Antelope DISCRETE 8 PRO User manual

CONTENTS
Before You Begin 4
Mandatory Online Activation 5
Setting Up 6
Configuring For Windows 10 8
Configuring For MacOS (10.14 Or Later) 10
Antelope Launcher 12
‘Devices’ Tab 12
'Plug-Ins’ Tab 15
'System’ Tab 16
Front Panel Explained 19
System Menu 21
Control Menu 23
Rear Panel Explained 26
Control Panel 31
Quick Start 32
Mouse & Keyboard Shortcuts 34
Main View 35
Function Strip 1 35
Function Strip 2 36
Settings Button 37
Preamps Strip 39
Input Selectors 40
AFX Strip 41
Output Tabs 42
AuraVerb 43
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51
53
Guitar Amps & Cabs
Software Re-Amping
Edge & Verge Mic Emulations 54
54
55
56
58
61
Getting Started
Gain Calibration
Edge Solo
Edge Duo
Edge Quadro
Verge 64
afx2daw 66
Advanced User Tips 68
Customer Support Information 69
My Antelope Audio Product Isn't Working 70
Limited Warranty Policy 72
Safety Notes 79
Technical Specifications 80

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BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Congratulations on your purchase! We’d like to draw your attention to the following:
As with all Antelope Audio interfaces, the software Control Panel is the “mediator”
between the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core and your preferred DAW. To take complete
advantage of the unit’s capabilities, you are meant to handle tasks like gain adjustments,
signal routing, effects processing, 'rough' mixing and metering from the Control Panel.
The resulting audio is routed into your DAW for recording in formats of your choice, such
as multi-track, stem, and two-channel stereo.
Depending on your experience, you might find this approach different from what you are
used to. Perhaps the most familiar workflow for the modern recordist involves treating
the audio interface like a box which brings audio in and out of your computer, with the
rest of the session taking place in your DAW. To an extent, it is possible to use the
Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core in this manner by relying on the front panel display and
controls for monitoring, gain control and setup. The DAW is used for recording, mixing
and mastering.
After the initial setup, it is also possible to use Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core without a
computer connection. In this case, the unit functions as a digital mixer operated from
the front panel controls. The last known signal routing configuration from the software
Control Panel is applied.

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Regardless of your preference, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Control
Panel application. This way, you can overcome potential stumbling blocks for users new
to Antelope Audio products. For example, almost any issue concerning recording and
playing back audio (on the interface’s side) can be resolved with the correct signal
routing.
Should you ever find yourself struggling, do not hesitate to contact our Customer
Support team over phone, live chat and our ticket system. You can also visit Antelope
Audio on YouTube and explore our video tutorials or join the Antelope Audio
Users Facebook group and ask for advice. The Knowledge Base is also a good source of
information.
Best wishes,
Team Antelope
MANDATORY ONLINE ACTIVATION
Please note that the mandatory device activation procedure requires an active Internet
connection on your computer and must be completed on the first run of the interface.
Completion of the process is needed to validate your product warranty and gain access
to special software packages and exclusive product offers.

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SETTING UP
Once the unit is connected to an AC power source and your computer is switched on:
1. Connect a USB 2.0 Type-B (included) or Thunderbolt™ 3 cable (not included) to the
corresponding ports on the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core and your computer.
2. Visit www.antelopeaudio.com and log-in or create a customer account (if you don’t
have one).
3. Download and install the latest Antelope Audio Launcher and Driver for your operating
system (Windows 10 / macOS 10.14 or later) from the ‘Downloads’ section of the
support website.
If you are on a macOS Catalina or higher, you might need to allow the Unified Driver to
be installed from the Security and Privacy settings – you can read how to do this in the
following article.
If you have a M1 Mac – please go through this article.
Note: For Thunderbolt™ connection on Windows, download and install the
latest Antelope Audio Windows Thunderbolt™ driver or install it from the Antelope
Launcher/System section
4. In the DEVICES section in the Antelope Launcher you should see your Discrete 8 Pro
Synergy Core - click on the ACTIVATE button and follow the steps to complete the
procedure. If the Discrete is not seen in the DEVICES section – make sure you have
installed the driver from the SYSTEM section first.
5. After the activation is completed, the device will restart. Then, update the Discrete 8
Pro Synergy Core to the latest Bundle version available in the DEVICES section. If you
are not sure how to do this, please read the 'Antelope Launcher' chapter.
For more in-depth instructions, please visit the Getting Started page.
Note: Accept any security prompts from your operating system, e.g. Windows Defender
Firewall and macOS alerts.
6. Connect your analog and digital equipment of choice to the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy
Core.

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7. Launch your preferred DAW and:
● Choose the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core as your main input and output device.
● Make sure your DAW and operating system sample rates match the device
sample rate.
Need any help?
Visit the Antelope Audio Customer Support page, choose your device and go from
there.

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Configuring Windows 10
Windows 10 needs a few tweaks to get everything up and running.
1. Enter the ‘Sounds’ options window from the Control Panel or right-click the speaker
icon in the system tray and choose ‘Open Sound settings’.
2. Make sure the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core is chosen under 'Output' and 'Input'.
Next, click 'Device Properties' under 'Output'. Then, click 'Additional Device Properties'.
3. Enter the ‘Supported Formats’ tab and place checkmarks next to all the available
sample rates.
4. Enter the ‘Enhancements’ tab and make sure all enhancements are disabled.
5. Enter the ‘Advanced’ tab and choose any of the available “2 channel, 24-bit” modes.
Click ‘OK’ to close the window.
6. Back in Sound settings, click 'Device Properties' under 'Input'. Then, click 'Additional
Device Properties'. Enter the 'Enhancements' tab and disable all enhancements. Click
'OK' to close the window.

