SSL G-Master Buss Compressor

“Glue” tracks into a smooth, cohesive mix

Colorful Compression: The Ultimate Glue
for Your Groups and Mixes

Ask any pro engineer—there’s nothing like the SSL G-Master on the stereo bus. Originally strapped across SSL console master buses to “glue” mixes together into a solid, cohesive experience, the SSL G-Master is also ideal for drum buses, backup vocals, and even solo instruments.

The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor’s crucial role in hit after hit has stood the test of time—and Waves’ emulation faithfully re-creates this essential sound.

Adds a smooth, satisfying quality to your mixes
Licensed and validated by Solid State Logic
New! Sidechain filter for more precision and control
Dozens of presets from Grammy-winning recording pros
Avoids overcompression—hitting it hard softens the knee
Feedback compression design controls levels unobtrusively
Added Trim control for quick level adjustment
Added Mix control for easy parallel compression

Watch It in Action

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What Top Pros Are Saying

[{"itemID":423,"itemGUID":"3ddebbb7-c931-4e96-9162-21f709b58389","artistName":"Ken \u0022Pooch\u0022 Van Druten","artistTitle":"Mixer, FOH Engineer","credits":"Linkin Park, Kiss, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/ken-van-druten.png","quote":"Waves SSL G-Master is my favorite compressor for parallel drum compression. The SSL G-Channel is also great on drums, snare drum in particular: the gate and compressor give you THE SSL G console sound you\u2019ve heard on a million records.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":1},{"itemID":424,"itemGUID":"516799f0-4ae6-47e3-81a4-be327d91fbef","artistName":"Miles Walker","artistTitle":"Producer, Mixing Engineer","credits":"Beyonc\u00E9, Usher, Sia, Icona Pop","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/miles-walker.png","quote":"SSL G-EQ usually on my main stereo bus, but I\u2019ve also had good luck with its auto-release function on smaller buses like strings or drums. You can get that individual bus snap or glue it within the overall stereo mix\u2014helpful on dynamic tracks.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":2},{"itemID":194,"itemGUID":"2d9c1f17-7ddc-4acb-94f7-fae1eae267e1","artistName":"Mike Patton","artistTitle":"Singer, Songwriter, Multi-Instrumentalist, Film Composer, Producer","credits":"Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mike-patton.png","quote":"Naturally, for crushing!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":3},{"itemID":1930,"itemGUID":"978e67c0-b951-4eeb-9e56-8263a92cee3b","artistName":"Enrico De Paoli","artistTitle":"Producer, Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer","credits":"Ray Charles, Stanley Jordan, Djavan, Elton John","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/enrico-de-paoli.png","quote":"This compressor does a great job on anything I insert it on, even vocals. The ratio parameter faithfully copies the knee curves of the original; that knob really tailors the knee of this compressor behind the scenes.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":4},{"itemID":36,"itemGUID":"91c5684d-b5c2-453b-95cf-6b4a52b30e65","artistName":"Chris Lord-Alge","artistTitle":"Producer \u0026 Mixing Engineer","credits":"Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Muse","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/chris-lord-alge.png","quote":"The SSL 4000 are the best models I have ever heard.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":5},{"itemID":32,"itemGUID":"577fbf4a-8e2e-4907-8e8e-4dcad7c05c11","artistName":"Tony Maserati","artistTitle":"Producer \u0026 Mixing Engineer","credits":"Beyonc\u00E9, Selena Gomez, Robin Thicke, Nick Jonas","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/tony-maserati.png","quote":"SSL 4000 Collection sounds great. I can make it sound nasty.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":6},{"itemID":39,"itemGUID":"5e478bda-40bf-4520-a69c-8c705e672671","artistName":"Steve Lillywhite","artistTitle":"Producer","credits":"U2, The Rolling Stones, Travis, Dave Matthews","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/steve-lillywhite.png","quote":"The Waves SSL is great on just about anything: drums, bass, guitars. Even with the real console available, I will often use this for convenience.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":7},{"itemID":356,"itemGUID":"3bdab10f-5153-4dd5-864c-24035eb918bd","artistName":"Giles Martin","artistTitle":"Producer, Music Director, Mixer","credits":"The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Rocketman","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/giles-martin.png","quote":"When we got the SSL 4000 Collection and compared it with the original SSL console at AIR Studios, suddenly I turned around and said, \u2018We are now getting into a world where in-the-box is no different from the hardware.\u2019","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":8},{"itemID":2799,"itemGUID":"d21f0237-d6fc-460e-8e43-0784c57e4e82","artistName":"Young Guru","artistTitle":"Mixing Engineer, Producer","credits":"Jay Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonc\u00E9, Meek Mill","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/young-guru.png","quote":"I normally use the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor very lightly: attack around 3 or 10, a release of 0.1 and never exceeding 3 decibels of compression.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":9},{"itemID":2919,"itemGUID":"bc79f064-001f-469d-8ebb-3e729cc6843a","artistName":"Kenny Beats","artistTitle":"Producer","credits":"Ed Sheeran, FKA Twigs ft. Future, Da Baby","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/kenny-beats.png","quote":"The Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor has been something I\u2019ve used daily for the last 10\u002B years.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":10},{"itemID":352,"itemGUID":"f17b0bc2-c8b7-4850-b0aa-cfdd3ddea793","artistName":"Mike Hedges","artistTitle":"Producer / Engineer","credits":"U2, The Cure, Dido, Manic Street Preachers","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mike-hedges.png","quote":"Use the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor on your output, and it finally sounds like a mix! A fantastic emulation of the original. Simply a great tool for bringing cohesion and character to mixes.