Atwater Village, CA (January 12, 2015)—Producer, engineer and Alpha Pup Records label co-founder Daddy Kev’s Cosmic Zoo recently became one of the first studios to add SSL’s new XL-Desk.
Daddy Kev’s affinity for SSL sound goes back to the late 1990s when he was recording at Paramount Recording Studio B. When the XL-Desk was introduced, he jumped on it. Kev’s custom “low rider” setup, combined with the ability to have his 500 modules within reach, is changing his workflow, particularly for his mastering projects—his primary workload at Cosmic Zoo.
“I have mastered more than 40 albums this past year alone,” he explains. “In that process, I use a bunch of 500 modules. As soon as I installed the XL-Desk, I immediately took the 500 modules and installed them in the console’s built-in 500 format rack. Now, I’m able to access those modules—as well as the new SSL bus compressor that comes with the XL-Desk—through the console.
“I think that the whole genius of the XL-Desk is the ergonomics of having the 500 rack in-line with the channels. In the past, I’d sit at the mix position with my outboard processors on either side of me. I’d always have to move a few feet in either direction to access the outboard gear, which would take me out of my ideal listening and operating position. Now, my Focal CMS 65 monitors are on 36-inch stands, putting the tweeters perfectly at my ear level. So, I’m right on top of the console, but nothing blocks the monitors and I have everything within arms’ reach.”
In addition to his 500 modules—EQs from Avedis, Electrodyne, Rupert Neve Designs, Elysia and Empirical Labs—Kev also has an SSL X-Rack with two 9000 compressor modules and an SSL FX G384 bus compressor.
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