This is by far the best video/demo of the SSL2 interface , you did an excellent job explaining all the functions on the interface and also your charts and sound comparisons are THE Best, thank you very much !!!
This is a good interface for the money. I did an experiment that worked for me. I wanted come out of my Apollo, to the Dangerous D-Box, then to run it through the SSL 2, out the SSL (4k engaged & gain all the way down) and then to my outboard mix bus chain. It gave me a bit of that sparkle and cleanness on the top end.
The one sound that they forgot to add to this device; the sound of a power button turning on and off. THAT would have been a welcome feature. Having to unplug the USBC cable to turn it off is incredibly stupid as is disengaging it through my windows device tab on the taskbar.
I have one of these but have struggled with the audio from the beginning. No matter which usb cable i use it just cuts the sound in seconds, changed the drivers and all settings. Doesn't lose power just the computer audio. The 4k sound is incredible on other sources though.
Nice detailed review! it would be interesting to compare the pre-amps on this SSL unit against some from another "similar" interface, like the focusrite, just to see if there is any significant difference/advantage on quality/sound
Much appreciated and thanks for the suggestion! I agree it is definitely helpful to compare gear side by side. I will be reviewing a number of interfaces, preamps, and processors this year and I will be share a few comparison videos of, as you said "similar" interfaces, preamps, compressors... I am also going to do a few "consumer vs pro" comparisons. I hope they will help out!
@@askdrtk Sounds great, I have seen some podcast videos where they show that the real differences on pre-amps is minimal/negligible to the human ear, it's always good to avoid the hype and the g.a.s. impulses with scientific evidence hahaha
I agree 100% lol... I find the source we are listening from is often the most limiting factor (online stream, etc.) If you can't hear the difference due to the source and your playback equipment, what does the preamp, or any other recording gear matter? That said, I always prefer to record in higher quality than is necessary for the final playback device if possible as I find it helps during mixing and reduces the impact of bitrate compression. Since listening is subjective, about the only reasonable way I can think of to review any audio gear is with tests that are as controlled as possible and by letting everyone hear the differences, even though sound being heard is influenced by the gear everyone is listening on, differences will hopefully translate. This may not be as "entertaining" as some reviews, but I hope it helps everyone out.
Hello brother! Greetings from Argentina, Great Review !!! I have an ssl 2+, I plan to buy a DT 770 Pro of 250 Ohms. I have two questions: Does it have a suitable volume to mix hip hop? Or does it get too low? And another question, since the SSL 2+ has two headphone outputs, is the impedance distributed? I don't know if the term is like that, but for example, if I have two headphones connected and they are both 250 ohms, does the sound decrease even more? Thanks, I hope I made myself understood.
Thanks and Greetings from Canada! The 2+ will have no problem driving the 770 250ohms. I have a set and they get plenty loud with good bass response. Each headphone output has its own amplifier on the 2+ (nice for separate headphone mixes) so if you need to run two sets of higher impedance headphones, you are all set and one will not effect the other. Thanks again for the great question and I hope this helps out!
Thanks! The SSL 2 is one of the nicest basic desktop interfaces I have looked at. The layout is intuitive and the audio performance did not disappoint. For anyone not requiring additional IO or DSP, this is a great choice for the pure quality of its preamps and headphone output.
I'm in my studio right now and we have an SSL. I was looking for a video that went more in depth on how the monitor mix section works.I heard a bad hissing noise when I was going to start tracking and so I assumed the gain was too high. It wasn't until I turned down the monitor mix that the hissing noise stopped. I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do. I haven't tested to see what it sounds like with my voice because I thought I was going to get tons of videos explaining it but so far this is the closest one I found.
Why a lot of these latest audio interface when am connecting them into my pc and go in my DAW and open project which has a lot effects it scratchs but when i put my focusrite gen 2 it does not scratch whats the problem there
All are very good but different. The SSL2 is brighter, the Volt is a bit thicker, and the M2 is transparent, but the difference is very minimal. I can hear the small difference on an individual track (especially vocals or acoustic guitar) with good headphones or monitors, but in a whole mix I could not reliably tell them apart.
