Download The Multitracks Here: https://producelikeapro.lpages.co/david-bowie-lets-dance-form/
Check Out The SSL Revival 4000 Here: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/5kjxBD
There is something deeply satisfying about working with a piece of gear that instantly feels familiar.
That was exactly my experience with the SSL Revival 4000.
If you have seen the earlier video where I tweaked a few knobs and mixed with it, this was the next logical step. I wanted to do more than just experiment. I wanted to track with it, commit sounds on the way in, and really see whether this modern recreation of the classic 4000 channel strip could deliver the thing that made the original consoles so beloved in the first place.
The answer was pretty obvious quite quickly. Yes, it absolutely can.
A modern take on a legendary channel
The Revival 4000 is exactly what the name suggests, a revival of the SSL 4000 channel. For anybody who grew up listening to records made in the 1980s, 1990s and beyond, that sound is all over the music we love. Those consoles were not just mix desks. They were part of the sound of countless records.
I had my own 4000 for over 20 years, and it was incredible. Back when those consoles were new, they cost a fortune. We are talking about something that could easily run into the quarter of a million range, sometimes more depending on the frame and configuration.
What is remarkable now is that you can get so much of that functionality and character for a tiny fraction of the original cost. Electronics have become cheaper, manufacturing is more efficient, and the result is something like the Revival 4000, a channel strip that gives you the flexibility, tone, and workflow of a classic SSL without requiring you to buy and maintain an entire vintage console.
And it really is flexible. You can move between EQ options, access dynamics, use the B series style DS functionality, compress, expand, shape and commit sounds in exactly the way many of us used to when working on big desks.
That is what makes it exciting. It is not just nostalgia. It is practical.
Why I wanted to track with it
For this session, I decided to use eight channels of the Revival 4000 and track drums through them. That felt like the best possible test.
We chose to record a cover of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, which felt completely fitting. It is one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite artists, and of course the original was recorded at Power Station on an SSL. So if ever there was a song to put this unit through its paces, this was it.
And I was lucky enough to do it with an absolutely fantastic group of musicians.
Ray Hearne from Haken played drums. Max Kendall from the band Deco handled the lead vocals. Michael Garding from our Produce Like A Pro Academy played all the sax parts beautifully. David Bennett from David Bennett’s Piano and Chris Ibbertson also from the Produce Like A Pro Academy took care of keys and programming. I played the rhythm guitars, bass, and background vocals, and Jamie Humphries contributed that brilliant lead guitar part.
So we had a great song, a great band, and eight channels of SSL-inspired goodness. Perfect.
Recording drums through eight channels of Revival 4000
The drum setup was simple and effective. We had kick in, kick out, snare top, snare bottom, hi-hat, floor tom, overhead left and overhead right. Eight channels in total.
What struck me immediately was just how good the sounds were coming straight through the channels.
On the kick drums, I did what I would normally do on an SSL. A healthy bit of 60 Hz, a cut around 350, a touch of top end around 2.5k, and some compression going in. I mirrored the EQ on both kick channels so the inside and outside mics worked together as one complete sound.
The snare got a bit of 100 Hz for body, some 7k and above for attack and presence, plus compression on the way in. Again, very much the classic SSL approach. Not timid, not overcooked, just committing to a sound that already felt like a record.
The overheads were much simpler. Just a gentle high pass around 60 Hz to get rid of low-end rumble, and that was basically it. No fancy EQ moves, no overthinking.
That was really the theme of the whole session. Once the source sounded right, and once the channel strip had shaped it in a musical way, there was not much left to “fix” later.
The beauty of committing on the way in
One of the biggest reminders from this session was how powerful it is to record sounds the way you want to hear them.
These days, because we all have endless plug-ins and unlimited undo, it is very easy to leave every decision until mix time. However, there is something liberating about making choices early. The Revival 4000 really encourages that mindset.
I found myself using EQ and compression exactly as I would have on my old SSL console. On bass, for example, I printed the tone I wanted instead of leaving myself a bland DI and promising to sort it out later. On background vocals, I compressed and EQed on the way down, then barely touched them in the mix apart from high passing and adding a little plate reverb.
The same was true of the lead vocal. We used an Austrian Audio OC-S10, which sounded fantastic, and the Revival’s top end on that vocal was just beautiful. Smooth, open, and flattering without ever feeling harsh.
That is one of the great strengths of SSL gear in general. There is a kind of sweetness in the top end that just works. We often talk about low-end character on other consoles, however the SSL magic for me has always been that elegant high end and the way the dynamics can add attitude without wrecking the performance.
The SSL “spank” is real
One of my favourite things about the old 4000 was always the channel routing options, particularly the ability to drive EQ into compression and get that unmistakable SSL spank.
That is all here.
When you boost into the compressor, you are not just changing the frequency balance, you are changing how the dynamics react. The channel becomes part tone shaper, part instrument. Push the right frequencies, hit the compressor a little harder, and suddenly the sound comes alive in that very familiar SSL way.
On bass, this was particularly fun. A little low end, some shaping in the mids, a touch of top where needed, then into compression. It reminded me how much people underestimate the SSL on bass. Everyone talks about the console on drums and vocals, however the low end can be gorgeous when you know how to work it.
And yes, if you want that aggressive, slightly grabby, exciting response, it is there.
