Solid State Logic SSL 2 Audio Interface Review (Legacy 4K Mode explained)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2020
- In this video I take a look at the Solid State Logic SSL 2 audio interface.
Amazon | Solid State Logic SSL2: amzn.to/3iYXBVt *
Thomann EU | www.thomann.de/intl/ssl_2.htm... *
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Very few audio gear reviewers actually analyze noise and other technical aspects. Bravo for the thorough evaluation!
I mean is all that even really necessary for a 275 dollar interface marketed for beginners?
@@gusdee4844 why else would you review it, if specs don't matter?
@@gusdee4844 ttt5yy4j
@@gusdee4844 ko 11
@@gusdee4844 noise is crucial for me using a low ouput mic (Rode Podmic 110 dollar) where you need to set the gain almost to maximum. I returned my Scarlett for this reason (an less gain)
It's refreshing to see a review where it's all about the product and not about being "a cool youtuber guy"
Germans, gotta love them. Straight and to the point.
@@Super-id7bq Another twist: Julian actually is cool by not trying to be cool, whereas trying to be cool would have made him uncool.
The German way my mate
Man SO TRUE! WOW. Subbed.
Well said! Great video review. Subscribed and liked!
"Dense Forest of Harmonic Overtones" is my new band name.
EDClevel
I was just thinking of using it in conversation quite often.
It's a lot to live up to, honestly.
That's practically two band names!
Reminds me of the naming of sections from La Monte Young's Well Tuned Piano. He has such gems as The Magic Harmonic Rainforest Chord!
i'd just settle for "bush".
Every single audio interface: Shhhxxxx...
Steinberg: SHHHHXXXXXXXXXXXX !!!111!! `-´ *ANGRY NOISES*
@@jillianangell2570 is there any info about the preamp being maybe proprietary
My question, are they different in the different versions? I don't have the means to test but I have an old UR44 and my friend has a UR44-C to give me for cheap.
Fantastic review. He really excels at coherent simplicity of heavy technical data and provides useful audio examples that let you know how the gear really sounds.
Absolutely fantastic review. Full analysis of the gear itself, comparisons to measurable data and not just a 10 minute rant. Keep up the fantastic work, I'm subscribed and looking forward to seeing more of your in-depth analyses in the future.
Hi Julian
Another great and professional review, electronics engineering is my life and it's nice to see someone who speak the same language 😉, keep up a good work. Cheers
You said you’d review this soon and here it is!
Thanks Julian this is all the info I needed.
I’ll be ordering one...
Great review. I never realised how much noise my Steinberg was putting out. I put the SSL2 plus through its paces all day yesterday and the results were excellent. And yes the 4K mode really changes the sound
Your reviews are one of the best on the net. Thank you for the seriously researched technical information.
If every review on you tube was clear like this life would be better. Excellent.
The 4K is a reference to the SSL 4000 series of mixing console. So you get the 4000-series sound.
Yeah, that threw me for a minute - nothing to do with 'graphics'!
you are funny 👴
Clickbait
4K Audio, lol 😂😂😂
ive never seen a more detailed review of musical gear. lot of people doesn't touch these topics that are so important! keep the good job
It is great to have reviews based only on measurement and solid facts and not about emotions about the actual interface or personal impressions. It gives a great overview of baseline interfaces. I hope more, higher range interfaces will follow in time. It would be great to chart out how an RME Babyface, a Clarett or a UAD measures to these. Keep up the great work.
If I might have a suggestion: it may be useful to some to mention the AD/DA chip used. Okay if you open the unit they can be easily spotted but most users just won't do that.
Was waiting for you to review it...love your technical in-depth review.
This review led me to cleaner mixes. Thank you so much for your in depth analysis and keen attention to detail. I am very happy with the SSL2. Well done.
i love your tests. you always choose the most relevant products, the coverage is pretty complete in all aspects, and i especially like the objective, technical measurements part, beyond the self-bragging of everybody. plus the personal subjective impressions, which are always great to hear, on top of the cold tech part. you've just helped me choose my next interface - probably a motu m4.
One of the best videos in terms of measurements info and also vocab! Dense Forest of high quality info! Thanks for sharing Julian
Julien this is a GREAT video! The comparison samples are very useful and I had no idea it could handle an SM7b like that, THANKS!
