Discovering the SSL Listen Mic Compressor: from Curiosity to Creation
Korneff Audio released our Talkback Limiter plug-in on March 25th, 2020. The road to the plug-in, though, began over a decade before I started to even ponder how to program the DSP for it.
It was late 2008, during one of those unforgettable tech visits at our famed studio, House of Loud. Ernie Fortunato, a tech wizard, was with us to work on some console repairs and maintenance. I was assisting him, absorbing every bit of knowledge I could. We were working on our 4056G+ console, and Ernie was meticulously going through the center section, pulling out circuit cards one by one. When he pulled out the 82E33, it caught my eye. I was struck by how simple the circuitry was, and it immediately piqued my interest.
The SSL 82E33 is a limiter circuit that was designed to amplify and level out the musicians’ talkback system mics that are commonly found in the studio area of a recording facility. It’s a simple circuit with a simple task: hard limit anything that goes above threshold and do it fast.
As a drummer and producer, I knew the legend of the SSL Listen Mic Compressor, famously used by Phil Collins and engineer Hugh Padgham. First used accidently by Padgham while engineering Peter Gabriel sessions at The Townhouse, the most well known use of it is on Phil Collins’ In THe Air Tonight.
This piece of gear isn't just a tool; it was a cornerstone of a sound that defined an era. Combined with a noise gate, it is the sound of drums in the 80s.
Despite its storied history, I had never used one firsthand. It was difficult for me to retrofit House of Loud to access the one in the console, and I had tried SSL’s free plugin version, but it never quite captured the magic described in all those interviews. Finally seeing the little beast in the flesh, I decided the simplicity of the 82E33 made it the perfect candidate for a DIY project. Even better, I had almost all the parts I needed right in the shop, except for the transformer. Since I planned to make it into a rack mounted unit used only at line level, I decided to substitute the transformer with a balancing chip.
One thing about me is that once I get something in my head, I don’t stop until it’s done. That night, I stayed up late, consumed by the project. I designed and etched a circuit board and then built up the circuit. The process was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. When the moment of truth came... it didn’t work. Oof.
Frustration set in, but I was determined to figure out what went wrong. I spent the entire night troubleshooting (I still do this, although now it’s code and not capacitors), staring at my octopus-looking disaster of a circuit, but I just couldn’t see the problem.
Luckily, Ernie was scheduled to return in the morning. When he arrived, I showed him my creation, and he started poking and prodding. After a few minutes, he asked, “Where’s R40?”
I had completely missed a resistor that was essential for sending bias voltage to the sidechain. After a quick dab of solder to place the missing resistor, the unit sprang to life. The sound that came out was monstrous, completely overdriven, and over the top. I was over the moon.
Up until that point, my go-to for parallel drum compression was the ADR Compex F760, which was hard to beat. The Compex is a one-trick pony, but it’s a great trick. If you’re not familiar with the name, you’ve heard the sound on "When the Levee Breaks”, and a bunch of other records. The F760 had been my trusty companion, giving my drum tracks that punch and presence I loved. But this new creation had a character all its own. Ever since then, it’s been a staple in my drum sound. It adds snap to snares and kicks and toms. Sometimes, I use it as my main parallel drum bus, and other times, I run it alongside the Compex as a second parallel bus.
Once I had my own 82E33, I started to experiment with it, and found that it worked well on a lot more than drums. People don’t believe it when I tell them it’s my main vocal compressor, but it is. I ended up making myself a rack of these things so I could scatter it all over my mixes. This DIY journey not only expanded my technical skills but also expanded my creative palette, giving me a unique tool that ended up becoming an integral part of my sound.
Years later, I needed still more of them, so I figured out how to recreate the 82E33 using DSP, and that little DIY coding project became the Talkback Limiter, the second plug-in released by Korneff Audio.
Looking back on the genesis of the TBL, I realize it was more than just building a piece of gear. It was about the joy of discovery, the thrill of problem-solving, and the satisfaction of creating something that truly enhances my music. Whether I’m laying down a new drum track or tweaking a mix, this little piece of history, reborn through my hands, continues to inspire and push me to explore new sonic territories. We hope the software version of it inspired you on your creative journey.