IBC 2026 is in full swing in Amsterdam, and Calrec is pushing its IP range down the market. The British manufacturer is showing the Type RT, a compact, self-contained broadcast console, backed by a new modular I/O platform, the Apex M6. Two announcements that extend the in-house audio-over-IP ecosystem without changing its logic.
A self-contained console built for smaller operations
The Type RT comes in 6, 12 or 18 motorised-fader surfaces. Its appeal comes down to one word: self-contained. The console packs its DSP, control processing, I/O, monitoring and USB audio connectivity right into the surface. In other words, no separate processing core is needed to run it: unbox, cable, go to air.
Calrec is explicitly targeting a wide range of uses: stadiums, local television, radio stations, podcast studios, corporate events and houses of worship. That signals a deliberate strategy: bring broadcast-grade quality and reliability to more modest productions, where people used to make do with less specialised gear.
Native ST 2110, with optional Dante and MADI
On the network side, the Type RT speaks SMPTE ST 2110 natively — the audio-over-IP standard that now underpins modern galleries — with optional Dante and MADI to interface with legacy kit. The Calrec Assist software adds browser-based remote control and metering: enough to drive the console from anywhere, a direct win for podcast workflows and distributed productions. To see how these network standards replaced point-to-point wiring, our explainer on on-air processing and the broadcast chain sets the scene.
The Apex M6 is a 1RU modular I/O platform that handles ST 2110-30, AES67, Dante, MADI, SDI and Waves SoundGrid. It’s the building block that lets you size a system’s connectivity to the job at hand, from a small studio to a mobile gallery.
An IP range that keeps filling out
The Type RT doesn’t come out of nowhere: it joins an ecosystem Calrec has been building methodically, from the virtualised ImPulseV engine — which is itself getting new DSP tiers and short-term licences at IBC — up to the maker’s larger consoles. It sits naturally next to recent launches such as DHD’s third-generation console and the AEQ Forum IP Plus: small and mid-size broadcast is moving to IP, and manufacturers are fighting over the ground.
My take
An all-in-one broadcast console that fits into 18 faders and drives from a browser is exactly what was missing to properly equip a web radio, a pro podcast studio or a small house-of-worship gallery. Native ST 2110 is the right choice: it avoids a gateway and future-proofs the room. The real unknown today is price — Calrec hasn’t said — and that’s what will decide whether the Type RT genuinely democratises IP or stays with the budgets already in place. For a sector where every studio is starting to broadcast over the network, the intent is spot on.
