At $159, the SSL 1 is an audio interface that bedroom producers must consider$159, solidstatelogic.com
The affordable end of the audio interface market is a somewhat crowded place, and so it pays for a manufacturer to be able to grab customer attention – a long and revered history in audio production is a solid place to start! Doubtless, this was Solid State Logic’s thinking when launching its original SSL 2 and 2+ desktop audio interfaces, bringing a slice of the company’s circuit design excellence – not to mention its peerless reputation – within easy reach of any budding producer.

READ MORE: Solid State Logic SSL 2 and 2+ MKII: These interfaces have the edge in a crowded market

The range has expanded since then, with the SSL 12 and 18 offering higher input/output counts and, in the case of the latter, a rackmount form factor. But all of this expansion in features left a notable gap at the other end of the range – something compact, affordable and easy-to-use for those who want a mobile setup, or who just want to plug in a mic and guitar and start recording. It is perhaps a small gap but, nonetheless, SSL has now plugged it with the new SSL 1.
Image: Press
What are SSL 1’s main features?
SSL 1 has the same wedge-shaped, desktop form factor of the 2, 2+ and 12, albeit in a more compact case. The control panel is uncluttered, featuring just four dials, all of which use the same potentiometers and knob-caps as found on SSL’s high-end hardware, giving the unit a reassuring sense of quality.
Like the 2 and 2+, the SSL 1 provides two input channels, both featuring a gain pot and five-part LED level meter, but here the inputs aren’t fully-flexible mic/line/instrument affairs. Rather, the first input is mic-only, and the second caters for line and instrument signals. This isn’t going to be attractive if you want to record from a stereo line source such as a keyboard – for that you’ll need to look at the 2 and 2+ – but is perfectly adequate if you just want to hook up a guitar and a mic and start recording.
The pair of DC-coupled line outputs (which can also be be used to send CV signals to analogue synths) are rear-mounted, as are the pair of USB-C ports; one for USB-2 data connections, and the other to provide power when the host device can’t dole-out enough of the stuff. The only front panel connector is a 6.35 mm headphone jack that carries the same signal as the line outputs. Those outputs are controlled by a pleasingly-chunky master volume knob, whilst the headphone output has its own independent amp and volume control.
Image: Press
What makes SSL 1 stand out?
SSL 1’s mic input channel features the same preamp used across the entire range. This includes options for phantom power, a high-pass filter with a 75 Hz cutoff and 18 dB/octave slope, and the so-called Legacy 4K mode. Whilst not engaging an actual SSL 4000-series preamp (which would push the price up by a few hundred bucks), the 4K mode engages an analogue circuit that emulates the sound of this classic preamp by adding a high frequency boost and some carefully-tailored harmonic distortion. It works too — bringing out detail and airiness in vocals, and adding definition and clarity that can benefit many types of instrument.
Irrespective of the 4K mode, I’ve long been impressed by this preamp design. In my review of SSL 18, I describe it as “one of the best I’ve heard in this class of interface”, and observe that it “can even hold [its] own against higher-end interfaces”.
The second input is simpler than the first, with just a single button to switch between instrument and line input modes. Line mode is useful, but the majority of line signals used in a studio will be stereo and so not something SSL 1 can handle… or not, at least, without a DI box-based fudge. But I imagine most users will use channel 2 for DI-ing a guitar of some sort and, this being so, perhaps the channel’s input jack should have been located on the front panel.
Channel 2’s lack of a mic preamp means there’s no 4K mode available here. This is perfectly understandable given the unit’s design philosophy, but it’s also a shame because, when using the other interfaces in the range, I find that engaging 4K on a DI’d electric guitar gives a nice front-end kick that can benefit any subsequent amp modelling plugins. Again, a DI box provides a workaround, allowing an instrument to access Channel 1’s mic input.
Whilst this is the limit of the unit’s physical inputs and outputs, SSL 1 lays on three additional internal stereo loopback busses. These are particularly useful in a live performance or web streaming context, allowing you to easily mix other sources from your computer into the SSL 1’s output, or to bus audio internally to OBX Studio (or similar) for streaming.
Image: Press
No-fuss recording solution
Audio interfaces tend to offer one of two types of direct monitoring. Higher-end interfaces have a software mixer that can control busses and amps within the hardware, allowing you to create a mix of the direct incoming signal and the cue mix coming from your DAW. Then there’s a simpler system whereby a dial on the interface allows you to mix between the direct incoming signal and the DAW output signal.
SSL 1 makes things even simpler still, with nothing more than a button that enables a 50/50 mix of direct monitoring signal and DAW output. This isn’t ideal for achieving a perfect balance between input channels and DAW output, but it keeps costs down, and it isn’t exactly difficult to use your DAW’s master fader as a means to get a usable balance.
This simple monitoring reflects the overall straightforward approach of SSL 1. On Mac, iOS and Linux, the interface needs no additional software to run and is literally just plug’n’play, whilst on Windows all that’s needed is a quick driver installation and you’re good to go.
The limitations of the I/O configuration may restrict SSL 1’s wider appeal, but its no-nonsense approach means there’s nothing here to bog you down, nor to flummox those new to recording: no ambiguity about what connector to use, nothing unclear about what the hardware controls do, and no confusion over where and how a software mixer fits into the picture.
Most importantly, though, the quality of the mic preamp, the build and component quality, and the pristine, low-noise sound delivered by the interface’s 32-bit converters are beneficial whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced hand.
Image: Press
Key features

2-in / 2-out USB-2 audio interface
Input 1 is mic-only / input 2 is line/instrument level
2 balanced TRS line outputs (DC-coupled)
6.3 mm headphone socket
USB-C connector
Power from USB bus or dedicated 5v USB power input
Compatible with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Linux and Windows
Balanced, DC-coupled line outputs
Includes SSL Production Pack software bundle

The post At $159, the SSL 1 is an audio interface that bedroom producers must consider appeared first on MusicTech.