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Tips
●If you are experiencing interruptions or failure when using your DAW and trying to
playback audio from your OS at the same time, make sure that the device sample
rate matches the one of your DAW session.
●You can disable the device and enable it again from the ‘Playback’ tab to refresh
the driver. This will be similar to disconnecting and re-connecting your device,
which makes Windows reset the playback configuration of the applications you
are using.
●In some cases, disabling the ‘Exclusive mode’ functionality from the ‘Advanced’
tab in ‘Playback’ Properties might help when running multiple playback
applications at the same time.
●Disabling the 32kHz sample rate isn’t mandatory, but it might help in general.
Further Reading
Antelope Audio Knowledge Base - Windows 10 Optimization

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Configuring for macOS (10.14 or later)
The new security settings introduced in macOS Mojave 10.14 (and later releases) may
result in no input signal reaching your DAW, despite having everything set up correctly.
These steps apply when you are using the Discrete 8 Synergy Core in a DAW for the first
time:
1. Launch your DAW and choose Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core as the input device. The
following dialog box will appear (if using Ableton Live 10 Suite, for example):
3. Click 'OK' and your DAW should function normally.
However, if the events above did not occur for some reason, or you are using multiple
DAWs, you must do a manual tweak for each in 'Security & Privacy' settings:
1. Open the 'Apple' menu from the top-left of the menu bar and choose 'System
Preferences'. Head to the 'Security & Privacy' settings menu.
2. Click the 'Privacy' tab. In the column on the left, choose ‘Microphone’. Make sure
there's a checkmark next to any DAW you want to use:

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ANTELOPE LAUNCHER
The Antelope Launcher is a streamlined hub for managing and troubleshooting your
Antelope Audio products. The application is organized into the following tabs:
‘Devices’ tab
All Antelope Audio devices currently connected to your computer are listed in this
section. In this example, we have connected the Discrete 8 Pro Synergy Core. However,
the application functionality is identical for each Antelope device.
The following functionality is available in the 'Devices' tab:
Device Name
Click the black box to enter a name for your device. The device serial number is used by
default. Erasing the name and clicking outside the box reverts to the serial number.

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Bundle Version
By default, this drop-down menu shows the most recent software bundle available for
your device. Clicking it shows the currently installed software bundle version and lets you
roll-back to an older build.
To update or change the installed software version, choose your desired Bundle Version,
click the check mark next to the drop-down menu, and click the ‘Update’ button.
Manage Device
Click to launch the Antelope Registration Wizard. Use it to register or de-register
devices and features (such as afx2daw, Synergy Core FX, HDX Activation and so on).
Device Info
Click to display the following information (useful for troubleshooting):
● Serial number
● Hardware version
● Firmware version
● Control Panel version
● USB/Thunderbolt™ driver version
● Software Bundle version
Click the information window to close it.
Start Control Panel
Click to start the device’s Control Panel application. You can also click the image of the
device. Place a check mark next to ‘Autorun’ to have the Control Panel for a specific
device launch automatically when you start Antelope Launcher.

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Can't see your device?
If a device is missing from the list, the most common reason is driver conflict. The
Antelope Launcher makes it easy to re-install drivers and troubleshoot. Click "Can't see
your device?" to launch the 'Add Drivers' wizard.
Choose your device and connection type from the drop-down menus, disconnect the
device from your computer, and click ‘Next’ to perform a driver re-install.
Note: If the issue persists, please contact Antelope Audio Customer Support.

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'Plug-ins’ tab
This section lets you install, update, and uninstall Antelope Audio software such as
native mic emulations and afx2daw.
By default, the Bundle Version drop-down menus show the most recent software bundle
available for each product. Clicking the menu shows the currently installed software
bundle version and lets you roll-back to an older build.
To update or change the installed software version, choose your desired Bundle Version,
click the check mark next to the drop-down menu, then click the ‘Update’ button.

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'System’ tab
Here, you can do the following:
● Update or roll-back the Manager Server, USB and Thunderbolt™ Driver versions.
Choose your desired Bundle Version from the drop-down menu, click the check
mark, then click the ‘Update’ button.
NOTE: It is highly recommended to install the latest available Manager server
version to ensure normal behavior.
● Restart the Manager Server and enable/disable remote connections from other
computers on your network.
● Install the Antelope Audio Thunderbolt™ driver. Choose a Bundle Version from
the drop-down menu, click the check mark, then click the ‘Update’ button.

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● Uninstall the Antelope Audio Thunderbolt™ and/or USB driver(s) present on your
system.
Login button
Click and enter your Antelope Audio username and password, then click ‘Login’. If you
don't have an Antelope Audio account, click ‘Register’ and follow the on-screen
instructions.
Settings button
Click to open the Settings window.

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Here, you can do the following:
● Click ‘View Logs’ to view, save, and send activity logs to Antelope Audio
Customer Support.
● Click 'Advanced' to enable or disable updating for each of the following:
- Device firmware
- USB Driver
- Control Panel
- Effects

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Make your selection(s) in the drop-down menu(s) and click 'OK'.
● Click ‘Network’ to view network status and logs.

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FRONT PANEL EXPLAINED
Left to right, top to bottom:
Mic/combo Inputs A1 - A2
2 mic preamp/line/Hi-Z inputs on combo XLR connectors. Labeled A1 and A2.
Note: Record line-level sources using TS/TRS cables, period.
Gain Knobs A1 - A8
Gain adjustment knobs for the eight mic/combo inputs. Turn to adjust input gain.
While the input menu is active, press down the bottom Function button, to switch
between input modes (Hi-Z/Mic/Line). While Mic mode is selected, holding down the
bottom Function button enables/disables 48V.