a video made on a pre installation tour of one of the studios (it mainly shows construction workers asleep in one of the huge studio sites!).

Not many people know about all this but, … you do now (exclusive to this sslmixed forum website)! As far as I'm concerned, this is a real shame as most of the project was cancelled (read the news articles at the time referring to Amedeo) and puts me off being involved with very large studio complexes where more money than sense rules!

I haven't spoken about this until now (Mata, who runs this site, was "speechless" when I told him) but I feel it needs to be mentioned as it still almost makes me sick to mention this some 15 years later. I have since sent some equipment details to Mata and Sintech and I reckon they are both heading out to Brunei now!

I didn't get involved in studio installations for them to end up like this regardless of any money I made out of it. Regards, Jim Lassen (www.profcon.co.uk).

Matt Sartori:
Jim, can we have at least the list of outboard gear? it would be interesting to know ...  ;)

Mattia.

marcmozart:
Found this incredible picture of a G+

jimlfixit:
Hi Marc

Your picture is great but not the biggest console I am referring to. I think your picture was from the Recording Architecture book for an earlier console. I attach a copy of an SSL drawing dated July 1996 which shows the 120 channel 9K concerned. I regret not taking a picture at the time I worked on this project from the middle of 1996 till early 1997 so this is all I can show.

Get in touch Marc. I last communicated with you about 2010 when we were discussing modules and DL connectors.

Hope this proves useful from Jim Lassen (www.profcon.co.uk). I am now on FACEBOOK so check out this link for other SSL related items and wiring services. Select the photos, click the albums and view a photo for more information.

Matt Sartori:
Impressive...
pictures would be killer.... pity!  ;)

Mattia.

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