Recording - October 2014 - 20

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Antelope Audio Zen Studio
Grab high-end audio interfacing by the handle and take it along
Back in our January 2014 issue, I
reviewed a remarkable audio interface that
offered an unprecedented 32 channels of
high-end audio conversion in a 1U rack box
with low latency over the USB 2.0 protocol-Antelope Audio's Orion32. This month
we are looking at Antelope's newest interface, the Zen Studio. With the same clocking technology, USB 2.0 connectivity, and
converters (up to 24/192) as the Orion32,
the Zen Studio lessens the analog track
count to 20 in/14 out, but adds 12 built-in
mic preamps and onboard DSP, all
wrapped up in a portable package that
weighs about 4.4 pounds.
The look of Zen
The Zen Studio is housed in what could be
considered a 19" rack mount enclosure...
except that it only measures 16.8" across,
lacks rack ears, rests on 4 rubber feet, and
has a large robust built-in handle designed
for easy transport. The Zen Studio was
designed with a "pick up and go" mentality;
the handle is not removable, and there are
currently no rackmount ears available,
although a change to this is forthcoming.
With mobility in mind, the unit is quite
robust with a solid metal chassis coated in a
red baked enamel finish. Its faceplate is a
thick brushed steel, complete with an equally thick plexiglass multicolor LCD screen-
again like that of the Orion32. Unlike the
Orion32, the Zen Studio offers only 3 function buttons, but adds a large multifunction
stepped rotary encoder/pushbutton.
Antelope did an outstanding job in the
industrial design department. The front
looks clean and minimal, and the rear
panel is chock full of ins and outs with
zero leftover real estate. Four of the 12
mic pres dot the front, while the rest
reside around the back. Each uses a
Neutrik Combo jack, and will also accept
1
/4" line-level and (for the four on the front
panel) Hi-Z instrument inputs as well.
20

RECORDING October 2014

Also on the rear of the unit are a pair of
TRS channel inserts, a pair of 1/4" monitor
outputs, coaxial SPDIF I/O, BNC Word
Clock ins and outs, a pair of TASCAM-style
DB-25 connectors offering 8 additional line
ins and outs, a USB 2.0 socket, a threaded
AC jack for connection to the external
power supply, and on the non-handled side
of the unit are 2 pairs of ADAT digital light
pipe connectors. The front panel also sports
a pair of independently assignable headphone outputs-these do not just offer different volume levels, but completely different monitor mixes if desired. The converter
specs are impressive: Antelope quotes 118
dB dynamic range and THD+N of -98 dB
on the D/A and -105 dB on the A/D.
The soft side of Zen
On the software side, the Zen Studio uses
a drag-and-drop matrix routing program
similar to that of the Orion32, but greatly
expanded. As an all-in-one portable device,
the Zen Studio must serve as a faderless digital mixing console, not just an I/O box that
lets the DAW do the heavy lifting. As a
result, its software routing becomes integral
to getting the most out of the unit.
The Zen Studio's matrix software has
four full-fledged 24-channel mixers under
its hood. With these you can set up multiple monitor mixes for tracking musicians-
two for the two headphone outs, a third to
the monitor outs, and a fourth to any pair
of analog or digital outs. This last can be
used to feed a headphone amp or a 2track recorder to capture a live mix.
The Zen Studio's software also gives
access to the unit's onboard DSP engine.
Currently this is in the form of EQ and compression (a reverb is on the way, possibly out
by press time) that can be used in tracking,
monitoring, or even in mixdown from your
DAW. Sonically it is quite functional and akin
to what you might find built into your DAW.
I did find setting the compressors to be on the

