On January 29, leading audio companies got together just around the corner from ISE to discuss AV networking needs and opportunities. Of course the aim was to talk about audio and video, but the video side of things was lacking. The audio industry has several protocols it uses to be able to hook up the various components needed to transport signals over an IP network.
Digital audio gives installers and integrators of both live events and fixed installations, more possibilities than even before. The key thing in this area is to achieve interoperability between equipment of different manufacturers. Finding the right protocol will future proof the project.
There are many protocols: CobraNet, Ethersound, MADI, Dante, AVB and Ravenna, to name a few.
For instance, Atterotech chose CobraNet for its first line of networked AV products. CobraNet is an established technology for sending real-time, high-quality digital audio over an Ethernet network. It is very cost-effective to implement, and is still a great fit in many small and medium venues – as its upper most limit is 32×32 channels.
But as Mike Simms, director of marketing and sales at Atterotech explained, venues are getting bigger and CobraNet is a Layer 2 solution, while IT groups prefer Layer 3 AV networks, and it has only a limited number of channels available. It also operates over LAN and it is not routable, so the company has opted to adopt Audianet’s Dante protocol.
Dante is “interoperability made simple’, according to Lee Ellison, Audinate CEO. “Dante is Audinate’s patented solution which combines software, hardware and standard TCP/IP protocols, to transport many channels of high-resolution, uncompressed, low-latency digital media over relatively long distances and to multiple locations, using a standard 100Mbps or 1Gb Ethernet network,’ explains Ellison. “Dante provides a self-configuring, plug-and-play digital audio/video network over standard IP. It is licensed by over 70 OEM manufacturers and Dante networked devices are currently being designed into hundreds of AV OEM products.’
Ellison added, “When you look at networking equipment, you don’t want to disrupt the way the IT people work. Dante can work with an IT manager’s switcher of choice. Our aim is to educate installers and contractors on the importance of using networked audio. Digital allows multiple connection with more flexibility, drawing on structure cabling. It allows you to do things that have never been done before.’
The significance of the Dante protocol was evident on the number of companies that announce were adopting the technology at ISE 2013.
Stewart Audio chose Audinate’s Dante for its FLX Series of compact networked half rack amplifiers. PreSonus has licensed Dante digital media networking technology and will incorporate Dante into optional networking cards for several of its new products.
The main highlight at Shure’s booth was the SCM820 digital mixer, which delivering seamless, natural-sounding speech in various microphone applications and through Dante it can offer an eight-channel mixer with advanced mixing capabilities along with versatile configuration options.
Shure’s Microflex Wireless (MXW) family, for high-end corporate boardrooms and meeting rooms are fully networked via standard Ethernet (TCP/IP) allowing status monitoring. MXW is compatible with AMX, Crestron and other touchscreen controllers and it delivers superior digital audio, carried by Dante over Ethernet using shielded Cat5 cables. MXW also features Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256).
Yamaha’s Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) series, devised to provide a complete system solution that need little audio training to be managed, features Dante and Yamaha’s YDIF cascade bus to connect to Yamaha CIS products, as well as other professional audio products on a digital audio network. The first CIS series products include the MTX matrix processors, XMV multi-channel amplifiers, VXC ceiling speakers and VXS surface mount speakers.
A star product on the audio front for Justin Mamulis, Sales Director at iLED SA, was Powersoft’s DEVA. “This solar powered, full multi-media loudspeaker solution was, for me, one of the highlights of the show. New applications come to mind every minute for a product like this. Apart Audio launched AudioControl 12.8 – a very welcome addition to their already expansive range of products. Sonance’s landscape series will completely revolutionise the way we do audio in both our home gardens, as well as commercial outdoor areas – watch this space.’
Sonance launched Sonarray landscape audio system at ISE 2013. The Sonarray sat/sub system of satellite speakers are designed for outdoor use reaching up to 185sqm. For larger surfaces there is Sonance Landscape Series (SLS) High Output (HO) system, which can operate at much higher volumes to produce a wide, even sound field.
Powersoft solar powered DEVA integrates bi-directional wireless A/V communication, lighting and a Class D amplifier in a compact, weatherproof enclosure. DEVA is a multifunctional device that enables audio messaging and video capturing for a wide range of applications. It is equipped with several sensors (microphone, presence detector, twilight switch and temperature / humidity / pressure sensors and accessories (eg. LED lights). On a single charge the unit can remain on stand-by for more than 18 days and can provide up to 64 hours of continuous audio playback.