Yes, the SSL2 will provide enough gain. One advantage however of using a mic booster (or preamp with more gain than the SLL2) is that it will provide a greater range of gain adjustment vs having to turn the gain on the SSL2 up nearly to full. Hope this helps out, Cheers!
The preamps and converters in this interface are transparent and will not add to sibilance. That said, the 4K circuit option adds a small amount of distortion and boost to upper frequencies so that is has some of the character of 4000 console. The upper frequency boost can accent sibilance, but the combination of voice and microphone being used will likely have more impact than the interface. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk I used an M-Audio interface (M-Track Plus) for a decade and it worked fine paired with a condenser microphone without any sibilance but the same microphone with the SSL 2+ results with harsh sibilance. I wonder whether the M-Audio interface didn't fully capture all the details of the sound source thus never fully producing the high frequencies.
I haven't used the original MTP, but converters have come a long way and it is possible the MTP converters did not have the dynamic extension of those in the SSL2. Another likely reason could be different input impedances on the mic preamps on each interface. I use variable impedance on mic preamps that have it for tone shaping and tone can go from very bright to very dark. If you are finding eq / de-essers are not sufficient to control the harshness, to specifically address harsh sibilance you could potentially try an inline xlr low-pass filter. There is one from PSC with a -3dB roll-off starting at 7kHz. I haven't used one myself, but the idea of reducing the harsh frequencies before they hit the preamp could potentially help out. One major downside though is the filter is not adjustable. Here is a link to check it out: www.trewaudio.com/product/psc-fpsc0010e/
Yes it will. I used a windows 10 PC for my review and the driver was rock solid. Both the driver and management software download (ASIO) is available from the SSL website.
I use Mogami, WBC, and HOSA Pro cables, but other than a defective cable (including bad solder at the connectors, the first things to check are to make sure +48V phantom power is on and the line/HiZ switches are off on the interface. Also ensure the pad switch on the mic is set to 0. If you see signal on the input meter but don’t here anything through your headphones, adjust the monitor mix control towards “input.” Hope this helps out!
Great question, yes you can. When you turn the monitor mix control all the way to input, the preamp inputs are output through both the balanced outputs 1/2 and the headphones through an analog only signal path, no conversion. You can then connect the SSL2 balanced outputs to line inputs on another interface to use the SSL2 preamps with the converters on the other interface. Hope this helps out, cheers!
love your videos thank you. i have a question, i have some feedback . its coming from > i haev a rode NT 1, going into a mic pre amp, then into an exciter ( behringer ), > signal leaving the exciter, with TRS, into Line on the SSL 12. even with the volume / gain at zero on the ssl12, im getting feedback from speakers, with the cut / mute on,.. any ideas?
Glad you are enjoying my videos! Is it actual feedback from the microphone or is it interference? When using a line level input on the SSL12 the gain control does not actually lower the signal to 0dB as with a microphone. Instead, the gain control gives you 17.5 dB gain which allows you to adjust the level based on how hot the line level signal is coming in. Essentially, turning the gain control all the way down on the SSL12 does not “mute” the input. If it is feedback from the microphone / speakers you can often deal with it by adding a spectrum analyzer in your DAW, finding which frequencies are feeding back, and then applying just enough subtractive EQ with a narrow Q at the feedback frequency range until the feedback stops. If the noise is interference, an isolating power bar or in some cases ferrite cores could help out. Let me know how it goes and if it is feedback or interference and how this go if you check the feedback frequencies.
@@askdrtk hi thanks, i think the feedback is caussed my the rode nt1a. i will try a dynamic micrphone instead. i didnt realise the gains on the ssl12 did not mute when at zero. thats helpful, am i right in thinking that in order for the sound - signal to be muted, it can only be done when cut or mute is engaged, does this apply to the large monitor knob ( blue) the ssl12, is a nice bit of kit, but trying to get my head round the 360 software to make sure all the sound hitting my mac is at 192 khz
All good, glad to help out! Yes, to mute the sound from an input you need to engage mute and for the monitor control you can press cut to mute the output. The SSL12 is a very capable interface with excellent converters that should make some great recordings with your vocal chain. Enjoy!
