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Presented by Andrew McTeigue AVC Group Senior Sales Engineer Audio over IP in the Studio This presentation will explore and discuss the advantages of Audio over IP in the modern broadcast facility. Costs savings compared to traditional systems and methods. Scalability and flexible approach to modern facility design. Reduced time to install new studios. Why Use network Based Audio for Radio? Over the last two decades, computer networks have appeared everywhere. Schools, banks, offices and even in radio stations. Computer networks use Ethernet cables. Generally four pairs of unshielded twisted pair copper wires terminated on RJ-45 connectors that serve as ubiquitous networking transport for data. “Ethernet” and “IP” are used everywhere. Using Ethernet and IP leverages a much larger industry and accesses economy of scale. What is IP? IP is shorthand for Internet Protocol, an international standard for routing data through computer networks. Most common networks such as the Internet use the IP protocol. Broadcasters have been using IP networks for years to move audio and video files around their facilities. Transporting live audio over IP is a natural progression. Compared to traditional technologies, IP-based studios are more flexible, and significantly cheaper to install with much lower maintenance costs. It’s important to note that some so-called “networked audio” systems use RJ-45 terminated cables or Ethernet for non-IP based transport. Non-IP systems cannot leverage on the larger IT industry and may become technology dead ends. Your office LAN – wired as if networking were never invented. Modern switched Ethernet IP Network Ethernet and IP are Standards Why are Ethernet and IP such a great way to move audio data around? For one thing, they are well established standards. Standards make equipment future-proof: Ethernet is an open standard that all its users must adhere to. This means that any device with an Ethernet port will work with any other device that has an Ethernet port — period, no exceptions. Instead of inventing a whole new system to route audio, IP networks take advantage of long-existing, widely deployed, and highly reliable computer-industry technology for audio routing. When technology has a consistent framework for development, ongoing improvements pay off in increased performance. A standard also guarantees that new equipment will always be compatible with existing gear. There are no expensive, proprietary systems to buy and maintain. Being standards-based means that IP networks just work — you plug them together and the data flows. FREE Research & Development Ethernet is a mainstay of the consumer and business computing sector. Heavyweight technology companies like Cisco and HP invest billions of dollars annually into R&D for their Ethernet switching products A standard Ethernet switch forms the core of your audio router. An audio router with a lifetime warranty! IP Audio Networks are Scalable IP-based studios are economical and easy to expand by simply plugging new nodes and switches into the network as required — the same way you’d expand any computer network. TDM (Time Domain Multiplexing) routing systems are hierarchical and can be challenging and costly to expand. On an IP based network every source can be routed to any destination directly. Sample IP Studio Diagram IP Networks cost less to install Decreased cabling costs: Ethernet can carry huge amounts of audio- as-data but requires much less cabling and infrastructure than other methods of studio interconnection. For example, if you look at your studios, you’ll probably find 100-pair audio cables connecting them to the CTA. One of these can carry 50 channels of analogue stereo audio. Add connectors — typically 100 XLRs soldered to each end. XLRs get more expensive all the time, and a lot of time is required to handsolder that many connectors. A spot check finds that the cheapest 100-pair cable costs around $10 per metre; XLRs in bulk are about $2.25 each. So, to run one of these through your facility for 50 metres will cost you about $950 plus labour. Remember, that’s for 50 channels of stereo audio only — no control circuits or paths for any other information. IP Networks cost less to install By contrast, a single CAT-6 Ethernet cable can carry around 200 simultaneous channels of 48-kilohertz, 24-bit broadcast-quality stereo digital audio. Plus start/stop logic and other data, like song titles, playlist information, automation control data, and other traffic such as emails and file transfers. CAT-6 cable costs around $0.60 per metre, so the two such paths required to match the audio capacity of the 100-pair cable noted before would cost around $210, an 85 percent savings. No XLRs to solder — just a few RJ-45s, which are cheap. Labour cost and installation time are also greatly reduced. If you are moving studios or planning a rebuild moving to an IP audio network makes a lot of sense. IP Networks Decrease Complexity Traditionally sharing the audio from gear in your equipment room meant running wires to every studio where you wanted that audio to