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":11},{"itemID":3208,"itemGUID":"ea927a50-3ac6-4f09-ad13-69c7adc98296","artistName":"Josh Wink","artistTitle":"Artist, Producer, DJ \u0026 Remixer","credits":"Sting, Depeche Mode, Moby, Radiohead","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/josh-wink.png","quote":"I love using G-Master on the master fader, to glue the differences of my track from start to finish and give my track great punch and presence. It allows me to print a great-sounding finished track that\u2019s good enough to test and play out on the dance floor.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":12},{"itemID":1860,"itemGUID":"292fe75b-ccb7-4293-bc59-7ac4966ac16c","artistName":"David Wrench","artistTitle":"Mixing, Recording Engineer, Producer","credits":"Frank Ocean, The xx, Caribou, FKA Twigs","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/david-wrench.png","quote":"The SSL Buss Compressor is the best emulation of the real thing that I\u2019ve heard, and has the advantage of being able to be automated for different sections of a track. It just binds everything together perfectly.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":13},{"itemID":2791,"itemGUID":"4a7dc879-e724-487d-9b62-5c29b473809b","artistName":"DJ Daryl","artistTitle":"Producer, Songwriter, Mixing Engineer, DJ","credits":"Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Richie Rich, Master P","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/dj-daryl.png","quote":"I really love the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, it helps balance out things that are too hot. It\u0027s also great for vocals.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":14},{"itemID":1794,"itemGUID":"da97a987-332f-4964-9cfa-f349cfbcd1a0","artistName":"Tritonal","artistTitle":"Musical Duo, Producers, DJs","credits":"The Chainsmokers, Armin Van Buuren, Adam Lambert","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/tritonal.png","quote":"Not only is this the first stage on our master chain on most records, but we also use it on vocal tracks, guitar tracks and bus sends.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":15},{"itemID":2217,"itemGUID":"29c811ba-f698-4a8c-b740-decc075d2187","artistName":"Alex Tumay","artistTitle":"Engineer, Producer","credits":"Young Thug, 21 Savage, Drake, Kanye West","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/alex-tumay.png","quote":"The SSL Comp is crucial to the vocal sound I aim for.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":16},{"itemID":2567,"itemGUID":"f3062671-fc89-436b-bf0f-8df409fe6e50","artistName":"Scott Chesak","artistTitle":"Producer, Songwriter, Musician","credits":"Panic! at the Disco, Weezer, The All-American Rejects","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/scott-chesak.png","quote":"The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor is an amazing recreation of the classic hardware. I use it all the time on the drum bus and mix bus. It\u2019s as smooth as butter.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":17},{"itemID":351,"itemGUID":"f863f520-dee8-438d-9336-f1d6963395e7","artistName":"Thom Russo","artistTitle":"Producer / Engineer","credits":"Michael Jackson, Man\u00E1, Tom Morello","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/thom-russo.png","quote":"The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor is like an old friend. The way it recovers feels so much like the original SSL desk, it\u2019s uncanny. It makes me smile, almost like coming home.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":18},{"itemID":353,"itemGUID":"5af833e4-20f7-4783-bff7-7cec0343bac1","artistName":"Gil Norton","artistTitle":"Producer","credits":"Foo Fighters, Pixies, Stornoway","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/gil-norton.png","quote":"The SSL 4000 plugins are great for precisely adjusting your tracks when you need them to cut through dense mixes. The G-Master Buss Compressor is perfect for adding punch and snap to snares and toms\u2014it\u2019s the sound of rock \u2019n\u2019 roll!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":19},{"itemID":355,"itemGUID":"ac514dfe-7cce-4489-9ea8-8c8438c250b9","artistName":"Brad Divens","artistTitle":"FOH, Producer, Recording \u0026 Mix Engineer","credits":"Enrique Iglesias, Kanye West, Garbage","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/brad-divens.png","quote":"I use the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor on my master buss to help tighten up the mix and give it some punch. I also use it on both of my drum groups for parallel compression.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":20},{"itemID":358,"itemGUID":"448d602a-546d-4860-a8ec-9cf2ac6b50f0","artistName":"Brad Madix","artistTitle":"FOH Engineer","credits":"Rush, Jack White, Shania Twain","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/brad-madix.png","quote":"The SSL G-Master Buss compressor is great across drums. I pop it in on the drum buss at the start of every tour.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":21},{"itemID":2822,"itemGUID":"74d4e583-4371-4418-928b-89503fcd97b9","artistName":"Stuart White","artistTitle":"Mixing Engineer","credits":"Beyonc\u00E9, Jay Z, FKA Twigs, Autolux","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/stu-white.png","quote":"I use the Waves SSL Comp on my mix bus a lot. Try setting up a separate side-chain EQ on a mono aux of the mix bus feeding its key input!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":22}]

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The Secret Ingredient Behind Countless Mixes

The Original “Glue” Compressor
Engineers working with the SSL 4000 G-Series Console quickly realized that its master bus compressor, with its uncanny ability to “glue” tracks together in the final mix, was the perfect way to unify the overall sound.
Beyond the Master Bus
This versatile compressor’s intuitive operation, along with the ability to compress gently or add color, has also made the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor a favorite for drums, overhead mics, vocals, piano, and more.
Licensed and Validated by Solid State Logic
To create the world’s finest virtual SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, we went to the source: SSL. This compressor’s vintage feedback-based design sounds smoother than the more common feedforward design.
Timeless, with a Modern Twist
The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor includes the original’s sidechain and fade function, as well as its distinctive analog character with subtle hiss and harmonic distortion. Or, choose a pristine digital implementation.
Presets from the Pros
Choose the right sound fast, by taking advantage of the expertise that’s “baked into” production-ready presets from Chris Lord-Alge, Steve Lillywhite, Dave Pensado, and a dozen other top recording engineers.