Solid State Logic was founded in 1969 to manufacture solid-state control systems for organs. They began building consoles with automation in the mid-1970s, when none were available. They were originally known for their large-format mixing consoles, but currently they offer a remarkable variety of audio hardware and software products. (Tape Op has reviewed several of SSL’s audio interfaces in issues #138, #155, and #165, and our reviewers have always found them to be excellent-sounding interfaces. -Ed.)
I have collected numerous preamps over the years, so I was looking for a simple line-only computer audio interface without microphone preamps. I was pleased to find the Alpha 8 AD/DA converter with eight in and eight out 1⁄4-inch TRS analog connectors, and I ended up buying one. The Alpha 8 also has S/PDIF and ADAT ports, making this unit potentially a hub for 18 channels of I/O. It can operate as a standalone device, with several examples detailed in the User Guide. The computer interface is USB-C. The Alpha 8 is touted as an expander for an existing environment using the ADAT and S/PDIF digital connections. An example in the manual illustrates how you could configure SSL's Alpha 18 to operate with the Alpha 8. Another application for the Alpha 8 is for outboard analog processing using the analog I/O. I use it as an analog I/O interface connected to my Mac.
The front panel has eight Select buttons, which are used in conjunction with Level, Clock, Rate, and settings buttons. These configure analog/digital I/O, headphone settings, routing, and more. It has easy-to-read, five-segment LED metering for all eight analog inputs and outputs. The TRS analog I/O connectors can be configured for +24, +20, +18, or +9 dBu operating levels, which are shown in the LED. Also on the front panel LED are indicators for clock source, sample rate, and USB connection status.
The rear panel is straightforward with BNC word clock I/O connectors with a button to engage 75 ohm input termination – a nice addition. I’ve been using S/PDIF I/O to interface with a Lexicon PCM 92, which has XLR AES I/O connectors. The Alpha 8 operates fine with my homemade RCA to XLR connectors to the PCM 92. It has an IEC power input, suggesting they put thought into the design of the power supply.
Another interesting feature is that the DC-coupled outputs allow +/- 5V control voltage for controlling CV external devices. I haven’t used this feature, but it appears to be supported in Ableton Live with a CV Tools software add-on.
I use a Speck Electronics X.Sum analog mixer (16 stereo inputs and 2 stereo outputs) to interface with the Alpha 8, synthesizers, and drum machines. The eight outputs from the Alpha 8 are sent as four stereo pairs from my DAW to the X.Sum as follows: audio channels, effects, virtual instruments, and percussion. The X.Sum is connected to my studio monitors and has an additional monitor out, which I use to record stereo mixes on another computer. The mixer makes it easy to adjust levels for the stereo pairs. This environment is primarily for music composition and learning for me. I am a home recording enthusiast, but my background is software development in the Unix/Linux environment. I started programming on an IBM 370 using the PL/1 language. If you are a Mac user, you don’t need a driver, as the Alpha 8 is a USB Class Compliant interface. When I plugged this device into my Mac, the I/O connections were clearly labeled in the Steinberg Cubase audio setup dialog. I had no trouble configuring projects with various analog and S/PDIF settings, but I haven’t used the ADAT I/O.
Being a Class Compliant device, this should work for Linux OS users who want a multi-channel interface. There has been considerable audio software development for the Linux OS, and it’s encouraging to me to have an alternative to Microsoft and Apple. I’m hoping this driver-free interface will inspire other manufacturers to create similar multi-channel audio interfaces. I have used Focusrite one- and two-channel devices, which operate with USB Class Compliant specification without a driver, but only for two I/O channels. A driver is required if you want to access a second stereo line input or output, for example.
In conclusion, the Alpha 8 is very well designed, and the build quality is excellent. If you want a line-only computer audio interface, you should give this unit a look.