Sorry for the delayed response, I wanted to take a few measurements. In Studio One 6, reported latency at 48kHz with buffer size at 32 show the SSL at about 0.26 ms faster vs the 4i4 3rd gen and at a buffer of 64 the SSL is about 0.35ms faster. Absolute numbers will be different on every system, but I am using a 5900x CPU and at a buffer of 32 round trip on the SSL was 4.12ms vs 4.38ms on the Scarlett and at a buffer of 64 the SSL was 7.41ms vs 7.76ms on the Scarlett. Hope this helps out.
@askdrtk Thank you for the detailed response. I bought SSl2+ over the weekend. Should be a nice improvement over my previous focusrite gen 1 2i4 AI. I'm currently using our family desktop that has a Ryzen 5 3600 processor. Nothing exciting but will easily handle my needs.
Does the SSL 2 have all the features you need and does it provide the SSL sound? Let me know in the comments below.
This is by far the best video/demo of the SSL2 interface , you did an excellent job explaining all the functions on the interface and also your charts and sound comparisons are THE Best, thank you very much !!!
Thanks, I’m glad I could help out!
This is a good interface for the money. I did an experiment that worked for me. I wanted come out of my Apollo, to the Dangerous D-Box, then to run it through the SSL 2, out the SSL (4k engaged & gain all the way down) and then to my outboard mix bus chain. It gave me a bit of that sparkle and cleanness on the top end.
This unit may end up be my first audio interface. Really liking the 4k feature. Solid review, thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed my review! This is a solid choice for your first interface. It has really solid preamps and converters. Enjoy!
The one sound that they forgot to add to this device; the sound of a power button turning on and off. THAT would have been a welcome feature. Having to unplug the USBC cable to turn it off is incredibly stupid as is disengaging it through my windows device tab on the taskbar.
I agree 100%. I can never understand why audio gear is made without a power switch...It is likely one of the least expensive components to include...
@@askdrtkThis 'issue' can cause problems with the interface or the PC port or damage both in a long use?
I have one of these but have struggled with the audio from the beginning. No matter which usb cable i use it just cuts the sound in seconds, changed the drivers and all settings. Doesn't lose power just the computer audio. The 4k sound is incredible on other sources though.
The 4K button also adds about 2 dB in volume in addition to the presence boost that is essentially a high freq. shelf that adds 2dB above 3k...
Nice detailed review!
it would be interesting to compare the pre-amps on this SSL unit against some from another "similar" interface, like the focusrite, just to see if there is any significant difference/advantage on quality/sound
Much appreciated and thanks for the suggestion! I agree it is definitely helpful to compare gear side by side. I will be reviewing a number of interfaces, preamps, and processors this year and I will be share a few comparison videos of, as you said "similar" interfaces, preamps, compressors... I am also going to do a few "consumer vs pro" comparisons. I hope they will help out!
@@askdrtk Sounds great, I have seen some podcast videos where they show that the real differences on pre-amps is minimal/negligible to the human ear, it's always good to avoid the hype and the g.a.s. impulses with scientific evidence hahaha
I agree 100% lol... I find the source we are listening from is often the most limiting factor (online stream, etc.) If you can't hear the difference due to the source and your playback equipment, what does the preamp, or any other recording gear matter? That said, I always prefer to record in higher quality than is necessary for the final playback device if possible as I find it helps during mixing and reduces the impact of bitrate compression. Since listening is subjective, about the only reasonable way I can think of to review any audio gear is with tests that are as controlled as possible and by letting everyone hear the differences, even though sound being heard is influenced by the gear everyone is listening on, differences will hopefully translate. This may not be as "entertaining" as some reviews, but I hope it helps everyone out.
Hello brother! Greetings from Argentina, Great Review !!! I have an ssl 2+, I plan to buy a DT 770 Pro of 250 Ohms. I have two questions: Does it have a suitable volume to mix hip hop? Or does it get too low? And another question, since the SSL 2+ has two headphone outputs, is the impedance distributed? I don't know if the term is like that, but for example, if I have two headphones connected and they are both 250 ohms, does the sound decrease even more? Thanks, I hope I made myself understood.
