The Sound Engine, purpose-built for the exclusive use of sound production training,
will open shortly opposite the SABC in Auckland Park. This two-storey, iconic
building, is an extension of the facilities offered by the Academy of Sound
Engineering and is in addition to those currently leased from the SABC.
MD Tim Kraft says that the Sound Engine is one-of-a-kind and fitted with very latest
technology designed specifically for recording purposes. Heading up the technical
side is Gray Burnett, responsible for the installation of the latest equipment and the
implementation of protocols.
After researching a range of options, Burnett settled for “Dante’, the most advanced
audio networking solutions. Compatible with the existing gear in the Sound Engine –
such as Focusrite RedNet devices, Studer Vista and OnAir consoles, SoundCraft Vi1
console, and various Yamaha consoles – it is described as an uncompressed, multi-
channel digital media networking technology, with near-zero latency and seamless
synchronization.
Until recently, multiple audio channels were transported over bulky multi-channel
snake cables. This is still the case for analog audio, but digital audio protocols have
allowed these many cables to be condensed to a single cable. A single co-axial or
fibre-optical cable is capable of carrying multiple channels to and from compatible
devices, but the distribution of this audio is limited to these devices in a point-to-
point fashion.
Networked digital audio changes this radically. Previously, routing and distribution,
was only achieved via expensive routers used in SDI, MADI and AES/EBU
broadcasting environments. There are a few audio over ethernet protocols
available, but Audinate’s Dante offers superior multicasting options and the ability
to work over a standard network with most off-the-shelf network gear, at a fraction
of the cost. The software has the capability of turning any computer with an
ethernet port into a 64 channel Dante-capable input/output device.
“As with Dante, audio over ethernet alternatives such as RAVENNA, AVB and
LiveWire, encapsulate data onto OSI layer 3. This makes most standard networking
gear compatible with these protocols. The limitation of these alternatives, however,
is the lack of support from the industry. RAVENNA and AVB have a number of
manufacturers using these protocols with their gear, but Audinate currently has 275
equipment manufacturers incorporating Dante into over 675 products. This
overshadows their competition by nearly 10 to 1,’ says Burnett.