Solid State Logic (SSL) are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of creative tools for music, live sound and broadcast. Aside from Apple, they are the principal equipment provider supplying Herefordshire College. Products start at circa £100,000 and our Duality Mixing Desk purchased from them cannot be found in any other further education college in the UK!
Tutors Dan Armstrong and Ceri Jones along with 2nd year Level 3 students were shown around the facilities at the SSL factory based in Banbury, Oxfordshire and were talked through the manufacturing process. It was fascinating for the students to see and hear about how jobs and hobbies can co-exist.
UK Sales Manager Mike Banks and Technical Specialist Luke Aziz spent a significant amount of time talking to the students about an array of subjects from technology to employment opportunities. They also demonstrated their mixing consoles for TV/Broadcast, Studio Production and Live Sound, including impressive surround sound rooms.
Before joining SSL Luke worked as an Engineer and Composer. During this time, he wrote music for commercial release including video games such as Spiderman, and Destiny for the PlayStation 5.
Despite being in awe of the scale and expense of the equipment, students soon gained their confidence and seized the opportunity to mix in the various rooms. It didn’t take long for them to realise that many of the controls are the same as what they already use in the College’s Music Technology studios.
Highlights of the trip were students mixing Michael Jackson’s ‘Billy Jean’ which required them to balance all the individual instruments including his vocals. It was also very impressive for them to see a vast array of platinum record discs on display from artists such as Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Celine Dion and Peter Gabriel who previously owned SSL.
Reflecting on the trip, Dan Armstrong said “I have a long-standing relationship with SSL since working with UB40 as a Producer. I have used their equipment in not just my own studio, but some of the most prestigious studios in the world. This trip has given our students valuable insight and following it, several of them have expressed an interest in progressing into higher education which they were not considering previously. I think it has been a fantastic way to finish the year.”
