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Audio Interface

RME Digiface Dante

The RME Digiface Dante puts a computer on a Dante network with RME driver stability: 64 channels of Dante plus 64 channels of MADI in and out over USB3, in a half-rack desktop box. In playback and monitor rigs it is the standard bridge between a DAW machine and the Dante backbone when a full console card is overkill. TotalMix routing and headphone monitoring included.

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Photos

Manufacturer product photography showing the hardware, controls, and physical form.

Photo: RMEClick to zoom
Documented outputs
22 destination connections
Required cable runs
1madi bnc
Rack space
Outside rackPlan a shelf, tray, or stage position
Power draw
10W12W documented maximum
Catalog estimate
~$1,749Use retailer rows for current price and stock

01 · What it does—and what that changes in your rig.

Product overview

Start with the payoff, then work through how it functions, where it fits, and the details that change a real build.

The payoff

Audio Interface decisions, organized around the whole rig.

The Digiface Dante is a bridge, and that single word describes exactly why it earns rack space. It puts a computer — a playback machine, a virtual soundcheck rig, a show-file backup laptop — onto a Dante network at 64 channels in each direction, without requiring a console card slot or a dedicated stagebox. The MADI ports add another 64 in and out over BNC, so you can simultaneously feed a MADI-native device or a redundant recorder without touching the Dante stream. For playback engineers and monitor techs who need to inject tracks or stems into a Dante backbone cleanly, this is the compact, purpose-built answer.

Documented outputs
22 destination connections
Required cable runs
1madi bnc
Rack space
Outside rackPlan a shelf, tray, or stage position
RMEexternal · not rackmounted
RME product panelOutside rack · 10W
Function

How it works in the path

The specs matter at show time in specific ways. USB 3.0 to the host machine means the driver conversation is fast and stable — RME's reputation here is well-earned and uncontroversial. Ten watts average draw is almost nothing, so it won't stress a conditioner or a portable battery supply. The enclosure is not a rack unit; it's a desktop half-rack-width box, which means you're either shelf-mounting it, using a rack tray, or living with it sitting on top of gear. At 0.7 kg it goes wherever you put it, but plan that mounting solution before load-in, not during. The headphone output gives you a local confidence-check point without patching anything extra, which is genuinely useful for a fast sanity check on a Dante subscription before doors.

Best fit

Where it earns its place in the system

If your rig already lives on Dante and you need a computer on that network without committing to a full I/O converter or a console card, this is the right tool. It makes most sense in playback rigs, virtual soundcheck setups, and monitor systems where the Dante network is already doing the heavy lifting and you just need the DAW machine to participate. If you need analog I/O at the same point — physical line-level outputs leaving the box — look elsewhere; this unit doesn't have them. And if you're not on Dante at all, the MADI ports alone don't justify the price over a simpler USB-to-MADI interface.

In the rack

Details worth deciding before load-in.

  • Plan your rack tray before the gig — the Digiface Dante is a desktop form factor, and a half-rack tray or a dedicated shelf keeps it from sliding around inside the case when the cart hits a curb.
  • Plug the headphone output into a set of ears during network bring-up and subscribe a test channel; it's the fastest way to confirm Dante routing is live before you involve anyone else in the troubleshooting loop.
  • If you're running Dante redundancy, both EtherCon ports are on separate network paths — wire Primary and Secondary to separate switches, not the same one, or you've negated the redundancy entirely.
  • Use TotalMix to pre-route your MADI return into a Dante send while you're still at home; arriving at the venue with routing already saved in a snapshot cuts your network bring-up time significantly.

02 · Know the whole path before you buy.

Signal path

Learn the route as a block diagram: source, product function, transport, and destination. Select any block to see what enters, what changes, and what leaves.

Interactive block diagramAuto-looping · hover, focus, or tap to hold a stage
Port-type signalProduct functionSystem boundary
Follow one signal from source to destination

Each block answers the same three questions: what arrives, what changes here, and what leaves.

01 · Source · selected
01 · Source

1 documented input

madi bnc

Arrives as
1 documented input
Connector
madi bnc
Signal
digital audio

03 · What this product asks of the rest of the system.

