® A Brief Tutorial on Dante Networking Dante Networking 1. What is Dante? Let’s compare the audio system above with components in a Dante™ is an uncompressed, Card network: multi-channel digital media networking technology with near- zero latency and synchronization. Input & Output mic computer Dante systems can easily scale from workstation a simple network between a console For example, if you purchase and a computer to large, complex an 8-port switch, the packet- Processing networks streaming thousands of /switch/ forwarding rate would have to be audio channels. Because Dante uses mixer 11.904 Mpps (1.488 Mpps x 8). logical routes instead of physical •• Energy Efficient (EEE), point-to-point connections, the also known as Green Ethernet network can be expanded and Input to Output or IEEE 802.3az, reduces power reconfigured at any time with just website/ISP/remote PC consumption when there isn’t a few mouse clicks in Audinate’s active much traffic on the network. loudspeaker Dante Controller application. Unfortunately, this can lead Analog to network diagram 2. Audio Networking Basics to audio interruptions and can Because experienced audio degrade clocking. If your switch Audio networks behave very much engineers understand signal flow provides this feature, make sure like an analog audio system. Like an and are used trouble shooting that you can and do disable it. analog audio system, audio networks problems in an analog system at •• Managed switches are required if consist of sources, destinations, and the various points of weakness, you plan to use SL Room Control intermediate processing along the configuring an audio network with a device, such as way. becomes that much easier. an iPad, to remote control your Let’s look at a simple live-sound loudspeaker. Managed switches setup: can also help you create a more stable Dante network if you have a complicated setup. •• Most managed switches support (QoS). This allows you to choose Dante clock stagebox mic active sub synchronization as the highest mixer active priority and audio data as the Basic analog flow loudspeaker next-highest priority. This is especially important if you are In the above example, an audio 2.1 Selecting the Right transferring large amounts of signal goes out of the microphone Network Switch data over your Dante network or and into the stage box. It then goes While Dante is compatible with if you are transferring non-Dante to the mixer, where the microphone standard network hardware, there data over the same network. signal is amplified, routed to the are a few basic requirements to •• If you are using multiple switches appropriate output, and sent to an keep in mind when choosing your on your Dante network, we active subwoofer, where it is finally network switch. The following recommend using the same passed through to the full-range recommendations are based on make and model to simplify setup loudspeaker. All of this is readily the needs of a high-channel-count and guarantee compatibility. apparent to any audio engineer just system (more than 32 channels). by looking at the diagram—a good thing because the skills needed •• Non-blocking layer-2 gigabit to configure an analog system are switch with a packet-forwarding nearly identical those needed by a rate of 1.488 Mpps per port. network engineer. PG August OF 2014 1 6 Dante 2.2 Adding a will stop the flow of Dante traffic Networking to that port and allow it to be used Card Dante audio and cannot for wireless remote control of your ® travel over a . loudspeakers. Do not connect You can still wirelessly remote Dante devices to the ports on a control devices that offer remote wireless router. Please consult the the cable is used, can shorten this control applications (like SL Room documentation that came with your potential transmission distance. Control for StudioLive AI-series managed switch for instruction If you are making the connections loudspeakers) over a Dante network about enabling Filtering on yourself, it is important to note but you’ll have to do a little more a specific port. that if the cable is not properly setup. terminated, it will not be capable of To connect a wireless router to 2.3 Choosing the Right Cables the maximum transmission distance. your Dante network, you will need Be sure to use CAT5e or higher Power User Tip: CAT5e cable to purchase a managed switch and (CAT6 or CAT7) network cable. The checkers can verify long-distance dive into its configuration settings. CATE5e specification supports transmission performance. These Select the port to which you’ve transmitting data up to 100 meters tools are readily available through connected your wireless router and but cable and termination quality, many electronics and online set Multicast Filtering to “On.” This as well as the environment in which retailers. Another thing to keep in mind Multicast Filtering ON when selecting Ethernet cable is Wireless Router Dante whether it is solid- or stranded-core. WiFi Network In a solid-core cable, each of the Control conductors is a single copper wire, which is a better fit for installations Channels 1-32, Main L/R, Sub 1/2 24 PORT MANAGED SWITCH and long cable runs (more than 70m). Stranded-core cables use multiple, thinner copper wires for PC Recording CH 1-32 Dante Virtual Soundcard each conductor, making them more flexible and easier to handle. This makes stranded-core cable a better FOH Main L (TOP / 315AI) Monitor Mix 1 (312AI) fit for touring and shorter cable runs.

