Focusrite RedNet 2
Sixteen channels of conversion in a single rack space, wired to the network instead of the desk.
Overview
The RedNet 2 is Focusrite's 16-channel A-D/D-A converter for Dante audio-over-IP networks. It is a 1U rackmount unit with 16 analogue inputs and 16 analogue outputs on DB-25 connectors. Conversion runs at up to 24-bit/192kHz. Two Dante Ethernet ports on the back give redundant network connections. Focusrite positions it as a way of integrating analogue gear into a Dante network - the converter becomes a node on the network rather than a box tied to one computer. The only cable between the converter rack and the control room can be a piece of Cat 6.
Dante is the networking layer, and the RedNet 2 is one of the building blocks in Focusrite's RedNet range of Dante-networked interfaces. The analog side is handled by the DB-25 multi-pin connectors, the digital side by Ethernet. It is designed to sit in a rack and behave like infrastructure. For a facility wiring up multiple rooms, the appeal is simple: put a RedNet 2 wherever you have analogue to convert, and the audio travels over the network from there.
Period coverage of the RedNet line was enthusiastic. Mix (January 2013, p.35) described RedNet as Focusrite's professional audio networking system, a range of remote-controlled input/output devices for microphone, line-level analog and digital audio signals, with a PCIe card providing up to 128 workstation I/O channels. The RedNet 2 is the 16-channel analogue-to-network bridge in that system.
Key Features
16 Channels of A-D and D-A in 1U
The headline is the channel count: 16 analogue inputs and 16 analogue outputs, each direction converting at up to 24-bit/192kHz. That is a lot of conversion for one rack space, and it's why the RedNet 2 tends to show up in multiples. Pro-Sound (October 2013, p.13) noted that Southwestern College purchased two RedNet 5 HD interfaces for its Pro Tools|HD systems and three RedNet 2 interfaces for the program's main recording spaces.
Dual Redundant Dante Ethernet Ports
Two Dante Ethernet ports provide redundant network connections, so a single cable failure doesn't take the converter off the network. There is no USB, no FireWire, no PCIe card inside the box. The RedNet 2 talks to the rest of the system over Ethernet and nothing else, so it can go anywhere a network run reaches.
Redundant Internal Power Supplies
Focusrite built the RedNet 2 with redundant power supplies. A second supply is the kind of feature buyers don't think about until the first one fails mid-session. Combined with the redundant network ports, the box keeps converting when something upstream goes wrong.
DB-25 Analogue I/O and BNC Word Clock
The 16 analogue inputs and outputs arrive on DB-25 connectors, the multi-pair format that keeps a 16-channel converter from turning into a wall of individual jacks. Word clock in and out on BNC is provided for sync, and AES67 compatibility is listed among the unit's network credentials. The rear panel is utilitarian: DB-25 for analogue, Ethernet for network, BNC for clock.
Dante Networking and AES67
Dante is the transport, and AES67 compatibility extends the unit's reach into other networked-audio environments that speak that standard. A facility already running Dante can drop the RedNet 2 in without fuss. The converter's job stays the same either way: take analogue in, put it on the network, and bring network audio back out as analogue.
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