Digital studio · declared evidence
How many ADAT ports do you need at 96 kHz?
Plan ADAT optical links for 44.1–192 kHz, explicit S/MUX support and endpoint channel ceilings. Unknown capabilities stay unverified.
Your declared setup
Eight channels at 96 kHz needs more than an eight-input preamp
Common ADAT mode carries eight channels per optical link at 44.1/48 kHz. S/MUX2 carries four at 88.2/96 kHz, so eight channels require two usable outputs and two usable inputs. A second optical socket may be an output, reserved for another mode or disabled by a device limit; count only dedicated ports for the chosen direction.
Example: target 8 channels at 96 kHz, two expander outputs, one receiver input and documented support gives four link slots, not eight. Changing the receiver count to two fixes the link count only if both entered endpoint ceilings also allow eight channels.
High rates are a capability question first
Where explicitly supported, S/MUX4 uses two channels per link at 176.4/192 kHz. A USB interface supporting 192 kHz on its analogue inputs does not thereby support ADAT at 192 kHz. Choose “Not verified” unless both manuals confirm the mode. Enter a zero channel ceiling only as unknown, not unlimited.
Logical bundles help allocate a target; they do not prescribe connector labels or DAW input numbers. Check each manual’s mapping, then plan clocking independently. Sources: Audient dual optical explanation, PreSonus S/MUX, RME explicit S/MUX4 example.