Record and stream Dante audio with Pearl
Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus now support Dante®. Bring Dante-enabled microphones, mixers, and DSPs into your recordings and streams over the network you already have, with no adapters and no extra cable runs.
What is Dante audio?
Dante (stands for Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet) is Audinate’s AV-over-IP platform. Dante audio carries multiple channels of uncompressed, low-latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network.
It is the most widely adopted audio networking technology in pro AV, supported by thousands of Dante-enabled microphones, mixing consoles, amplifiers, and DSPs. In many lecture halls, meeting rooms, and venues, a Dante audio network is already how sound moves through the building.
Dante is a registered trademark of Audinate Pty Ltd.
Dante on Pearl
Pearl works as a Dante receiver. It joins your Dante audio network as a receiving device, so any Dante source on that network can feed your production, from a mixer in the control room to a ceiling mic at the back of a hall. Route channels to Pearl in Dante Controller, add them to your channel layouts like any other audio source, and record or stream audio and video from one device.
Pearl-2
- Up to four channels of Dante audio
- Bring in a lectern mic, a lavalier, a floor mix, and a program feed as separate channels, ready to mix with your other audio sources
- Combine Dante audio with Pearl-2 multi-input switching, 4K recording, and streaming
Pearl-2 units purchased before August 2026 add Dante with the Dante 4 CH feature add-on.
Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus
- Up to two channels of Dante audio
- A presenter mic and a room or program feed arrive as separate channels, ready to mix with your other audio sources
- Built for classroom and meeting room capture over your existing audio network
Pearl Mini and Pearl Nexus units purchased before May 2026 add Dante with the Dante 2 CH feature add-on.
Why bring Dante audio into Pearl
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No adapters required
Pearl used to need a Dante AVIO adapter to convert network audio to analog for its XLR inputs. Now Pearl receives Dante directly, with no extra hardware, PoE port, or analog conversion.
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No computer in the chain
Record and stream Dante audio without a dedicated computer, Dante Virtual Soundcard, or a separate Dante audio interface.
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Less cabling
Take audio from the network instead of running dedicated audio cable to every encoder. Adding or moving a Pearl no longer means rewiring the room.
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Use the audio system you already have
Pearl ingests audio from the Dante-enabled microphones, mixers, and DSPs already installed in your spaces, including systems from partners like Q-SYS.
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Clean, uncompressed sound
Dante carries uncompressed digital audio, so your recordings and streams sound as good as your room audio system.
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Scales across a campus or venue
Route audio to any Pearl on the network. The same setup works for one room or a building full of classrooms.
Applications for Dante audio on Pearl
Lecture capture
Take the instructor’s mic and room audio straight from the classroom’s Dante audio network. Pearl Mini or Pearl Nexus records lectures with the same sound students hear in the room, and scheduled recordings pick up the audio automatically.
Live events
Pull a program mix and separate mic feeds from the front-of-house console over the network. Pearl-2 switches cameras, streams, and records while bringing in up to four Dante audio channels to mix with your camera and room audio.
Courtrooms and council chambers
Bring mic feeds from the room’s existing Dante-enabled audio system into Pearl for clear, accurate recordings of proceedings, without adding cable runs to rooms where installation is difficult.
Houses of worship
Send the sanctuary mix to Pearl over the same network the sound booth already uses, so the live stream sounds like the service in the room.
Add Dante to your Pearl
New Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, and Pearl Nexus systems include Dante. For earlier units, buy the feature add-on for your model and the license is issued to your device automatically. Then install the add-on from the Pearl Admin panel and complete a one-time activation with Dante Controller. Dante requires Pearl firmware 4.24.6 or later.
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Pearl-2
Flagship model with up to 6 encoded channels
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Pearl Mini
Touchscreen and up to 3 encoded channels
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Pearl Nexus
Up to 3 encoded channels in a 1RU form factor