Excellent review! Thorough and detailed with relevant audio examples. Please keep up the good work!
Dude, your reviews are so damn detailed. Subbed!
Love your reviews - highest S/N ratio of any reviewer I’ve found. Please consider reviewing the Universal Audio interfaces at some point. Thank you!
Wow, I'm so glad I found your channel. Best information I've found on audio equipment. Thank you for the hard work!
One of the best review I have ever watched. Thank you ;)
Julian, your reviews are amazing and extremely useful in my particular situation! The only way you could improve would be to provide examples of recordings with a professional singer or instrument in a good environment, but I also acknowledge that it would be a pretty tall order on your part. Keep up the good work!
Such a professional review. Fine work indeed.
Hi Julian,
Thank you very much for this very in depth test of this little interface. Great work!
This is exactly what I needed - thorough, straight-forward, and unbiased with good audio samples.
Julian, I never comment, but your review is so professionally done and full of knowledge I had to say Thank You, I 'Liked" and subscribed. Well done, I am considering this unit so I found this review really helpful because of your own testing and experience.
Thank you for the kind words. Glad you liked the video :)
Love your reviews, Julian, and have bought this for my 2-mic Internet radio/podcast set-up. My co-host, who comes up every month, has an NT-1 and I have a Sontronics PodcastPro so it'll be nice to use both mics on the same board. I do a weekly show too, and love the Scarlett Solo. The fact the volume went up to 11 on the SSL2 appealed immensely, also.
I first learned about the "11" setting in the manual as this, as I was waiting for my unit: "This large blue control directly affects the level sent out of OUTPUTS 1/L and 2/R to your monitors. Turn the knob to make the volume louder. Please note the MONITOR LEVEL goes to 11 because it's one louder.! :)
this is one of the best gear reviews I've ever seen. seriously good job.
Your reviews are so on point, great work!
Wow, I cannot wait to see the video comparison of the headphone outputs! I'm very curious to see how it turns out.
Same for me.
Same here. Please keep up the good work
I subscribed just for that! The channel is great and very informative too.
TH-camr audio gear reviewers:
Not even the smartest audiophiles:
Julian: I also made some measurements with Inter-modulation distortion
I hoped to see you review that interface! Thanks Julian!
Very good review, you have shared valuable knowledge of the equipment. Very geeky but yet informative! Thank you!
Best review I've ever seen!
There are a lot of "review guys" on YT, and they have good content, but this... This is a PROFESSIONAL review.
The first I see around here.
It would be great if you could compare this with the "Steinberg UR-RT2" which has the Rupert Neve Designs Transformer included.
Thank you Julian!
Subscribed
Yes, these reviews are absolutely incredible.
Awesome review!!! Total newbie here but got mine up and running with no problems using free ableton. Looking forward to getting up tji steep learning curve to the point where it makes sense to get 11 suite. I need that comping feature, it finally got me to break down and start this DAW journey.
I love these reviews. So real and thorough. Thank you!
been needing an indepth review like this for weeks - so glad it came from you. for the longest time i couldn’t get visibility on the roundtrip latency numbers. thanks for laying them out - average indeed and confirmed my decision in paying more for an RME Babyface Pro. Thanks again brother :)
Thank for the unhyped unbiased professional review, Danke Perry
YES. Exactly the review I needed. Please review UA Apollo/Arrow series next! Thank you for being thorough, knowledgeable and concise. Subbed.
Very thorough and informative video. Excellent work!
Hi Julian! Thanks a lot for your effort in making those reviews! For me, the best audio channel in YT! I have a question. Do you think that maybe this headphone problem in the SSL 2 could be solved with a firmware update, or is it inherent to the design of the interface?
...this really made me smile when I first saw it! But I bet you will be surprised to find out how many people actually start looking for this 'feature' lol
I think i'll wait for 8k audio myself, especially when it finally gets to 240fps sound ;-) Great video as always Julian.
hehehe.....
Me toooooo lmfaooo
Yeah you can slow down the audio much more at 240fps(if you for some reason wanted to do that 🤭😉
Pfft the human ear can't hear more than 30fps!
Probably the best breakdown of the 4K circuit I’ve seen yet... ordered one for mobile projects!