Minimal plug-ins because the sound was already there
When I got to the mix, one thing became very clear. There were a lot of tracks, however there were not a lot of plug-ins.
That is the biggest compliment I can pay to the Revival 4000.
Because I had already tracked through it, shaping the sound as I went, so much of the mix was already sitting where it needed to be. The drums were speaking. The vocals were controlled. The guitars had attitude. The bass had shape. Instead of spending the mix trying to rescue or reinvent sounds, I could focus on enhancing what was already there.
I used mostly SSL plug-ins throughout the mix to stay in that world, apart from a handful of obvious exceptions. A bit of Soothe on the lead vocal, for instance. A Waves Submarine on the floor tom to add some extra sub information. Things like that.
However the bones of the mix were already built at source.
That, to me, is the biggest lesson here. The Revival 4000 is not just a nice colour box. It changes the way you work because it encourages commitment, and that makes mixing faster, easier, and more musical.
Capturing the spirit of the original track
Because we were covering Let’s Dance, it made sense to lean into some of the classic 1980s aesthetics.
That meant gated reverb on the snare, of course. If you are going to use an SSL channel strip and record an 80s track, you may as well go all the way. The SSL gated reverb sound is still gloriously over the top in the best possible way.
For the rhythm guitar, I DI’d the Strat straight into the Revival 4000. That let us really hear what the channel was doing. I carved out some mid-mids to get closer to that clean, choppy Nile Rodgers-style tone, then later added the Bob Clearmountain-inspired ping-pong delay using the Apogee Let’s Dance plug-in.
That was one of those moments where the production really came together. Without the delay, it sounded good. With it, it instantly felt like the record.
The horns also came alive with SSL delay and plate reverb, and because everything had already been EQed and compressed going in, it all dropped into place remarkably easily.
A reminder that SSLs were used for recording too
I think one thing we sometimes forget is that many of the records we love were not just mixed on SSL 4000s. They were recorded on them too.
People often talk as if the classic workflow was always tracking through Neves or APIs and then mixing on SSL. Certainly that happened plenty of times. However a huge number of records were tracked and mixed on SSLs, and that distinctive sound is part of what made those productions feel so finished and immediate.
Working with the Revival 4000 brought that home again.
It reminded me that those records sounded the way they did because the sounds were captured properly in the first place. They were being shaped, compressed, balanced and committed by world-class engineers at the source. By the time the mix stage arrived, a lot of the hard work had already been done.
That is exactly the feeling I got here.
And let’s not forget, some truly legendary albums were recorded and mixed on SSL 4000 consoles. Think Peter Gabriel – So produced by Daniel Lanois and Peter Gabriel, with that huge, atmospheric depth. Phil Collins – Face Value with Hugh Padgham’s iconic gated drum sound. U2 – The Joshua Tree with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, full of space and emotion. Simple Minds – New Gold Dream produced by Peter Walsh, dripping in that polished 80s sheen. And of course Talking Heads – Remain in Light, produced by Brian Eno, pushing boundaries sonically. These weren’t just mixed on SSLs, they were shaped through them from the very beginning.
A quick look at the history behind the sound
One of the really enjoyable parts of this project was also diving into some of the technical evolution behind SSL’s channel designs.
The 4000 lineage is full of fascinating details, from routing flexibility and total recall to the differences between E series and G series EQs, and the way the dynamics circuitry evolved over time.
The early E series dynamics used a different VCA design before later moving to DBX-based solutions. That shift changed the behaviour in subtle ways, with some of the early versions being described as a little grabbier and more aggressive. SSL has clearly paid attention to those details in the Revival series, and that matters, because these are the very nuances people fall in love with.
Likewise, the differences between E and G series EQs, whether it is the filter slopes, mid-band behaviour, or shelf characteristics, all contribute to why engineers still obsess over these desks decades later.
The point is, this is not just about making something that looks like an old channel strip. It is about preserving the musical decisions and sonic behaviours that made those consoles special.
So, is it worth it?
In a word, yes.
At around £1,500 or roughly $2,000 per channel, it is certainly not cheap in everyday terms. However when you compare that to what a full vintage 4000 once cost, and when you consider what it gives you in terms of tone, workflow, and usability, it starts to look extremely compelling.
Honestly, one channel would probably handle the majority of what most people need. A stereo pair would be wonderful. Four channels, which is what I am getting, makes enormous sense. Eight channels on drums was an absolute joy.
This is one of those pieces of equipment that makes you want to record. It makes you want to commit. It makes you trust your instincts a little more. And that, for me, is always the mark of something truly useful.
Final thoughts
The SSL Revival 4000 is not trying to replace the experience of sitting in front of a massive vintage console. Nothing really can.
However what it does do is capture so much of the sound, feel, and workflow of the classic 4000 channel strip in a format that is realistic, flexible, and genuinely inspiring to use.
Tracking drums, bass, guitars, and vocals through it was an absolute pleasure. The sounds came together quickly. The mix needed less work. The top end was sweet, the compression had attitude, and the whole process reminded me why SSL consoles became such a huge part of recording history.
Most importantly, it reinforced a lesson that never gets old.
Get it right at source.
When you do that, everything else becomes easier.
And the Revival 4000 absolutely helps you do just that.
Download The Multitracks Here: https://producelikeapro.lpages.co/david-bowie-lets-dance-form/
Check Out The SSL Revival 4000 Here: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/5kjxBD
