In this article James Richmond, a man who is no stranger to high channel count, high end interfaces, tests Antelope Audio’s Galaxy 32 Synergy Core…

As studio owners we increasingly rely on our audio interfaces not just for audio input and output from our computers but as a central hub of the studio where monitor control, room correction, signal routing and headphone sends are all controlled from one place.

The Antelope Audio Galaxy 32 Synergy Core audio interface is a device which aims to provide all of this capability, in a 1u package with onboard DSP, Pro Tools HDX and Thunderbolt compatibility as well as support for MADI, ADAT and AOIP in the form of Dante.

This review explores the Galaxy 32's audio quality, connectivity, DSP & FPGA processing, control software, build quality and its value proposition.

Connectivity

For some time now there has been a trend in Pro Audio to label a product as being more capable than it is. What I am talking about here is channel count. Certain manufacturers like manage perception around their product by including the entire potential capability of a device if you use every single analogue or digital IO in their marketing. Picking one at random, the RME Fireface UFX III is described as being a 188 channel audio interface. Whilst this is not strictly incorrect you don’t have 188 channels of analogue IO available without significant expansion and cost. I am not singling RME out here, a lot of manufacturers do it. I would argue that what a customer wants to know more than the total *possible* number of channels is the exact number of analogue IO channels a device has. 

Antelope market the Galaxy 32 Synergy Core as a 32 channel interface (hey, it’s in the name) because that is the number of channels of analogue to digital conversion it has onboard with no further expansion added. This transparency is refreshing to see and I wish more manufacturers would do it. 

The flip side of this though is, and here I start arguing against myself, that the Galaxy 32 is a connectivity powerhouse, able to accommodate a vast range of audio sources and destinations simultaneously. In addition to 32 channels of analog I/O via D-Sub 25 there is also 8 channels of ADAT, 2 channels of S/PDIF, 64 channels of MADI, 64 channels of HDX as well as 64 channels of audio over Thunderbolt 3. 

In a 1U chassis.

For $5995!

That is an extremely impressive specification that exceeds the mere description of 32 channel audio interface.

DSP Processing And Plugins

Antelope are not the only company with DSP based solutions. Universal Audio and, of course Avid, are still flying the flag each with their own approach as to how integrate DSP into a DAW. Antelope’s Synergy Core platform, faciliatated in this device with 6 DSP and 2 FPGA processors, works a little differently to both these competitors. 

DSP plugins can be applied to channels within the Galaxy mixer application, similarly to how Universal Audio interfaces work, but unlike UA you do not automatically get access to a native product if you own the DSP equivalent. You have to subscribe to Antelope’s newly released Synergy Core Native for €149 a year and there is currently no perpetual license offered. 

Some Antelope products can utilise their AFX2DAW plugin that acts as a bridge between the the DSP and your DAW of choice except that it is not currently supported by this device and is an additional €199.

Owners of the Galaxy 32 that wish to use DSP plugins within their DAW have to set up a routing process in the Galaxy 32 control application that allows them to be used as hardware inserts. It works, but it isn’t neat and if I’d spent this much money on an interface and was asked to pay additionally for native equivalents of plugins I already had access to I might feel a bit miffed. Forum posts by owners, unfortunately, confirm this.

I reached out to Antelope for comment on this and was informed that there are discounts possible for existing customers, which depend on how many DSP plugins are purchased. It is a discount ranging from 50% on its lowest to a 1-year free membership to its highest value.  Affected customers should contact Antelope to find out more about this.

The effects themselves are pretty good, with the 37 bundled plugins covering a lot of ground primarily EQ’s, compressors and preamp emulations. Additional plugins can be purchased from Antelope’s online software store but it is good to see so many plugins supplied with the unit.

The recently released Synergy Core Native version 1.1.1 now supports AAX for both Mac and Windows.

Control Software

The unit is controlled using the appropriately named Galaxy 32 control software. This is not located in the Applications folder but rather nested in ‘Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/.AntelopeAudio/galaxy32/panels/1.1.30’. It is instead opened by first opening the Antelope Laucher application, which feels a bit clunky.

The control application is powerful, allowing for all signal routing, DSP plugin management. monitor management and general device control. Antelope have taken a bit of flack for their control software over the years and whilst it does take a bit of time to get used to it is not impossible to get to grips with. I like being able to drag and drop conenctions and you can command click multiple connections or shift click a range of inputs, for example, 64 channels of Dante into HDX or Thunderbolt. This functionality is sadly and frustratingly lacking in DAD/Avid’s DADman application, so it is welcome here.

Build Quality

The Galaxy 32 is designed with a robust and sleek 1U rack-mountable metal chassis, giving it a solid feel while also being easy to integrate into any studio setup. The front panel is clearly laid out, with a large multifunctional display, offering an overview of the unit’s status and selected functions. The use of an external power supply is always going to be noted in a review and my position on these remains consistent. Yes, they are unprofessional and slightly annoying but the advantage is easy replacement. Replacing an internal power supply is not something that can be done safely by most end users and it ends up being fairly expensive, so the trade off is understood. At least the connector is the locking type.

