Immerse Audio Problems

Technically, any audio interface—or linked group of audio interfaces, either through ADAT expansion or the use of an aggregate device—can be used for a Dolby Atmos setup as long as you have 12 available output channels. The problem with that scenario is that you will likely have an equal number of potentially wasted input channels.

Another bigger issue is that of monitor control, whereby you can control the master volume level of each output source or speaker with a single volume knob complete with dim or mute, just like you would with a set of stereo speakers. What if you still want to use dedicated stereo speakers? Oh, and what about the implementation of corrective room EQ and necessary speaker delay compensation?

Yes, it is possible to address and work around these issues, but what if you didn’t have to?

Immerse Audio Solutions

A hallmark of Audient has long been a dedication to usability, with products like the EVO and ID interface ranges coming to mind. It can’t be stated enough that when the ORIA was released last year, it addressed many of the immediate issues mentioned above, and more, and it was designed to do so in the most elegant, even simple way possible. Any product that seeks to streamline and simplify the otherwise complicated world of immersive audio is worth a look, so let’s do so.

Meet ORIA

At its core, ORIA is designed as two things: a USB-C Atmos-specific audio interface and an immersive monitor controller at up to 24/96 sample rates.

Physically, ORIA is a 1U 19″ device featuring a black-on-black color scheme with a super-thick matte finish brushed aluminum faceplate. In the center is a small yet informative LCD display next to a bright, glowing ORIA logo.

On the far left is a pair of XLR / ¹/₄“  TRS combo inputs, followed by four backlit push buttons. On the right of the display is a large stepped, push-button master control dial, four more backlit push-buttons, and a pair of push-button-equipped ¹/₄“  independent headphone outs.

You Have One Job

Interestingly, most front-panel buttons are single-function. The first two left buttons select between the input channels, while the second pair engages 48V phantom power when the self-detecting inputs are used as a +60dB microphone preamp (when an XLR cable is plugged in) or selects between line or Hi-Z instrument levels when a ¹/₄“  cable is detected—all in all a very elegant implementation.

The first of four buttons to the right of the dial selects between the master speaker volume. A Down Mix button performs immersive down-mixing when available, while the final buttons are user-configurable. A Profile button allows you to quickly jump between pre-configured and stored speaker groups (stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.6 and such) just like one might do with a monitor controller/speaker switcher, only here you can include room correction, EQ, trim and more.

Depending on the selected speaker configuration, the Function button can perform Mono, Dim, Reference Level, Input Source selection and Polarity functions.

I/O

Beyond the front-side inputs and dual headphone outs, the rear of ORIA is packed with I/O, mainly outputs for obvious reasons.

Ignoring its intended use for a moment, on the analog side, ORIA is a 2×20 analog interface. On the digital front, it also adds a pair of ADAT Optical inputs  and eight channels of DB25-based AES output, complete with BNC wordclock I/O. All of that adds up to a nice level of digital expansion if necessary.

Moving to the 20 ¹/₄“  TRS analog outputs, they are grouped into two sections: Stereo Outputs and Surround Outputs. On the stereo side, you get two sets of stereo outputs. This is handy as it allows you to utilize two sets of stereo monitors completely independent of your immersive speakers setup, thus highlighting the monitor controller aspect of ORIA.

On the surround side are 16 outputs all conveniently pre-labeled with the intended immersive speaker destinations—such as L, C, R, Sub/LFE, Ls, Rs and so on, with destinations for up to a 9.1.6 setup.

Software Control

Not surprisingly, the heavy lifting (and fun) happens in the included software app, which includes a standard software mixer for use with the analog inputs and the optical and USB-DAW-based I/O.

A System tab lets you control a number of system settings with things like Dim, Crossover Attenuation, Reference Level, Headphone routing, the Function button assignments, and more.

Arguably, the most important screen is the Set Up tab, which is where you dive into and control all things immersive. In this window, you will find a color-coded graphic representation of every ORIA output, which can then be muted, soloed individually or in logical immersive groups like heights, sides, fronts, etc.

This is also where you can enter trim, delay and crossover settings as well as corrective EQ with a 16 band parametric EQ plus a high shelf and low shelf, giving you 18 bands per output channel—more on this in a moment.

On this page, you can control the master volume, mute, phase, dim and mono settings when appropriate; select global delay settings; and, most importantly, create, save and recall profiles, which can contain speaker configurations with different input and output sources, room correction profiles and the like—all of which can be cycled through using the front panel Profile button.

If this was not enough, most of the above can also be done on an iPad with a free iOS app.

A Little Help from a Friend

While room correction is arguably a vital part of a multichannel immersive speaker setup to compensate for the level, tone, phase and time of flight of each monitor, measuring and inputting these settings manually can be an arduous task.

Beyond some brand and speaker-specific options from the likes of Genelec and IK Multimedia, perhaps the best-known room compensation software is Sonarworks SoundID.

With a SoundID license (free 60-day trial included) and a calibrated measurement microphone (also included with ORIA), you send several special audio impulses into your space at specified locations. Like sonar (hence the name), the program listens, analyzes and then corrects for the anomalies of your space and your monitor’s response in that space.

The great part about ORIA is that rather than having to enter that data by hand into the unit, or run the corrections on the Sonarworks plugin in your DAW, ORIA allows you to quickly and easily import them into the device.

As mentioned, you can load and store various customized profiles, including the Dolby Atmos curve, along with settings for stereo and more, and cycle through and recall them at the touch of a button.

Install and Use

If you have been following my “First Steps In Atmos” column, you will know that I am very much in the beginning stages of Atmos discovery. While the descriptions above may make Atmos and the ORIA seem a tad daunting and complicated, let me cut to the chase and point out that this is the magic of ORIA, and
Audient has done an amazing job of making the Atmos experience as straightforward as possible.

The positioning and wiring of 12 speakers aside—15 if you count my additional stereo monitors and sub—the installation of the ORIA software, configuring my outputs in the macOS Audio MIDI setup, and streaming Dolby Atmos from Apple Music was surprisingly painless and quick.

While the Sonarworks SoundID process may take about an hour, more or less, importing the file into ORIA is an absolute time saver.

From there, I lost more than a few hours seeking out Dolby Atmos mixes and experimenting with the ability to mute, solo and group the speakers in the system.

Regarding the sound of ORIA, I compared its digital to analog conversion with a few of my other similarly priced converters, and it more than held its own, producing a clean, neutral and even smooth sound.

This Just In

As we were just about to go to press, a major ORIA software update has added: Stream Deck Integration, EUCON Integration and the Import/Export of calibration profiles for local backups. The added Stream Deck functions are pretty slick!

Wrap Up

On one hand, I feel like I am just scratching the surface when it comes to the immersive control and capabilities of the Audient ORIA. I’m sure I may have skimmed over a feature or two, but in a weird way, that might just be the point of this box. ORIA takes the complex task of immersive audio monitoring and control, and makes it so intuitive that you don’t need to spend time hyper-focused on the complex details of Atmos and immersive audio. ORIA is very much an Atmos-flavored dream box.

Price: $2,699

More From: audient.com

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