SSL UF8 and UC1 - Coolest Features!

[@a.i.m.projectrecordings7844]

This is the best set up I’ved owned so far, tried the Avid artist control and Behringer Xtouch but this beats them hands down. Amazing functionality and has really sped up my work flow, I find i don’t have to think too much about what im doing and mix more by ear with better results.

[@massivebeatzz]

Nice! That's what it is all about. Thanks for watching.

[@user-or3ce4gt2r]

Big thanks !

[@massivebeatzz]

You're welcome!

[@pb3662]

Really great video. With the UF8 - can you actually map the knobs to 3rd party plugins vs using the logic simple knob layout? Also is it possible to use the knobs on the UC1 and map them to plugins - I have a lot of 3rd party "more complicated" plugins I am looking to access...

[@massivebeatzz]

Yes that easily be done for the UF8. I have a video about that on my channel. The key is to arrange the knobs in groups of 8, so that they make sense. The auto -map that happens doesn't always follow the right order, so using the method I describe gets you closer. As for the UC1, I am not aware that this is possible, but wouldn't be surprised if some programmer hacks a workflow for it.

[@michaelgormleymusic]

How did you setup for the markers? Still havnt figured that one out

[@massivebeatzz]

That actually works when you press on Marker (Vpot Page 1), then you can create or delete Markers. Once you create a marker the other LCD windows become shortcuts for these markers. To jump to that position just press down on the knob (not the soft button above). It is actually quite automatic and you don't have to assign any buttons. But you still could.

[@michaelgormleymusic]

Cheers for that! 😉

[@robertw1871]

Transport control has been added now, it’s actually quite useful….

[@massivebeatzz]

Yeah! Check one of my latest videos, where I walk through all the different combos and shortcuts!

[@MurdaMetz]

Why don’t the faders automate plug in parameters ? They only Work for volume control . Which I can do without a controller .

[@massivebeatzz]

Not true. if you press "Flip" they automate any parameter.

[@londonmodular7418]

Hey, nice one. Do you know of any way to get the UF8 to select areas of a track like Logic's marquee tool? Or a way to select multiple parts? Would be great to be able to set cycles this way.

[@massivebeatzz]

I have a shortcut called "Marquee" , which is setting the cycle length based on the marquee selection. I am not sure if we can select the marquee itself from the UF8. But if there is a Key Command that exists for it , then all we would have to do it is enter it in the 360 software and the UF8 would do it.

[@londonmodular7418]

@@massivebeatzz ok, thanks for the reply man. If I understand correctly, you're still using the mouse to marquee select an area and then hitting a soft key on the UF8 to cycle the selection? I have yet to figure a way to bypass the mouse to do this or how to select multiple parts in a track (shift + click/select doesn't work for me like I'd hoped on the UF8). This may not be something that concerns your workflow, just wondering if you had encountered a workaround? Maybe I'm being naive thinking I can pretty much ditch the mouse when using the UF8, that's the dream anyway... Regardless of whether I can get this working, it's been fun digging into the Logic shortcuts and porting over to the UF8, there's so many I never knew existed! cheers

[@massivebeatzz]

hah , yes, any key combination can be stored - so you could program the arrows, and other weird things in sequence. I think ditching the mouse completely is though - large mix rooms with big analog consoles still have the mouse or trackball too, but I think this helps tremendously for mixing. For editing you'd need it probably a bit more, but for mixing, recording etc, you can give that mouse a rest ;)

[@JudgeFredd]

SSL should pay you for demonstrating their gear so well.

[@massivebeatzz]

That's very nice of you to say. @SSL - did you hear the judge? :)

[@MrTupeloFlash]

very informative....thanks

[@massivebeatzz]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrTupeloFlash]

@@massivebeatzz - what about a review of the Behringer X Touch ?

[@noahvaldez5554]

Hello! How do you use the knob on the right to scrub in the timeline? I was trying to figure it out earlier, but was not able to find the controls.

[@massivebeatzz]

now worries. Just press "Nav" button underneath the scroll wheel. !

[@dannykirsch]

how do you control third party plugins with the UF8 and is there also a way of doing that with the UC1?

[@massivebeatzz]

You have to press plugin on the left of UF8. You can then select any plugin slot and tweak parameters by hand. The UC1 on the other hand cannot!

[@dannykirsch]

@@massivebeatzz thank you 🙏

[@Jovanmusictime]

Hi, is it great for Pro Tools? Thanks

[@massivebeatzz]

Yes, it is

[@BarryJohns]

Help me understand how you mix with three computer monitors side-by-side without it interfering with your studio monitors? Simply spacing your left and right studio monitors farther apart is not the answer, because the distance between left and right tweeters and the center of your face has to be equal, which would mean you would be sitting too far away from your computer monitors.

[@massivebeatzz]

It's a fairly humble set-up. They are not overly large and my desk is deep. So I'm far away from them . 3 is the happy medium. Bigger size in the center, two smaller ones left & right. You could also get one proper 38" or above curved monitor - but that is not the same as having 3. Dedicated windows for Busses, Track Mixer and Timeline.

[@BarryJohns]

@@massivebeatzz For a while I had two 34 inch wide screens, one on top of the other, with the top one angled down but I found that was hard on my neck. So now I’m back to one 34 inch wide screen, having more than one screen certainly has its advantages. I just started the channel, check it out if you’re interested.

[@massivebeatzz]

@@BarryJohns nice! will do!

[@folkfingerstylefreddy2154]

Does this work with WMR too?

