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.
