® 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 router/switch/modem 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 Ethernet (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 wireless 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 Quality of Service (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 Wireless Router will stop the flow of Dante traffic Networking to that port and allow it to be used Card Dante audio and routing cannot for wireless remote control of your ® travel over a wireless network. 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 Multicast 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 GIGABIT ETHERNET MANAGED SWITCH GIGABIT ETHERNET MANAGED 24 PORT 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 bandwidth 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 transmitter 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.