Antelope Galaxy 64 Synergy Core 64-Channel Dante/HDX/Thunderbolt 3 Interface

Antelope Audio Galaxy 64 Review: So far so good on this 2U box, which has a lot of features. This unit is a replacement for Apogee Symphony v1 40 in 32 out system, which is currently only really working in a stable fashion with Mac OS 10.13.6 (which is quite a few iterations of OS back). I needed to upgrade to apple silicon, and for 64 I/O analogue (and a bunch of other digital inputs, check it out) the Galaxy 64 is a very good value. The sound quality is very good at 48/24 with the G64; it seems perhaps a bit flatter and more austere, compared to what I recall the Apogee System to sound like. I plan to do an A/B test of the two units soon, and maybe I can review that later as well here at this site.

(Sorry for the length of this review, but the Galaxy 64 is really checking out pretty well, and I hope this it is useful info.)

With the new unit I have done a live band recording session with 40 tracks rolling at once via analogue ins at 48/24 without a hitch. This was in Live Arrangement view, with different takes one after the other in one big session. I was not using any of the bundled plugins on the inputs...haven't gotten to that point as of yet. The system was stable without any dropouts for this 40 ch recording with about 90 minutes of recordings/takes.

I have used the AFX fx plugins on a vocal mic input for some overdubs, sending dry audio to the DAW and a compressor/EQ/auraverb block to the singer's headphones. I was able to get a good compressed classic rich sound out of those plugs (which were 1176 and BAE EQ clones) going into the headphones, which the singer liked.

Setting up: Was frustrating but mainly because I did not read the directions closely enough (gosh). One can register the device using the included USB cable, but that same cable will not work with a DAW on a Mac, as it is a USB cable and not a Thunderbolt cable. The trick here is that the included USB cable looks very much like a Thunderbolt cable, so don't fall into that trap. Once I obtained Mac certified Thunderbolt cables the Galaxy 64 software immediately recognized the unit, and I have had no further such problems. I did engage Antelope Tech support for this problem, and they were very helpful via email, and timely, giving East coast US to European time zone differences.

One really nice thing about this unit is that it is whisper quiet and can live in my recording/mixing space, rather than in my old machine room (so no long cable runs like I had to have with the Apogee Symphony I units). The Mac Studio I am using as well is very quiet. Being able to have the CPU and the Galaxy units within reach in my workspace if a fabulous benefit, for me anyway.

I have done one mix through a SSL 948, basically running those 40 tracks into the board in mono and stereo stems. The audio quality is pro level, with good punch and definition. Again, I plan to compare the Gal 64 with the old Apogees and I expect the Apogees to be a little warmer, but honestly for me, pretty deaf after years of Marshall amplifiers, the differences are subtle, and just different flavors, not a good or bad thing really.

I did have the opportunity to hear another engineer mixing a bit in the box in Protools. He used the Galaxy 64 unit to do this, which is another game changer for me and my studio... no way could a different engineer come in and use their laptop with the old in-house PCIe Apogee system. We were able to quickly get his laptop up and running with the Galaxy 64 via Thunderbolt, no worries. He was outputting to stereo in the box to the G64 then through a stereo bus on the SSL 948. I hung back in the studio and did some odds and ends in and out of the work space while he mixed, and the sound clarity of the stereo track was happening. All of this is subjective I know, but so far I am happy with the sound quality of the Antelope unit. (and I do like Apogee but they are very expensive...I think there are many of their units that do have Thunderbolt now and could be interfaced with different computers easily, so please take note)

The Galaxy 64 software UI takes some familiarization, but once one gets the concepts it gets easier. Essentially there are many In and Out rows that correspond with the staggering amount of hookups on the back. Of note, one can hide I/O on the UI that one is not using to clean up the visuals, which helps. Basically one drags with the mouse inputs and outputs to various locations to make connections. Examples given: Analogue input to Computer Record channels, AFX (fx) channels, Analogue outputs (eg, to create a set of monitor outputs for headphone mixer)..all at the same time(!). Computer Play outputs to hardware analogue outputs to run through the console, etc. It seems that I will be able to eventually render stems simultaneously by setting up the proper connections, but I am not there yet.

Some other caveats: The computer app outputs are fixed on analogue outputs 1 & 2 and are not configurable (eg, if one streams Spotify or whatever, it hits outputs 1 & 2, hardwired).

There seems to be a limited amount of Auraverb instances if one is using the AFX system (auraverb is the included reverb plug in the AFX system, which works and sounds good). So it seems at first examination that one could not have a reverb patch on every input. There is a fixed auraverb reverb Send and Return on Mixer 1 (the unit has a number of mixers that can create submixes for talent monitoring during recording or for stems, or so it seems).

One can turn the G64 unit on and off via the software on the computer; again another very cool thing for me after running in and out of my machine room from the mixing space for the last 12 years with the older PCIe converters in a mac pro.

There is a touch screen on the unit that works, though it is small and harder for those that have big fingers.

The Metering section in the UI is very helpful in the software for getting basic levels.

One can of course save Setups on the interface for different recording or postproduction chores. This works well. The G64 does remember the settings from the last session if one forgets to save the session settings, which is nice.

The manual is short and pretty much covers everything, and is not one of those week long deep dive reading affairs.

Summary: I was hesitant as there were negatives in reviews, mostly regarding the software UI. I had to try the Galaxy 64 as the price really outshines other pro grade units on a per track basis. The unit does indeed work, and seems stable on Mac M1 OS 13.0.1, and sounds pro level. I did engage tech support and they were timely, patient, and helpful, and stayed engaged via email after I had fixed my initial problem (of using the wrong cabling). I can recommend this unit! It actually was much easier to set up than my previous set of converters. Wish list (minor comments here as the unit does get the job done): 1. More capability for time based effects (eg reverb) if indeed that is a true limitation. 2. A cooler looking GUI. The current one is not bad but looks a little blocky and out-dated, compared to some of the newer music app graphics.

I purchased my Antelope Galaxy from Dave Fisk at Vintage King. First when I was looking for a new set of converters David was excellent in proposing several options. He spent time coming up with the best options for me within my budget. I work on an automated analog console so I needed lot’s of I/O and my options were fairly limited for staying within my budget. I decided to get the Galaxy and in my 2 months of using this device I have to say I am happy with this. The sound is excellent, and I’m using it with a focusrite rednet Dante PCIe-r card. The latency is virtually non existent. Also the Galaxy is family future proof since it gives to several interconnect options either thunderbolt, Madi or in my case Dante. They’re all included on the unit which was another plus.

The foundation of our Studio A along with our SSL Duality at Delta State University in the Entertainment Industry Studies program.