The devices can operate in single‑speed mode for sample rates up to 48kHz, double speed for 88.2 and 96kHz, or quad speed for 176 and 192kHz audio, with a commensurate halving or quartering of the number of audio channels in the last two instances. The MADIface USB supports sample rates from 44.1 to 192kHz, while the XT does likewise, but can also run at 32kHz. It also has an on‑board PCIe port, which means that, via a suitable adaptor, it should be capable of operation via Thunderbolt.īoth interfaces cater for 24‑bit audio. The primary means of connecting to a computer is via USB 3, but if 70 or fewer channels are required, the MADIface XT can operate via a lowly USB 2 connection. As if that weren't enough, there's also MIDI over MADI and word-clock in and out. That takes the total audio channel count to 394: 196 inputs and 198 outputs.
It boasts stereo AES3 I/O, two analogue mic/line inputs, a pair of analogue outputs on line‑level XLRs, plus a quarter‑inch stereo headphone jack, and three pairs of MADI connectors (one coaxial, the other two optical). Until now, this was only possible if you had one of the PCIe‑based MADI systems offered by RME and others, or one based on Ethernet, such as Focusrite's Rednet (and the latter generally also use a PCIe connection in any case). The MADIface USB also doubles up as a MADI repeater or stand‑alone format converter.įor more than 64 channels each way, you need multiple MADI connections. The only other dedicated USB 2 MADI interface I'm aware of, Digico's UB MADI (reviewed in SOS June 2013), can access only the first 48 channels of a MADI feed, only at 48kHz, and only via coaxial connectors. Even the smaller MADIface USB can deliver an impressive 128 channels of digital I/O (64 in, 64 out) over USB 2, and is equipped with both optical and coaxial MADI connectors.
One of the main attractions of the MADI protocol is its ability to deliver huge numbers of audio channels through a single cable, and both of the two interfaces under review here take full advantage.
Given their reputation for innovation, it's perhaps not surprising to learn that RME have produced the first audio interface to take advantage of the high data-transfer rates offered by the USB 3 standard. These compact devices boast more digital I/O than any other USB interface.