Recording April 2022 - 62

REVIEW
Antelope Audio
Zen Q Synergy Core
A feature-rich bus-powered Thunderbolt / USB interface
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY
A
ntelope Audio is a Bulgarian company known for its high-end
converters and industry leading clocking technology. Its assortment
of interfaces has been steadily growing lately, with models for
home recordists, high-profile production facilities, and everything in
between. The Zen series represents the former-well-configured for project
studios (and coincidentally, serious travel rigs). The Zen Q Synergy Core
is the mid-tier model in the Zen series, acting as a big brother to the Zen
Go but not quite as full-featured as the Zen Tour (reviewed September
2016). It was initially released last year as a Thunderbolt 3 interface; the
USB-C-equipped model on review today is the latest to join the lineup.
Zen hardware
Zen Q is a sleek bus-powered
interface. The top panel features a fullcolor
backlit LED display for metering, a
large master volume control / encoder,
and three pushbuttons for settings: Gain,
HP/MON, and 'Antelope', which is
user-configurable. Operation is intuitive,
and the large LED display gives detailed
feedback on the input/output levels. It
also displays the unit's sync and sample
rate information at a glance.
62 RECORDING April 2022
It boasts up to fourteen ins and ten
outs. The front panel houses two 1
/4
"
instrument / line level inputs and two independent
headphone outputs. The back
panel hosts the rest of its I/O compliment:
two XLR combo jacks offering mic / line
/ hi-z options, a pair of 1
puts, two 1/4
/4
"
" monitor outline
outputs, stereo I/O
over S/PDIF, and an ADAT optical input
for adding up to eight additional inputs
at 48 kHz. Need I remind you that this is
all being accomplished via bus power?
As you'd expect from Antelope, the two
console-grade onboard mic preamps are
clean and quiet, with up to 65dB of gain.
Antelope is famous for its clocking and
AD/DA conversion tech, and that's all here
on full display-Zen Q Synergy Core uses
the award-winning, low-jitter, 64-bit AFC
(Acoustically Focused Clocking) master
clock tech. As Antelope puts it, every aspect
of the Zen Q is an audiophile experience.
The Zen Q is quite rugged as a graband-go
style desktop interface. It lives in
an all-metal enclosure with an attractive
black finish and four rubber feet that
keep it in place. I wouldn't hesitate to
travel with it in a backpack for gigs on
the go, making its bus-powered nature
all the more convenient.
Software and DSP
'Synergy Core' is a realtime onboard
FX engine. Straight out of the box, Zen
Q comes with a collection of 37 analogmodeled
effects which can be used while
recording with near-zero latency for a
polished sound on the way in. This is
accomplished via two DSP chips and one

Recording April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording April 2022

Fade In
Fast Forward
LEWITT: LCT 1040 Ultimate microphone system
Vocal Production with Andrew Bolooki
Focusrite: Scarlett Solo & Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interfaces / Hitmaker Expansion Bundle
Session Log: Claudia Acuña at EastSide Sound
Royer Labs: dBooster2 Dual In-Line Signal Booster & DI
Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio: Cinematic Frozen Strings
Living in the song: The Wolf Bros. Live in Colorado
Plugin Outlet: NUGEN Audio: Paragon ST
Heritage Audio: MOTORCITY EQualizer
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Tips and Techniques for Singers and Songwriters
Apogee: Duet 3 & Duet 3 Dock
PreSonus: Revelator USB mic
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Doing What It Takes For The Song To Survive
Ashun Sound Machines: Hydrasynth Explorer
Antelope Audio: Zen Q Synergy Core
Readers’ Tracks
Share the Creativity: Getting Into Co-writing
Recording April 2022 - Intro
Recording April 2022 - Cover1
Recording April 2022 - Cover2
Recording April 2022 - 1
Recording April 2022 - 2
Recording April 2022 - 3
Recording April 2022 - Fade In
Recording April 2022 - 5
Recording April 2022 - 6
Recording April 2022 - 7
Recording April 2022 - Fast Forward
Recording April 2022 - 9
Recording April 2022 - LEWITT: LCT 1040 Ultimate microphone system
Recording April 2022 - 11
Recording April 2022 - 12
Recording April 2022 - 13
Recording April 2022 - Vocal Production with Andrew Bolooki
Recording April 2022 - 15
Recording April 2022 - 16
Recording April 2022 - 17
Recording April 2022 - 18
Recording April 2022 - 19
Recording April 2022 - Focusrite: Scarlett Solo & Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interfaces / Hitmaker Expansion Bundle
Recording April 2022 - 21
Recording April 2022 - 22
Recording April 2022 - 23
Recording April 2022 - Session Log: Claudia Acuña at EastSide Sound
Recording April 2022 - 25
Recording April 2022 - 26
Recording April 2022 - 27
Recording April 2022 - 28
Recording April 2022 - 29
Recording April 2022 - Royer Labs: dBooster2 Dual In-Line Signal Booster & DI
Recording April 2022 - 31
Recording April 2022 - Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio: Cinematic Frozen Strings
Recording April 2022 - 33
Recording April 2022 - Living in the song: The Wolf Bros. Live in Colorado
Recording April 2022 - 35
Recording April 2022 - 36
Recording April 2022 - 37
Recording April 2022 - 38
Recording April 2022 - 39
Recording April 2022 - 40
Recording April 2022 - 41
Recording April 2022 - 42
Recording April 2022 - 43
Recording April 2022 - Plugin Outlet: NUGEN Audio: Paragon ST
Recording April 2022 - 45
Recording April 2022 - Heritage Audio: MOTORCITY EQualizer
Recording April 2022 - 47
Recording April 2022 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Tips and Techniques for Singers and Songwriters
Recording April 2022 - 49
Recording April 2022 - 50
Recording April 2022 - 51
Recording April 2022 - Apogee: Duet 3 & Duet 3 Dock
Recording April 2022 - 53
Recording April 2022 - PreSonus: Revelator USB mic
Recording April 2022 - 55
Recording April 2022 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Doing What It Takes For The Song To Survive
Recording April 2022 - 57
Recording April 2022 - 58
Recording April 2022 - 59
Recording April 2022 - Ashun Sound Machines: Hydrasynth Explorer
Recording April 2022 - 61
Recording April 2022 - Antelope Audio: Zen Q Synergy Core
Recording April 2022 - 63
Recording April 2022 - Readers’ Tracks
Recording April 2022 - 65
Recording April 2022 - 66
Recording April 2022 - 67
Recording April 2022 - 68
Recording April 2022 - 69
Recording April 2022 - 70
Recording April 2022 - 71
Recording April 2022 - Share the Creativity: Getting Into Co-writing
Recording April 2022 - Cover3
Recording April 2022 - Cover4
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