Antelope Audio has made a name for itself with their lineup of modeling USB microphones. The Axino Synergy Core USB mic claims to be able to mimic the sound of expensive and rare legacy microphones including the $17,000 Sony C800G—all while including a built-in USB audio interface along with a bevy of powerful bundled software plug-ins for an all-in-one vocal-forward recording solution. But does the Axino Synergy Core USB Microphone hold up to what it claims it can do? The short answer is a resounding yes.
The Antelope Audio Axino Synergy Core is a cardioid condenser USB modeling microphone with eighteen different classic microphone emulations, and a powerful audio interface with DSP processing bundled with post-processing software plug-ins. This microphone is perfect for solo artists, streamers, voice actors, and podcasters who need professional sound without a complex multi-stage setup.
This microphone, along with most other Antelope Audio products, is relatively difficulty to setup; this is not a plug-and-play situation like most other USB mics. You’ll need to create an account with Antelope Audio to activate your device, then download the Antelope Launcher application to handle activation and firmware.
DAW setup can be a bit opaque at first as well; your computer will likely need a restart. and be sure to have your DAW’s driver type set to ASIO if you’re using Windows (with MacOS, the default core audio setting should be fine). Despite all this, Antelope Audio does a good job explaining the setup step-by-step on their website with videos describing the how to integrate the mic specifically for a few major DAWs, so it shouldn’t be impossible to get running.
After dealing with about 45 minutes of setup, using the Axino Synergy Core was an absolute delight. Even before using any of the mic emulations or bundled plug-ins, the microphone by itself is outstanding with its gold-sputtered diaphragm and incredibly low self-noise (especially for a USB mic with a built-in interface). The mic features on-board analog volume and headphone volume controls, a -10dB pad switch and high-pass filter switch, so quick adjustments can be made without having to use the computer.
The included Synergy Core software is simple, intuitive, and extremely powerful, allowing you to record the mic with and without processing simultaneously: for example, you can send a monitor signal back to your talent (or your headphones) with C800g emulation, compression and reverb while capturing the clean unprocessed signal in your DAW. There’s no need to commit to a specific mic while recording or having to wear out the talent shooting out five or six mics from the locker. What’s even better is that this processing is done within the microphone itself, avoiding latency and CPU load on your computer.
The modelling engine emulates the Neumann U47 FET, U47 Tube, M49 Tube, U57, U67,U87, KM86, TLM103, ELA251, CMV563, the Sennheiser 441, the Shure SM7B and SM57, the EV RE-20, the Sony C800G, and the AKG C12, D112, and C414 microphones, all of which can be applied and switched in real-time to your DAW when recording and mixing. From our testing, the Axino does a very good job mimicking the sound profile of all these microphones, and can make a huge difference in your recordings, especially for V/O work and vocalists.
The effects bundled are emulations of an API 550 EQ, a Neve 1073 EQ and pre-amp (separately), UA 1176 and LA2A compressors, along with a powerful Gyraf IX preamp, AuraVerb reverb, a noise gate, de-esser, and expander—all powerful and great sounding plug-ins that work with the Axino right away.
While this is a great sounding microphone with some amazing features, it must be mentioned that the Axino does NOT have an XLR connector, making it difficult to use with analog gear out of the box. There are workarounds, but they can be quite complex. Be sure that this type of mic is what you need before buying it!
Overall, the Axino Synergy Core is an incredible microphone that’s most at home on a desktop or home recording studio. It’s best for individual voice recordings, solo musicians, streamers, podcasters, and other types of content creators who want an ultra-high quality, all-in-one recording solution.
While the Axino can’t natively flex its muscles in a fully fledged recording studio, the professional quality and sound it can produce would convince just about anyone of its power. If you’re looking for a superior USB microphone, there aren’t any other mics on the market quite like this one.
