Hannes Bieger Expands His Creative Sound Palette with the Addition of Solid State Logic THE BUS+ Rackmount Compressor

Bieger, an expert in compression and dynamic processing, dives deep into the versatility and sonic qualities of SSL THE BUS+

Berlin, Germany, September 8, 2025 — Throughout his dynamic career—first as a musician, then as a sought-after mixer and producer, and now once more as a recording and performing artist—German electronic virtuoso Hannes Bieger has built a reputation for the unparalleled sonic quality, depth, and distinctive character of his productions. Bieger, who uses an extensive collection of outboard gear for mixing and mastering, recently expanded his sonic capabilities with the addition of Solid State Logic’s THE BUS+ analogue compressor at his production and mixing studio in Berlin.

After more than a decade mixing projects for a long list of A-list international techno and house artists, Bieger, who started out playing guitar and synth in various bands, switched gears in 2017 to also focus on his own creative endeavors again alongside his mixing and production work. In 2024 he was invited by Electric Animals to preview the new album in a performance with the 30-piece Orquestra Filarmonica de Costa Rica at the Oneiro Festival. At the beginning of 2025 he released Galaxies, his second album under his own name, on his own label, elektrons.

Intuitive production with THE BUS+
Bieger may have an arsenal of music production and mixing tools available, but his fundamental goal is to help an artist sound like the best possible version of themselves, he says. “One of the fundamental creeds of my work is that I do as much as I need, but as little as possible. And I try to work in a way where the technology is as invisible as possible.” With more than 50,000 hours of studio work under his belt, he adds, his approach tends to be intuitive: “I use whatever I have at hand, and I don't even think about what I'm doing, I just do it.”

An aficionado and avid user of analogue compressors, Bieger says that he previously found SSL compressors tightening the low end too much for the type of music he was producing — until THE BUS+ was introduced. “THE BUS+ expands so much on the original idea of an SSL compressor. It's the first one I have really enjoyed using, except when I used to work on a 4000 Series console and mix right into the Bus Compressor.”

SSL 4K Mode , LOW THD, and VCA compression
Selecting 4K MODE on THE BUS+ matches the implementation of the 4000 Series Bus Compressor and allows the user to colour the sound by introducing nine selectable levels of harmonic distortion via the VCA. “I like the 4K saturation mode and the possibility to add some flavour,” he says. “That was my starting point, and I have to say that I have gotten good results with it. I’m able to use THE BUS+ in ways I wouldn’t normally use other types of SSL compressors.”

He elaborates, “SSL’s SuperAnalogue™ technology is very clean and wide, having the 4K Mode colour options available is just great. But with its LOW THD module applied, what I'm doing is preserving just the right amount of transient, particularly at the low frequency end of the spectrum. Saturation is always a good thing and can be a very important, effective tool, especially across a bunch of different signals. You get more ‘grip,’ more presence. It does something to the stereo field, and you're able to make it louder because the transients are smoothed out ever so slightly.”

Achieving sonic versatility with The BUS+ Dynamic EQ
More critical to Bieger’s everyday workflow is the D-EQ section of THE BUS+, a flexible and variable two-band — LF and HF — dynamic equaliser offering frequency-dependent compression and expansion. “Dynamic EQ is one of the most important tools that I use, sometimes even more than compression,” he states. “The dynamic EQ on The BUS+ has been a gamechanger for me, as I use dynamic EQ in every mix. Employed the right way, it's a minimally invasive tool. Many signals are not generally too dynamic, so with a dynamic EQ you can target that one problematic frequency and leave the rest intact.”

When he’s mixing, Bieger continues, there is no processing on his mix bus. “My goal is to make it sound like a master without anything on the mix bus. I always try to tackle issues at the source, and most of the time that means I use dynamic EQ on individual channels, without affecting the rest of the mix.”

THE BUS+ D-EQ section now holds a unique place in his studio, he also notes. “It’s the only dynamic EQ in hardware that I have at my disposal. It’s an incredible implementation and offers all the versatility of a good, dynamic EQ plug-in, but in analogue hardware. It’s absolutely brilliant how intuitive it is with its ‘hidden’ features, like selecting the center frequency for the EQ bands in the VU meters. I took it as a challenge to figure out how it works without looking at the manual — and I succeeded!”

Even when the D-EQ is not engaged, Bieger also notes, the LF and HF controls offer additional processing opportunities. “It’s possible to use those gain knobs as an additional EQ,” he elaborates. For example, “I might have a little bit of EQ after compressing drums, adding 1 dB of gain, 1.5 dB tops, at the fundamental frequency of the bass drum, then a little bit also at 10 kHz. So even if you're not using the dynamic EQ, you can use that section to restore or boost a little bit of low end after the compression. It gives you a lot of tonal flexibility in terms of shaping the frequencies.”

The versatility of The BUS+ is such that it could effectively replace the two hardware units that he has had hardwired on his typical drum bus chain for years, Bieger says. “I find it quite amazing that THE BUS+ can do both the compression and EQ work I normally do on my drum bus in one unit and also offers dynamic EQ on top of that.”

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.