Tascam IF-DA2 Dante Extension Card

Tascam IF-DA2 Dante Extension Card

The Tascam IF-DA2 is an optional interface card that adds Dante audio networking to Tascam’s SS-R250N and SS-CDR250N solid-state recorders. It fits into the host recorder’s expansion slot and provides two channels of Dante input and two channels of Dante output over a single RJ-45 Ethernet connection, so the recorder becomes a node on the same audio-over-IP network as Dante-equipped mixing consoles, amplifiers, processors and stage boxes. No other Tascam recorders accept this card; it is built specifically for those two models.

With the IF-DA2 installed, the recorder’s role in an installation widens. It can capture audio fed directly from the network — the main mix from a Dante console, for example — with no analogue cabling between the desk and the rack, and it can play recordings and announcements back into the network for distribution to wherever the system routes them. Supported sampling frequencies are 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz, matching the host recorders’ own recording range.

Key features

• Dante interface card for the Tascam SS-R250N and SS-CDR250N solid-state recorders
• Two Dante input channels and two Dante output channels
• Sampling frequencies: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz
• Single RJ-45 Ethernet connection to the Dante network
• Record from a Dante network feed and play back into the network
• Routing and device configuration handled in Audinate Dante Controller software
• Installs in the host recorder’s internal expansion slot; no external box
• Host recorder sold separately

What Dante Changes in an Installation

Without networking, a recorder needs dedicated analogue or digital cables run back to the console, one pair per signal, and any change to the setup means new cabling. On a Dante network the recorder connects to the nearest network point and audio is routed in software: the same infrastructure carries the rest of the system’s channels, routing changes are made in Dante Controller rather than behind the rack, and moving the recorder later is a configuration decision instead of a rewiring job. For venues that record services, conferences, performances or proceedings from a Dante console, the IF-DA2 makes the SS-series recorder a native member of that system rather than an analogue guest.

Fitting and Configuration

The card mounts inside the host recorder’s expansion slot, after which the recorder’s own menus enable the Dante input and output. The device then appears in Audinate’s Dante Controller application alongside every other device on the network, where its subscriptions, clocking and device settings are managed in the usual way. Because the audio travels as network traffic, the recorder can sit in a rack room away from the console while still receiving the mix it needs to record and feeding playback back to the system.

Who the IF-DA2 Suits

The card is for installations that already run, or are moving to, Dante: houses of worship recording from a digital console, conference and council facilities capturing proceedings, theatres and venues distributing playback, and broadcast or education sites standardising on audio-over-IP. If the recorder is used standalone with analogue or AES/EBU connections, the card is not required; it exists purely to join the recorder to a Dante network.

Full technical specifications for the Tascam IF-DA2 are listed in the Additional Information table on this page.