Cadac Consoles has announced that it will, for the first time, be publicly running two of the first UK production CM-J50 mixing consoles on its booth at ISE through its new CM-RT12 optical MegaComms network router. The CM-RT12 router, together with the CM-DF64 optical Dante bridge – also being shown for the first time – sees an expansion of the CM ecosystem.
The CM-RT12 router provides the CM-Series with enhanced network performance capabilities. With a processing capacity of up to 3,072 channels, a single CM-RT12 can connect up to 12 MegaComms units to form a single unified audio system, comprising any combination of CM-J50 consoles, CM-SR stage racks, or CM fibre bridges.
The CM-J50 console’s GUI is designed to facilitate seamless routing via the CM-RT12, with settings stored directly to the console’s Show File; with the option of locally storing up to four routing maps. The independent Ethernet network enables dynamic routing, allowing each console to control up to 96 inputs per scene from a pool of 728 inputs, with routing available to 712 outputs. On the router’s facia a 2.4in (6.1cm) colour display and headphone monitoring are designed to enable fast and intuitive system setup. Once operational, the router also manages gain sharing across consoles within the network.
Cadac Consoles said that running its proprietary MegaComms digital audio protocol, the CM-RT12 router, maintains the 0.4ms “lowest latency” performance – from inputs to outputs, including all console processing and ADA conversions – across the network, at distances of up to 2km from the router.
The CM-RT12 is designed to offer true redundancy when two units are linked in parallel, with the router automatically able to switch between individual ports or even complete units, for uninterrupted audio performance. As with all current CM products there are dual onboard PSUs. The unit is designed to be lightweight and compact, housed in a 2U aluminium chassis weighing 3.2kg.
“We have also integrated OSC (Open Sound Control), enabling the future option of control via iPad or iPhone to allow remote routing of a MegaComms network, fully independent of a CM-J50 console; opening up the possibility of ‘stand-alone’ system and fixed installation applications, particularly in concert halls and arts’ performance venues where highly transparent sound quality is a primary concern,” said Emily Watson, head of R&D at Cadac Consoles.
“We see this as a significant milestone for the CM ecosystem,” said James Godbehear, director of marketing and business operations. “Complex, large-scale events and installations can now take full advantage of Cadac’s unrivalled audio quality and ultra-low latency, supported by robust, intuitive network capabilities. In addition to the CM-RT12 – which we expect to be shipping in the second half of 2025 – the new CM-DF64 optical Dante network bridge will be previewing at ISE 2025, with an optical MADI bridge set to launch later this year.”
The 1U CM-DF64 provides optical fibre MegaComms connections and complements the existing CM-DT64 coaxial Dante bridge. Both CM-DF64 and DT64 are designed to offer simple configuration via the Dante Controller and two Dante Ethernet network ports, at 48kHz or 96kHz, and both have dual onboard PSUs.
“We want the user to have total flexibility on how they would like to configure their system for their application,” said Godbehear. “The Dante connection has the advantage of not being tied to the console surface or a large stage rack – it can be literally miles away from either.”
