About the Roland XI-REAC Audio Expansion Card
The Roland XI-REAC is an audio expansion card designed to add Roland's proprietary REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication) network connectivity to compatible digital mixing consoles, such as the Roland M-400 series or V-Mixer series. This card enables the console to become the central hub of a REAC-based digital audio network, allowing for the transmission of multiple channels of high-quality, low-latency digital audio over a single standard Ethernet cable. The primary application is to connect the mixer to remote stage boxes, like the Roland S-4000 series digital snakes, dramatically simplifying system cabling by replacing dozens of analog microphone cables with a single, thin Ethernet run. This creates a streamlined, reliable, and scalable audio infrastructure ideal for live sound, theater, and installed systems.
Once installed, the XI-REAC card provides the console with multiple REAC ports, allowing for daisy-chaining of multiple stage boxes or connection to other REAC-compatible devices. The network supports bidirectional audio transport, sending numerous channels of mixed audio from the console back to the stage for monitor mixes and powered speakers, while simultaneously receiving all microphone and line inputs from the stage. The system is designed for extremely low latency and high reliability, with features like redundant loop connections to maintain audio in case of a single cable failure. Control data for remote preamp gain, phantom power, and monitoring is also carried over the same cable.
The integration of the XI-REAC card transforms a digital mixer into the heart of a modern, professional audio network. It offers significant advantages in setup speed, cable management, signal integrity, and system flexibility. By adopting this technology, sound engineers can build cleaner, more robust systems with greater channel counts and easier scalability, making the XI-REAC card an essential upgrade for any professional user of compatible Roland consoles who needs to manage complex audio routing between stage and front-of-house efficiently.
