Audio Networking: AV Meets IT

     The world of analog audio has been on its way out for some time, and digital audio has been moving in.  Now there is a new culprit entering the scene, and that's networking.  The integration of digital audio means audio networks can now gain massive territory.  To illustrate, I will paint scenario.  

     The old way of designing an audio system was through analog means.  There would be a mixing board with physical inputs, analog cabling routing to processors, and then an output to speakers.  This is one of the simplest forms of an audio system.  In the analog domain an audio network gets messy as it grows in size.  This is due to the cabling, power, and space requirements. 

        Today’s technology has taken the world of network routing, and applied it to audio system applications.  Think of how your Internet and corresponding devices are set up.  You have your router that grabs the Internet from your provider to supply to your household.  Then every device you want on the network connects to that router somehow; whether it is physically or wirelessly.  All of those connected devices can now talk to each other and the Internet.  So, now you can print wirelessly, connect to the Internet, and share files remotely with other computers in your household.  These are the basics of networking and now you can do it with audio systems.  

     Audio is starting to use the same blue Ethernet cable that is used for Internet networks.  Ethernet has the capability to carry more audio signals than an analog cable that can only carry one.  So already there is an advantage.  Manufacturers are also developing digital audio devices that have the capability to talk to one another intelligently.  Addresses are assigned to each device that is attached to the network and with little manipulation from the user; these devices can talk to each other.  This is called Audio over Ethernet (AoE).  More commonly you will see it described as a Cobranet or Dante system.  These are two common systems that allow audio over Ethernet at great speeds.  Another advantage of having audio devices on a network is the ability to control and monitor them remotely.  There are some brands that allow the end user to monitor and control a device from anywhere in the world through the Internet.  The manufacturer sets up a web portal that allows the user to log in to his/her device(s) and control or monitor.  This is huge because I have witnessed first-hand, times when the crew needed access to a piece of gear but didn’t have the authorization, and the only guy that did was not there.  Having network capabilities eliminates that problem from occurring, or at least greatly reduces it. 

     So hopefully you can start to see how much of an advantage it is to have audio systems set up in a network configuration.  It allows for more complex systems, reduction in cabling, and expansion of use.  However, these systems are far more complex to design and install.  This sums up my introduction to the world of networked audio.  There will be future posts delving deeper into the equipment and techniques used to design and operate these systems.  

-Jon