Inside your Ethernet cable FOH Main R (TOP / 315AI) Monitor Mix 2 (312AI) Solid core Stranded

FOH Main L (SUB / 18sAI) Monitor Mix 3 (312AI)

FOH Main R (SUB / 18sAI) Monitor Mix 4 (312AI)

To prevent electromagnetic

FOH Sub 1 to Delay Tower (328AI) Monitor Mix 5 (312AI) interference, shielded twisted-pair (STP) cables are recommended. Unlike their unshielded cousins, STP cables have shielding that reduces FOH Sub 2 to Delay Tower (328AI) Monitor Mix 6 (312AI) noise. Like a balanced analog cable, STP cables have to be grounded, so you’ll need to use STP-compatible FOH Main L to Overflow L (328AI) Monitor Mix 7 (312AI) RJ45 or EtherCon connectors. 2.4 Basic Dante Terms

FOH Main R to Overflow R (328AI) Monitor Mix 8 (312AI) Like all technologies, Dante uses special terminology to describe its core functions. Anyone using a Dante network should become Managed Switch Network familiar with them before creating a network. PG August OF 2014 2 6 Dante •• Device: A device means a Dante- application that allows you to route Networking enabled device (e.g., a StudioLive audio and configure devices on Card AI-series loudspeaker with the a Dante network. With automatic ® SL-Dante-SPK option installed). device discovery, one-click signal •• Transmit (Tx) channel: As its routing, and user-editable device name suggests, a Transmit and channel labels, setting up a rest of the network. channel transmits audio from the Dante network is relatively simple. The advantage of using PTP is audio hardware to the network. Dante Controller also provides that if the master clock is suddenly •• Receive (Rx) channel: A essential device status information unavailable, the local clocks Receive channel receives audio and powerful real-time network continue to stay in sync while a new from the network and sends monitoring, including device-level master is elected. Since the new it to the audio hardware. latency and clock stability stats, master is already in sync with the •• Flow: Dante audio routing multicast usage, and old one, and all slaves only have a creates flows. Each flow carries customized event logging, enabling short window without a master, the several channels of audio from you to identify and resolve potential master-clock role can be passed a to one or more network issues. You can also back from device to device very quickly. receivers. Unicast routing up, restore, move, and reuse Dante Dante Controller provides options creates flows to single receivers. network configurations using to select a “Preferred Master,” Multicast routing creates flows presets and can edit Dante routing which has benefits, especially in that can be received by multiple configurations offline. fixed installations. However, if no receivers. Multicast flows are preference is specified, Dante assigned IDs, enabling them to will use its own criteria to select be identified in Dante Controller. the best master clock. •• Unicast routing: Unicast flows 3. Frequently Asked are point-to-point from a single Questions transmitter to a single receiver. Unicast flows typically have Can I connect a Dante device room for four channels of audio. directly to my computer? •• Multicast routing: Multicast flows Yes. Simply connect your are one-to-many from a single Dante-enabled devices to an transmitter to any number of Ethernet switch, using CAT5e or receivers. Use Dante Controller Dante controller CAT6 Ethernet cable, then connect to choose which channels are To route audio on your Dante your computer to the same switch. to be multicast. Unlike unicast network, you will need a Mac or If you have only one Dante- routing, multicast flows consume Windows computer with an Ethernet enabled device to connect to your network bandwidth even if there port and Audinate’s Dante Controller computer, you can eliminate the are no receivers but do not application. switch and simply connect the two require additional bandwidth The Dante Controller application with a CAT5e or CAT6 Ethernet to add more receivers. and associated documentation are cable. •• Subscription: A subscription available at www.audinate.com/ configures a Receive channel products/software/dante-controller. What type of Ethernet cable is to receive audio from a transmit recommended for Dante? channel on another Dante device. 2.6 Dante Clocking As most Dante devices support •• Subscription status: For a Dante uses distributed clocking gigabit Ethernet, CAT5e or CAT6 Receive channel, subscription but instead of sending a pulse every cable is recommended. For purely status indicates whether it is time a word starts, Dante uses IEEE 100 Mbps networks, CAT5 may be subscribed, whether it is receiving 1588 (PTP) to synchronize the used. unicast or multicast audio, clock slaves to the master. Precision whether the subscription is okay, Time Protocol (PTP) achieves clock Does Dante work with fiber optic or whether an error has occurred. accuracy in sub-microseconds. network cable? 