For basic production and recording, this interface is excellent. If you need more inputs and outputs, the SSL Alpha 8 seems to be the right expansion path. The SSL 18 delivers good sound quality and a very pleasant working experience.
Once you finally set up the routing in the rather unintuitive SSL 360° software—which, to me, still feels like it is in a development stage—the workflow with physical knobs and buttons becomes a real pleasure.
What I like:
-The number of I/O is sufficient for my needs and can be expanded if necessary
-Dedicated physical knobs for each input
-Physical buttons, including talkback and ALT for a second pair of monitors
-Sound quality
-4K option, even though I do not use it all the time
-Zero-latency monitoring
What I don’t like:
- Counterintuitive SSL 360° software
- Buttons feel slightly wobbly