SSL Sourcerer is an expander plugin by Solid State Logic that reduces mic bleed and crosstalk in live and studio recordings without a traditional gate, featuring intuitive controls, sidechain options, and dual detection modes for natural-sounding mixes.
Purpose and Approach
SSL Sourcerer is an optimized expander designed to reduce microphone bleed and unwanted background noise in live and studio recordings, providing a more natural-sounding mix compared to gating. It was initially developed for the SSL Live console range and builds on SSL’s digital processing heritage.
Rather than hard gating, Sourcerer uses an expander to attenuate leakage and crosstalk, making it suitable for scenarios like live jam recordings with mic bleed, panel discussions with cross-talk, or live performances with constant crowd noise. Its controls are crafted for fast workflow in time-sensitive environments.
Key Controls and Detection
Sourcerer features intuitive Threshold, Depth, and Time controls to fine-tune the expansion behavior. The Time control offers three easy release settings—Slow, Medium, and Fast—allowing decay to match the natural release of the audio source and prevent unnatural cutoffs. High-pass and Low-pass filters are available for the sidechain input to dial in specific frequencies.
Dual detection modes allow switching between RMS and Peak. RMS mode gives a smoother, averaged response for continuous sounds, while Peak mode handles fast transients effectively. This flexibility helps match the processing to the source material in both dynamic live and controlled studio settings.
Sidechain and Ducking Features
Sourcerer offers selectable internal or external sidechain sources. The internal sidechain lets you monitor the sidechain input directly and set detection based on the signal that triggers dynamics control. The external sidechain allows using another track in the mix to trigger noise reduction, providing more flexible dynamics control.
The ducking feature provides greater control in live situations with relative silence or intrusive background noise, such as panel discussions or crowd-heavy performances. It includes an adjustable ducking delay to synchronize the effect with the timing of the source material, making it useful for narratives or announcements over ambient noise.
Workflow and Visual Feedback
Sourcerer is designed to maximize workflow efficiency with intuitive controls. The interface includes dual visual feedback graphs: a top graph shows the sidechain and filtered signals, while a bottom graph displays threshold levels and gain reduction. This real-time visual cue helps make precise adjustments quickly.
In practical use, engineers can set the expander to clean up bleed in drum mics during live shows, or reduce cross-talk in podcast recordings. The external sidechain allows ducking music under a voiceover, and the filters can isolate specific frequency ranges to avoid affecting the wanted signal. The three release times simplify matching to source decay.
Key features
- Dynamic noise reduction via expander without gating
- Intuitive Threshold, Depth, and Time controls
- High-pass and Low-pass filters for sidechain
- External sidechaining for flexible triggering
- RMS and Peak detection modes
- Sidechain monitor for direct input listening
- Three release time settings: Slow, Medium, Fast
Best for
Best for live and studio engineers needing to reduce mic bleed, crosstalk, or background noise without the artifacts of gating. Ideal for jam recordings, panel discussions, podcast cross-talk suppression, and live performances in noisy environments where natural sound and fast workflow matter.