RME’s products gain Thunderbolt connectivity
Published: PRODUCTS
Sonnet has announced that RME is the latest manufacturer to see its products gain full Thunderbolt connectivity via its Echo Express Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCIe cards. RME describes the agreement as a ‘breakthrough’ solution for stationary studio and mobile recording applications.
The expansion chassis will enable users with Thunderbolt port-equipped computers to connect one or two compatible PCI express adapter cards – such as RME's HDSPe Madi FX professional audio interface card. A benefit of the partnership is that with Thunderbolt technology, the Sonnet solution will allow manufacturers to deliver full-sized desktop computer features and performance features to users of the latest Apple iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models.
RME reports that using Sonnet's single-slot PCIe chassis, a user can record 194 tracks and play back 196 tracks of audio on an iMac with its HDSPe Madi FX card. With two additional Apple Thunderbolt displays daisy-chained to the setup, all of the channels can be displayed.
‘The ability to handle 390 audio channels with a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac is unprecedented,’ commented Greg LaPorte, vice president of sales and marketing at Sonnet Technologies.