| Feature | Dante Virtual Soundcard | Ravenna/AES67 Virtual Audio | NDI | Physical Dante PCIe Card | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | $49.99 USD | Free (but complex) | Free | $500+ | | Channel Count | 64x64 | Varies | Up to 16 (audio only) | 128x128+ | | Latency (Lowest) | 4ms (usually 6-10ms usable) | 1ms possible | 16ms (audio typical) | Sub 1ms | | CPU Usage | Moderate | Moderate | Low (video codec heavy) | Zero | | Reliability | Good (wired only) | Excellent | Fair | Excellent |
For live in-ear monitoring, always use physical Dante hardware (like a RedNet PCIe card or a Dante Brooklyn module). For everything else, DVS is excellent. audinate virtual sound card
In a boardroom, you might have a Dante-enabled microphone array (like Shure MXA920) and Dante-enabled speakers. Your DSP could be purely software-based (like Dante-enabled Teams or Zoom Rooms). DVS allows the conferencing PC to receive mic audio from the network and send processed audio back to the loudspeakers, all without a physical DSP box. | Feature | Dante Virtual Soundcard | Ravenna/AES67
Imagine a hybrid studio with a Dante-enabled interface (like a Focusrite RedNet). You can run Pro Tools on one computer and Logic on another, both connected via a standard network switch. With DVS on both machines, you can route 64 channels of audio between DAWs in real time. Need to print a stem from Logic into Pro Tools? Just route it via DVS. No external cabling required. Your DSP could be purely software-based (like Dante-enabled
For decades, professional audio was tethered to physical limitations. If you wanted to get audio in and out of a computer using a networked audio protocol like Dante, you needed a piece of hardware—a Brooklyn module, an expansion card, or a dedicated USB interface. That meant higher costs, supply chain delays, and physical ports dictating your workflow.