The LMC+ module is the latest incarnation of an analogue processor that started life as a very humble return talkback compressor (Listen Mic Compressor) in SSL’s earliest SL 4000 series consoles.
The SSL ‘Listen Mic’ Compressor was, throughout the 1980’s, the secret weapon in many producers’ sonic arsenal of recording techniques. Originally designed to prevent overloading the return feed from a studio communications mic, its fixed attack and release curves were eminently suitable for use on ambient drum mics. The console surgery required to gain access to the compressed output was performed on many early E Series consoles before it became a standard modification on later production systems.