Tired of poking around in your interface’s mixer app just to get control of your speakers and headphones? You are not alone, and Audient think they might have the solution with their Nero monitor controller. Luke Goddard gets in the sweet spot…

Do I Need A Monitor Controller?

Speak to any professional and most will agree that having a high-quality dedicated monitor controller in between their DAC and speakers is always a good idea.

Having a monitor control box might not be high on every home studio’s wishlist, but once you know them, the benefits of having one are hard to ignore.

• Ever been met with unexpected loud noises through your monitors?

• Ever had to answer that call only to find that you can’t remember what your speakers’ level was before you turned them down?

• Ever wanted to check things in mono quickly?

• Or talk to the artist at the press of a button?

The list goes on. 

For all but the most modest of setups, having some form of monitor control speeds your workflow, adds flexibility to engineer and artist monitoring and adds a reassuring ‘hard stop’ when things go wrong. 

Nero First Impressions

As a manufacturer of large format mixing consoles, Audient is no stranger to the importance of dedicated monitor control in the studio. The Nero comes housed in a sleek black folded metal enclosure with all rear TRS connections nutted to the case for extra strength. On the top, input controls are to the left, with output controls to the right of the unmissable large CONTROL ROOM pot that takes centre stage. 

The engineer’s phones output is available on both 3.5mm and 6.35mm round the front (where it should be), and the control surface’s spacious layout rounds off a general feeling of thoughtful design and quality construction.

Nero Inputs

Not including talkback, Nero has four inputs available at any output, with one of those (ALT) being switchable between a further three. ALT can be used for consumer-level inputs for things like CD players and clients’ own devices, but I think the single most useful application would be to use that unloved SPDIF output on your interface as your main route from the DAW into Nero’s own DAC. 

The DAC is quoted as having 113dB of dynamic range which means that it really should not be overlooked as the main monitoring input from your DAW. Using it would free up maybe an extra TRS input for cue duties and certainly keep the signal path clean and short when using any unknown interface DAC.

Nero Outputs

You can hook up to three pairs of monitors plus a sub, the latter being assignable to come on when any of the main or alt pairs are being used. The SUB button can be used to audition it regardless and those sub management features on Nero are as useful as they are hard to come by at this price point. The MAIN and ALT 1+2 speaker pairs are trimmable to compensate for level differences between them. Nero has no fewer than four high power headphone outputs, with three appearing at the back for artist foldback duties. 

It’s possible to mute any headphone output by deselecting its source to stop noise on the studio floor when needed.

Nero Configurability

Selecting sources and speakers for the control room is totally intuitive, and assigning inputs to artists’ headphones is as easy as pressing their SRC buttons and making a selection from the inputs. As well as configurable output trims and sub assignment, Nero lets the user go further by providing nice touches like adjustable dim level, ‘always-on’ mono for selectable pairs and talkback assign for any combination of headphone outputs, including the engineer’s if you need to free it up for an artist on bigger tracking sessions.

Nero In Use

Not only will Nero’s unassuming footprint win friends for saving them space, but also for staying put on the desktop thanks to its comparative heft and grippy rubber feet.

All level controls have a nice resistance to them and the illuminated buttons and occasional relay click reward you with a quality tactile experience. Other nice touches are things like quick touch for latch or press and hold for momentary on talkback.

The main meter covers the last 36dB of your DAW’s output level, but if you forget the numbers (it’s calibrated in dBu) it gives a reasonable warning of when you’re sailing close to the wind in the box. 

Where Nero really seals the deal is the quality of the monitoring path. It is everything that it should be; that is transparent with rock-solid stereo imaging at all levels thanks to the stepped attenuator chip employed. Anyone who has experienced image shift at low levels is going to love Nero for banishing it forever.

Final Thoughts

Can you have a quality big console monitoring experience with buttons on at home? Nero proves that the answer to that is definitely yes. If you’re looking for a high-quality tactile monitoring experience that won’t break the bank, at around £375, Audient’s Nero will not disappoint.

To find out more about the Nero, head over to Audient’s website for more info.