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

Professional To Consumer: How The Recording Industry Has Shifted

     Let me paint a picture for you.  You are in a band and want to record an EP.  So you call around to professional recording studios until you find one you like.  You book the time and spend a few days in the studio tracking.  Then the engineer mixes the tracks and you get your finished product.  Now you have to build up to a release of the EP.  Finally after a long campaign, the consumer gets their hands on the music.  

     The scenario I just describe is that of the old model of the recording industry.  Recording and distributing music hardly goes through that process anymore.  Now don't get me wrong, there are still many labels and bands that prefer to work in this method and I applaud them for it.  However, the recording industry has been undergoing a major shift in recent years from a professional centric system, to a consumer centric one.  So what exactly does this mean?  Well let me explain it.  

     Since the dawn of digital recording the technology has been getting more compact and easy to use.  Now anyone with a laptop can record and mix music.  Since recording is more accessible and affordable than ever, it has caught the attention of the consumer market.  Consumers are now recording themselves and their own bands instead of paying to record at a professional studio.  Even though the quality if vastly different, the incentive of not having to pay loads of cash is appealing.  Since the demand for consumer recording has skyrocketed, it only makes sense that the manufacturers would follow that path.  Manufacturers like BLUE have halted their professional series microphones and focused on consumer grade products.  They have shifted their niche focus and opened up a whole new market in the process.  Many other companies have entered the market to just focus on the consumer.  IK Multimedia is a company that just makes products for mobile devices.  Their niche is the mobile industry and they have seen much success.  

     So to conclude, the recording industry has taken a major shift to the consumer market.  Since the technology is only getting more convenient, I don't see this trend fading anytime soon.  So if you are a professional in the recording industry it may be wise to think about how you can make this new shift work for you.  I have seen many professional studios close because they refused to shift their way of doing business to keep up with the current demand.  In a future post I will discuss ways that professionals int he industry can adapt to the changing business. 

-Jon