[@brucekai7462]

Bought one and returned it. For £1100, you’d think that doing the BASICS would be something the UF8 would shine at. For example… as a film composer I use a lot of tracks.. I want to be able to zoom around my sessions and have whatever track I land on with my mouse be reflected on the UF8. NOPE. Instead, I have to press bank a billion times or twist the channel select until I find the track I’m looking for and then go from there. When you’re dealing with sessions of 100+ tracks this is absurd and not thought out at all. Also not including a “midi mode” straight out the box being a controller was lame too..

[@CarstenNeugebauer]

seriously? rediculous, instant dealbreaker

[@massivebeatzz]

works for me though.

[@massivebeatzz]

Really? What software do you use? This is one of the features that works perfectly fine for me (it's turned on by default in my DAW, Logic Pro, easy setup). Could it be that follow track is disabled?

[@brucekai7462]

@@massivebeatzz it works for you??? That’s weird. I use Studio one and it doesn’t follow track selection at all!!

[@massivebeatzz]

@@brucekai7462 weird...a ticket with SSL is in order. They are great to respond.

[@triniticoclough6387]

I hate that they changed the 360 where the have the mute and solo buttons are in the way of the faders

[@triniticoclough6387]

The 360 Software your running is the best! The Update got rid of the zoom now we have to scroll

[@massivebeatzz]

you are right. That was darn convenient.

[@garvolt]

Are these plugins included with the hardware?

[@massivebeatzz]

the Buss Comp 2 and Channel Strip 2 is included with the UC1. If you buy the UF8 you get the Drums and Vocal Strip.

[@johnisrael5183]

Plugins...still make the whole mix sound Digital....try Amethyst, Sand 2 or Tulip Strip by Acustica Audio

[@massivebeatzz]

plugins don't make a mix sound digital. it's what you do in the mix, and the source material. Also SSL 9000 (J's/K's/XL/s) want to have a modern sound - the orginal consoles are pretty clean. The warm ones are the E's and, the B. Which I just reviewed. I'd stay away from AA except Taupe , the rest is not ready for prime time, for various reasons.

[@johnisrael5183]

Man…The way I mixes I mix down each track individually, to get a great sounding mix first then I use Acoustic audio, to give me some live analog sampling inside of the DAW, before I loop that through my analog rack, through, pipeline with studio one onto export out… just today I use tulip on my sound coming in and I used navy to which is a modern British Niamh consul, on the way out before it went through my analog rack my song sounds beautiful you have no idea what you’re talking about to some degree every set up is different, at the end of the day putting a digital, smeary horrible plug-in tone over your entire mixed it already sounds good is a bad idea and that’s what’s gonna happen using SSL plug-ins they may the plug-in sound bad on, On purpose because they’re trying to sell their hardware

[@johnisrael5183]

Acoustica Audio Will blow any other plug-ins away as far as mastering a great sounding mix, and they are a great solution if you don’t have any analog gear at all which I happen a halve, People don’t like AA, Because they’re gonna have to spend the money to upgrade their computer to 32 GB of RAM to be able to run them but that’s a lot better than spending thousands of dollars more on horrible plug-ins

[@johnisrael5183]

Matter of fact it’s cheaper to buy their dreamware a bundle, Upgrade your ram memory, that’s $1200 as a add to your studio which inside of your DAW if you use them right will give you a $500,000 sound

[@ARCASIAUK]

Really enjoyed this video. It gave me a much broader idea how I’d incorporate this magnificent channel console into my production workspace. I was curious to know how you utilise the magic trackpad with a mouse and if using them both together adds some extra control to your production experience?

[@massivebeatzz]

thanks I appreciate that. So the nice thing with trackpad and mouse, or track pad and UF8, is that you can use both hands at the same time. I use the trackpad to hover over parameters, and then use the UF8's FOCUS feature to turn the knob. When I work with a mouse, I use the left hand to zoom in and out, and throw the timeline back and forth with two fingers, or switch windows. So Apple trackpads have many hand gestures, tat work well. You can also program certain tings to the trackpad. It's better for you too, since you engage both hands. And sometimes when I record bass, I cant hold a mouse.. I just put the trackpad on my bass amp, and adjust settings wile standing up. These are just some ideas. Also, if the mouse runs out of batteries :)

[@stansteez]

UC 1 costs abou 780 Euros - for something which is basically a MIDI Controller. Xou could get a decent hardware EQ for that amount of money :D

[@massivebeatzz]

I doubt you;d get a master buss compressor and full channel strip for that amount of money - plus a luxury controller. It's not just using MIDI also.

[@blakeb8139]

You could get an actual g bus compressor for the price of both of those controllers. I don’t know.. just seems kinda silly. It doesn’t do anything for your production sonically. I guess I just don’t get it

[@sm5574]

The point of these is not to change the sound of your mix. The point is to give you the tactile feel and a closer workflow of sitting at a console. Whether you could get a single hardware EQ for the same price is not an accurate comparison. This is not an EQ unit. It is not a compressor. It is a controller for specific EQ and compressor plugins. Even if you could buy 10 hardware EQs for this price, it still wouldn't match the fact that you can put an SSL Channel Strip plugin on every track of your mix, just like you would have if you were using an SSL console. That is what this is attempting to emulate. The UF8 and particularly the UC1 will not be everyone's cup of tea, and it doesn't attempt to be. If you already have other go-to EQs that have nothing to do with SSL, then this may not interest you at all. But if, all things being equal, you would prefer working on an SSL console, this is about the closest you will get without spending tens of thousands more.

[@StereotacticMusic]

Cubase 11 Pro Mixing Console looks very very similar