Thanks and Greetings from Canada! The 2+ will have no problem driving the 770 250ohms. I have a set and they get plenty loud with good bass response. Each headphone output has its own amplifier on the 2+ (nice for separate headphone mixes) so if you need to run two sets of higher impedance headphones, you are all set and one will not effect the other. Thanks again for the great question and I hope this helps out!
Awesome interface and great review!
Thanks! The SSL 2 is one of the nicest basic desktop interfaces I have looked at. The layout is intuitive and the audio performance did not disappoint. For anyone not requiring additional IO or DSP, this is a great choice for the pure quality of its preamps and headphone output.
I'm in my studio right now and we have an SSL. I was looking for a video that went more in depth on how the monitor mix section works.I heard a bad hissing noise when I was going to start tracking and so I assumed the gain was too high. It wasn't until I turned down the monitor mix that the hissing noise stopped. I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do. I haven't tested to see what it sounds like with my voice because I thought I was going to get tons of videos explaining it but so far this is the closest one I found.
Why a lot of these latest audio interface when am connecting them into my pc and go in my DAW and open project which has a lot effects it scratchs but when i put my focusrite gen 2 it does not scratch whats the problem there
Great in-depth review!
What was the gain setting for the recording of electric guitar and bass? A great review!
Hello, will I have problems with AKG K712 Pro?
This is fantastic. Do you recommend this interface for voice actors?
such a nice interface!
It has a really nice clean layout and performs like an SSL should...
do you know that this cards drivers are used on the behringer umc 204HD? oh and the behringer is less than half the price and also has midi in/out...
i ask you sir ?
What do preamp sound you prefer between ssl2, motu m2 and Uad Volt ?
Just preamp sound nothing more than that
All are very good but different. The SSL2 is brighter, the Volt is a bit thicker, and the M2 is transparent, but the difference is very minimal. I can hear the small difference on an individual track (especially vocals or acoustic guitar) with good headphones or monitors, but in a whole mix I could not reliably tell them apart.
Can SSL 2 connect to a Samsung galaxy FE mobile phone?
Excellent ❤
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed my review!
Listening on DT770Pro 250 ohm to this review...
Hi. Is it loud enough for the 250 ohms?
It possible to use SM7B on SSL 2 without Cloudlifter or other preamps?
Yes, the SSL2 will provide enough gain. One advantage however of using a mic booster (or preamp with more gain than the SLL2) is that it will provide a greater range of gain adjustment vs having to turn the gain on the SSL2 up nearly to full. Hope this helps out, Cheers!
Thanks
Glad I could help out!
Does it produce more sibilance in vocal recordings compared to other interfaces?
The preamps and converters in this interface are transparent and will not add to sibilance. That said, the 4K circuit option adds a small amount of distortion and boost to upper frequencies so that is has some of the character of 4000 console. The upper frequency boost can accent sibilance, but the combination of voice and microphone being used will likely have more impact than the interface. Hope this helps out!
@@askdrtk I used an M-Audio interface (M-Track Plus) for a decade and it worked fine paired with a condenser microphone without any sibilance but the same microphone with the SSL 2+ results with harsh sibilance. I wonder whether the M-Audio interface didn't fully capture all the details of the sound source thus never fully producing the high frequencies.
I haven't used the original MTP, but converters have come a long way and it is possible the MTP converters did not have the dynamic extension of those in the SSL2. Another likely reason could be different input impedances on the mic preamps on each interface. I use variable impedance on mic preamps that have it for tone shaping and tone can go from very bright to very dark. If you are finding eq / de-essers are not sufficient to control the harshness, to specifically address harsh sibilance you could potentially try an inline xlr low-pass filter. There is one from PSC with a -3dB roll-off starting at 7kHz. I haven't used one myself, but the idea of reducing the harsh frequencies before they hit the preamp could potentially help out. One major downside though is the filter is not adjustable. Here is a link to check it out: www.trewaudio.com/product/psc-fpsc0010e/
Will this work in windows 10?
Yes it will. I used a windows 10 PC for my review and the driver was rock solid. Both the driver and management software download (ASIO) is available from the SSL website.
How tf do I put my headphones in it
HELP idk the part I need
I have the Rode NT2 microphone and I am not getting any signals on the SSL 2 interface. What kind of microphone cable are you using?
