Networking and the Future of Audio

Networking and the Future of Audio

Andrew Maz Faculty at Cerritos College Lead for Commercial Music and Technical Theater CTE Liaison Lead for Commercial Music C ID Committee D.M.A. Early Music M.A. Musicology B.A. Classical Guitar Former Director of IT for USC School of Music Dante Level 1, 2, and 3 Certifications

How did this all begin?

Goals Record any room or venue from studio Broadcast to any room or venue from studio Provide environment for students to train using the latest audio technologies

Analog Realities Audio travels in one direction Each channel requires a cable Length restrictions External noise Physical space Routing is fixed Messy and bulky

Analog Supporters Cables easy to repair on often on site Problems easy to diagnose Signal flow easy to follow Signals can be split to multiple sources

Digital Realities Multiple formats MADI 64 channels over coax or MADI digital ADAT 8 channels over TOS optical AES 2 to 8 channels over 3 pin XLR Cannot be combined without format converters Audio travels in one direction Damaged cable cannot be repaired

Digital Supporters Clean with no noise Fewer cable runs needed Cables easy to replace Signal flow is similar to analog Settings can be saved

What about Audio over the Network? AV Consultants it s easy, they are all nearly the same IT Department our infrastructure will not support it Faculty and Staff something new to learn Vendors ours is the best product

Why Audio Networks? Scalable Cost efficient Flexible Redundant

This is not VOIP Professional audio requirements Less than 3ms latency No compression of audio lossy or lossless Sample accurate master clock required High sample rates up to 192kHz High bit rates up to 32 Full frequency spectrum 20Hz to 20kHz

Not all Audio Networks are the Same

Layer 1 Protocols Just raw information, no processing Requires dedicated network X Net by Behringer A Net by Aviom

Layer 2 Protocols Data with some processing and corrections Requires dedicated network CobraNet Cirrus Logic EtherSound Digigram SoundGrid Waves Audio

Layer 3 Protocols Data, processing, addressing, routing, correction Dedicated network not required but recommended Audio Video Bridging (AVB) Open Source Dante Audinate

Audio Video Bridging (AVB) Pros Open Source manufacturer pays no licensing fees Each manufacturer can implement as they see best Extremely simple to implement Cons Not everything can talk to each other Documentation? Specific network switches and networks required Works best if you stick with one manufacturer

Dante Pros Leading standard it is everywhere Audinate controls the protocol, implementation, and updates Documentation! Standardized software control Works on nearly any network infrastructure and hardware Cons Manufacturers must license the technology from Audinate Must use Dante hardware

Similarities Sample accurate clock Low latency <1ms Sample rates up to 192kHz Bit depths up to 32 Supports redundancy

Scenarios

Designing an Audio Network Think like and Audio Engineer first Then bring in the IT side Create a solution

Analog Solution

Network Solution

Dante Network Solution Each Ethernet carries up to 512 x 512 channels Audio can be routed to multiple destination Latency is less than 1ms 64 channels at 48kHz only requires 74Mbps bandwidth Patching is done over software Dante Controller

Dante Network Requirements Gigabit switch EEE not recommended PoE needed with some interfaces and devices Managed preferred QoS recommended Ensures compatibility with slower 100Mbps interfaces 4 queues minimum Limited to 10 switch hops 100 meter cable length unless you use fiber Dante hardware

Dante Hardware

Dante Adapters

Dante Software Dante Virtual Sound Card Dante Via Dante Controller Dante Domain Manager

Dante Virtual Sound Card

Dante Via

Dante Controller

Dante Domain Manager

Does it play well with others?

Is it Enterprise ready?

Thoughts Audio networking is a reality IT will need to deal with it Audio technicians will need to deal with it Students will need to live in both worlds to seek employment in the entertainment and media industries Train students on multiple protocols if possible

Thank you Andrew Maz amaz@cerritos.edu Facebook/andrewmaz Linkedin/andrewmaz