Electronic Musician Richard Devine Uses SSL U-Series Controllers and 360° Software to Access New Creative Workflows

SSL UF8 and UC1 Controllers level-up workflow and tactile creativity; “The visual feedback you get from each of those controllers and SSL 360° is just amazing.”

April 1, 2026

Atlanta, Georgia, April 1, 2026 — Renowned Atlanta-based electronic musician and sound designer Richard Devine recently made improvements to the workflow at his studio, adding a Solid State Logic UC1 plug-in controller, a pair of UF8 eight-channel advanced DAW controllers and SSL 360° software to his setup. The U-Series controllers in combination with the 360° software offer significant time savings, says Devine, who emphasises that he has found it so much faster to be able to work with the virtual SSL console combination of U-Series hardware and software.

“I wanted to focus on doing more things with my hands and less on working with a mouse,” Devine explains. He works on an eclectic array of projects, producing electronic music tracks for a variety of record labels and also creating sonic landscapes for TV commercials, video games, branding, sound effects collections and instrument patches. “Now I can use both hands when I'm mixing — making automation moves or fader changes, soloing channels — and it’s so much faster than working with a mouse.” On an Atmos mix, for example, he says, it takes twice as long to write in the automation using a mouse compared to his new SSL setup. “Fundamentally, I’ve now got control of all my channels and subgroups accessible on faders, just like being in front of an SSL console in a large studio.”

Keeping an eye on things
With the UF8 and UC1 controllers, it’s easy to keep track of everything, continues Devine, whose projects can easily run to over 100 channels. “The visual feedback you get from each of those controllers is just amazing,” he marvels. SSL’s 360° software further enhances control and visibility by laying out a virtual mixer onscreen: “I love the visual layout, the way all the Channel Strips look. If you have access to everything on an ultra-wide screen, like I have, it looks gorgeous. Plus, you've got an eye on everything that's happening in your mix right in front of you.”

One big attraction of the UC1 for Devine is the inclusion of the famed SSL BUs Compressor 2 Plug-in, complete with full hardware control and analogue VU meter. “I love the sound of the G Comp,” says Devine, who also has THE BUS+ and a 500 Series module version of the compressor. “Everybody knows that compressor; it's just got that classic sound. I've listened to so many albums that people mixed through that compressor, so I have a nostalgic connection to it as well. It's great for your master mix, to give it a little more grabbiness and push things out with the SSL punch it’s known for. For similar reasons, I also love running it on my drum bus. What SSL has done with the Bus Compressor 2 plug-in is amazing. I dial it in, just like the one in my rack.

Accessing virtual channel strips in SSL 360°
In the 360° software, he favours the Channel Strip 2 plug-in, which is inspired by the sound, features and workflow of SSL’s SuperAnalogue^TM 9000 K console. “I think that is just great, and I use it a lot. The EQ and filters, to my ears, offer the modern sound of SSL, which is known for complementing the energy and extended frequency range of dance music very well. You can really sculpt the sound and get whatever you need on your drums — kicks, snares, hi-hats — or anything that's fighting in the mix. I also love the input and output meters on that plug-in, because I'm always paying attention as I'm adding stuff or taking stuff away to how that is affecting the overall signal.”

He also likes to use the 4K G Channel Strip. “I use the EQ on that one a lot; it’s really got the vibe of the console. The G is definitely more colored than Channel Strip 2, but this gives me a different sonic character to use across my mix. All the SSL plug-ins have built-in input and output meters. So many other software developers neglect that.”

Cross-platform success with SSL's Meter Pro
SSL’s Meter Pro plug-in, especially the loudness metering suite and multichannel support, has also had a significant impact on Devine’s workflow. He is in the process of replacing and upgrading his monitoring system from 7.1.4 to 9.1.6 after last year’s floods in Georgia severely damaged his immersive mix room. “Mix metering can get kind of tricky when you're mixing in Dolby Atmos,” he comments. “Meter Pro also offers True Peak and RMS levels, VU and PPM meters, and phase correlation, which is very important for stereo balance. You've also got a 31-band real-time analyzer. It's such a great plug-in. I have that always open on my right-hand side.”

Because Devine distributes his music to a variety of streaming platforms, which often have proprietary loudness standards, he also relies on Meter Pro’s comprehensive loudness metering suite — which includes presets for YouTube, Netflix and Spotify as well as the international broadcast standards — when outputting his mixes. “I have to make sure that the LUFS values are where they need to be, whether it’s going to Spotify or to Apple Music, so that I know I'm staying within each platform’s standards,” and avoid having the mix rejected because a particular source pushes the LUFS value above the specified threshold. “With Meter Pro, you have a bird's-eye view over everything that's happening in the mix, so you can see everything all at once.”

The perfect hybrid combination
Devine prefers a hybrid workflow that enables him to also integrate analogue outboard equipment such as his SSL Fusion processor and THE BUS+ compressor. “But I also like working in the box, to take full advantage of that workflow. So this system is really the perfect hybrid combination to bring those two worlds together into a mixing session, whether I’m doing a regular stereo mix or working in Dolby Atmos.”

With the three SSL U-Series controllers laid out in front of him and the 360° software on his 49-inch display, “It feels just like working on a real console,” he reports. Indeed, the controllers carry the legacy of SSL’s legendary studio consoles, he says. “They set the standard for big, major recording studio consoles. Working on those mixers is seamless and it's very easy to sit down and get stuff going quickly. The UF8 and UC1, integrated with the DAW environment, take all the beautiful things about those consoles and modernizes them into a small form factor that makes sense, whether you are working in Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools or whatever.”

In conclusion, he says, “If you don't want to have a huge desk in your room taking up a lot of space and generating a lot of heat, it’s a brilliant solution. I can have the best pieces of what's advantageous in a mixing console, just in a much smaller footprint that makes much more sense. It sits perfectly in front of me, and I have everything I need to see and have access to right there in front of me. The power that you have, and the ability to have so much at your fingertips, is just incredible.”

About Solid State Logic
Solid State Logic is the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast, live and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solidstatelogic.com.