There has been one major factor that has put a lot of home producers and smaller project studios like us off of working in the Dolby Atmos format. You spend a fortune getting audio from your DAW on your computer into your speakers. Then there’s the expensive hardware needed to calibrate the room or the software you need to remember to bypass before you export your project. Further costs for simple things like plugging in headphones or turning the volume down – it all adds up.

At Present Day Production we could have gone for one of the ‘Dolby Atmos compatible’ interfaces on the market. They are all costly however, and generally compromised afterthoughts added to existing products rather than a bespoke standalone solution.

The ‘simplest’ system we could run here at Present Day Production was a Sonifex 16 channel Dante to AES interface connected to a Mac using Dante virtual sound card, and then sending AES outputs from that into a Trinnov MC Pro to calibrate the room.

It’s fine. It works.

However, the kit totals nearly £15,000 and yet we still couldn’t monitor on headphones without repatching to a separate, traditional interface. Neither could we have any tactile control over the volume without spending another £1,000 on the hardware remote for the Trinnov.

So…not ideal.

…an audio interface designed from the ground up for immersive audio.

Something that could easily and reliably connect to the host computer running the DAW that would give us up to 16 outputs.

We wanted the option to choose between mastering grade super transparent analogue outputs or digital over AES and/or Dante, and the ability to easily check it by normal downmix on headphones.

A microphone input on the front of the unit so we can plug in a measurement mic to calibrate the room when we need to, built in.

Room and speaker calibration that at a bare minimum enables us to time align the speakers and perform basic EQ functionality where needed (that we don’t have to remember to bypass on the host computer).

We were after the ability to bass manage and direct low end from high or surround speakers to a sub, should we have to use smaller speakers with a limited low end response in smaller rooms.

And an easy to understand intuitive app (that even I can use) that enables us to control the device from the computer hosting our DAW or an external device such as an iPad.

And a volume knob. It HAS to have a volume knob.

The first thing we checked when connecting ORIA for the first time was whether or not we could actually listen to commercial Dolby Atmos mixes using Apple Music on our Mac Mini. We plugged ORIA in via USB, installed the software – and sure enough, once we had configured the outputs in Audio Mini Setup in MacOS, there were 12 glorious surround meters lit up on ORIA! After having spent so many hours fiddling with other interfaces to get anything higher than 5.1 coming from Apple Music, the fact that ORIA just worked straight out of the box is nothing short of a dream come true.

Now we can listen to commercially released Atmos mixes in anything up to a 7.1.4 configuration without the need for complicated third party software, Dante, or an Apple TV connected to a consumer Atmos decoder.

Not only this, but the fact that we can have a full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos speaker playback running at the same time as a headphone binaural playback in Studio One, thanks to Audient helpfully patching one of the headphone sockets to channel 17+18, means that we can work with creativity at the forefront and not be slowed down by confusing menus and irritating patching – we don’t have to stop playback to switch over to headphones. ORIA is designed with workflow and efficiency at its heart, and after having used it for a few months, that becomes ever clearer to see.

This is a game changer: it just works. It’s designed by people who LISTEN to what customers like us want.

The ability to repatch the AES outputs in the ORIA app is also a godsend as it means you don’t have to zigzag the cables across the room when pairing the speakers going from left to right and left wide to right wide, left side to right side, rear etc.

You can just run cables down the length of the room and go from left to left wide to left side to left rear and the same with the corresponding right hand channels with centre and LFE sitting neatly together on another pair and height channels on another two. Less cables = less mess = less stress.

It really can be the centrepiece of your studio, not only for Atmos, but also for tracking if you need to. ORIA has been the centrepiece of my mastering room since we’ve had it for stereo mastering as well as Atmos.

It simply sounds like it isn’t there, and it’s been rock solid in both performance and reliability. If anyone has asked us for a recommendation on necessary kit for their upcoming Dolby Atmos studio builds, the ORIA is always top of the list.

Audient has thought about it and they’ve given us the perfect solution. Pricing is very competitive, actually something of a bargain when you add up the cost of everything you currently need to achieve what ORIA does so very well – and with this level of sound quality.

So if you have been sitting on the fence with Dolby Atmos and maybe have the budget for a speaker system, but have been waiting for an affordable, high quality, reliable, simple-to-use audio interface and monitor controller, then THIS IS IT.

This is the solution that studios looking to move into immersive audio have been crying out for. Audient has gone back to the drawing board and asked the end users what they need – and got this very, very right.

It does everything it needs to, and more, and the team at Audient have listened to what we, the END users, want. And they have absolutely nailed it. I mean, this is perfect. They have really, really genuinely nailed it.

Audient has done a fantastic job of creating an interface that just works for immersive audio. We are genuinely excited about this product. It not only ticks all the boxes but sounds fantastic.

We love it.

The ORIA stands out not just for its innovative features but also for its ability to make Atmos mixing more accessible and efficient, setting a new standard in audio production equipment. It’s a testament to Audient’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sound.