Don’t let your mouse and keyboard slow your flow; work faster in your DAW and let your focus stay on the sound with the Solid State Logic UF8, a highly customizable USB Type-C control surface that can scale up to meet the needs of expanding setups and sessions without dominating your desktop. Whether you run Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Studio One, Cubase, Nuendo, or several at the same time, the UF8 is poised to be precisely the controller you need it to be.
The UF8 is about quality and performance, which you can tell by the metal enclosure, brushed anodized top plate, backlit RGB soft-feel rubber buttons, and extremely well-organized layout. On the UF8, you’ll find eight “channel strips,” each with a motorized, touch-sensitive 100mm fader, a rotary encoder, buttons for solo, cut, and select, and a large high-resolution color TFT LCD displaying vital info such as track name, level, metering, and more. Of course, you can access more than eight tracks via the bank/nudge functions, but if you want more than eight faders at your fingertips, you can chain up to four UF8s to create a 32-fader control surface.
To the left of the faders, separate sections are provided for selecting automation modes, accessing sends and plug-ins, and jumping between layers (instant switching between up to three DAWs). Setting up aux sends, inserting and tweaking plug-ins, and pushing into intense automation are all fluid actions on the UF8.
On the right side of the UF8, even more tactile power is available through the arrow pad, soft keys, multiple selection modes, and a large multipurpose encoder. This encoder can be used to bank tracks, navigate your DAW’s timeline, or emulate a mouse wheel for smooth scrolling. Extra luxuries include the ability to record-enable tracks, precisely adjust parameters via fine-adjust mode, and more.
Tap the 360° button and you can tap into SSL’s 360° software, which lets you assign layers to DAWs and configure the user keys to execute keyboard shortcuts or your go-to DAW commands. With five banks of eight user keys that can be labeled in the top of the TFTs, the UF8 is extremely potent for people who need a control surface that can integrate with their workflow and make it even better. Further customization is possible through the two assignable footswitch inputs. Considering that the UF8 is also physically customizable—its elevation angle can be adjusted and it can be mounted in 6 RU of rack space with optional hardware—it is ready to merge with your home, project, or commercial studio setup.
If you bring home the UF8, you’ll not only possess a highly capable, versatile, and customizable control surface, but you’ll also receive Native Drumstrip and Native Vocalstrip 2, two stellar SSL plug-ins that can help you get killer vocal and drum tones.
Does the UF8 have your attention? Share your thoughts and any questions you may have in the Comments section, below!
0 Comments