Option Cards

Audio networking cards and expansion modules that bolt extra I/O and protocols onto Allen & Heath consoles: Dante, MADI, Waves, gigaACE, SQ Link and DX Link, plus the MDIN and MDOUT modules for DX32 racks and the DX32 PRIME expansion cards. If a console needs to join a broadcast MADI ring, feed a Dante recording rig or link to a second system, the answer usually lives in this section.

Cards are family-specific, so the first filter is your console: SQ series and AHM processors take the SQ-format cards such as SQ Dante and SQ MADI, while dLive and Avantis use the M-DL format including the 64×64 Dante and gigaACE modules. Channel counts differ between card generations, a 64×64 Dante card is not the same purchase as a 32×32, and sample rate handling matters when bridging 96kHz consoles to 48kHz Dante networks, so check whether the card handles that conversion onboard. The Waves card remains the standard route into SoundGrid processing and multitrack capture on SQ.

Confirm the console firmware supports the card revision before ordering, since option card releases sometimes track specific firmware versions, and checking the pairing takes minutes.

Option Card FAQs

Which card fits my console? Cards are family-specific, SQ, dLive, Avantis and DX32 each take their own modules. Filter by console first, protocol second: Dante, MADI, Waves, gigaACE or SQ Link.

What job do these cards actually do? Joining broadcast MADI rings, feeding Dante recording rigs, linking consoles to remote racks, if your desk needs to talk to a wider system, the answer is usually a card. The network side is explained in Dante vs analogue.