When Antelope Audio introduced its latest addition to its Orion family of recording interfaces at the AES 2015 show, the highlighted arguments for the Orion Studio included the lowest latency AD/DA chip set on the market, in combination with Thunderbolt and USB compatibility, together with incredible routing flexibility and the brand’s renowned audio quality.
In contrast to the higher channel count AD/DA conversion of the Antelope Audio Orion32+, which apart from Thunderbolt and USB features a multichannel MADI audio interface and is directly targeted at studios and live recording applications, the new Orion Studio is essentially a versatile alternative for musicians, producers and any project-studio owner looking for an integrated next-generation recording solution.
Throughout the Thunderbolt and USB connectivity, the Orion Studio is able to simultaneously process 32 I/O of 192 kHz audio at dizzying speeds of 100μ round trip delay, making it the lowest latency AD/DA converter in its class. Further, Orion Studio features 12 microphone preamplifiers with phantom power, 16 analog outputs and a pair of mastering grade monitor outputs, two hardware inserts, two re-amps and a talkback mic.
“Orion Studio brings the ultimate in flexibility and sonic integrity to a demanding new generation of recording engineers and musicians,” commented Igor Levin, CEO and Founder of Antelope Audio. “With its blazing speed, flexible signal routing and sonic purity, Orion Studio levels the playing field for musicians and engineers who want to achieve uncompromising results while taking up a relatively compact physical footprint.”
In addition to featuring Thunderbolt and USB compatibility, Orion Studio also includes Antelope’s powerful DSP engine, which is optimized to run custom EQ, compressor and reverb effects. The recently announced AuraVerb, as well as other forthcoming effects on which the company is currently working are included at no additional cost.
Orion Studio’s lightning fast conversion capability enables users to take advantage of realtime effects during the recording and mixing process. For example, Orion Studio’s re-amping feature — which routes signals through a pair of real transformers — is ideal for musicians, who can access and manipulate a host of authentic sound effects while monitoring in real time.
“Orion Studio delivers the same sonic purity Antelope users expect in an attractive, incredibly functional package,” comments Marcel James, Director of Sales, U.S., Antelope Audio. “The unit is packed with features that enable engineers and musicians to seamlessly maneuver through tracking, mixing and playback scenarios in both live and studio situations.”
The accompanying software application for Orion Studio is simple to operate, providing a color-coded routing matrix with four separate mixers and intelligent DSP effects integration. The software application, originally created for the original Orion32 interface and further refined for Zen Studio, is available for both OS X and Windows operating systems.
Further, Orion Studio is fully supported by Antelope’s superior 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking (AFC) jitter management technology, which is present in leading mastering facilities around the world. Orion Studio is expected to ship December 1, and is priced at $2,795 (U.S.).
www.antelopeaudio.com