tricky side, but like the fact that each one contains a fully variable knee setting.
Preamps, lines and instruments
The preamps on the Zen Studio are
capable of up to 65 dB of gain with a
THD+N of -108 dB. They are of the
"clean, clear, and colorless" variety, but
unlike a "straight wire with gain", these
trend toward more of a neutrally-weighted
recording console sound. Each one is digitally controlled and offers +48 V phantom
power; currently they do not offer phase
switching, but this is coming in a future
update as well. The preamps have no pad,
but they do offer an extra 10 dB of headroom/gain, effectively allowing you to pad
them down in any increment you wish.
Each preamp can be bypassed and
switched to a line input for use with preamps
that you already own, or any of them can be
switched to a Hi-Z direct instrument input as
well. Unfortunately Antelope doesn't list the
inputs' impedance.
In use: setup and converters
I tested out the Zen Studio on both my 2.5
GHz quad-core i7 late 2011 17" MacBook
Pro and my 3.5 GHz quad-core i7 iMac,
both running OS X 10.9, and setup was fast
and simple with nary a hiccup. Originally
with the Orion32 I had some issues with
Cubase 7, But I'm pleased to say that the
Zen Studio has been running flawlessly for
the past few months in Cubase 7.5 with
zero issues. I am even able to track at a
buffer setting of 32 samples (!) on my iMac.
During this review, Antelope was kind
enough to leave the Orion32 in my possession, and I noticed zero sonic difference between the two when it came to
the sound of the converters. As with the
Orion32, this puts the Zen Studio in the
same class as the Lynx Aurora, Apogee
Symphony I/O and others, with only subtle taste differences to be heard. The Zen



Recording - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2014

Contents
Recording - October 2014 - Intro
Recording - October 2014 - Cover1
Recording - October 2014 - Cover2
Recording - October 2014 - 1
Recording - October 2014 - 2
Recording - October 2014 - 3
Recording - October 2014 - 4
Recording - October 2014 - 5
Recording - October 2014 - Contents
Recording - October 2014 - 7
Recording - October 2014 - 8
Recording - October 2014 - 9
Recording - October 2014 - 10
Recording - October 2014 - 11
Recording - October 2014 - 12
Recording - October 2014 - 13
Recording - October 2014 - 14
Recording - October 2014 - 15
Recording - October 2014 - 16
Recording - October 2014 - 17
Recording - October 2014 - 18
Recording - October 2014 - 19
Recording - October 2014 - 20
Recording - October 2014 - 21
Recording - October 2014 - 22
Recording - October 2014 - 23
Recording - October 2014 - 24
Recording - October 2014 - 25
Recording - October 2014 - 26
Recording - October 2014 - 27
Recording - October 2014 - 28
Recording - October 2014 - 29
Recording - October 2014 - 30
Recording - October 2014 - 31
Recording - October 2014 - 32
Recording - October 2014 - 33
Recording - October 2014 - 34
Recording - October 2014 - 35
Recording - October 2014 - 36
Recording - October 2014 - 37
Recording - October 2014 - 38
Recording - October 2014 - 39
Recording - October 2014 - 40
Recording - October 2014 - 41
Recording - October 2014 - 42
Recording - October 2014 - 43
Recording - October 2014 - 44
Recording - October 2014 - 45
Recording - October 2014 - 46
Recording - October 2014 - 47
Recording - October 2014 - 48
Recording - October 2014 - 49
Recording - October 2014 - 50
Recording - October 2014 - 51
Recording - October 2014 - 52
Recording - October 2014 - 53
Recording - October 2014 - 54
Recording - October 2014 - 55
Recording - October 2014 - 56
Recording - October 2014 - 57
Recording - October 2014 - 58
Recording - October 2014 - 59
Recording - October 2014 - 60
Recording - October 2014 - 61
Recording - October 2014 - 62
Recording - October 2014 - 63
Recording - October 2014 - 64
Recording - October 2014 - 65
Recording - October 2014 - 66
Recording - October 2014 - 67
Recording - October 2014 - 68
Recording - October 2014 - 69
Recording - October 2014 - 70
Recording - October 2014 - 71
Recording - October 2014 - 72
Recording - October 2014 - 73
Recording - October 2014 - 74
Recording - October 2014 - 75
Recording - October 2014 - 76
Recording - October 2014 - 77
Recording - October 2014 - 78
Recording - October 2014 - 79
Recording - October 2014 - 80
Recording - October 2014 - Cover3
Recording - October 2014 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202502
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202501
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202412
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202411
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_20205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/nxtd
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com