Audient has a long history of making top quality music studio equipment, from consoles to interfaces. The ORIA is something completely new, and Audient has been one of the first to make a product of its kind.
Introduction
As immersive audio continues to gain traction across music, film, and gaming, professional studios are seeking equipment that doesn’t just keep up—it leads. Enter the Audient ORIA: a bold new hybrid of audio interface and monitor controller designed from the ground up for multichannel and Dolby Atmos workflows.
Unlike most interfaces that simply tack on surround support, ORIA fully embraces immersive production, handling setups up to 9.1.6 channels with ease. With DSP-powered room calibration, integrated support for Sonarworks, and premium converters, it aims to deliver pristine, phase-coherent monitoring in even the most complex environments.
But does this all-in-one unit live up to the hype? I spent time digging into what makes the ORIA tick, and how it might reshape the way we work with immersive sound.
Design & Build Quality
Physically, the ORIA is sleek, solid, and purpose-built. Housed in a quiet, fanless 1U rackmount chassis, it feels like a studio workhorse—not a gadget. The layout is smart, with a clear, colourful display and LED-ringed buttons for real-time visual feedback. Even in a dark control room, it’s easy to see exactly what your monitoring system is doing.
Despite being loaded with features, the unit avoids clutter. Much of its functionality lives in software (more on that later), but the tactile controls on the front panel are intuitive and responsive, making it surprisingly hands-on for a device with this much depth.
Audio Quality & Conversion
Audient has long been known for its stellar analogue circuitry, and ORIA doesn’t stray from that reputation. It offers 126 dB of dynamic range on the DAC side and 122 dB on the ADC, which translates to clean, detailed monitoring even at high volumes.
The two built-in mic preamps are lifted directly from Audient’s console range, delivering up to 60 dB of gain and excellent transparency. They’re not just thrown in as an afterthought—they’re high-quality, fully remote-controllable inputs ideal for room measurement mics, talkback setups, or last-minute overdubs.
The digital audio quality is just as impressive. Conversion is handled internally and fed directly into the speaker management system, ensuring your signal path remains clean and phase-aligned even with complex bass management or downmixing in play.
Immersive Monitoring & Routing
What truly sets ORIA apart is its native support for immersive speaker arrays, going far beyond standard stereo or 5.1 monitoring. You can route up to 16 analogue outputs, 16 AES outputs, and switch between profiles ranging from stereo all the way to full-blown 9.1.6 Atmos arrays.
The real magic is under the hood. ORIA’s powerful DSP allows you to manage speaker delays, EQ curves, and crossover points for every single channel. Need to correct for an oddly-placed rear speaker or account for wall reflections on the right? You can do it all from the ORIA software without touching your DAW.
Better still, it includes direct integration with Dolby Atmos Renderer, meaning you can quickly switch between different downmix formats—Atmos, 7.1, 5.1, stereo—right from the interface or companion app. No more fiddling with templates in your DAW just to check compatibility.
Room Calibration & DSP with Sonarworks
One of ORIA’s headline features is its integration with Sonarworks SoundID Reference, which runs directly on its internal DSP. This means you can measure and correct your room using the included measurement mic and software, then store those corrections directly on the device—no plugins or DAW latency required.
This is a huge deal. For immersive setups, where phase and timing are everything, keeping your room correction outside the DAW ensures total accuracy and real-time performance. Profiles can even be saved for different sessions, speaker sets, or listening positions.
During testing, calibration took under an hour, and the difference was immediately noticeable—especially in the low end. Bass became tighter and stereo imaging far more stable across the sweet spot.
Workflow & Software Control
Alongside the hardware, Audient provides a desktop app and iPad remote for full control over routing, profiles, speaker trims, downmix selection, and more. Everything is visually laid out, easy to understand, and customizable for different users or workflows.
In practice, it makes switching between sessions or speaker layouts incredibly smooth. You can, for example, instantly toggle between a full 7.1.4 system and a stereo nearfield pair, complete with separate EQ and delay settings, at the push of a button.
Whether you’re working solo in music production or as part of a larger post-production team, the control software ties everything together without being overwhelming.
Who Is It For?
The ORIA is squarely aimed at professionals working in immersive audio. If you’re building or upgrading a Dolby Atmos room, VR sound design rig, or a game audio studio, this is an ideal centrepiece.
It’s also a fantastic solution for universities, film schools, and high-end project studios looking for a future-proof way to manage multiple monitoring setups. For stereo-only producers, it’s overkill—but for anyone diving into multichannel audio, it’s a game changer.
Verdict
The Audient ORIA is more than just another interface—it’s a purpose-built command centre for modern immersive audio. It combines pristine converters, powerful routing, integrated room correction, and intuitive control in a package that feels both high-end and accessible.
It’s not the cheapest option on the market, but in terms of value—especially when you factor in the room calibration tools and Atmos support—it’s incredibly compelling. ORIA doesn’t just meet the needs of immersive workflows; it anticipates them.
If you’re serious about spatial sound, ORIA belongs on your radar.
Read more on the Audient ORIA on the Audient website