Value

At $5995 USD the Galaxy 32 Synergy Core is not exactly a budget interface, but it delivers an exceptional value proposition when considering its extensive I/O options, sound quality, processing capabilities and the comprehensive suite of onboard effects available.

Comparing the Galaxy 32 to other comparable interfaces is where it gets a bit tricky. There just aren’t many audio interfaces that offer the channel count and range of connectivity formats for anything close to the asking price of this interface.

It is around $2000 more expensive than the Focusrite Red 16Line but has double the analogue IO, double the number of Dante channels, onboard MADI which can only be added to the Red 16Line with a MADI to Dante (or ADAT) converter, which then uses up some of its 32 Dante (16 ADAT) channels. The Red 16 Line also does not feature simultaneous HDX and Thunderbolt capability. You have to choose and changing it requires a device reboot.

The Avid MTRX II is probably also in the same category but as a modular interface you buy a bare chassis with Dante, Thunderbolt and coaxial Madi and then populate the chassis with expansion cards. This bare chassis is $6995 and at around $2200 per 8 channel card input or output card a 32 channel MTRX II configuration would be approaching $25000 and you’d still have to purchase the Thunderbolt 3 module for it, which isn’t out yet.  The MTRX II is much more capable with its routing possibilities, but is it five times the capability for the cost?

For studios requiring a versatile, top-quality audio interface that can handle demanding projects, it presents an investment that is likely to pay off in terms of performance and reliability.

Thunderbolt

64 channels of Thunderbolt IO can be routed to any of the other channels available in the interface. I tested latency using Oblique Audio’s RTL Utility and pleasingly the roundtrip latency values are excellent, amongst the best I have every tested.

A typical buffer of 64 samples yielded a roundtrip result of 5.034ms at 44.1kHz. Those with very powerful computers could achieve as low as 1.438ms at 96kHz with a 32 sample buffer. Impressive.

Pro Tools HDX

In addition to Thunderbolt the Galaxy 32 has two mini Digilink ports supporting up to 64 channels of IO to Pro Tool HDX. This is more than enough for many people and support is provided by emulating Avid HD IO’s. Antelope profess to provide automatic delay compensation over HDX which I tested and unfortunately must report that automatic delay compensation does not work as expected across all inputs and outputs. When manually adjusting delay compensation (which is determined by recording the same source to two tracks, one with a hardware insert loopback and one without and comparing the difference on the timeline in samples) it works perfectly. When using ‘auto delay compensation’ it was consistently out by 2 samples when using s/pdif. It is not mentioned in the manual Antelope supporte he confirmed that automatic delay compensation is only supported on the unit’s analogue IO.

This is not a deal breaker for some but for me it makes automatic delay compensation unusable, as I have most of my hardware inserts on Dante or MADI expansion. The workaround is to turn it off and calculate it manually.

Surround/Immersive

Antelope have updated the Galaxy 32 control application to support 23 preconfigured formats with path order selection (SMPTE / film), including 2.1, 5.1, 7.1 surround sound and 5.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos. Additional audio formats and speaker configurations possible via the built-in routing, up to a maximum of 16 channel.

Speaker calibration can be accomodated with 8 bands of EQ (6 bands fully parametric) per speaker, level trim from –60dB to +16dB and up to 100ms of delay. Unlike Avid/DAD’s SPQ there is not a shared pool of filters that can be individually allocated to the outputs. For instance, thanks to a slightly assymetrical room design I have one speaker (left front) that requires 9 EQ adjustments and another only needs 6 (right front). Using Antelope’s surround filters I need to choose which of the 9 filters in the left speaker I need to leave out. Where the Galaxy 32 has an advantage compared to the Avid/DAD devices with Q value, which can be as high as 18, allowing for more surgical filtering, compared to the MTRX II’s maximum Q value of 10.

Bass management can be done on a per channel basis allowing for very fine tuning control or can be globally enabled/disabled. I found it slightly odd that the Bass Management Mixer button brings up a window called Crossover but this slight quirkiness does somewhat fit into the pattern of Antelope’s way of doing things.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed my time with the Antelope Audio Galaxy 32 Synergy Core audio interface. Although I am currently unburdened with the decision about which audio interface to choose for my studio, should I have been in that position it would have been a real contender. At its price point it is unchallenged by any other product for combination of analogue IO, routing flexibility, sound quality and support for different connectivity formats. This is expecially true if, like many, there is a need for HDX integration with high channel count native audio over Thunderbolt, plus support for immersive audio.

There are a few software issues though, odd HDX auto delay compensation behaviour and requiring owners to subscribe for native equivalent of owned DSP plugins might give me pause.

The Antelope Audio Galaxy 32 Synergy Core is otherwise an excellent audio interface. It's a significant investment, but for professionals seeking an interface that delivers on many fronts, it is an investment worth considering.

Pro

• The best specified audio interface currently available at this price.

• Excellent build and sound quality.

• Onboard DSP effects.

• Excellent routing capabilities and support for immersive audio.

Con

• Some software quirks.

• HDX Auto delay compensation on analogue IO only.

• Subscription only native plugins is going to irritate some customers.