![]() ![]() This didn’t always work successfully for me, but I’m not sure whether that was a problem with the installer, or something I’d done wrong! There was a worrying half-hour where I was left with an unresponsive Zen Studio and a message saying ‘Failed’, but once I’d tried a few more times, things got back on track. If I’d had a session planned, I’d have been pretty cross.Īs well as eight additional mic preamps, the Zen Studio’s rear panel houses eight line-level ins and outs on D-Subs, along with the insert points for inputs 1/2, the stereo Monitor outs, word clock and coaxial S/PDIF I/O.The launch process also checks to see whether new firmware is available, and if so, lets you install it. Also, on one occasion, a server problem meant that the update process failed, and for 12 hours or so I wasn’t able to use the Zen Studio. ![]() A good idea in principle, perhaps, and it ensures that everyone is always running the latest software, but it does mean that you need to connect to the Internet before using the Zen Studio the first time. However, double-clicking its icon in the Finder or the Windows Explorer activates not the control panel itself, but a separate ‘launcher’ application which checks to see whether a newer version is available on the Antelope web site. Gone To LaunchĪssuming you want to do more with the Zen Studio than enjoy a bonsai light show, you’ll need to turn your attention to its software control panel. The supplied transformer is rather lightweight, but does the job and has a locking connector to prevent accidents. So, for instance, the ADAT sockets are located not on the rear panel but on one end of the unit, which could be awkward if you wanted to rackmount it (for which, incidentally, you’ll need a separate rackmounting kit), and power is delivered through an external wall-wart rather than an IEC cable. The smallness of the Zen Studio also entails a few compromises in terms of physical design. However, it’s not possible to make adjustments to preamp gain using these physical controls. By default, this is configured to show bargraph meters for two rows of 16 channels, but you can use the option buttons to make it display parameters such as clock source, sample rate, preamp gain and headphone volume instead. Inbetween these and the volume control is a small but detailed colour display. In fact, the only physical controls on the Zen Studio are a power/standby button, an infinite rotary control that can be assigned to various combinations of the headphone outputs and rear-panel Monitor outs, and a pair of up/down increment buttons. So, for instance, none of the preamps has an analogue gain potentiometer or a phantom power switch. Inevitably, this marvel of miniaturisation is accomplished by the extensive use of digital control. And it doesn’t even occupy a full rack space! It also has word clock and coaxial digital I/O, plus a pair of independently addressable headphone outputs. You get 16 channels of digital I/O via ADAT sockets. There are a further eight analogue line inputs and outputs on D-Subs. It boasts 12 mic preamps on combi XLR/jack sockets. Antelope Audio’s new Zen Studio USB interface, however, raises the bar even further. If you’re happy to connect everything via MADI, you can get 64 channels in and out on one pair of connectors, while products such as RME’s Fireface 802 cram a truly comprehensive array of analogue and digital socketry into a 1U rack unit. ![]() There are quite a few audio interfaces on the market that pack a lot of I/O into a small box. If small is beautiful, then Antelope Audio’s latest product is the Mona Lisa of multi-channel audio interfaces. ![]()
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