2.5 Routing Audio on a Each device on the network has its Yes. Because Dante works with Dante Network own clock that runs the local digital standards-based networking audio. The local slave clock adjusts technology, using fiber is simple. For the most part, audio routing to stay in sync with the master Use a switch that supports fiber in Dante is done using the Dante clock by listening to messages sent connections to send Dante data over Controller application. Dante periodically from the master to the a fiber optic cable. Controller is a free software PG August OF 2014 3 6 Dante Ethernet is not copper- or fiber- Does Dante require a dedicated Networking based; it is independent of the network infrastructure? Card cabling medium. Many organizations No, a dedicated network ® will have fiber already in place from infrastructure is not required. Dante- other projects, and this can simply enabled devices can happily coexist be reused on a Dante network. with other equipment making use traffic over other network traffic. of the network, such as general- VoIP QoS features are available in a Is it possible to make direct purpose computers sending and variety of inexpensive and enterprise connections between Dante- receiving email and other data. Ethernet switches. Any switches enabled equipment? with the following features should be Yes. Once routes are established Can you mix control data and audio appropriate for use with Dante: with Dante Controller, a simple on the same network? network of two Dante devices will Yes, audio can be sent over the •• Gigabit ports for inter- work in a stand-alone fashion. same network as control information switch connections and even unrelated data traffic. •• Quality of Service (QoS) Can Dante devices be with four queues daisy-chained? Does Dante require •• Diffserv (DSCP) QoS, In most cases the answer is “no.” special switches? with strict priority Dante devices are connected via a No. However, we strongly •• A managed switch is also network switch, which most often recommend that gigabit switches be recommended, to provide means a “star” topology: All devices used due to the clear advantages in detailed information about the are connected to a single central performance and scalability. operation of each network link: point, which minimizes the number port speed, error counters, of “hops” through which data must What is the minimum requirement bandwidth used, etc. pass. This also avoids the scenario for switches in a Dante network? in which the failure of one device All Ethernet switches are capable Can I use switches with EEE causes the entire chain to break. of working with Dante. However, (Energy Efficient Ethernet or Green Note: The secondary port found on please be aware that there are some Ethernet) in my Dante network? some Dante devices is not to be used features on some kinds of switches Short answer: No. for daisy chaining; this is for Dante that will allow you to build larger and Long answer: EEE (Energy redundancy only. Please check your more reliable Dante networks. Efficient Ethernet) is a technology device’s documentation. While gigabit switches are that reduces switch power recommended, 100 Mbps switches consumption during periods of low Can Dante operate over a may be used in limited scenarios. network traffic. It is also sometimes Wi-Fi network? known as Green Ethernet and •• For channel counts of 32 or No. While possible in principle, IEEE802.3az. Although power more, gigabit switches are the practical limitations of current management should be negotiated essential. QoS is required wireless technology (802.11a/b/ automatically in switches that when using Dante in networks g/n) render reliable performance support EEE, it is a relatively new that have 100 Mbps devices. unachievable. For this reason Dante technology, and some switches QoS is also recommended software such as Virtual Soundcard do not perform the negotiation for gigabit switches on will not recognize wireless properly. This may cause EEE to be networks that share data with connections for audio data. Wireless enabled in Dante networks when it services other than Dante. access points for non-Dante is not appropriate, resulting in poor •• For lower channel counts (<32), traffic (device control, etc.) can be synchronization performance and a 100 Mbps switch may be used configured using managed switches. occasional dropouts. as long as it supports proper QoS, Therefore we strongly recommend and QoS is active. The use of 100 Does Dante require any special that: Mbps switches without QoS is not network infrastructure? 1. If you use managed switches, recommended or supported. No, special network infrastructure ensure that they allow EEE to be is not required. Since Dante is disabled. Make sure that EEE is What features are important when based upon universally accepted disabled on all ports used for real- purchasing a switch? networking standards, Dante- time Dante traffic. Dante makes use of standard enabled devices can be connected 2. If you use unmanaged switches, Voice over IP (VoIP) Quality of using inexpensive off-the-shelf do not use Ethernet switches that Service (QoS) switch features, to Ethernet switches and cabling. support the EEE function because prioritize clock sync and audio you cannot disable EEE operation in these switches. PG August OF 2014 4 6 Dante What is Quality of Service (QoS)? Networking Quality of Service (QoS) is a Card feature of managed switches, ® which ensures that certain types of network packets (e.g. clock sync and audio packets) get preferential treatment and are “moved to the front of the line” ahead of other traffic. This is achieved by attaching Priority Usage DSCP Hex Decimal Binary a priority number to each packet, Label which is then used by the switches High Time critical CS7 0x38 56 111000 to ensure that high priority packets PTP events get processed before lower priority Medium Audio, PTP EF 0x2E 46 101110 packets. Low (reserved) CS1 0x08 8 001000 When do I need to use QoS in a Other traffic BestEffort 0x00 0 000000 Dante network? None QoS is required when using Dante in networks that have 100 Mbps devices and is optional in networks with gigabit devices. We recommend that QoS be enabled in all Dante networks in order to ensure proper operation under all possible conditions.