Compatibility

Treat connector names as the start of the check—not the answer. These are the boundaries that determine a complete working path.

Best fit · Audio Interface

Use it as audio interface tracked outside rack rails; follow the manufacturer’s mounting and form-factor guidance.

Plan the companion path

Complete the path with upstream and downstream gear that matches connector, direction, signal type, protocol, and wiring standard.

Protocol boundary

This product declares DANTE; matching plugs alone do not make other protocols compatible.

04 · Every connector, grouped by job.

I/O ports

Switch the product view and the documented port inventory updates with it—hardware and data stay side by side.

Every connector, grouped by job.

Switch panels to keep the hardware view and the documented port list in sync.

Front panel
front connector map for RME Digiface DanteEXTERNAL UNIT · FRONTNo documented front ports
Rear panel
rear connector map for RME Digiface DanteEXTERNAL UNIT · REARetherCONbidirectionaletherCONbidirectionalmadi bncinputmadi bncoutputusb bbidirectional¼-inch TRSoutput
All documented ports for RME Digiface Dante
PortPanelConnectorDirectionSignalChannels
Dante PrimaryrearetherCON bidirectionaldigital audio64
Dante SecondaryrearetherCON bidirectionaldigital audio64
MADI Inrearmadi bnc inputdigital audio64
MADI Outrearmadi bnc outputdigital audio64
USB 3.0rearusb b bidirectionaldata—
Phonesrear¼-inch TRS outputanalog audio—

Showing 6 of 6 documented physical ports.

05 · Compare the decision, not just the price.

Alternatives

The rows are organized around fit, power, I/O, and system role so a cheaper unit cannot hide a more expensive workflow.

Compare
RME Digiface Dante
RME Babyface Pro FS
RME Fireface UFX III
Fit📐 Outside rack📐 Outside rack📐 1U
Power⚡ 10W⚡ 8W⚡ 30W
Weight⚖️ 1.5 lb⚖️ 1.3 lb⚖️ 6.4 lb
I/O🔌 6🔌 5🔌 10
Estimate💵 ~$1,749💵 ~$999💵 ~$3,199
Deep diveCurrent selectionFull comparison →Full comparison →

06 · Resolve the questions that can change the purchase or build plan.

Planning questions

Short, source-backed answers surface rack fit, power, cabling, and connection details before they become surprises.

Where does the RME Digiface Dante live in a complete rig?

The catalog assigns it no rack units. Builder tracks it as non-rack gear; follow the manufacturer’s mounting, case, and form-factor guidance.

How much power does the RME Digiface Dante draw?

Typical draw is 10W and documented maximum draw is 12W.

What connections does the RME Digiface Dante have?

6 documented physical ports, including Dante Primary, Dante Secondary, MADI In, MADI Out, USB 3.0, Phones.

07 · See this gear inside a complete system plan.

Builder preview

Builder keeps non-rack gear in the same bill of materials, budget, dependency, and connection plan as the rack-mounted system around it.Open in Builder
Digiface Dante tracked in a complete system planA simplified plan shows the gear tracked outside rack rails, with its documented connection path continuing to a planned destination.Tracked outside rack railsRMEDigiface DanteCONNECTED GEARnext signal destinationExternal system gear · no rack units assigned

08 · Related gear, in the order you may need it.

Universal Audio Apollo x16 Gen 2

Audio Interface

Universal Audio Apollo x16 Gen 2

1U · 11 ports · ~$3,799
RME Fireface UFX III

Audio Interface

RME Fireface UFX III

1U · 10 ports · ~$3,199
MOTU M4 Audio Interface

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MOTU M4 Audio Interface

Outside rack · 7 ports · ~$280
MOTU 16A Audio Interface

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MOTU 16A Audio Interface

1U · 11 ports · ~$2,495
MOTU 24Ao Audio Interface

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MOTU 24Ao Audio Interface

1U · 9 ports · ~$1,995
MOTU 24Ai Audio Interface

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MOTU 24Ai Audio Interface

1U · 9 ports · ~$1,995

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