Breaking the Hardware Chain: Why Audinate Virtual Sound Card is a Game-Changer for Dante Audio
For decades, professional audio was tethered to physical limitations. If you wanted to get audio in and out of a computer using a networked audio protocol like Dante, you needed a piece of hardware—a Brooklyn module, an expansion card, or a dedicated USB interface. That meant higher costs, supply chain delays, and physical ports dictating your workflow. audinate virtual sound card
Audinate advertises a minimum latency of 4 milliseconds (ms) for DVS. However, let’s be realistic. That 4ms is the Dante network latency setting , not the total round-trip latency. Breaking the Hardware Chain: Why Audinate Virtual Sound
You’ll find DVS in three primary scenarios: Live Production, Recording Studios, and AV Installations. Audinate advertises a minimum latency of 4 milliseconds
| Feature | Dante Virtual Soundcard | Ravenna/AES67 Virtual Audio | NDI | Physical Dante PCIe Card | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | $49.99 USD | Free (but complex) | Free | $500+ | | Channel Count | 64x64 | Varies | Up to 16 (audio only) | 128x128+ | | Latency (Lowest) | 4ms (usually 6-10ms usable) | 1ms possible | 16ms (audio typical) | Sub 1ms | | CPU Usage | Moderate | Moderate | Low (video codec heavy) | Zero | | Reliability | Good (wired only) | Excellent | Fair | Excellent |