Pasadena, CA (October 16, 2020)—Just in time for the Fall semester, Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) finished renovating its Student Recording Studio, which now features a new 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analog in-line mixing console.
Once classes resume at LACM, which is in Pasadena, CA, the studio will be used by faculty member Andrew “Mudrock” Murdock — known for his work with Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold and others — to teach students the fundamentals of audio engineering and production. “At first, I was thinking we should buy something used,” says Murdock, who has been teaching LACM classes since 2011. “But Andre Knecht, Music Producing and Recording department head, said ‘Let’s look for something new. Did you know SSL is coming out with a console?’ He showed me the Origin brochure and I said, looks good to me!
“It looks familiar; it’s got the classic SSL look. I didn’t even get to drive it until it was in my room. As soon as I did, I said, this feels like an SSL. And it sounds great.”
SSL Reveals Easter Egg Hidden in Fusion
The Origin console, acquired from Westlake Pro, has all the necessary features and functionality for teaching mixing console signal flow and routing, says Murdock. “The routing is really ingenious. It’s got 16 buses — which is plenty these days — that feed eight stereo subgroups, which you can treat as mono or stereo. Instead of having a routing switch for each subgroup, there’s a single Route button on each channel. You push the button, the light turns blue, then you push the button next to the subgroup master you want to assign it to. That works super well.”
The in-line desk features three inputs—mic, line and monitor—on each channel, he continues, and offers flexible fader flip switching to assign various functions to the large or small faders, including the channel insert and direct output paths. “You can also control all the cues and all the auxes individually. They’ve really thought about everything,” he says.
Murdock has a long history with SSL, having mixed numerous records on the manufacturer’s consoles at Los Angeles area facilities such as NRG Recording, Larrabee and Track Record Studios. His discography includes engineering and production credits for his work with Alice Cooper, Powerman 5000 and The Riverboat Gamblers.
Solid State Logic • www.solidstatelogic.com
