SSL ALpha Link ax

In my project studio I recently installed a 48 channel D&R Merlin and was looking for a way to interface my DAW with the console. After much research and experimenting I settled on the SSl Alpha Link I/O AX version. The Ax version incorporates 24 channels of ADAT optical as well as the primary MADI format.
As a stand alone unit the Alpha Link is simple and easy to configure. I had it plugged into my old RME card via the ADAT optical and up and running in no time. The sound was big and I immediately noticed a tighter bottom end in the mix I had been working on.
Where the alpha link really shines is when it is used with the SSL MX4 card. The MX4 opens up routing possibilities that I had dreamed of for years. The MX4 mixer allows you to create your own mixer with custom routing to fit your studio set up. Latency while tracking becomes a thing of the past routing the input directly back to the console for monitoring. I was able to create individual headphone mixes by adding stereo sends to the input channels. I could monitor through SSL EQ and compression with or without tracking the effect.
On one extreme metal project I used ssl compression and eq to track with great punchy results. On a traditional roots recording I used the buss compressor during mix down and brought out some quiet notes without any complaints from the fussy mandolin player.
The Alpha Link M4X combination has allowed me to integrate my analog console completely with my DAW.
The learning curve on the routing was a bit steep but after a few minutes conversation with tech support I had it sorted out and it made perfect sense.
So, I installed another one.