The RME HDSP RayDAT is a professional, high-channel-count digital audio interface system in the form of a PCI Express card, designed to serve as the central digital I/O hub for demanding recording, broadcast, and post-production studios. This system provides an expansive 36 channels of simultaneous digital audio input and output, all on a single PCIe card, by leveraging four optical ADAT lightpipe ports and a single coaxial SPDIF port. The ADAT ports each carry eight channels of digital audio, allowing for the connection of multiple external microphone preamps, analog-to-digital converters, or digital mixing consoles to dramatically expand the I/O capacity of a computer-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). This makes it an ideal solution for studios requiring a large number of inputs for multitrack recording of drums, live ensembles, or complex synthesizer setups.

A key feature of the RayDAT is its exceptional digital audio performance and clock management. The card utilizes RME's renowned SteadyClock technology, which provides ultra-low jitter and superior signal integrity, ensuring pristine audio quality even when synchronizing to external digital sources. The included TotalMix FX software mixer offers a powerful, virtually latency-free routing and monitoring environment with 144 channels of internal mixing, comprehensive effects like EQ and reverb on every output, and full hardware independence, allowing complex monitor mixes and routing matrices to be set up without consuming any computer CPU resources. The system also includes a dedicated MIDI I/O port, integrating both high-channel-count digital audio and traditional MIDI connectivity in a single card.

Designed for rock-solid stability and long-term reliability in professional environments, the HDSP RayDAT is built for compatibility with a wide range of professional audio equipment through its standard ADAT and SPDIF connections. Its high channel density, pristine audio quality, and sophisticated routing software make it a cornerstone for project studios, professional recording facilities, and broadcast audio systems where expanding the digital I/O of a computer with high fidelity and minimal latency is a critical requirement.