SSL Guitarstrip plug-in: quick and competent guitar track polishing?
3,8 / 5,0 | 
Solid State Logic released a new plug-in called SSL Guitarstrip. Guitarstrip offers 4 processing modules for acoustic, electric, and bass guitar. They provide tonal shaping, dynamics, and phase correction features. Here’s more about SSL’s latest software channel strip…
SSL Guitarstrip guitar processing plug-in
SSL’s new Guitarstrip plug-in enables control over tonal shaping, dynamics, and phase correction tailored specifically for guitar tracks. It contains 4 processing modules designed to let you make the most of acoustic, electric, and bass guitars. As expected, Guitarstrip benefits from SSL’s decades of experience in producing exemplary recording equipment tuned by the most demanding ears.
The plug-in will also keep good company with SSL’s existing Drumstrip and Vocalstrip 2 plug-ins. The more of these ‘get-mix-ready-sounds’ plug-ins it produces, the more software and subscriptions SSL can sell. So I expect Oxofird will continue in this (and additional) directions in further software development.
Interestingly, Guitarstrip also offers several classic tube amplifier emulations on top of typical SSL console-derived EQ and dynamics processing. Phase correction is also an important, yet overlooked aspect of treating multi-mic recordings. All in all, Guitarstrip should be able to prove itself as a useful tool in both recording and mixing scenarios.
Guitarstrip up close
In terms of tweaking potential, don’t expect to go deep, though. The Drive module contains Boost, Punch, Edge, and Shape controls which make for an interesting standalone distortion and saturation module. The Compressor module contains 5 compressor presets with Auto-Gain feature and parallel compression options. The EQ is a simplified 3-band channel EQ for broad tonal shaping.
All in all, I like it when SSL keeps it user-friendly and dishes out some lean and efficient problem-solving plug-ins. However, its pricing strategy homes in on two things – one, SSL is a premium pro-audio brand. Second, it wants to sell subscriptions more than it does individual plug-ins. Times are difficult, so choose your subscriptions carefully – there sure are many of them lurking out there these days!
Price and availability
Along with the SSL Complete subscription, which starts at USD 15 per month, Guitarstrip is also available standalone for USD 199 – both from the SSL eStore and resellers. The lack of introductory pricing is surprising, but it is what it is. You can purcbase SSL Guitarstrip from our affiliate partner Thomann *:
The plug-in is available in 64-bit AU, VST2, VST3, and AAX Native formats for macOS Catalina (Apple Silicon included) and Windows 10 or later. A demo version can be downloaded and authorizing is handled via iLok (free account or paid USB dongle).
Learn more about SSL Guitarstrip
- SSL Guitar Strip GUI: SSL
- SSL Guitarstrip widget: Gearnews
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