SSL UF1 Review The Ultimate Controller

if I happen to be stranded on a tropical island that somehow had electricity and I could only have one single dog controller it would be the uf-1 and I'd eventually probably go crazy and also name it Wilson now a lot of doll controllers are going to help you get the job done this doll controller is going to help you get the job done better what's going on guys my name is Steve Kinney I'm a producer engineer and content creator here in Nashville Tennessee before we get started it would mean the world to me if you guys could hit the like button on this video subscribe if you're new to the channel and I really want to know what do you guys think is next for SSL they've been on an absolute tear lately I don't see them stopping anytime soon but I don't know you tell me so let's talk about the uf1 so the uf-1 is a single fader control surface but in my eyes it's so much more than that and we're going to dive into why a little bit later in the video so stick with me now the uf1 has been out for a minute so you probably already know what comes in the box so we're not going to do an unboxing video just know they give you everything you need to get started including the USB cable power supply USB adapter Etc The Usual Suspects now when I'm in the studio it's always function over form but that said visually you already know that this is the best looking controller out there and the looks don't do it justice until you get your hands on it just like the UFA everything on this device feels like it's ripped straight off of an SSL console the rotary encoders have that nice satisfying stiff feel that you'd find on a console or on an outboard preamp the fader feels like it was just chopped straight off the UFA and just tucked right into the uf1 can't say enough good things about the faders that they've included on these devices they're superb even the weight of the device when you get it in your hands it feels just right it's sturdy it feels reliable it's exactly the kind of thing that you're going to want when you set it on your desk in your studio now where do the similarities end so included on the uf-1 is in immensely satisfying jog wheel and I know that's something really silly to kind of get excited and talk about but when your only jog wheel on the UFA or on other devices is one of those rotary encoders that kind of clicks well that causes your jogging mechanism on your doll to kind of skip through the grid so it's nice to have something that is both smooth on screen and then smooth physically getting that kind of tactile feedback now the elephant in the room is the enormous display that it has at the top of the device and that's obviously different from the uf8 but the start of the show is the plug-in for that display which they've included in your purchase of the device and speaking of purchasing the device I'm proud to say that this video is sponsored by Sweetwater and besides the fact that I have sweet water on speed dial in my phone and I would absolutely live inside the facility if I could Sweetwater is the best place to trust with your gear purchases and musical gear Investments they offer personalized gear advice that means you actually have someone to talk to when you're not sure which compressor might be right for you in addition to the personalized support they offer a whole wealth of resources on their website including buying guides reviews how to's you name it they got it so if you find this video helpful in the slightest and you decide you want to pick up a uf1 I've left an affiliate Link in the description below using that link allows Sweetwater and myself to know that you've valued my take on the uf1 you've found it helpful so out of the box this is going to work with pretty much every major Daw out there Pro Tools logic Studio One Luna you name it it is important to note that if you don't have a uf8 and you're going to set this up for the first time that you install all the software first if you're like me and you do have a UFA already installations a breeze it's basically Plug and Play of course you're going to have to get through the firmware updates first and you're going to have to download the SSL meter plugin but outside of that that's about it setup is super simple so if you're on that deserted island and all you had was the uf1 you're going to get so much of what made the uf8 great just condense down into a smaller form factor you're going to get that amazing automation experience you're going to get that awesome tactile feel and you're still going to get over 40 customizable soft keys and to me this is what really sets these controllers apart from everything out there on the market right now when you're mapping these soft keys it's not just simple MCU commands that you can map to it you can map entire strings of keyboard commands together to to create one big macro so if you want to press one button and have it create 16 new tracks and have it create a bus track you can do that just take the time program the macro that's the power of the SSL 360 software and why I like these so much now if you do have a uf8 this takes this whole macro thing to a whole new level now you've effectively doubled your shortcut keys that you have available to you the big Channel encoders work independently so you can keep them on Independent functions for example I could keep the uf1 so that it Cycles through the different channels in my session and I could keep my uf8 in Focus mode so that I can control plug-in parameters on the Fly the dedicated transport controls means that you can forget about having to map any sort of Transport control to the top of your uf8 and having a dedicated Master fader is just super handy I really love that feature but now we gotta talk about the SSL metering section the uf1 really Bridges the gap between in the box and out of the box workflows if it was the 1970s and I was working in a large format that console I would be working entirely here I wouldn't be looking at a screen or using a mouse and while control surfaces have always done the fader thing really nice and the pan knob really nice and writing automation data so much of the feel was missing because I still had to rely on my screen to look at metering or get useful insight into what's going on with my mix with the SSL metering Plug-In or the SSL metering function on the uf1 I can get a true Peak readout I can get RMS levels frequency spectrum information from the RTA but one of the most sought after functions that I feel has always been missing is a Vu meter and on that note a great trick to balancing your kick and bass levels involves using a Vu meter and now you have one and you can do it all here you can control plug-in parameters you can control sends on fader you can control automation you can get information about the frequency content in your mix again here it's amazing at the beginning of the video I mentioned how the uf1 is more than just a doll controller to me it's really more of a master control section that you'd find on a large format console when you have clients in your studio and you want them to listen to a mix or Vision you want them to sit in that listening spot having that iconic transport control section can really play a big role when you're working with your clients even if they don't know how to use the doll you're using or the outboard gear all the faders they're certainly going to know how to hit the play button and the stop button and they're definitely going to know how to pull the fader volume down if it's a little hot coming out of the speakers giving them that control having them sit in that hot seat it's instantly familiar to them and it's going to connect them with their music in a special way and here's another useful thought since many of us are musicians ourselves and we collaborate with other musicians in the room so you're collaborating with that artist or maybe you have another producer come on over and they're not familiar with the doll you're using say they're a Pro Tools guy or say they're a Cubase guy and you're a Luna guy and you need them to run the session but really only to do a very simple thing like punch something in or hit record so you can be in the other room and record a guitar part or record a bgv having that transport section is really going to make that a lot easier rather than having to mangle your fingers on the keyboard the big red record button is sitting right there easy to access and it's going to make the session be a breeze because of the familiarity that the transport section really provides now many of you know that I'm a huge Luna guy I love working with it it's my main dot at this point and I've said in the past how I really believe that the U of 8 and the SSL 360 software really bring the best out of Luna and I'd love to show you how I implement the uf1 in addition to the UFA inside of Luna but I want to keep this video as digestible as possible so I'll be putting out a separate video dedicated to just the uf1 the UFA and Luna and as part of that video I'll be giving away my template for the UFA and the UF one together for free to support the channel further or connect with me one on one go to the stevekinney.com and don't forget to like the video if you found it you useful and leave a comment below I want to know what you think is coming next from SSL thanks so much for watching guys we'll see in the next video cheers

Channel: Steve Kinney

Views: 15,131

Keywords: Universal Audio, Luna Recording Device, Steve Kinney, Solid State Logic, SSL, SSL UF1, UF1, Solid state logic UF1, Audio Production, Daw Controller, Control Surface, SSL UF8, ssl UC1, UF8, UC1, Recording control, Logic, Pro tools, Studio One

Id: zX8S5AqX_zA

Length: 8min 7sec (487 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 04 2023