Thanks for this.....your review was very thorough and easy to understand......eastwood sound and vision are offering the SSL 2+ on amazon with 5 month payment plan on amazon so thanks to this and your review i've just bought mine....
Love the deadpan intro joke about 4k vs HD
How come you did not notice the most important feature? It goes to 11! :)
Thank you for this review!
I am receiving mine on Friday and I am greatly looking forward to it!
R P how has it been working?
Great job man, thanks for sharing your knowledge.🙌🏼
I bought one of these after watching this review a few months ago, and it sounds sweet...thanks Julian for the thorough analysis of this piece of gear. And yes, sonically speaking, it's much better sounding than the Focusrite pre's...
thanks for your take on it, been thinking about buying myself one too :)
I been waiting for this review !!! 🔥🔥🔥
Edited :
Please do evo4 by audient next please~~~
Julian I really like that you actually recorded some music as a test. I wish you would do that for all the interfaces. It seems that most interfaces these days sounds very similar except with bass dynamics. Some interfaces definitely sound more punchy.
Awesome review I've seen on TH-cam. Thanks Julian 😊
Need a count down warning to say that Steinberg noise is on its way! 🤣
Please do not put a break between sounds when comparing. You should instead switch back and forth several times during the sound so that we can hear frequencies spiking. Wen you put silence between the two modes, our ears adjust the quiet. You can flip ack and forth by tapping on these two time stamps. 7:04 and 7:20
The 2nd def sounds brighter, more clear, awake, alive. the 1st one sounds good. the 2nd just has something more dynamic about it.
@@matthewjohnbauer The 4k mode made the guitar's high strings almost sound like a harpsichord it's beautiful.
Very very detailed and informative! It would be a blast if you could do such a video about Latency and also Real Life Performance Latency, such as testing how many plugins can you load on your PC with the specs shared of course.
Best regards and Danke schoen!
Thanks for the excellent review!!! I was looking for some opinions in audio interfaces and found your channel. Excellent job! Already subscribed to your channel. Cheers from Argentina!!
I just got my SSL 2 and am mightily impressed! The 2 plugins it comes with are equally amazing.
plugins? what do you mean? sorry, audio noob here.
Manx Missile! They are software emulations of hardware effects and processing units. They work inside ones DAW to add effects to audio tracks such as EQ or Reverb or Compression :)
@@Jamman610 Good question and I’m not entirely sure. These plugins are made for Mac OS not iOS so I suspect they won’t work, but I could be wrong? The interface itself will work just fine though!
Haha I love the dry sarcastic joke at the very beginning! The AKG Lyra USB microphone marketing is also using the term 4K compatible, hahaha
Wow, you're right! "Ultra HD audio quality" That's marketing at its best :D
This device won't work without a HDMI 2.1 cable.
@@380stroker hehehehe
@@380stroker Glorious 60 fps sound :)
@@JulianKrause lol, I thought you were serious at first. :)
Cant wait for your video comparing the headphone outputs of different interfaces!
Thank you for the objective and comprehensive review Julian
Sounded pretty damn clean and nice without the 4K mode, and with the 4K mode, it went straight to be vintage sounding! I've worked on an SSL 4K console and this really sounded like that.
I bet you thought he was being serious in the intro when he joked about the "full HD" thing :P Germans have a sense of humor too!
yes ive mixed on the console from rockfield studios and theres a sound present for sure a good sound, im very suprised by this as i use a prism titan
monej good to hear. I’m due for an interface upgrade and I’ve been considering this one since I heard the news from Winter Naam.
To be fair this is so close to the prism sound orpheus so close that by blind test you would think its it
Thanks for the review, very instructive ! In a way, my first excitment for this audio interface decrease a bit, and i think that the Motu M2 is equivalent, or slightly better
Certainly could be a bigger bang for the buck. The 4K sound could be achieved via so many other options I don't consider that to be worthy of a higher price tag. The lower noise floor on the preamps is attractive, but when you heard the comparison of noise between several models, the M2 sounded nearly identical. I'm of the opinion that for most recordists it would provide a similar result given the same room and microphones. Both have okay and not stellar latency, but this is an entry point product. But the M2's DAC is either marketing hype or just offering a nicer monitoring experience. You'd either be in the same ballpark or head of the game for much less money. Frankley, this kind of product from SSL kind of bums me out. They could have done something that really challenged the Apollo Twin or BabyFace Pro for a quality desktop unit. Instead I'm thinking the cheap MOTU is the smart money for a simple setup.
