Many FOH engineers love the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 for their flexibility, built-in effects, and affordability. But once you're working bigger shows or handling complex routing, you may start to feel those mixers' built-in capabilities hit their limits. Perhaps you need to run multitrack recordings, send audio to a broadcast team, or want more powerful plugins for vocals and mixbus polishing. These real-world situations are exactly what trigger the need to upgrade your mixer with expansion modules.

This is where the Klark Teknik DN32-DANTE and DN32-WSG cards come in. One enables you to route your mix into a Dante network for flexible audio transport and recording, while the other connects your mixer to the Waves SoundGrid network, allowing real-time use of Waves plugins during a live mix. If you've been wondering which one fits your workflow, this article will help you understand what these expansion modules are, what they do, and which one is right for your setup.

Expansion modules are add-on cards that give digital mixers like the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 new ways to send and receive audio. These mixers come with a built-in USB card, but that can be swapped out for more specialized cards depending on your needs. Whether you want to record multitrack audio, use high-end plugins, or route signals between multiple consoles, expansion modules open the door to much more flexibility.

For example, if you're mixing a live band and want to send the mix to a broadcast truck, or record 32 channels into a DAW while still handling FOH duties, the stock USB card might not cut it. You'd need an expansion module that speaks the same language as the rest of the system. That's where DN32-DANTE or DN32-WSG come into play.

DN32-DANTE

The Klark Teknik DN32-DANTE is an expansion card that gives your X32 or M32 full access to the Dante audio networking ecosystem. With it, your mixer can send and receive up to 32 channels of uncompressed audio over standard Ethernet. It’s perfect for integrating your mixer into a venue-wide Dante system, sending audio to another console, or multitrack recording with Dante Virtual Soundcard on a computer. Configuration is done via Dante Controller software, and it’s recommended to match sample rates across all Dante devices.

DN32-WSG

The Klark Teknik DN32-WSG connects your mixer to the Waves SoundGrid network. It gives you the ability to send up to 32 channels to a SoundGrid Server, where you can run Waves plugins in real-time with ultra-low latency (as low as 0.8ms). You’ll also benefit from full-duplex streaming at 24-bit/48kHz quality. The setup includes installing the card, connecting a SoundGrid-certified network switch, server, and computer for plugin control using Waves SuperRack. This setup allows you to insert plugins on individual channels, buses, or mix groups—up to 32 channels at once or up to 6 via Aux insert mode.

Expansion modules are add-on cards that give digital mixers like the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 new ways to send and receive audio. These mixers come with a built-in USB card, but that can be swapped out for more specialized cards depending on your needs. Whether you want to record multitrack audio, use high-end plugins, or route signals between multiple consoles, expansion modules open the door to much more flexibility.

For example, if you're mixing a live band and want to send the mix to a broadcast truck, or record 32 channels into a DAW while still handling FOH duties, the stock USB card might not cut it. You'd need an expansion module that speaks the same language as the rest of the system. That's where DN32-DANTE or DN32-WSG come into play.

Waves plugins are well-known in the studio world for their high-end processing: CLA compressors, SSL channel strips, L2 limiters, H-Reverb, and more. These tools have helped define the sound of countless hit records. With SoundGrid, Waves brings this same level of processing to the live stage, with plugins that can be inserted in real-time into your FOH or monitor mix.

The DN32-WSG card is your gateway into this ecosystem. It connects to a SoundGrid-certified network switch, a SoundGrid server (like the Waves Mobile Server), and a computer running Waves SuperRack. The processing is offloaded entirely to the SoundGrid server, keeping your computer and mixer’s DSP free. With the right setup, latency is as low as 0.8ms—ideal for in-ear monitoring and real-time vocal effects.

You can use SoundGrid plugins in two ways: 1) sending all 32 input channels to SuperRack and returning them, or 2) assigning up to 6 channels via Aux Inserts for processing on groups, matrix, or LR buses. Routing is simple via the X32/M32's card routing page and is fully customizable in SuperRack. The system also supports redundancy with multiple servers and remembers your routing at startup.

The key difference is this: Dante is for routing and recording, while SoundGrid is for plugin processing.

If your goal is to connect your mixer to a larger network, route audio between consoles, or record multitrack sessions into a DAW, the DN32-DANTE is the right choice. If you're more focused on improving your live mix with Waves plugins and getting studio-quality sound on stage, the DN32-WSG is what you need.

TL;DR

• • X32 and M32 mixers can be upgraded with expansion modules for more advanced workflows.

  • DN32-DANTE lets you connect your mixer to a Dante network for multitrack recording and audio routing.

  • DN32-WSG connects your mixer to a Waves SoundGrid network for real-time plugin processing.

  • Dante = Routing and recording. SoundGrid = Mixing with Waves plugins live.

  • SoundGrid offers plugin use with low latency, bus inserts, and full 32-channel processing.

  • Choose DN32-DANTE for integration and recording; choose DN32-WSG for high-end live sound processing.

Whichever path you choose, both options open up exciting new capabilities for your X32 or M32 mixer. Now the question is: what do you need more — seamless audio networking, or a studio-sounding live mix?