Solid State Logic SSL2+ USB Audio Interface

The SSL 2+ is an excellent sounding very easy to use audio interface that is designed to be the center of a small home-studio setup. It is USB bus powered, so no need for an extra power supply. The wage-shaped layout is generally excellent from an ergonomic point of view. The preamps are high quality and the noise floor is very low. The pots feel very solid and the big monitor pot is very responsive (goes up to 11). Low-latency performance is excellent. The unique part of this audio interface is the legacy 4K button on the input source. It adds that airy analogue colour enhancement to the input signal. I leave it on all the time...Summary: Good value for money (though not the cheapest interface on the market), very good audio specifications, looks and feels very ... MoreThe SSL 2+ is an excellent sounding very easy to use audio interface that is designed to be the center of a small home-studio setup. It is USB bus powered, so no need for an extra power supply. The wage-shaped layout is generally excellent from an ergonomic point of view. The preamps are high quality and the noise floor is very low. The pots feel very solid and the big monitor pot is very responsive (goes up to 11). Low-latency performance is excellent. The unique part of this audio interface is the legacy 4K button on the input source. It adds that airy analogue colour enhancement to the input signal. I leave it on all the time...Summary: Good value for money (though not the cheapest interface on the market), very good audio specifications, looks and feels very professional. The only slight quirk: you need to have both the Line and Hi-Z buttons engaged in order to connect an electric guitar/bass or similar — just using the Hi-Z button alone won't do it.So if you have a little extra money to spend: your dream of having an SSL in your studio has become achievable!

Best in its class

At this price point, the SSL 2+ is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. My audio quality improved noticably across multiple uses, even just speaking in a discord call.While it's not a true 4000 compressor, the 4K addition adds a much needed boost to less sensitive mics and sounds nice doing it!Having all inputs and outputs on the back can be a bit clumsy depending on your desk setup, but it looks so clean once you have it where you want it. Can't recommend this interface enough!

Definitely a step up from...

I've been using a Focusrite gen 1 for years, and while it served its purpose to get demo tracks recorded, I met one its limitations when I tried running it in stereo. I recorded some tracks with a friend who was using the SSL 2+ and totally sold. It records in stereo (or mono, of course), allows one to mix the balance between the monitor (what tracks are already recorded) and incoming signal (of what you are currently recording), and it has two headphone jacks! It works perfectly with my Captor X. On top of that, it even sounds better that what I've used in the past. Win, win!!! I'm super excited about this purchase.

Excellent sound

I found a USB interface shootout online, and listened to the recorded samples for multiple units. I really liked the sound of this SSL and had heard good things about the Black Lion Audio Revolution, so I ordered them both to compare.I ended up preferring the sound of the SSL. The Black Lion sounded oversaturated to me while the SSL was more my style: an honest sound, without being clinical. I like it without the 4k setting, but that's a nice option to have, and the RCA outputs are actually perfect for my amp/monitor setup.The pre-amp gain is clean, though I add a Cloudlifter between my sE ribbon mic and the interface. My Senn mics sounded great through the SSL too.Finally, I love that there are two headphone outs! Would recommend this interface, it's a great ... MoreI found a USB interface shootout online, and listened to the recorded samples for multiple units. I really liked the sound of this SSL and had heard good things about the Black Lion Audio Revolution, so I ordered them both to compare.I ended up preferring the sound of the SSL. The Black Lion sounded oversaturated to me while the SSL was more my style: an honest sound, without being clinical. I like it without the 4k setting, but that's a nice option to have, and the RCA outputs are actually perfect for my amp/monitor setup.The pre-amp gain is clean, though I add a Cloudlifter between my sE ribbon mic and the interface. My Senn mics sounded great through the SSL too.Finally, I love that there are two headphone outs! Would recommend this interface, it's a great value.

It's a good value for money!

I haven't gone all OCD on it like I tend to do with new purchases. I just downloaded and installed the driver, and plugged the unit in my Windows 10 laptop's USB-C port with the included cable; it also includes an A to C cable for those who lack a USB-C port.The headphone outputs have good power and clarity for enjoying music. I really liked how it sounded with my CEntrance Cerene dB headphones. I forgot to test my beyerdynamic Amiron home. If you don't have a dedicated DAC/headphone amp combo, which I also do, this unit can properly serve audiophilic duties.Input-wise, the mic pre-amps have plenty of gain and headroom, and have negligible self-noise. The Legacy 4K mode is legit and makes a noticeable difference. I used a TZA Stellar X2 condenser mic and it ... MoreI haven't gone all OCD on it like I tend to do with new purchases. I just downloaded and installed the driver, and plugged the unit in my Windows 10 laptop's USB-C port with the included cable; it also includes an A to C cable for those who lack a USB-C port.The headphone outputs have good power and clarity for enjoying music. I really liked how it sounded with my CEntrance Cerene dB headphones. I forgot to test my beyerdynamic Amiron home. If you don't have a dedicated DAC/headphone amp combo, which I also do, this unit can properly serve audiophilic duties.Input-wise, the mic pre-amps have plenty of gain and headroom, and have negligible self-noise. The Legacy 4K mode is legit and makes a noticeable difference. I used a TZA Stellar X2 condenser mic and it sounds so good with this unit. My voice sounds clear and real with no harshness.I haven't really analyzed the round-trip latency in depth, but at 256 samples, I could monitor my voice in real time in Ableton Live while recording and there was no noticeable, distracting lag. The unit looks and feels nice, and best of all, all the knobs feel good in the fingers when turning, and lack any wobble. I didn't test the MIDI ports, but I plan to do so.I'm impressed with the SSL 2 . I just unboxed it, installed the drivers, plugged it in and did my thing. No fuss and no funky business. IT JUST WORKED AND GOT OUT OF THE WAY.The experience with the SSL 2 feels to me like using an Apple product, software and hardware working transparently as one. I highly recommend it. The fact that AC power isn't needed to use the phantom power as with my Audient iD14 is to me a bonus.I got this unit to replace the Audient, which I accidentally killed by plugging my BLA Auteur MK II's adapter to it. I wasn't paying attention and it fit perfectly. There's always a first time, heh! I like the SSL 2 enough that I don't feel the need to get another iD14. Gonna try it on my iMac.Thanks for reading. God bless you!

