Yamaha has just announced the release of RUio16-D – a revolutionary audio interface which allows users to add VST3 plug-ins to any Dante-based audio system.

The RUio16-D is compact in size while still being tough enough to withstand the needs of touring, serving as a bridge between Dante, analog, and USB signals. Combining this product with the bundled VST Rack Pro plug-in host software gives users a great deal of freedom and makes it easy to integrate the VST plug-ins you like into your system.

Here’s more from the press release…

“Measuring just 180 x 125 x 42mm, the low-latency RUio16-D can be connected to a Windows PC or Apple Mac computer via USB, working seamlessly with VST Rack Pro software (license included), to easily add VST3 plug-in functionality to Dante-based audio systems. It radically expands the range of sound creation options in any live sound situation, for streaming and many other audio applications. As well as digital audio systems, it can also be used with analogue mixing consoles.

The straightforward PC/Mac user interface of VST Rack Pro makes it simple to use VST3 plug-ins, even in the most pressurized live situations, allowing performers to use the same plug-ins they use when recording. It can also manage custom presets by rack, effect and scene, contributing to shorter setup times.

As well as allowing engineers to use their favourite VST3 plug-ins, VST Rack Pro is bundled with more than 30 high-quality plug-ins from Yamaha and Steinberg. These include hardware emulations of classic compressors and equalizers using Yamaha Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM), as well as the industry-leading REV-X reverbs. Bundled Steinberg plug-ins include versatile sound-shapers like Quadrafuzz v2, the REVerence sampling reverb and VST Amp Rack, problem solvers like Cloner, the MultibandEnvelopeShaper and SuperVision, an unrivalled suite of visual monitoring tools.

The RUio16-D provides 16 inputs and 16 outputs of Dante, a high quality mic pre-amp and two inputs and outputs of analogue audio with phantom power, enabling it to be used as an interface for acoustic measurements. It also features an independent gain control with pad switch for each analogue input, switched Monitor/Dante/USB output level control and a headphone output with volume control.

It also includes a Bypass USB utility function, which bypasses the VST3 plug-ins without interrupting the sound, automatically adjusting the output volume to a preconfigured SPL to ensure the performance continues seamlessly.”