DirectOut EXBOX.BLDS MADI Switch
DirectOut·Model EXBOX.BLDS·directout-exbox-madi
Photos
Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate above stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.
About the DirectOut EXBOX.BLDS
The EXBOX.BLDS is a two-input MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. redundancyA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show. switch with Buffer Loop Detection. It monitors two MADI sources and can switch automatically or manually to keep a critical stream online; coaxial, optical, or SFPA small module slot on pro switches that takes fiber-optic links — how audio networks cross long or electrically noisy cable runs. I/O modules are configurable per slot.
The DirectOut EXBOX.BLDS sits at the physical-layer intersection of your MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. infrastructure — it bridges coaxial BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show. and SC optical MADI, and it splits a single stream so you can feed more than one destination from the same source. In practice that means you can take a coax MADI run coming off a console or stageboxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. and simultaneously hand an optical feed to a recording rig and a coax feed to your monitor system, without an active splitter eating into your headroomThe margin between your normal level and where things clip — headroom is what absorbs the snare hit you didn’t see coming. or a passive Y-cable degrading signal integrity. That single function solves a problem that comes up on almost every multi-system touring rig.
At 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. and 200mm deep, it fits without drama into a compact IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. or playback rack. The 18-watt typical draw is low enough that it won't stress a single outlet on a power conditionerFilters venue AC, clamps surges, and gives the rack one tidy inlet. Not a voltage regulator and not a battery — just cleaner power.. Both the coax and optical sides run 64-channel MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required., so you're not losing capacity when you convert formats. The practical value of optical on long runs is real — SC fiber is immune to ground loopsHum from gear seeing two ground paths at slightly different voltage — the classic buzz when two racks share audio and power. and RFRadio Frequency — the wireless part of wireless. RF planning is why big rigs scan, coordinate, and combine antennas instead of hoping. interference in a way that coax simply is not, and on a festival stage where cable runs to FOHFront Of House — the main mix the audience hears, and the console position out in the room where it gets mixed. can stretch past 50 meters, that immunity matters. The EXBOX.BLDS lets you terminate that fiber run and hand off clean coax locally without a laptop or a menu system involved.
If your rig is entirely coax-to-coax with a single destination, this box is overhead you don't need. But if you're bridging physical formats, splitting a stream to a separate record rig, or replacing a long coax run with fiber, this is a clean, dedicated solution from a manufacturer that specializes in exactly this domain. Engineers who already live in the DirectOut ecosystem will find it integrates predictably. If your budget is tight and your needs are simpler, a basic MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. format converterThe circuitry that turns analog audio into digital data and back (A/D and D/A). Converter quality sets a digital rig’s sound ceiling. from a more entry-level brand may be sufficient — but you'll be giving up the split functionality and likely the build quality.
In the rack
- Use the optical output for any MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. run longer than 30 meters — fiber eliminates the ground-loop risk that coax introduces when connecting gear on different power legs across a large stage.
- Place this unit close to the coax source device in your rack so the BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show. runs stay short; send the SC optical out on the long run to FOHFront Of House — the main mix the audience hears, and the console position out in the room where it gets mixed. or a record rack where the distance justifies the format change.
- Label both the coax and optical outputs at the rear panel before the show — mid-show troubleshooting in the dark is much faster when you can read 'MON' and 'REC' on the cables without tracing them.
- If you're splitting to a recording rig that belongs to someone else, confirm their interface expects the same MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. frame size (56 or 64 channel) as your source before load-in, not during soundcheck.
140mm-wide MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. redundancyA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show. switch; racks in a BOX.MOUNT XL 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. tray (up to three units).
I/O Ports (5)
| Port | Connector | Direction | Signal | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MADI Coax In (BNC) | MADI BNC | input | digital audio | 64 |
| MADI Coax Out (BNC) | MADI BNC | output | digital audio | 64 |
| MADI Optical In (SC) | MADI SC | input | digital audio | 64 |
| MADI Optical Out (SC) | MADI SC | output | digital audio | 64 |
- Power (IEC) (IEC C14)
Deciding between two?
Rack space, watts, weight and every connector, side by side.
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