Legendary Brand with a Legendary Sound

Long time user of the Bid Red, and it was about time I dipped my hands into something silver and with the biggest reputation in audio alongside the other big names in the industry. Best, upgrade I've ever done in the past year or so-even though this product just came out last year with covid hit. Only compromise I had to deal with was to lose two channels from the usual 4 I carried with me to remote recordings, but we're talking about SSL here. You can't go wrong here, especially with the 4K feature bring so much life into your source for playback, and recording. Highly recommend this to anyone that is either starting out in audio or has been experienced int he studio and live environment.

Professional Quality, Yet Affordable

I bought this for recording voiceovers for a video series that I'm creating. I needed something that was easily incorporated into my system and not take up a lot of real estate, yet still producing professional results.After a lot of research, I chose this interface. This unit lives up to it's billing! The sound quality is extraordinary for it's size and cost; it's truly a great value. Additionally, the Midi In/Out makes it super functional, as I have added a controller to create background music and soundscapes.If you are looking for a single-unit interface that has professional sound quality, is cross-functional, unobtrusive, and won't break the bank, then, look no farther.

SSL2+USB - The Best Pro-Budget I/O System

When you're looking for a basic I/O Hybrid system, nothing like the SSL2+USB. Everything you need to start producing is inside this little monster!!. Run your Personal or Pro Studio with the Bundled software from a world wide audio Technical Grammy Awarded Company. In this price range there's not a lot of options out there and with the extra discounts and payment plans from Sweetwater, there's no reason to not supercharge your studio and connect the analog world with the digital realm all within a single Interface.

The SSL2+ delivers...sound wise...However...

The SSL2+ delivers beautifully.The setup is easy and it’s way better than any other USB interface for that price on the market.However, before you buy the SSL interface, you will have to bare in mind, that the software included can only be used on one device at a time and if you want to use it on another device or even upgrade to another computer or laptop, you will have to hassle around with the iLok licence manager or put the activation codes on a dongle, which can be very tricky and annoying, as the CS department of Solid State Logic is not always very helpful. Yes, their plugins are good, but they use a lot of CPU. So if you intend to use the Drumstrip and the vocalstrip in a DAW session, make sure, that you have at least 16GB of RAM. Any less than that and it ... MoreThe SSL2+ delivers beautifully.The setup is easy and it’s way better than any other USB interface for that price on the market.However, before you buy the SSL interface, you will have to bare in mind, that the software included can only be used on one device at a time and if you want to use it on another device or even upgrade to another computer or laptop, you will have to hassle around with the iLok licence manager or put the activation codes on a dongle, which can be very tricky and annoying, as the CS department of Solid State Logic is not always very helpful. Yes, their plugins are good, but they use a lot of CPU. So if you intend to use the Drumstrip and the vocalstrip in a DAW session, make sure, that you have at least 16GB of RAM. Any less than that and it is very likely, that your session will crash halfway through a song. Yes, Waves emulates these plugins as well, but their activation procedures are far more worse. Also, if you buy this interface, chances are, that you will end up buying their borrowed plugins like the channelstrip and their compressor, which cost another £300,-, when the 6 months trial Period is over. So it will cost you £560,- in the end. Which is a lot of money, considering the poor customer support, unless you know what you’re doing...and already have a USB 3 to C converter with an iLok dongle. Apart from that, the only reason for you to buy this interface, is for the quality of the preamp, which is far superior, than any other Presonus ,Focusrite, IK multimedia, or Steinberg device. The next step up from this interface would be the Arrow or the Apollo Twin from UA.

What I Needed

We received an SSL 2+ at our university to test and review. When it came my turn, I was immediately impressed with the overall sound and functionality. I grew up on SSL consoles and it was great to hear anything close to that original sound. The mic preamps are very smooth and do not have any obvious jumps in signal when adjusting the gain like some other interfaces. The 4K buttons add a very noticeable top end and clarity that really enhances the input signal. Having 2 headphones outs is ideal. I chose the 2+ for the MIDI IN/OUT also. I have an older M-Audio Keystation Pro that no longer worked using the USB connection. Connecting to the MIDI IN/OUT on the 2+ has brought it back to life. I am also very, very happy with the tabletop design. It does not take up much ... MoreWe received an SSL 2+ at our university to test and review. When it came my turn, I was immediately impressed with the overall sound and functionality. I grew up on SSL consoles and it was great to hear anything close to that original sound. The mic preamps are very smooth and do not have any obvious jumps in signal when adjusting the gain like some other interfaces. The 4K buttons add a very noticeable top end and clarity that really enhances the input signal. Having 2 headphones outs is ideal. I chose the 2+ for the MIDI IN/OUT also. I have an older M-Audio Keystation Pro that no longer worked using the USB connection. Connecting to the MIDI IN/OUT on the 2+ has brought it back to life. I am also very, very happy with the tabletop design. It does not take up much room on my desk and provides all of the functionality that I require. Overall, I am highly impressed with the unit, use it everyday, and will continue doing so. Thanks, B&H, for your customer service. Even though it was back ordered for 2 months, I really appreciate that you guys kept in touch with me.Cheers!