/ Review
Antelope Audio Galaxy 32 Synergy Core update ALAN SALLABANK tests a new surround monitor controller with speaker tuning
W
ith the release of the latest v1.1.58 software for the Galaxy 32 Synergy Core (reviewed Resolution V21.6), Antelope Audio has added full monitor control up to 9.1.6 and 8 band parametric EQ, delay and level for each speaker output. There are some new additions to the routing panel, in particular a Surround option, and when you select the Monitors option, a multichannel meter and a variety of options appear. You can control the overall surround monitor output and the stereo output independently, dim, mute and control. You can control the amount of surround delay to adjust for Lip Sync (screen delay) and change the metering between Pre and Post Surround Panel. When you select the Surround Panel, monitoring may be configured anywhere from 2.0 up to 9.1.6. You are also given the choice between Film layout — L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE for example in 5.1, or SMPTE layout — L, R, C, LFE, Ls, Rs in 5.1. The latter is most commonly used, apart from in Dolby accredited rooms, and also brings the advantage that most software better understands having the first two channels as Front Left and Right, rather than Front Left and Centre. In my studio I have 7.1.4 monitoring. Selecting a monitoring option also brings up extra controls for each speaker output.
Loudspeaker control
Here you are able to control the individual speaker level trims, the delay — to compensate for smaller rooms and to allow for timing alignment — bass management, with adjustable crossover point and 28 / Autumn 2022
filter type, and also an eight-band parametric equaliser. At present, this is manually adjusted, although it would obviously be a desirable feature to automatically import room profile information from external measurement software. You could use your own choice of measurement device and analyser display (such as the brilliant RME Digicheck), but I tested this feature with Sonarworks, manually inputting the channel calibration data. I generally find that even the best speaker management or room correction software can overcook things slightly, maybe in a quest for ‘perfection’. In my opinion, perfection is overrated. Your best ideal is to aim for consistency between your mix rooms, and also to try and maintain a realistic approach to how the average playback system actually sounds. In this respect the Galaxy 32 Surround Panel has the advantage of being very easy to override or manually tweak to taste. The interface is very easy to navigate: you can copy and paste EQ settings between speaker channels and save your Session. There is also easy bypass control over different aspects, such as delay and bass management. Another excellent feature is that the Antelope control software does not have to be running on the host computer. It can be controlled from any Windows or Apple computer attached to the same network as the Galaxy 32. Can this replace my existing monitor controller? In a word, yes. Up until this free software upgrade, I was using a JBL Intonato controller, with the Intonato app running on an iPad. The
limitations with the Intonato were that it was essentially a full Linux computer with lots hardware IO, with all the noise, power consumption and heat generation issues yet another computer in the control room brings. It could only input and output on Analogue, AES or BluLink, with Dante connectivity only available via an extra £1000 BLU-DA BluLink - Dante/AES67 Bridge. JBL are not alone in this aspect, as most room correction hardware is based around a core computer. The brilliant aspect of the new Surround Panel on the Galaxy 32 is that it can be sourced from, and output to, any of the Galaxy 32’s connectivity: Analogue, ADAT, Dante, HDX (Digilink), MADI or Thunderbolt. It doesn’t even have to control audio from the host machine. This allows for external sources, such as a Dolby Atmos decoder or DVD player to be able to route through your room and monitor correction. The incredibly powerful Galaxy 32 has been turned from an already very versatile interface into an all-in-one studio hub. It’s easy to use, and hours of tutorial videos with excellent advice for setup are linked from the Control Panel. It’s very much a ‘V1.0’, but it shows huge potential already. Antelope have very much done their homework and taken onboard user feedback — I was contacted several months ago to discuss the potential, and it seems that the one feature I very much wanted has been delivered. For a free upgrade, this is an absolute nobrainer, even if you’re just using stereo. If you’re considering an external room correction device or monitor controller, this would save a ton of money, both on equipment, but also on electricity consumption and air conditioning. And it sounds a lot better!
VERDICT PROS
Full monitor control, with snapshots to change between speaker options; 32 Analogue outputs and flexible routing (more than any other room correction hardware); Low noise, low heat and low consumption hardware. Sample rate support up to 192kHz
CONS
Obviously version 1.0, but shows a lot of potential. No hardware remote and no auto-import of third party room profiles (Yet!)
www. antelopeaudio.com
