⚙️ Audient ORIA: The Interface for Immersive Access

2 out of 5 Bags 💰💰

Written by Jonathan Garcia

Overview:

I’ve been working with the Audient ORIA for quite some time now. The studio I am part of acquired one of these for our B room and I've been hands on for about a year with this interface. These are my genuine thoughts as a working professional that utilizes the need of a high quality multi channel audio interface and my experience with the Audient ORIA.

The ORIA is a midtier beast. I wouldn’t make this the centerpiece to my studio but rather have this as access to the world and capabilities of Dolby Atmos. It’s a ready to go interface, extremely “plug and play” with 16 dedicated outputs for Dolby Atmos and 2 alternate stereo pairs. 

AUDIENT really took out the headache of digital routing inside an interface for us. Which is a big bonus if you’re looking to move fast and start working! With that, we get some caveats though. Like not being able to change routing assignments within the software. For example, if we are only utilizing a 7,1,4 Dolby Atmos array that leaves 8 outputs vacant. With the software we can’t really route them for anything else other than what they’re already assigned to. Yes, we can send the outputs to a different monitor control or switcher to maybe attain alternate routing or output the certain monitor channels and route the input to the combi jacks on the front panel. That can be quite a headache and rather troublesome and unnecessary sometimes. The lack of alternate / digital routing really hinders pro use in the immersive and stereo fields. The integration with Sonarworks SoundID’s room calibration and tuning is the best feature about the interface. It works quickly and seamlessly with the software and following Sonarworks and Oria guide to calibrate it takes no time at all to get the room tuned and listening!

Specs:

• Supports up to 9.1.6 Speaker Setups

• 2 x 16 Channel Surround Outputs (Analogue & AES)

• 2 x Stereo Line Outputs (Relay Switched)

• 2 x Independent Stereo Headphone Outputs

• 2 x Audient Mic Preamps (Mic / D.I / Line)

• 2 x ADAT Inputs

• Word Clock Input 

• Word Clock Output

• ORIA Motion UI

• 24 bit / 96kHz

• USB 2.0 / USB Type-C

• Sonarworks SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone Included

• Optional AoIP Card (Dante) for 16 Input channels

ORIA Software:

The ORIA is a digitally controlled Dolby Atmos audio interface. It comes with its own software that is controlled via desktop app or tablet. This is probably the best and worst part of the interface. I say the worst because there are consistent connection issues like dropouts with the software or interface. It disconnects too frequently and requires too many physical restarts of the unit for me to consider even having this in a professional working studio space (being in sessions mixing, mastering, recording and even when clients are in the room). The interface drops connection so frequently sometimes you ask if the convenience during setup is worth the hours lost due to connection issues. The positive side is that the software integration setup for Dolby Atmos is fantastic and fast for setting up and calibrating anyone's studio. It is extremely fast- within an hour actually. Each channel contains EQ, trim, delay and crossover control. You can easily toggle and create various profiles and calibrations for different QC’s or personal tunings you may have. My absolute favorite feature about the ORIA software is the “GROUPS” section on the bottom left. Allowing various immersive monitor solos like Fronts, Sub, Heights, Side & Rear. This feature is something I consistently find myself using and I've had great benefits from using this feature.

Sonarworks:

Build Quality: 

This unit is more comfortable traveling with compared to something like an AVID MTRX. The build quality is TOUGH. A 1U sleek all black interface with a big knob. Connected via USBC. I haven’t noticed any heat issues with the unit. The ¼ output jacks get a bit sticky or can feel shaky when connecting cables. This has caused some small issues where the fidelity of the audio was affected due to the ¼ jacks not “clicking” all the way. They are a bit strange on this interface, feeling tough to connect and disconnect but flimsy at the same as if there wasn’t much holding them in to the interface. The unit is light weight and very transportable for mobile sessions.

🧠 Final Thoughts

2 Out of 5 Bags 💰💰

The ORIA gets 2 out of 5 bags from me! This may be a first of its kind.. but due to the software stability issues and constant restarts the interface needs it isn’t worth the investment due to the lack of time you’ll lose using the unit. It has super cool features like the “GROUPS” and Sonarworks integration. If you’re looking to get access to the world of Dolby Atmos with a quick setup and not too many headaches, this could be the perfect fit! If you’re planning on running and operating a full studio with this interface as the centerpiece? I might reconsider. There are actually quite a few really great options available nowadays that grant you better more reliable access to the world of Dolby Atmos. Maybe that will be our next conversation! If you have used the ORIA or any other Dolby Atmos interface and software, leave a comment below and let us know how you get immersive!!!