{"product_id":"arrakis-darc-s15-elite-bundle","title":"Arrakis DARC-S15 Elite Bundle","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArrakis DARC-S15 Elite Bundle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat This Arrakis Broadcast Console Bundle Actually Is This package puts a complete on-air production system in your studio without you having to hunt down and match individual pieces yourself. You get the DARC S15 Elite fader surface, the 16-channel DARC Virtual software license, two Simple-IP-16A audio nodes, a fully configured PC, and touchscreen monitors built right into the setup. Instead of a traditional analog board full of physical wiring, this is a digital audio-over-IP console running on the Dante protocol, meaning your studio sources travel over standard network cable instead of a rat's nest of XLR and TRS. Whether you're running a radio station, a podcast network, or a production room, this bundle is meant to be plugged in, configured, and put on air the same day. Everything in the box is designed to work together out of the gate, so you're not left troubleshooting compatibility between a console, a computer, and a software license bought separately. Stations replacing an aging analog board often underestimate how much time gets eaten up matching hardware and software after the fact, and this bundle sidesteps that entirely. Because it's built around Dante, the system is also inherently expandable, so what you buy today can grow into a multi-studio network later without a rip-and-replace. For anyone comparing broadcast consoles, the appeal here is less about any single spec and more about getting a coherent, tested system in one purchase. How the DARC S15 Elite Fader Surface Handles Your Mix The S15 Elite gives you 15 physical fader channels paired with an interactive touchscreen display, so every input, mix-minus, and output assignment is a tap away instead of buried in a menu. Because it runs on Dante with gigabit connectivity, any Dante-enabled device on your network, whether that's a microphone, a codec, a phone hybrid, or another studio's output, can be routed to any fader on the board. The console supports up to 64 total inputs and 8 mix-minus buses, along with 16 stereo output paths covering Program, Audition, Utility, Monitor, Headphone, Cue, and separate talk paths to studio hosts and guests. A built-in 4-band parametric EQ with a real-time frequency spectrum analyzer means you can shape your sound without reaching for an outboard processor. 8 user presets let you flip the entire board configuration for a different show with one press, which matters a lot for stations running back-to-back programs with different hosts and source setups. The touchscreen isn't just a display either, it's an active control surface, so channel labeling, level checks, and routing changes can all happen without ever touching a physical knob if you don't want to. Mic preamp needs are covered through either the ARC-MIC-PRE accessory or a connected Simple IP node, giving you flexibility in how you wire up talent mics. All of this adds up to a board that behaves like a traditional analog console in terms of hands-on control, while giving you the routing flexibility that only a networked digital system can offer. DARC Virtual 16 Software and Why Dante AoIP Matters Here The DARC Virtual 16 license is the brain behind the physical surface, and it's what makes this a true audio-over-IP console rather than a glorified fader box. It handles routing, level control, and channel assignment for every stereo or mono source on your network, and it supports 10-point multi-touch so you can adjust multiple channels at once if you're working from the screen directly. Each input can be labeled, color-coded, and saved into a user profile, which is genuinely useful for stations running several shows out of one studio, since switching source assignments and volume levels between programs becomes a single click instead of a full re-patch. The software also includes single-channel, post-fader recording on channels 1 through 4, a feature podcasters specifically ask for when they want to capture and edit individual mic tracks separately from the final mix. Because the console is Dante-based, it can also control any other Dante device on the same network, not just the hardware included in this bundle, which means integrating outside equipment later doesn't require new licensing. The software runs as a standalone system if needed, or in tandem with a full AoIP network spanning multiple rooms. User profiles save more than just labels too, they retain volume levels and on\/off states for every channel, so a full studio reset between shows takes seconds rather than minutes. For any operation juggling multiple hosts, formats, or time slots in the same physical space, this is the feature that ends up saving the most day-to-day hassle. What the Simple-IP-16A Nodes Add to Your Signal Chain Both included Simple-IP-16A units act as your physical connection points between real-world gear and the Dante network, each handling 16 mono inputs and 16 mono outputs, or 8 stereo in and out, which combined gives this bundle 32 in and 32 out before you add anything else. They're AES67 and Dante compatible, support analog balanced and unbalanced connections, and connect to your console using simple RJ45 cabling instead of punch blocks or long snake runs. Each node runs off its own external power supply, so a power issue on one unit doesn't take down your entire console, a detail that matters a great deal in a live on-air environment where downtime isn't an option. If your studio grows later, adding another node is as simple as connecting it to the network switch, since Dante Controller will detect it automatically within seconds. This is the part of the system that lets you tie multiple studios together or expand channel count without replacing anything you already own. It also means two physically separate studios can share a single console setup over standard network infrastructure, cutting down on both cabling costs and installation time. For facilities that have dealt with the mess of analog punch blocks and miles of point-to-point cable in the past, this is the piece that most directly solves that problem. Even for a single-studio setup, having two nodes from the start gives you enough headroom that you're unlikely to run out of inputs as your show lineup expands. Built-In Monitors and a Pre-Configured PC Save You Setup Time Unlike bundles that leave you sourcing your own computer and display, this package arrives with a configured PC and touchscreen monitors already built into the console workflow, so there's no guessing about compatibility or driver conflicts between your hardware and the DARC Virtual software. The PC is set up specifically to run the console software reliably, which matters for on-air environments where a crash mid-broadcast isn't an option. For stations or production rooms replacing an aging analog board, this removes one of the biggest headaches of an AoIP upgrade, namely making sure the computer running your console software is actually up to the job. Buyers who have tried to build their own PC around broadcast software often run into issues with underpowered processors or insufficient RAM once they try running other programs alongside the console, and this configuration avoids that guesswork entirely. Having the monitor built into the physical setup also keeps the studio desk cleaner, since you're not adding a separate display, stand, and cabling run on top of the console itself. It's a small detail, but for anyone setting up a new studio from scratch, cutting even a few decisions out of the process is worth something. This is one less vendor to coordinate with and one less compatibility question to answer before your station goes live. Who Should Be Looking at This On-Air Console Setup This bundle fits radio stations moving to a networked studio design, podcast production houses that need multiple mic inputs with individual recording, and any production room that wants mix-minus capability for phone callers or remote guests. The 8 mix-minus buses make it straightforward to put multiple callers or remote hosts on air without feedback loops, and the talkback paths to both host and guest studios mean you can run a multi-person show without extra hardware. Because everything routes through Dante, this also works well for facilities planning to link several studios together down the road, since the network backbone is already Dante-native from day one. Stations currently running analog boards and looking to modernize will find the transition easier here than piecing together a networked system from separate vendors. Podcasters recording multiple hosts or guests will appreciate the individual channel recording on channels 1 through 4, since it means less post-production work syncing separate tracks. Community and campus stations juggling many different shows and hosts throughout the day benefit heavily from the user preset and profile system, since it removes the need to manually reconfigure the board between programs. Even larger commercial broadcasters looking to standardize equipment across multiple studios can use this same bundle repeatedly, since the Dante backbone makes tying separate rooms together straightforward. In short, if your priority is a single, complete console solution rather than a collection of separately sourced parts, this is built with that specific need in mind.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arrakis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50995700269303,"sku":"DARC-S15 Elite","price":10499.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0422\/1291\/7402\/files\/arrakis-systems-logo_4de15e6b-9edd-4bba-a885-c2d5fa0c6ead.jpg?v=1785794792","url":"https:\/\/www.305broadcast.com\/products\/arrakis-darc-s15-elite-bundle","provider":"305broadcast","version":"1.0","type":"link"}