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Mixing with SSL x sonible’s New SSL Autoseries Plugins — AI in Audio Production Isn't What You Think It Is

I subscribe to SSL's Complete Access bundle, so when the AutoSeries plugins dropped, I got the announcement immediately. SSL partnering with sonible through their parent company Audiotonix — that caught my attention. I'm a fan of both companies, and I knew this collaboration would resonate with my audience.

But I didn't want to just talk about these plugins. I wanted to test them.

So I mixed an entire track using only the SSL AutoSeries — autoEQ, autoDYN, and autoBUS. No other processing. Just these three AI-assisted plugins to see if they actually deliver on the promise of faster workflow without sacrificing creative control.


Watch the video here:

f you want to check them out, you can find the SSL AutoSeries via Plugin Boutique using my affiliate link below. It supports the channel and doesn’t change the price for you.



The Industry Has AI All Wrong

The conversation around AI in audio production has become a binary mess. On one side, you've got fear — AI will replace engineers, destroy jobs, make human judgment obsolete. On the other side, you've got hype — AI is revolutionary, it'll transform everything, it's the future of mixing.

Both sides miss the point.

After testing the SSL AutoSeries extensively, I realized these tools aren't about automation or replacement. They're about time compression. They eliminate the research overhead in your mixing process while maintaining complete editorial control. The bottleneck was never your technical capability — it was the time cost of iteration.

SSL's approach feels like an evolution, not a revolution. These plugins don't claim to mix for you. They set tasteful EQ curves and compressor settings to get you a starting point while keeping every control accessible for manual adjustment.

What "AI" Actually Means Here

Let's be clear about something: the hysteria around AI replacing audio engineers is overblown. In most cases, corporations are taking refined recursive algorithms, slapping an "AI" label on them, and marketing them as revolutionary.

The sonible technology behind these plugins isn't "aware" of your music in any meaningful sense. It doesn't have opinions about your creative choices. It's not going to replace you.

It's going to speed you up.

That's the actual value proposition here — and it's significant. The SSL AutoSeries uses source-aware analysis to suggest starting points based on the material you're processing. Drums get treated differently than vocals. Bass gets different curves than guitars. The algorithms recognize patterns and apply processing that reflects decades of mixing wisdom codified into software.

But here's the critical distinction: AI that suggests starting points you can override versus AI that makes final decisions you can't reverse.

SSL chose the former. Every parameter remains accessible. Every curve can be adjusted. The AI gets you 70-80% of the way there, and you finish the job with your taste and judgment.

Testing Methodology: One Song, Three Plugins

I wanted to isolate whether these plugins actually serve musical decision-making or just create new dependency patterns. So I set a constraint: mix an entire track using only autoEQ, autoDYN, and autoBUS.

My workflow followed classic mixing principles:

  • Start with autoEQ to shape individual elements and address frequency problems

  • Apply autoDYN to bring tracks forward and control dynamics

  • Use autoBUS on group buses to glue elements together

This mirrors how I'd approach any mix — EQ first for tonal balance, compression for presence and control, then bus processing for cohesion. The AutoSeries didn't force me into a new workflow. It accelerated my existing one.

The Results: Tasteful and Classical

I found the AI-generated starting points to be generally tasteful and classical. The EQ curves made sense. The compression ratios felt appropriate. The bus processing added cohesion without squashing dynamics.

Almost everything needed some tweaking.

That's not a criticism — it's the point. The plugins got me into the ballpark fast, then I used my ears and judgment to dial in the final sound. I'd estimate the AutoSeries saved me about 25% of my mixing time compared to my traditional workflow.

Twenty-five percent time savings translates directly to value for my clients. That's not insignificant.

I loved the final mix. No compromises in sound quality. No creative frustration from fighting the tools. Just faster iteration cycles and less time spent in the weeds of technical decision-making.

What This Signals About the Industry

SSL integrating AI through their partnership with sonible signals something important: established manufacturers recognize workflow friction as the actual problem, not sound quality.

This contradicts the field's obsession with marginal sonic improvements. The audio industry keeps chasing incremental upgrades in transparency, headroom, or harmonic character when the real bottleneck is time — the hours spent tweaking, comparing, second-guessing.

The AutoSeries addresses that friction directly.

And this isn't an isolated move. We're going to see nothing but this over the next few years as major conglomerates buy up audio brands. Audiotonix owns SSL, sonible, Slate Digital, Allen & Heath, and twelve other companies. Landor just acquired Reason Studios.

This consolidation is strategic. These companies are accessing the prosumer and home markets, which generate exponentially more revenue than the professional market — and with far less support cost. AI-assisted plugins are a way to get bedroom producers and novices into the game, lowering the skill barrier while maintaining the brand heritage of companies like SSL.

The Price-to-Function Ratio

At their introductory price — $50 each or $100 for the bundle — these plugins represent genuine value. That's roughly $33 per plugin in the bundle, which is accessible for most producers.

At full price ($100 each), adoption will slow. I don't think established pros will rush to buy them. They've already got their workflows dialed in, and changing habits requires significant motivation.

But at the intro pricing, I think the AutoSeries will see massive adoption among newer engineers and home producers looking to compress their learning curve.

What AI in Audio Production Actually Means

The audio and entertainment industries don't need AI. Music sounded great thirty years ago. Films looked great fifty years ago. The creative output wasn't somehow deficient before these tools existed.

What AI tools provide is accessibility and efficiency.

They open the door to newcomers, bringing more people into the creative sphere by reducing the technical knowledge barrier. That's valuable. But it doesn't mean the old ways were wrong or insufficient.

Sonible has been proving this approach for almost a decade with their smart plugins that "understand" your music to some degree — features like intelligent unmasking that adjust processing based on context. The SSL AutoSeries extends that philosophy into the SSL sonic signature, combining the 4000-series character with modern workflow acceleration.

This is the healthy evolution: technology that respects the creative process rather than trying to replace it.

The Real Conversation We Should Be Having

AI in audio production is perfectly reasonable when you strip away the marketing hype and the fear-mongering. These are modern versions of recursive algorithms designed to make your plugins and workflow easier.

You shouldn't be fearful of these tools. But you should be careful and strategic about how you integrate them.

The SSL AutoSeries proves you can maintain full editorial control while eliminating research overhead. The plugins compress decision cycles without dictating creative outcomes. They accelerate your existing workflow rather than forcing you into a new one.

That's the pattern we'll see moving forward as AI integration matures in audio production. Tools that augment human judgment rather than replace it. Systems that respect operator taste while reducing time cost. Technology that democratizes access without degrading output quality.

The question isn't whether AI will replace audio engineers. It won't.

The question is whether you'll use these efficiency tools to deliver more value to your clients, compress your learning curve, or simply get more mixes done in less time.

Have you tested any AI-assisted audio tools in your workflow? What's been your experience with the balance between automation and creative control?



 
 
 

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© 2023 byJason Dahl. j@dahlhousestudios.com 

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