Antelope Synergy Core FX

[SoftSynthLover99]

Says the guy who can’t even use basic search functions on the Musicians Friend website

That obviously went straight over your head right there...

Yes, I can't use the search-function on that site - because the whole site DOES NOT WORK here. I wrote that in clear and plain words. You're really struggling with English dude.

(If I had to make a wild guess I would say they're blocking visitors from Europe now, for whatever reason - I bet the site would work just fine if I used a VPN to access it - but either way you scored a nice own goal there)

You obviously need a hug so here you go

Have a good day!

[Psuper]

Antelope products are a gigantic buggy pain in the ass, until you get one working correctly then they're amazing while they last. Truth.

I still have an original Discrete 4 (that was replaced once due to faulty power which was common in their early units). Hated it, still hate it, also love it.

Drivers were buggy (both USB and TB) however eventually stabilized on an older version of TB.
Interface UI is terrible, still is, I properly set it up once and never touched it since.
Made Antelope keep their promise 4 years after when they finally released the PC version of AFX2DAW. I don't use the AFX though since I had planned to ditch Antelope and never go back and didn't want 'locked in'.

Converters though... worth all the bullshit and the reason I haven't replaced it. I won't get another Antelope product when the D4 dies, however I will get an interface with killer converters even if it costs an arm and a leg.

[Iomegaman2]

I will suggest there are a few "tiers" of Antelope products and this might help people navigate some of the discrepancy in opinions:

There's the high end studio class of products designed for a LOT of inputs/outputs and quality conversion...things like the Orion 32 or Galaxy stuff...they also have a range of "mastering" grade stuff that gets good reviews...

One of the good things about Antelope is their clocking technology as well as their monitoring technology...

In this top tier of products you will find very competitive pricing with a LOT of performance and bang for the buck...Silvia Massey and a number of studios swear by these products...and as a general rule they are very sound.

The next tier would be closer to something called "prosumer" and this is where you find a LOT of product aimed at smaller studios and with that advert approach you will find Antelope throwing the kitchen sink to get users into this market...this is where the "Synergy Core" products tend to live as well as the microphone stuff...

Lastly there is now the 'Software tier"...with the AFX2DAW stuff now being native...

For the record I have a Discreet 8 (it is not synergy core) so its a legacy device...I bought it with the full premium package of FX which covers about 90% of all the FX they push...I also have one of their "Edge Solo" mics...

Now lets get down to my opinion of the company...

I think their clocking technology is probably some of the best in the world and its is how Igor got his start in the audio industry WITH Aardvark...this technology lives in different degrees in all of their gear and even has a separate category for studios needing clocks...of which there are probably not that many anymore...clocking technology in the last 10 years has almost made the need for separate clocks obsolete across the board...(almost).

I think their advertising policies are some of the WORST in the business...lots of "bait and switch" and questionable approaches...along with this as a vendor they have some serious heavy handed policies about license transfer...its borderline non-existent...and tied to devices...unlike UAD where you can separate your plugins from your device Antelope locks them to the device AND the email associated with that device.

Lets talk about the plugins for a minute...I think they are some of the best in the world...as far as DSP/FPGA they are completely on par with UAD or any other hardware+dsp maker out there...

But the caveat with their plugins is the ridiculous method of authentication...you have to run a local server app on your computer to instantiate the FPGA plugins and this is where a lot of the complaints come in...and the server app is often the culprit in causing the hardware to be disliked.

The AFX2DAW was a wonderful sounding sales pitch but MOST users have encountered some serious issues with impemetation...when we first started using it, it was a genuine PITA and caused a lot of problems...even today in Logic the "Official" method to use the plugins is to run your Logic plugin scan and allow AFX2DAW to CRASH and fail, then check the box "use anyway"...its a really convoluted way to do things, but it does work.

To be fair I have the D8 running on an Apple MBP M2 silicone device...it seems to run fine most of the time..but some of the issues I don't like is how if I run a session in ProTools it forgets my settings or the sample rate gets buggy...and to be clear you are forced to use the Antelope Device as your primary device if you want to use the AFX2DAW in your DAW...the plugins will NOT work even if you have the device initiated and working fine if you have used a different audio device as your primary interface...

In our shop we have Apogee Element/Symphony MKI/Symphony MKII/UAD Apollo Twin?Behringer/Presonus and the Discrete 8...the only time we use the D8 is if we want to track with plugins (which it does fine) and then we take it out of the session and switch to the Apogee stuff...

The Antelope Microphone never gets used...they stopped providing working drivers for AAX and AU for it a few years ago and so it stays in the drawer...

