Merging Technologies have been around for over 30 years now, and in that time have gained a reputation for excellent audio products. The company moved into Audio over IP (AoIP) with the launch of the Horus AD/DA converter in 2012, a RAVENNA interface with truly transparent conversion and outstanding quality mic preamps. Followed a year later by the HAPI, both units are now AES67 compliant and with audio network management software to route everything where it needs to be, the scene was set for something of a revolution.
In keeping with the gods of ancient Egypt, Anubis was brought back to life in 2019 as a desktop network controller and audio interface in the spirit of its ancestors, originally designed to monitor and route multiple AES67 streams at everything from major sporting events to remote broadcast studios. However could this small professional desktop audio interface soon be worshipped by us mere mortals?
When Anubis first shipped, its software was a one-size-fits-all interface called ‘Monitor Mission’, but with talk of more missions to follow. We at Headliner got hold of an Anubis around two years ago and it immediately became the audio interface of choice for all sessions in our Hertfordshire studio. The interface, I might add, by which all others are judged. Such was the quality of AD/DA together with four outstanding quality mic/line preamps, multiple speaker and sub bass control; it was a no brainer. Though aimed at the serious professional, Merging’s Anubis is actually very competitively priced and represents outstanding value for money.
On May 20, an Anubis firmware update was released which included the brand new ‘Music Mission’, designed specifically with creatives and studios in mind. In other words, it’s now a recording studio as opposed to a post production or mastering suite. Of course this firmware is available to all current Anubis owners at no extra cost, but if you’re looking for a really comprehensive studio console in a small desktop box that you can control via a colour touchscreen, computer or tablet — featuring pristine audio quality and fast latency free workflow — then read on.
The Music Mission effectively becomes the mixing console of your studio, and can include as many peered inputs as you have HAPI or Horus A/D cards, with up to 48 channels. This allows you to control all functions of the additional mic pres with the bonus of a full fourband parametric EQ section, a range of Dynamics with a Gate, Compressor and Limiter as well as an internal reverb engine - a must for putting your vocalist and sax player at ease.