SSL Alpha Channel

Solid State Logic Alpha Channel Review / See All ZenPro Audio Reviews Here: Review Page

The Alpha Channel is another well priced product built in Oxford by the folks at SSL that excels beyond its asking price. It features a single preamp / DI / line level input, variable distortion circuit (VHD), switchable hi-pass filter, 3 band EQ with choice of bell or shelf on the low end, variable bell EQ midrange and hi-shelf, as well as a limiter to protect converters. Speaking of converters, the Alpha Channel has it’s own A/D conversion built in and outputs via SPDIF (you can run a separate line input to the rear to use as a stereo converter).

The preamp itself is mainly a clean and reliable sort of preamp, reproducing deep lows and airy highs and doesn’t seem to bumpy in the frequency response. The “VHD” circuit I find to be a hit and miss feature in that while tracking a source I find it too finicky and unpredictable to be very useful. For things like drum machines or bass it’s easier to use, but overall something like a vocal is either not going to hit it at all or it’s going to hit it too hard and not sound very nice when pushed. The VHD circuit is always in the signal path, you can avoid it pretty easily by not pushing the preamp up real hot. So it has versatility with the distortion circuit but it’s hard to say you could dial it in on many things and know how it will react. The choice of 2^nd and 3^rd harmonic distortion is nice when you do find a use for it.

The high pass filter can be very useful for tracking things like guitar and vocals that bass response tends to get in the way during mixdown. The EQ section I really liked, for a 3 band EQ SSL really milked it for usefulness with the switchable bell / shelf on the low end band and completely variable midband Q selector. The high shelf is nice and can be pushed fairly hard and remains smooth, very well…SSL like. The available bands are great for drums / guitars / voice, you name it I dig it for a simple tracking EQ.

The limiter in my opinion is more of an “oops” style limiter, you can exploit it though with things like drums. It can provide a very obvious smack when pushed, and push hard I did and enjoyed it. For voice it would be better suited to just protect the converter in your chain, you can crunch guitars and bass with it nicely though, maybe better suited for mixdown time if you want to hear that sound. It’s a very effective limiter too though, it stops stuff nicely but does have an obvious sound (very…well…SSL like!).

The conversion I never really compared anything to, but it seems quite nice on its own. The fact that you can run a second line into the rear of the unit to take advantage of 2 channels of AD conversion is a nice touch.

Conclusion: The Alpha Link is a nice addition to a home studio using things like Digidesign’s MBOX series and can accept SPDIF inputs. This way you can not only experience a decent converter but all of the trimmings on the way to building your song. The Alpha Link has a lot of tools, not all of them useful all the time, but kind of a no brainer in this price range.