Huntsville, TX (July 23, 2021)—Professional musician Patrick Fitzgerald kept busy during the pandemic, building out a recording studio centered around a Solid State Logic Origin analog inline mixing console at his home in the Piney Woods of eastern Texas.
Matt Knobel, account manager at Westlake Audio’s Nashville office, supplied all the gear for Fitzgerald’s new facility. “I don’t really care to use automation, especially when tracking,” aid Fitzgerald. In any case, he says, “I dropped a UF8 into the middle of the console.” SSL’s DAW controller provides eight motorized faders with 43 assignable keys that provide access to select functions in Pro Tools and Logic Pro X, both of which Fitzgerald uses. “I prefer Pro Tools, but some of my buddies like Logic, so I try to be flexible.”
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Fitzgerald says that he prefers the sound of the Origin’s E-Series EQ to the 9000 series console that he used previously in Seattle at Electrokitty Recording, where he worked as a session musician in exchange for recording time of his own. “It’s the same SSL craftsmanship, clearly, but they’re new and clean.” And like the 9000, he points out, he has dozens of identical mic preamps and EQs across the board with Origin. “I liked mixing on the big 9000, because I could have 32 of the same preamps and the same EQs. Plus, I’ve got 16 500 series SSL dynamics modules in separate outboard racks.
“Now that I’ve had a chance to use this, it sounds absolutely incredible. I really like the Drive function; I think I like the PureDrive preamps on the Origin better than the 9000. I feel like you can drive them a little bit harder. I plugged an AEA R88 ribbon mic into it and it didn’t have a problem with it, so that was impressive.”
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