Apollo
Native
sale
SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle
Add a certified hit-making channel strip and bus compressor to your studio.
- Track and mix with an exacting emulation of SSL E Series Console Type E “black” and “brown” knob channel EQ and filters
- Harness famous SSL E Series VCA Compression — from transparent to “in your face”
- Harness the SSL E Series’ highly responsive Gate including “no-chatter” mode derived from later designs
- Easily add G Bus glue and cohesion to drums, strings, and background vocals
- Elevate your mix bus with legendary SSL G Bus compression
- Use the G Bus’s Auto Fade feature (1-60 seconds) as found in original console
Included Plug-Ins
SSL 4000 E Channel Strip
$149SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor
$149The world's finest emulations of the certified hit-making channel strip and bus compressor – now available as UAD Native plug-ins
Included in This Bundle
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
The SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle is worth it if you want the two most important pieces of the classic 4000 console in one purchase. The bundle pairs the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip — with both the "black knob" and "brown knob" Type E EQ and filters — with the SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor, the combination behind more Platinum records than any other console series. Buying them together is more economical than purchasing individually, and having both in one bundle means the channel and bus ends of your mix are covered.
The SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle was developed in close partnership with Solid State Logic, and it includes both the Type E "black knob" and "brown knob" EQ variants — a distinction that matters because each has a different frequency character and band interactivity that shapes how you work. Most other SSL emulations offer only one EQ flavor. This bundle also includes the G Bus Compressor with its Auto Fade feature (1–60 seconds) as found in the original hardware console, a feature that’s particularly useful for mixes and live sessions.
The SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle includes two plug-ins: the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip Collection and the SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor Collection. The E Channel Strip models the full console channel path — both Type E EQ variants, high and low cut filters, VCA compression from transparent to aggressive, and a responsive gate with a "no-chatter" mode borrowed from later SSL console designs. The G Bus Compressor is the dedicated stereo bus unit used to add cohesion and punch to the mix bus, with the same Auto Fade control found on the original 4000 G console.
The full version is the right choice if you don't already own either plug-in — it gives you both the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip and the SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor at the bundle price. The upgrade option is for existing owners of one of the individual plug-ins who want to complete the pair. If you already own the G Bus Compressor, for example, the upgrade gets you the E Channel Strip at a lower cost than starting fresh. Log in to your UA account before purchasing and your eligible options will appear at checkout.
The SSL 4000 E Channel Strip is a detailed circuit emulation developed with direct cooperation from Solid State Logic, capturing the specific component behavior that gives the E Series its character — including the band interdependencies in the four-band EQ that let you carve low mids without losing body, and the fast, punchy response of the VCA compressor. Engineers who own SSL hardware have noted that the UAD emulation is faithful enough that the difference only becomes apparent in direct A/B with the physical console. For most production contexts, you're getting the same sound decisions the hardware would lead you to.
The SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor works as a VCA stereo bus compressor, applying light gain reduction across a group of tracks or the full mix to make them feel more cohesive and controlled — the "glue" effect that became the 4000 G Series' signature. A good starting point is a low ratio (2:1 or 4:1), a medium attack, and auto release with around 1–3 dB of gain reduction; that's enough to hear the compressor working without flattening the dynamics. The plug-in also includes the G Bus's Auto Fade feature, which lets you program a fade from 1 to 60 seconds exactly as it exists on the original console — handy for stems, mix delivery, or live sets.
No, the SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle runs natively on macOS or Windows with no UA hardware required. It also runs accelerated on Apollo audio interfaces and UAD Accelerators for users who want near-zero-latency monitoring or to offload CPU load. A single purchase gives you a license for both the native and hardware-accelerated versions, so you can use whichever fits your setup.
The SSL 4000 Series Console Bundle runs natively on macOS and Windows and works with any DAW that supports AU, VST, or AAX plug-in formats, including Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Studio One, Cubase, Reaper, and LUNA. An iLok account is required for license management; an iLok USB key is supported for portability but not required.
Yes. Both plug-ins in the bundle offer 14-day demo licenses through UA Connect. You can activate a demo directly from the product page and run the full-featured plug-in in your sessions for two weeks before deciding to purchase. The demo works natively on your computer with no additional hardware required.
Your license covers three activations, and you can activate on your computer or on an iLok USB key. The iLok USB key is the most flexible option if you work across multiple machines or studios since you can carry your license with you rather than managing activations across systems.
For tracking, the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip works well as a realtime input processor — the gate and high-pass filter clean up room noise and mic bleed before anything hits tape, and the EQ's natural tonal curves let you make fast decisions without overthinking. For mixing, the plug-in works particularly well as a per-channel tool: the Type E "black knob" EQ tends toward a tighter, more focused sound that's useful for dense arrangements, while the "brown knob" variant has a slightly more open character that works well on sources that need air and presence. Neither is strictly better — try both when you're dialing in a sound, because the choice makes a real difference.
The SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor works well on subgroups and individual tracks, not only on the stereo bus. On a drum bus, a faster attack tightens the transient snap and makes the kit feel more compact and aggressive; a slower attack preserves the natural punch from the kick and snare before the compressor engages. On backing vocals, strings, or any group of similar elements that need to feel like one instrument, a gentle ratio with careful makeup gain will pull everything together without making individual tracks disappear. The "in your face" end of the VCA range is also worth experimenting with on electric guitars and bass in heavier productions.
The SSL 4000 console series is widely recognized as the console behind more hit records than any other, across multiple decades of rock, pop, hip-hop, and electronic music production. The 4000 E and G Series were the dominant consoles in major studios from the mid-1970s through the 2000s, and the G Bus Compressor in particular became a signature element of the pop and rock mix sound of that era. The Universal Audio emulations were developed with Solid State Logic's direct participation to capture the same circuit behavior that shaped those recordings.
Yes — the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip is actually a great learning tool because its layout mirrors a real console channel, so using it builds instincts that transfer to other contexts. The EQ bands are musical rather than surgical, which means small moves produce recognizable results without extreme coloration, and the compressor has a simple interface that's hard to misuse. The G Bus Compressor is similarly approachable: a low ratio and modest gain reduction are usually all that's needed, and the plug-in rewards a light touch over heavy-handed compression.
UAD native plug-ins run entirely on your computer's CPU with no additional hardware required. DSP-accelerated processing through Apollo or UAD Accelerators offloads computation from your computer, which can help in large sessions where CPU headroom is tight. Both versions use the same underlying emulation, so the sonic result is identical — the choice comes down to your session setup and whether you're using UA hardware. A single license covers both.