Solid State Logic SSL 12 USB Audio Interface

This interface has great sound, the four inputs is just what I needed for my home studio, and the 5 pin din midi input really comes in handy for vintage keyboards.

The pre amps were pretty good for the style of music i make (jam band type psychedelic stuff). i use it with the 4k switches all on. my J bass sounds killer going through this interface. i dont need much processing. just a compressor and very minimal EQ. guitars sound pretty good with either direct out from the amp or even directly into the interface and using an emulator like Amplitube. i love the sleek and simple design

I wanted something more portable, with four mic inputs, that could also use my old rackmount interface as ADAT when I need more inputs. It does the job, sounds great, and has nice practical features like multiple headphone outputs. Perfect for my needs!

It's fine if you want to just run four signals into your computer, or use ADAT to bring in more channels. But there are no insert ins or outs. In other words, you can't really use this device with external compressors or EQ's or other outboard effects. (The manual speaks of using the headphone jacks and monitor outs to connect to outboard boxes, but there are no in's, so you have to route the signal back using one of the XLR inputs. In other words, if you use a compressor on one signal, you can only use three of the xlr inputs for mics. Use two compressors, or a compressor and an eq, and you're down to two xlr inputs.) I guess this arrangement is fine for mixing in the box, but for people who like to record with a little compression or anything else on the way in, this unit is limited.

SSL makes some of the best and most iconic consoles. They've managed to distill their giant, complicated units into a user friendly desktop interface that emulates the essence of their recognizable sound. The interface's sound is sterile, which is a good thing because it leaves the door open to infinite tweakability. It includes a plethora of plugins, albeit for a limited free subscription, such as Melodyne, Amplitube, and a whole lot more. The two instrument level inputs in the front of the interface allow you to plug in a guitar or bass without having to reconfigure the unit for those input impedances. There are for combo XLR or 1/4" inputs on the back which is where they should be. Each of the four channels have their own dedicated 48 volt phantom power switch as well as a line level and high pass filter switch. It also has a 4K emulator which simulates the 4000 series console on each channel. Steely Dan all day! There's an option to connect another interface via ADAT which adds 12 extra channels, hence the 12 in the name. Outputs include two headphones, which can be configured to be monitor outputs via the SSL 360 software, dedicated stereo monitor outputs, and line outputs. There are even MIDI ports for MIDI fun. Overall, for the price, it's a feature rich interface that will meet recurring needs for years to come.