Antelope Audio is a company that specializes in amazing products. Their mastering-grade converters and super-accurate clocks are just two examples. Then, there is the Orion 32, with its groundbreaking ability to route 32 high-resolution audio inputs and 32 high-res audio outputs over a single USB cable. Newest in the line of achievements from Antelope is the Zen Studio, a portable interface that brings together amazing mic preamps, high-quality audio I/O, monitor control, flexible routing, onboard DSP, and much more at a price that is unbelievable. I’ve been using a Zen Studio for several months, and here’s what I’ve found.

The Zen Studio packs an astounding amount of simultaneously available I/O into a compact unit — up to 38 simultaneous inputs and 32 simultaneous outputs! The complement includes 20 analog inputs (12 with mic preamps), 16 channels of ADAT optical I/O, stereo S/PDIF I/O, word clock I/O, two stereo headphone outs, and two pre-conversion analog inserts — enough to cover a huge session. The unit itself feels solid and is designed for portability. It has a built-in handle and slides easily into a backpack or larger laptop bag. And, Antelope introduced a rackmount kit for the Zen Studio at this year’s AES show.

A single large knob near the center controls whatever parameter is currently being accessed. Everything else is handled by the Zen Studio Software Control Panel: super-flexible I/O routing, DSP-based EQ and dynamics processing, custom presets, and four independent zero-latency mixers. Resolution up to 24-bit/192kHz is supported. The whole thing is driven by Antelope’s renowned Acoustically Focused Clocking.

Setting up the Zen Studio is easy. Simply plug in the USB cable between the Zen and your computer, connect your mics and instruments, hook up monitors or headphones, and get rolling! The Zen Studio Software Control Panel is easy to figure out and offers all the control you need for routing signals, applying EQ and dynamics, and creating cue mixes for the engineer/producer and talent. The ability to save and recall presets is a real time saver. Make one up for writing sessions, one for band tracking, one for mix down, or whatever tasks you do all the time, and you’re never more than a quick click away from being able to call up your preferred configuration and routing.

The 12 onboard preamps are clean enough for classical and acoustic jazz, but they also have enough girth and punch for rock, EDM, or any other style; they’re great all-rounders that sound excellent on any source.

A State of Zen
It’s hard to imagine needing more than the Zen Studio offers. The comprehensive I/O, the onboard DSP, four latency-free mixers…it covers a ton of ground for home, project, commercial, and remote recording rigs. And, amazingly, it does it all via USB, leaving your computer’s FireWire or Thunderbolt ports available for DSP engines or high-speed storage devices.
Give the Zen Studio a definite look; it covers all the bases at a great price, in a compact package, with great sound and flexible connectivity. A solid winner!

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