Review: Digico UB MADI

Digico’s UB MADI is a pretty unassuming device — it converts 48 channels of 24-bit audio from any device using the MADI protocol to USB2.0 and back again. But for a lot of engineers, it’s a giant slayer.

It’s the first device to make MADI conversion so accessible. While the protocol has enjoyed plenty of use in the live sphere, transferring high channel counts to and from stage racks, or between consoles, previously MADI devices could only be used for recording to computers via PCI cards and slots — which are cumbersome, and going the way of the dodo — or standalone recorders. So for those with MADI-equipped consoles, being able to record 48 channels of audio to any laptop over USB is a bit of a no brainer. MADI is capable of up to 64 channels at 96k sample rates, but stability within the confines of USB 2.0 was more important than bleeding edge performance for Digico. At 48k you have access to 48 channels full-duplex, so simultaneous streams in and out.

Of course, one of the main proponents of MADI on its consoles is Digico, and there’s a bit of Digico prowess involved here. An FPGA chip derived from the flagship SD7 console, as well as on-board 500MHz dual core CPU provide the grunt. UB MADI has its own internal clock, which it uses to clock the MADI output when there’s no MADI input present. It’s bus-powered, and hot pluggable, so if someone whips out your connection, you can be back online within four seconds, plus a bit of fumbling around time. The diminutive device is intended to be portable. It’s barely a lump in a cable run, and designed to be slipped in a laptop bag, not racked up with a console. 

Hooking it up to a Digico SD9, I was able to record 40 channels straight into ProTools 10 on a 2012 Mountain Lion-equipped Macbook Pro’s internal 7200rpm drive for almost two hours. I could only test at 48k, as that’s the native sample rate of the SD9, though we’ll be putting it through its paces on 96k desks soon. Set up is a breeze. It comes with a tiny USB stick for driver installation, and once the device was selected for input, output, or both in the Mac’s audio setup, UB MADI’s 48 inputs appeared in ProTools. A simple matter of mirroring the audio I/O from the Digirack to the MADI I/O, and you’re away. Alternatively, you can ripple assign the direct outs of each channel to MADI on the console and have additional control over the send levels. But the benefit of mirroring the I/O assignments to MADI is the ‘listen to copied audio’ function on the Digico consoles that reroutes the console’s inputs to the MADI output from your computer, making the flip between virtual sound checks and your stage inputs a breeze.

It performed without a hitch; no drop outs, no glitches, just a blinking blue LED to let you know its working. Safe to say, that this is one solid little box. At $1695, the price may seem a little steep for the size of the unit. But it’s got a big heart, and cheaper than similar MADI-based products. Needless to say, if live work on Digico’s and other MADI-equipped desks is your bread and butter, it will pay for itself. And the way these puppies have been selling, it’s definitely fulfilling a need.