The prestigious McNally Smith College of Music has chosen a 48-channel Solid State Logic Duality console as the centerpiece for each of its two newly renovated studios. Duality, the fastest selling large format console in SSL‘s history, combines the legendary sound of the SSL E, G & K Series electronics with extended Digital Audio Workstation integration.
“When our chair of Recording Technology, Bryan Forrester, decided to upgrade studios One and Two, the clear choice became the SSL Duality console,” explains André Fischer, Dean of Music Industries at McNally Smith College of Music and celebrated producer of artists such as Natalie Cole, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight and Frank Sinatra. “We needed both practical and functional equipment for the students, many of whom have extensive experience with digital audio software at school and on their home computers. The Duality consoles flawlessly bridge the gap between the all-computer experience of the students and the real-world professional environment in which they will work to create new music.”
With 560+ students and an 80+ member faculty, McNally Smith College of Music is devoted to excellence in music industry higher education and in developing music industry professionals and entrepreneurs. An accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, McNally Smith offers music degrees and programs in Recording Technology, Music Business, Performance and Composition. Studios One and Two are back to back and the Duality consoles offer two identical production environments, expanding the college‘s scheduling and teaching opportunities.
“The Duality offers all kinds of great options for us,” explains Forrester. “For example, the use of the new ‘split signal flow architecture,‘ which enables any desired combination of analogue channel processing to be used in conjunction with a DAW record path, is very powerful. SSL installed the consoles and we were up and running right away. The endless features and ease of operation are amazing.”
Duality is the analogue console for the digital age and offers the creative artist and engineer an incredible powerhouse of sonic colors and signal routing possibilities. Duality combines the unique qualities of analogue audio with ‘at a glance‘ visual feedback and DAW control at the center of the console, all in the industry standard ergonomic package top professionals rely on everyday. Each input channel offers a SuperAnalogue™ mic preamp and a Variable Harmonic Drive™ input stage designed to add analogue character to sterile workstation outputs. The harmonic drive control provides the engineer with a wide range of options from the warmth of 50‘s tubes to the ‘edge‘ of 70‘s transistors. Duality is fast becoming the darling of the education community with an installation list that‘s growing in leaps and bounds.
“I am a big fan of SSL consoles because I have had great success using them on past projects, and Duality is perfect for McNally Smith‘s unique teaching environment and we are thoroughly pleased,” comments Fischer. “SSL always provides a versatile product that is always changing with the times.”
Solid State Logic is the world‘s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solid-state-logic.com.