How does Dante manage QoS? Dante uses standard Voice over IP (VoIP) Quality of Service (QoS) switch features to prioritize clock sync and audio traffic over other network traffic. QoS is available in many inexpensive and enterprise Ethernet switches. Any switch that supports Diffserv (DSCP) QoS with strict priority and four queues and has gigabit ports for inter-switch connections should be appropriate for use with Dante.

How does Dante use DSCP / Diffserv priority values when configuring QoS? Switches prioritize packets using what are called DSCP/Diffserv values. Although Dante packet priority values have been chosen to make it simple to configure QoS with many switches, some switches require special configuration to recognize and prioritize specific DSCP values. The table below shows how Dante uses various Diffserv Code Points (DSCP) packet priority values: PG August OF 2014 5 6 StudioLive AI PA Dante Card KRAFT LABEL Size A5

SL-Dante-SPK Dante™ Option Card ™ Dante card forinstallation StudioLive AI Loudspeakers

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SL-Dante-SPK Dante™ Option Card ™ 18011 Grand Bay Court for StudioLive AI Loudspeakers placeholderBaton Rouge, LA 70809 only Tarjeta opcional SL-Dante-SPK Dante™ correcttel UPC 225-216-7887is ™ 673454002960fax 225-926-8347 para altavoces StudioLive AI [email protected] ©2014 PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.™ StudioLive, CoActual, and XMAX are trademarks©2014 Designed of PreSonus in USA Audio by PreSonus Electronics, Inc. www.presonus.com Temporal EqualizationSL-Dante-SPK is a trademark of Fulcrum Dante Acoustic. Dante-Erweiterungskarte is a trademark of Audinate. Windows Audio is a registeredElectronics, trademark Inc 18011 Grand of Microsoft. Bay iPad is a ™ registered trademarkfür of Apple, StudioLive Inc. All specifications AI Lautsprecher are subject to change. Court, Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Manufactured in China ™ StudioLive is a trademark of PreSonus Carte d’option Dante SL-Dante-SPK Dante is a trademark of Audinate PG August OF pour enceintes StudioLive™ AI P/N 835-NRG0358-A 2014 6 6