DirectOut Unveils MAVEN and USB.IO at InfoComm 2024

June 14 2024, 02:10
Innovators in audio connectivity, DirectOut announced two additions to its growing family of audio solutions at InfoComm 2024, in Las Vegas. Building on its flexible PRODIGY series, DirectOut introduced MAVEN, a powerful DSP engine in a compact 1RU platform, expanding the integration possibilities for sound engineers and system designers. DirectOut simultaneously unveiled the USB.IO, a USB audio interface module to their MAVEN and PRODIGY platforms, developed in collaboration with RME, benefiting from the company's low latency and stable Windows and Mac drivers.
 

The new DirectOut MAVEN delivers the same power as the PRODIGY series of multifunction network audio processors, and is fully compatible with the PRODIGY.MP, increasing flexibility while maintaining maximum reliability. MAVEN supports a variety of audio network formats including Dante, AVB/Milan, Ravenna/AES67 and SoundGrid and is a perfect solution for live sound, installation, remote production, studio recording and broadcast.

MAVEN is a smart audio platform that inherits the sound quality and tour-proven reliability of the larger PRODIGY.MP including, flexible routing options and a scalable DSP core, making it perfectly adaptable to the dynamic demands of live events. As part of the DirectOut Audio Solution Model (ASM), MAVEN expands the portfolio of smart hardware platforms towards smaller sized solutions, allowing users to extend their systems with additional functionality, control protocols, and add-ons to create a customized solution adapted to their specific requirements.
 

"With MAVEN, we can now offer the unlimited DSP feature-set, uncompromised reliability, and flexibility initially introduced by PRODIGY.MP on a smaller footprint of just 1RU," says Jan Ehrlich CEO of DirectOut. "Our customers' demand for a more compact and even more granular platform has encouraged us to set new limits in terms of downsizing a DSP solution that is as powerful as our existing products.”

USB-C Audio Interface
Compatible with both PRODIGY and MAVEN platforms, USB.IO was developed in collaboration with RME, based on the company's USB 3.0 core, and using their renowned low latency technology. Following the first collaboration with RME, the Digiface RAVENNA, DirectOut now adds a USB-C module that offers an impressive 128 channels I/O at standard sample rates (1FS), while the entire range from 44.1kHz to 192kHz is supported. 
 

This development eases the integration of DirectOut’s converters and multifunction processors into computer-based production systems, on tour and in the studio. Usable in Class Compliant mode, or with the RME drivers, the module expands usability into any USB-C computer or handheld device.

An exciting feature that comes with RME’s drivers, is the inclusion of RME's renowned TotalMix FX software, which offers an extensive range of mixing and routing options. From up to 128 separate submixes over internal Loopback routing to mixer and matrix views and controls, TotalMix FX allows flexible and versatile handling of the available record and playback channels, providing users with an all-in-one solution for interfacing to  an external computer.

In addition to the advanced driver support for Windows (ASIO, WDM) and macOS (Kernel Extension and DriverKit Core Audio), the new interface boasts a USB 3 Class-Compliant USB mode that transfers all 128 channels each for record and playback. This feature allows for driverless operation of the module, making it instantly compatible with iPads and other devices for seamless, on-the-go audio production.

Of course, the card comes with EARS support, DirectOut's proprietary Enhanced Automatic Redundancy Switching technology. EARS ensures continuous audio playback by automatically switching to a backup source in the event of a signal loss, providing an additional layer of reliability for live performances and broadcasts.
 

"We are very happy to offer a USB audio interface for the PRODIGY series and MAVEN," says Claudio Becker-Foss, CTO of DirectOut. "RME’s long standing experience in implementing computer interfaces and their drivers is legendary and their philosophy to create long lasting devices with maximum performance and long-term support matches our mindset perfectly."

"DirectOut's PRODIGY family is a state-of-the-art modular system," concludes Matthias Carstens, Head of Design of RME. "RME is happy to provide a professional audio interface solution as an optional module, continuing the successful collaboration with DirectOut."
www.directout.eu
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