Clocking, conversion and effects technology specialist Antelope Audio has announced a collaboration partnership with BAE Audio.
The deal will see the two companies collaborate on delivering authentic digital emulations of some of the most classic vintage recording gear. The digital emulations, which utilise Antelope’s proprietary FPGA engine, will enable users of Antelope’s Orion Studio, Zen Tour and Goliath to access faithful recreations of the originals— without ever having to reach for a piece of outboard gear or software plug-in.
The first emulation to be introduced is the BAE Audio 1073 EQ, a classic preamplifier/EQ known for its authentic transformers and authentic, premium grade components based on original specifications. The EQ from the BAE 1073 is available now at no additional charge for owners of Antelope’s new Thunderbolt interfaces. Over the coming days and weeks,several more digital emulations will be announced, including BAE’s entire range of EQs and compressors.
“We believe that BAE Audio has created the very best modern version of the vintage 1073,” commented Marcel James, director of US sales for Antelope Audio. “Therefore BAE was the obvious choice for us to partner with on this and other upcoming products based on their established pedigree. The company’s reputation precedes itself, as evidenced by the mountains of BAE gear routinely being used in top studios and on many hit records — oftentimes right alongside the original 1073’s. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”
Antelope’s emulations, which are unique on the market and utilise a proprietary FPGA engine, enable real-time effects processing before a signal even reaches the DAW component. This allows users to access authentic digital emulations of classic hardware in real time without buffering. This technique, which Antelope’s research team has been developing for years and which is present in all of Antelope’s new interfaces, uses it’s hardware FPGA circuit to recreate the characteristics of vintage analog circuits, maintaining the true feel and response of real hardware. Antelope’s FPGA is an actual digital hardware processor, avoiding the need for buffered plugins which add undesired latency and often artefacts to the sound.
Mark Loughman, president of BAE Audio, commented on the new partnership: “We’ve been approached by many companies on doing digital emulations in the past, and have always been hesitant on the ‘company fit’. When Antelope approached though, it was different — we use their converters in house for demos and testing, and are intimately aware of the quality and innovation in their products. We knew Antelope would be able to capture the essence of the original BAE 1073 better than anyone else on the market and we are very pleased at the result.”