@@alexbreyer6921 Motu doesn't provide any information about the ADC. The M2 has a better dynamic range than most budget interfaces so I would have thought they would spill the beans on the ADC.
@@kyron42 I think it is 110 like the SSL.
@@alexbreyer6921 mic input A weighted dynamic range is 115 dB which puts it halfway between budget interfaces and top level interfaces.
motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m2/specs/
I can highly recommend the M4.
wow, incredibly detailed review! Love it!
Was looking for this! Thank you
I listened to this in 4K :D. OK, not really... but I did watch it on a 4K monitor. Great content as always, Julian!
Instant sub. This video made me feel movement at the station
I'm looking forward to see the video of the headphones comparison! great content!
Danke, Julian! Very informative but never overwhelming :D
It's nice to see this specific data. For instance comparing the Focusrite AIR mode and SSL 4K mode felt earlier impossible. Your data shows clearly that Air is more like a high frequency eq boost, but 4K is a boost + saturation. That makes it a much more useful tool from a musical sense, because anyone can EQ their recordings in post but the saturation is something more interesting and unique - at least in theory ;)
Just upgraded to this SSL 2+ from my age old UR22mkII and I'm super happy with it. I would have gone for the MOTU M4 but they seem to be impossible to get at the moment, and I needed a solution. I'm VERY impressed with the sound quality of this interface. The 4K button really gives an audible boost of oumph to your vocal tracks. I found that using the 4K setting for some rock vocals made the track sound instantly good, crisp and gritty, and this cuta bunch of the post-processing out saving time. The headphone amp is ..just... powerful enough to drive the Sennheiser HD650 headphones I have, and these are 300 ohm impedance - this is pretty much the only thing I wished had been better on this interface. I love the two separate headphone outputs otherwise: so handy for having one set of cans for mixing/mastering, and another closed set for tracking/recording. One thing worth mentioning is that the included software is actually really nice: Hybrid Keys from Native sounds great and I found the Vocal Strip plugin is really useful and EASY to use for mixing vocals. So all in all, I'm super duper happy.. and not regretting I didn't wait for the MOTU come available. This interface has immediate taken my recording quality to a whole new level I didn't realize was possible from my living room.
Would you say SSL2 Preamps are better or more useful than the Focusrite Clarett?
Thanks for these videos, they are really useful. My impression is that there are only minimal differences (few db here & there on different specs) between SSL2, Moto M2 & Scarlett 3G, and if you have any 1 it wouldn't be worthwhile switching to another. Would you agree?
You are so smart and good at explaining , keep on making videos!! Thank you good sir.
Incredible review. All the info I needed, thank you.
I wouldn't expect this 2020 SSL unit to have more latency than my (10 years) older model Saffire Pro 24, I get 13.9ms RTL on 48kHz and 256 samples against 20.11ms from the SSL, that is a huge difference.
Your 2i4 is gen 1 or gen 2? Could you tell me the difference that both amps have on vocals? I have a 2i4 gen 2 was looking to upgrade to this, but not sure it it will be an update
Edit; nvm you said SP 24 i read it wrong. 😅
I upgraded to a MOTU M4 a few years ago and It was worth every penny. Led screen I/O meters are super useful. Preamps are crystal clear, DAC is 32bit so the same used in interfaces like UAD or Apogee for a fraction of the cost. Been working for 3+ years with mine and still working flawlessly. @@urbnctrl
Thanks for the review, I am interested to know how SSL2/2+ compare with motu m2/m4 which one is “better” and why ? Thanks again, keep the good work!
Still haven’t buy any of those, both seems great units. I am using a apogee JAM+ for the moment: good sound + iOS connectivity and portability are it strength plus I play guitar so I am not changing interface yet.
