Solid State Logic SSL 2 & 2+ £179/£239

Brand new and cheap interfaces with an expensive name on them? What is the interface world coming to? A studio near you, that’s what

SSL’s 2 and 2+ interfaces were the ’surprise’ announcements for many at this January’s NAMM show. Compact interfaces with pro features and connectivity, they offer, more importantly, an affordable version of ‘the SSL sound’, bringing the feel of a gazillion recordings made in 7-figure recording studios, within reach of everybody.

That’s the theory, and the cost-versus-sound thing is why they were the big news at NAMM. However, the less-asked but more obvious question is: why the heck has it taken SSL so long? Focusrite, for example, have been knocking out pro-level, consumer-priced interfaces for donkey’s years, more recent models of which have been giving you that ‘Air sound’ from Focusrite’s original ISA mic preamp at the famous AIR Studios. Similarly, Audient’s low(ish) priced interfaces have the sound of their famous console, while the ubiquitous Neve sound – the big SSL competitor from back in the day – can be found everywhere, from Steinberg’s latest interfaces to products from, well, Neve of course! Then there’s UA, Trident, EMI, API, and others. These are the sounds we all crave, apparently, but they can all be found in modern, cheap hardware and software equivalents and recreations. So why all the SSL fuss? What do these interfaces bring to the table that we don’t already have, and just what is so special about that Solid State Logic sound?