SM Entertainment adopts SSL ORACLE
SM Entertainment adopts SSL ORACLE
SM Entertainment has integrated a Solid State Logic (SSL) ORACLE console into BigShot Studio at its facility in Seoul, South Korea.
The multinational record label, talent agency, production company and music publisher is regarded to have pioneered the introduction of Korean music artists to a wider global audience. Supplied and integrated by SSL’s South Korean distribution partner GearLounge, the installation is intended to support the high volume of projects undertaken by the entertainment company.
ORACLE introduces SSL’s ActiveAnalogue technology, enabling near-instant recall and reset of the entire console. According to mixing and recording engineer Lee Min Kyu, the feature has significantly streamlined session management.
“There are days when I have to open and close more than 10 sessions in a single day. In the past, I had to manually write down the settings of outboard gear and recall them one by one, which was quite inconvenient,” said mixing and recording engineer Lee Min Kyu. “But adopting Oracle and being able to restore the entire console routing, processing and knob settings, with a single button, has completely freed me from both the physical effort and the psychological pressure of ‘will it sound the same’. The convenience and sheer enjoyment of this instant total recall are honestly difficult to fully describe unless you’ve experienced it firsthand.”
The console is now being used as the primary mixer in BigShot Studio. Lee explained that large-scale K-pop productions often involve extensive vocal arrangements, with sessions containing between 100 and 200 vocal tracks. By routing stems through the console rather than relying solely on DAW buses, engineers can make broad adjustments to vocal groups and instrument sections more efficiently.
Oracle’s worksurface can also be switched to function as a DAW controller. Lee said the ability to mix directly from the console’s faders rather than using a mouse has improved workflow and allowed him to focus more closely on the music itself.
“Placing my hands directly on the Oracle’s faders and balancing the mix while fully listening to the flow of the music creates a clear and positive difference in an engineer’s musical intuition,” he said. “It not only significantly reduces the physical delay of having to aim and click with a mouse in those fleeting moments of music, but it also allows me to focus entirely on the sound rather than the screen. As a result, I find that the overall texture and feel of the final mix become much more natural.”
Lee also highlighted ORACLE’s routing flexibility, which allows session-specific configurations to be saved and recalled using SSL’s O-Control app, reducing studio setup times and enabling engineers to experiment with different signal paths.
In addition to ORACLE, SM Entertainment continues to incorporate SSL Fusion into its mix workflow, particularly for enhancing the tonal character of virtual instrument tracks.