I use Mogami, WBC, and HOSA Pro cables, but other than a defective cable (including bad solder at the connectors, the first things to check are to make sure +48V phantom power is on and the line/HiZ switches are off on the interface. Also ensure the pad switch on the mic is set to 0. If you see signal on the input meter but don’t here anything through your headphones, adjust the monitor mix control towards “input.” Hope this helps out!
Cool
Can you use the preamps stand alone like the Volt (into another audio interface)?
Great question, yes you can. When you turn the monitor mix control all the way to input, the preamp inputs are output through both the balanced outputs 1/2 and the headphones through an analog only signal path, no conversion. You can then connect the SSL2 balanced outputs to line inputs on another interface to use the SSL2 preamps with the converters on the other interface. Hope this helps out, cheers!
love your videos thank you. i have a question, i have some feedback . its coming from > i haev a rode NT 1, going into a mic pre amp, then into an exciter ( behringer ), > signal leaving the exciter, with TRS, into Line on the SSL 12. even with the volume / gain at zero on the ssl12, im getting feedback from speakers, with the cut / mute on,.. any ideas?
Glad you are enjoying my videos! Is it actual feedback from the microphone or is it interference? When using a line level input on the SSL12 the gain control does not actually lower the signal to 0dB as with a microphone. Instead, the gain control gives you 17.5 dB gain which allows you to adjust the level based on how hot the line level signal is coming in. Essentially, turning the gain control all the way down on the SSL12 does not “mute” the input. If it is feedback from the microphone / speakers you can often deal with it by adding a spectrum analyzer in your DAW, finding which frequencies are feeding back, and then applying just enough subtractive EQ with a narrow Q at the feedback frequency range until the feedback stops. If the noise is interference, an isolating power bar or in some cases ferrite cores could help out. Let me know how it goes and if it is feedback or interference and how this go if you check the feedback frequencies.
@@askdrtk hi thanks, i think the feedback is caussed my the rode nt1a. i will try a dynamic micrphone instead. i didnt realise the gains on the ssl12 did not mute when at zero. thats helpful, am i right in thinking that in order for the sound - signal to be muted, it can only be done when cut or mute is engaged, does this apply to the large monitor knob ( blue) the ssl12, is a nice bit of kit, but trying to get my head round the 360 software to make sure all the sound hitting my mac is at 192 khz
All good, glad to help out! Yes, to mute the sound from an input you need to engage mute and for the monitor control you can press cut to mute the output. The SSL12 is a very capable interface with excellent converters that should make some great recordings with your vocal chain. Enjoy!
Looking at getting the SSl2+ version. What is the latency difference vs a gen 3 Focusrite 4i4?
Sorry for the delayed response, I wanted to take a few measurements. In Studio One 6, reported latency at 48kHz with buffer size at 32 show the SSL at about 0.26 ms faster vs the 4i4 3rd gen and at a buffer of 64 the SSL is about 0.35ms faster. Absolute numbers will be different on every system, but I am using a 5900x CPU and at a buffer of 32 round trip on the SSL was 4.12ms vs 4.38ms on the Scarlett and at a buffer of 64 the SSL was 7.41ms vs 7.76ms on the Scarlett. Hope this helps out.
@askdrtk Thank you for the detailed response. I bought SSl2+ over the weekend. Should be a nice improvement over my previous focusrite gen 1 2i4 AI.
I'm currently using our family desktop that has a Ryzen 5 3600 processor. Nothing exciting but will easily handle my needs.
Great to hear! The SSL2+ has excellent preamps and converters which will be a nice upgrade. Enjoy your new audio interface!
Sounds better with 4k on
More saturation with 4k on...emulating 4000 console preamps, a sound we've been enjoying on records for decades...Cheers!
what are the dimensions of the interface?
9.2"w x 6.2"d x 2.7"h (23.4 x 15.7 x 6.9cm) Cheers!
@@askdrtk Thank you!!!
also makes SSL 12
Yes, I was hoping SSL would release a version with more IO as there was a big gap between the 2, 2 plus, and the Big Six.
I was none too keen on the sound of your mic on this video. Lots of "tsk-tch"-type distraction. Not a good example for me!
u dont go near,,, topic of,,, accuracy,,, quality of sound....