A square box, to hold the 12" vinyls, in a vibrant red cover, with a picture of the Rane SL3 on the front and all the necessary information and pictures of the interface on the back. The box itself consists of two parts. The top part can be removed and has cut-outs in which the timecode and software CDs, cables and of course the advanced 24-bit USB interface, or more precisely, the SL3 sound card, can be found. The SL3 sound card is well packed in a soft nylon case from UDG with zips where needed. At the bottom of the box are the 12" timecode discs. Then again there are rubber feet for the SL3, a manual and the warranty card.
The SL3 measures 17 x 12 x 3.5 cm and weighs about 1 kg. The two sides are made of solid steel, while the rest of the case is made of a lighter alloy. Serato remains true to its colours, black with white and red lettering. The SL3 has all the usual necessary connections. All inputs and outputs are Cinch/RCA, except of course the USB 2.0 socket and the 7.5V power socket. There are left and right inputs, and an aux input for connection to the mixer, so you can record with the SL3. The dipswitches on the left side allow you to select the connection of a CD player or a turntable. On the other side are the two outputs (L/R) and the aux output. Two LEDs indicate whether power is present and whether the USB is connected properly. Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista with a Pentium 1.5 GHz (or equivalent), although Rane (temporarily) advises against Vista. For Mac, OSX 10.4 with a G4, 1.00 GHz.
In addition, you need a DJ mixer with at least two channels, and at least one CD player or turntable. The computer must have a USB 2.0 port. The screen resolution should be at least 1024 x 768. The A4 manual is at least as beautiful as the box: a cardboard back, in the same red, with the same design on the cover. The 35 pages inside are in glossy paper. It is written in English only. The guide is complete, with many photos and illustrations. There is a diagram to control the SL3 with the keyboard, as well as extensive help for error messages. What I really like are the illustrations of the Scope Reading and Fixes. With the help of these pictures, you can see if you have calibrated correctly, and if the time code (on vinyl or CD) is working correctly, especially useful with turntables where a dust deposit on the needle, or a bad contact causes some disturbances.