As far as Native they are ONLY available as a subscription and don't have AAX so we won't be joining the sales team.

Here's my conclusion about Antelope:

They have some great products, they also have some really crappy products...quality control is NOT their strong suite but they seem to stand by products...the "lower tier" stuff aimed at smaller studios or users and comes with the "Synergy Core" label is where the MAJORITY of bad experiences have occured...frankly if I was a Windows/PC user I'd stay far away from ANY FPGA product that was not a card you plugged into your machine since the bandwidth needed for proper control/bus speed is PCIe level and Thunderbolt was not created with Microsoft in mind it was an Apple/Intel marriage...

I think as a company Antelope has some very questionable business practices, but my personal experience with them and customer support has always been quite good, but they are one company that you REALLY NEED TO RESEARCH the hell out of the product you are considering before you buy it.

Every vendor has a bad day once in a while...Antelope has them more than most...

Some of us got lucky. Others did not.

[DiBase]

I'm happy with the new options and possibilities gained by releasing the Synergy core native for 1 year free to existing customers by opting in on the iLok system. That's just a good company decision and I would be happy to see a lifelong license instead in the future. Nonetheless I give them the props for being able to use the FX now as a VST3 in a DAW. That's progress.

[Iomegaman2]

I'm happy with the new options and possibilities gained by releasing the Synergy core native for 1 year free to existing customers by opting in on the iLok system. That's just a good company decision and I would be happy to see a lifelong license instead in the future. Nonetheless I give them the props for being able to use the FX now as a VST3 in a DAW. That's progress.

I am not sure I have heard this, are you suggesting that they COULD do this, because so far I have not encountered any users who got Native for free for a year...

I might be mistaken but where is this information coming from?

They COULD also provide Native perpetual but so far there is not a hint of that.

[jens]

What "information" are you referring to?

[Iomegaman2]

The part I bolded: (and especially this part)

"releasing the Synergy core native for 1 year free to existing customers"


Maybe I didn't get an invite because my device is not synergy core, but did anyone get the native versions free for the first year?


I was quoting Dibase here:

"I'm happy with the new options and possibilities gained by releasing the Synergy core native for 1 year free to existing customers by opting in on the iLok system. That's just a good company decision and I would be happy to see a lifelong license instead in the future. Nonetheless I give them the props for being able to use the FX now as a VST3 in a DAW. That's progress."

[elxsound]

I honestly had no idea about any reputation.

I purchased their Axino Synergy Core USB Microphone for $200 to use with Push 3 Standalone. I can choose the model and fx chain while connected to the computer, then use those settings without the need of the computer.

It suits my needs. I hope it lasts a long time, but considering it uses the usb type B connection I figured the pricing was a way of clearing inventory. It came with a BW Essentials License, which I'll likely use at some point.

[Iomegaman2]

I honestly had no idea about any reputation.

I purchased their Axino Synergy Core USB Microphone for $200 to use with Push 3 Standalone. I can choose the model and fx chain while connected to the computer, then use those settings without the need of the computer.

It suits my needs. I hope it lasts a long time, but considering it uses the usb type B connection I figured the pricing was a way of clearing inventory. It came with a BW Essentials License, which I'll likely use at some point.

And herein lies the rub...my Antelope Edge Solo mic works, but the software for it has not worked in ANY DAW for the last 2 years at least and they don't give a flying monkeys ass.

[kritikon]

I used to have an Aardvark q10 soundcard decades ago. TBH it was a quality piece of kit at the time and I loved it, though the absolute opposite of cheap and it was rock solid. Bought it for 1000 quid in the 90s - that was the same price as a top spec fully loaded sampler in those days, and a hefty investment. And I got maybe 5 years use of this expensive item, unless I stayed with the old Windows and old DAW(which I did for a while). They went tits up and it became redundant once the OS moved on, as there were no more drivers for it. Aardvark just seemed to literally disappear. I'd possibly be a bit wary of them in view of that, as you absolutely DO expect some support from high end companies, though obvs some go bust along the way.

My impression is...that's quite a few companies with animal names all starting with A. It's sounding a bit like a track record that makes me nervous, despite my Aardvark really being quality kit. In which case I'd be confident that Antelope likely make decent gear, but for me not to expect longevity or backup for my hard earned cash...?

[DiBase]

I must appologize. I should have stated that this will be for users that spent a little more on their device and or Software. So it's for those considerd Premium customers.
Also I did not understood the concept at first, thinking the FXs included are device coupled. No they are not, it's a completley new product, compareable to the UAD stuff, but this works better for me I must admit.