appear. This requires multiple redundant cables and plenty of costly installation time and labour. Using IP any device connected to the network can share audio with any other device. Connecting devices such as play out computers directly to the IP audio network simplifies cabling and reduces cost. Older equipment that doesn’t have Ethernet connectors can work with IP networks. CD players, turntables, monitors, mics and headphones connect via an interface node. Modern IP studios are much quicker to build which provides a saving in labour costs. XLR, TRS, RCA to RJ45 – not a problem! IP Networks Cost Less to Maintain Because the infrastructure of an IP network is so greatly reduced compared to traditional cabling or even TDM routers, IP networks save money in equipment, installation time, and maintenance. Traditional stations use patch bays with every signal in the building passing through them. These patch bays require hours of wiring, soldering, and documenting where each and every wire went. Wiring paths to any newly installed sources and destinations have to pass through the patch bay. Changing any sources or destinations means pinpointing the pairs of wires that fed them, and physically moving these connections. IP Networks Cost Less to Maintain In an IP-networked facility cabling is simplified. Once audio enters the network, you can manipulate that signal however you like, virtually, without ever physically moving a wire. You can distribute an audio feed to anywhere, or everywhere. Simplified documentation: Traditionally, documenting a facility meant numbering each pair of wires and manually writing down where they were terminated. With IP networks, each audio feed is tagged with a unique name and number; this allows automated software to scan the network and produce documentation reports for you. Fast software upgrades: The same program that documents your network can also keep track of the software versions of all your networked gear. It can download new software when it’s available, and push that new software to the equipment over the network, eliminating the tedious task of manual, one-by-one updates. IP Networks use Resources More Efficiently Equipment can be shared between studios easily. Microphones can be assigned to any fader in any studio. Codecs, hybirds, delay units and audio processing equipment can be dynamically assigned to studios as required. Engineers can reduce travel time to the studios during emergencies as most support can be completed remotely. Engineers abilities are put to use faster, and the station is back on the air sooner. Studios connected to an IP network can be accessed remotely via a secure connection, so engineers can log in from anywhere with Internet access to check network conditions, make administrative tweaks, perform remote troubleshooting, or help a jock out of a jam. IP Networks are ready for Radio’s future Audio over IP is not “future tech.” It’s been successfully deployed at thousands of radio facilities worldwide over the past six years, and is a tested, proven standard. IP itself and the Ethernet backbone it travels over have been refined and enhanced by two decades of real-world use in all business sectors. Since IP-audio networks speak the same language as computers, they’re able to take advantage of whatever new computer networking technology is yet to come. IP audio studios are essentially future-proof. The layered network topology and modular design of any IP-based network incorporate this premise as a fundamental design principle. IP Networks are ready for Radio’s future VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol is a telephony format that’s quickly being implemented in homes and businesses. Your station’s incoming VoIP phone lines can connect directly to your studio’s IP audio network. Text Messaging: Direct audience to-DJ messaging is becoming common place in radio. With IP-networked studios, listeners can use SMS on their cellphones to send messages directly to a radio station and have those messages show up on the station’s caller display screen. Remote management: Using IP networks, engineers can make audio routing changes, tweak equipment settings, or look at an individual console status remotely. This can be done from any computer Web browser, or by using a smartphone to wirelessly connect. Networked studios are creating new, more efficient ways for broadcasters to serve and interact with listeners. No matter what studio architecture you ultimately invest in, I implore you to seriously consider the benefits in cost and long-term usability your company might gain from IP-based studio infrastructure. Take Charge of your Future with Audio over IP AoIP provides numerous advantages that put the power back in your hands and let you Take Charge of your Future: Savings in costs and time in multiple areas Compatibility – IP audio networks allow all standard broadcasting equipment to simply ‘plug-in’ Standards Based – IP audio uses standard IP protocols making it future proof by design Easy to use and configure for how you want to use it – ensures a good transition from older equipment THANKS FOR LISTENING!