I'd like to know this too, with 30+ other people
I just swapped to an SSL2+ from my M2 due to driver incompatibility on my PC, loved the M2 so was quite sad to swap, but so far I'm finding the audio in/out of the SSL feels a little more full. Though the M2 had noticeably lower latency for recording, across the same sample rate, which has been the biggest setback so far. That being said, the M2 being slightly more affordable is an absolutely incredible interface, I couldn't recommend it enough, especially as it feels more portable too, but if you wanted to have a more complete sit-in studio, the SSL is a slight cut above just in terms of audio in and out quality.
@@bohdane Just to be clear, when you said ' Though the M2 had noticeably lower latency for recording, across the same sample rate, which has been the biggest setback so far.' did you mean higher latency because lower is a good thing.
@@joshmcdzz6925 yes that's correct, at 512 buffer size its something like 12-16ms on the SSL2 but was about 5-6ms on the Motu
I enjoyed this ! Appreciate the detail .
Excellent review. Thanks for the in depth info!
Christ, 4K mode jumped out and said BUY ME! (Nice riff too. Moody but pretty.)
Motu M2 or SSL2 what interface you rather? : D
Ssl sounds better
Sounds better in which regard?
Great work, as always.
Excellent work. As usual. Bravo. Je 👌👊
I wish the meter has a bit more range[bigger].
I'm hoping an Audient ID14 MK2 review will save me from choosing between this and MOTU M2/M4.
Wow! I am so glad someone on Reddit recommended this channel! No one does audio review like this! Julian, will you please review the Steinberg UR RT2? I'm dying to see your data on the Rupert Neve Transformers.
Mine will arrive monday 😎 thank you so much for all your work 🙏
You forgot to mention the bundled SSL software.
What bundled software ?
@@Boleskinebeatz As far as I know it comes with some great SSL plugins.
It comes with Ableton live and over 12 native instruments extension packs
Motu or SSL that's the question 🤔
BTW: nice video again 👍 could you do a BTS video about how you measure ? Dankeschön
If I had to choose I would go for the Motu M2.
I will soon make a video about the dScope M1 which is the analyzer I currently use to make my measurement.
@@JulianKrause hi , why would you choose the m2 over the ssl ? Thanks
@@theblackcountrybandit1430 I like the nice level meter on the M2 and the headphone output is also higher quality.
@@JulianKrause ok thank you for the reply and a good review..
I own the Shure sm7b and my use is recording vocals , I know you said the SSL is better at driving that mic without a cloudlifter but would you say the preamp on the SSL sounds better than the M2.
Thanks again Julian
@@theblackcountrybandit1430 You didn't ask me, but I watched Julian's video review of the M2. These units all have very basic, super clean preamps. Nothing stellar, but you'd need to spend much more for something with character or vibe. Both the SSL and M2 will get the job done very effectively. Certainly, considering price and features as laid out by Julian, the M2 is the smart buy. It depends on your needs, but if one or two tracks at a time is all you record, I can't see a reason to buy the SSL over the M2.
Thank you for your valuable research and straightforward input , much appreciated ❤️
This is a killer review! Thanks so much Julian. Subbed.
It's not 4K recording the 4K button when pressed down mimics the sound of the SSL 4000 Audio Mixing board you find in multimillion dollar studios. When pressed it adds a high end sheen and saturates certain harmonics
oh thanks bro for letting us know. lol
Are you a cyborg or something? Just joking... Great review
German, not cyborg; common mistake though.
Christian Rusch hi Christian
That's a bit unfair. Germans are doing better than most native English speakers as they're already speaking 2 languages. Speaking your second language will naturally result in some woodenness
Sounded better than Arnold
@@BenRunyan Hi Ben! :D
Du hast einen neuen Abonnenten. Ich finde deine sachlichen und auch fachlich tiefergehenden "Berichte" klar und verständlich, für mich. Damit kann ich etwas anfangen. Bitte weiter so....:-)
Great video. Thank u Julian for a very informative and very detail demo on the product. I learn alot from this. U earn a subscribe.
Greetings from Singapore :)
Motu m2 and SSL are both fantast! Doesn't matter which one you choose, you are good to go Pro! Bille Eilish did vocals on the Ocean eyes song on Audio Technica 2020 mic and Roland Capture Quad interface! Last I checked she had 220 millions views! It's not anymore about technology, it's about Art!
Don't mention that name...
A truly impressive, top-notch review.
These guy really know what he is talking about. Thank you so much!
Fantastic review ! Thank you so much Julian