Audient ORIA REVIEW: ‘The only immersive interface you need’

Headliner has recently been on its own immersive journey with the completion of what is now a certified Dolby Atmos Music Studio at its St. Albans HQ. As the guy who installed it and project managed the build, a whole host of decisions had to be made on what range of work the studio would be geared towards, as well as the scope for future proofing and expansion. The aim was to provide as many options and services as possible in all aspects of music, creation, and post production.

While the analogue side of the studio build was straightforward, the Atmos side tossed us a few curveballs - mainly in the form of Apple’s buggy core audio driver, not to mention its strange, often inaccurate, association with Apple Music’s immersive algorithms, which are essential for reference listening and checking Apple’s own, somewhat compressed, version of your original Dolby render. Needless to say, not all was plain sailing.

It was always the plan to use Dante as the transport protocol simply because we could address any number of devices in a number of spaces. This is because the studio is also housed in the same building as two live performance spaces, as well as having two recording areas of its own.

This is where we discovered that Apple Music would only play 7.1.4 Atmos content through a 16-channel output. So, I had to set up a 16 x 16 channel Dante preset purely for the purpose of playing reference content. A larger channel count and Apple Music would revert to playing Atmos content in 5.1 only. Immersive mixes direct from a DAW via the Dolby Atmos Renderer played back perfectly, whether over a 64 x 64 DVS (Dante Virtual Soundcard) preset or any other multichannel interface for that matter.

We are fortunate enough to have a full complement of Genelec monitors, which came complete with the brand’s GLM software to calibrate everything, so our sweet spot or mix position is as wide and as accurate as possible.

But what happens if you’re not so fortunate?

What if you’re thinking of upgrading your room for Dolby Atmos but your budget means you have to go for something small and compact for your overheads? It goes without saying that you’re going to need multiple speakers, possibly a large sub, amps to drive, and an interface to feed the audio from your DAW to your speakers. Plus, it would be handy if you could turn them up and down uniformly with just one control. One of the key issues with mixing in Atmos is the ability to check your mix and see how it translates to headphones (Binaural Simulation) and to a traditional stereo setup and smart speakers for consumers who aren’t in a position to appreciate a multi-speaker setup.

So what’s the solution?

If any of the above sounds familiar, then you should take a look at Audient’s new ORIA interface - the only one on the market today that addresses all the points mentioned above. And if you’re looking to build a Dolby Atmos setup from scratch, this is the only interface you are ever going to need.

ORIA is a 1U 19-inch rack mounted unit with a sleek, uncluttered front panel. Computer connectivity is via USB-C and provides 24-bit/96KHz. The back panel is equipped with 20 analogue line level TRS outputs. The first 16 are marked with their respective speaker positions, and you simply use and connect those which correspond to the Atmos configuration of your monitoring system: 5.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.6, etc. Two further stereo pairs provide easy switching to your go-to monitors.

There are 16 channels of digital AES provided on a single DB25 complementing the analogue TRS to provide configuration of speaker setups from Stereo to 9.1.6. Also on the back panel are two ADAT ports providing up to 16 Channels (eight at 88.2KHz and 96KHz) of input, which can either expand your interface’s recording channel count or change ORIA into an independent monitor controller. There is the standard BNC Word Clock in and out, along with a slot for an optional Dante port to provide integration with other Dante devices.

The front panel is dominated by the meter screen and large rotary, which serves as the volume control under normal operation, but doubles up as the setup and selection encoder. On the left side of the front panel are a pair of Audient’s console grade mic pres, which also provide combination Mic/Line and Hi-Z Instrument inputs. Each input has phantom power for condensers and external DIs, along with an instrument button to provide a Hi-Z input; and to the right are two headphone jacks for tracking, so you can select the source from input channels, mic pres, stereo and Binaural renders, providing a comprehensive and flexible array of monitoring options.

ORIA is a Dolby-certified product which has been designed to talk directly to Dolby’s renderer application. This means that ORIA can provide you with accurate immersive monitoring from your DAW via the Dolby Audio Bridge. The renderer can process up to 128 stems in full Dolby Atmos, offering mixing and rendering via a number of plugin tools. In some cases those tools are integrated into the DAW, as with Pro Tools and Logic.

Now, you could do all of the above without ORIA by careful configuration and setup, but it is far easier to hit the Down Mix button [on ORIA] and then cycle through the mix output options you want to monitor. This is especially useful if you want to see what a 7.1.4 mix will sound like as a surround 5.1, Binaural, or stereo mix.

Speaker Calibration

ORIA comes complete with an easy to use interface offering multiple speaker configurations, which can be saved as presets and recalled when needed; and its onboard DSP facilitates up to eight bands of EQ, trim level, and delay for every speaker output, giving you a comprehensive means of calibration.

The fact that ORIA sports its own DSP also keeps key resources within the unit and helps keep latency to a minimum. Furthermore, Audient has teamed up with Sonarworks to provide a 60-day Sound ID trial together with a Sound ID reference mic. Now I’m not going to go into detail with regards to Sound ID, except to say it’s an excellent time saving tool that can tell you everything about your room acoustics, including the things you might have missed, right down to a resonating fire extinguisher!

One of the initial things that struck me when I first turned ORIA on was how incredibly simple it was to navigate the controls. While it was obvious from a few pictures that a software install was required to open up the calibration and control options, ORIA just worked from the moment I plugged it in. If you thought Dolby Atmos and immersive audio would be a minefield of complexity and learning, think again.

For those short on rack space, Audient has released an iPad app offering full remote control of ORIA’s calibration, preset controls, as well as speaker group mute controls, overall mute, dim, and volume control. You also have control over the global delay, which makes syncing to picture a whole lot easier - this is all available without having to leave the sweet spot.

Conclusion

This is a device which can be utilised in a number of ways. Whether as a digital interface or standalone speaker management and room calibration device, the options and combinations are endless.

But the two things that are a constant are sound quality and ease of use: when I consider the potential complexity of the tasks ORIA is undertaking, it is by far the easiest professional interface I have worked with; and sonically, it is clear and true.

It’s also very intuitive if you’re in the know when it comes to Atmos, and equally brilliant for anyone who is just starting out on their immersive journey. This is thanks to the simplicity of the manual, and help screens which don’t assume that you know everything.

With immersive audio gaining momentum by the minute, ORIA is an excellent piece of kit that you ignore at your peril.