Antelope Audio Zen Go Synergy Core Audio Interface w/Thunderbolt 3 Interface for Recording System w/Dual XLR Inputs & 37 Effects — Compact Metal Design for Podcasting & Music Production

My Apollo Twin USB just died after only 8 buggy years of owning it. So for those who are looking for a comparison, there is none. Universal Audio products, from my experience, are not long-term investments. The Apollo would constantly disconnect from my computer, crashing my sessions. I'd have to restart my system to get it to come back online. Lost days of my life doing this, over and over again.I decided to buy this version of the Antelope Zen Go to take advantage of my PC motherboard's rather unique Thunderbolt connector. Installation was easy. Where I ran into a problem was getting my PC and interface to talk to each other via my Thunderbolt cable. To do this, I downloaded a free app, mentioned deep in the Antelope Site, called Voice Meeter. From there I was able to assign the Zen Go to my monitor speakers.After that everything worked. No pops. No clicks. No noise. No disconnects. No crashes. The thing just works. Now I have a powerful, clean connection from PC to Speakers. It's all I need really.I haven't road tested the preamps yet. I'm told they are excellent, but I'll probably switch them off in favor of my external Earthworks 521 ZDT when it comes time to recording. I also downgraded from 2 stereo 1/4" outputs to one stereo 1/4" output. This was deliberate as I only need my monitors and headphones to mix, knowing how to run a mono signal through them, and am retiring my Behritone mono cube. I will also miss the direct Hi Z guitar interface my Apollo had. Buying a Zen Q would account for both of these shortcomings, but you can definitely play guitar through the Zen Go by messing with the controls and using the rear line in. Plus there is a wealth of guitar amp emulators Antelope offers for free when you register the device. I am very happy with my purchase and am never looking back.

This audio interface is simply amazing. The preamps are clear, powerful and allows a lot of gain with little to no noise. It's really nice to be able to have this in my backpack as part of a mobile recording setup. I've used it with garage band on iPhone for quick recordings and as a main desktop interface connected to studio monitors. The onboard DSP is a really nice touch especially for small live performances (Guitar and Vocals) to add compression and EQ to better improve live sound. Ive even used this interface for small karaoke gathering to power and mix microphones.The build quality on this interface is amazing, well built, and durable. Input and output placements are nice and doesn't make my desk feel cluttered and unorganized. The screen could be a little bigger, but it gets the job done well. Controlling this interface without the app isn't difficult as well. Just read or watch some tutorials and its pretty easy changing setting, gain, output volumes. The only thing i wish this interface was able to do standalone is change effects and lower levels (without affecting gain).The desktop app is nice, I just wished it didn't constantly ask me to sign in. It would also be nice to jump directly to the Mixer instead of opening a launcher to open the mixer. Compared to other iterations of the Mixing program, this one is pretty straight forward and easy to visualize/configure.Overall its a great interface for beginners to advanced users that can definitely improve your recordings and enjoyment while making music

I purchased the Zen Go unit as an upgrade from my MOTU M4. The unit seemed to have sturdy build quality and most of the connections from the MOTU minus a MIDI port. The problems began when I installed the software and tried to use the unit. Initially, the main issue I had was the software not recognizing the unit. After scouring some forums, I found that this was a common problem. While I didn't exactly like the solution (multiple computer restarts), I was willing to live with it for better audio quality. The biggest issue came when I tried to use the software and mixer. I am a low vision user and slightly magnify my screen to comfortably view it. The Antelope software refused to launch with ANY magnification software running including the built-in Microsoft Windows Magnifier or the ZoomText software that I use. I contacted technical support which simply told me to try installing an older version of the software and drivers. I did this, and instead of launching and immediately crashing, now the applications refused to stat at all. In the end, I tried many more things including reinstallations, system settings, and BIOS settings, but nothing worked. This made the unit unusable and I was ultimately forced to return it. For anyone thinking it was the cost of the unit that drove the decision to return it, I replaced it with an Apogee Symphony Desktop unit which is very similar in appearance and operation but zero problems launching or operating as expected. The Apogee unit was what I finally settled on, but I also purchased a Universal Audio Apollo Twin USB during all of this. The Apollo unit would not work with many streaming applications and did not support a loopback feature that I needed (both of the other units did support loopback). Hope this helps some of you decide.

Would recommend this to anyone who comes equipped with some routing and patching knowledge as the device is not simply plug and play but more of an extension of your studio. Once setup and all connected its workflow is excellent and the sound quality is amazing.I had to reach out to customer support to get setup in the beginning and they were very professional and responsive. They resolved my inquiry within days.