Page 7 - IP Audio for TV Production And Beyond

FIVE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN TRANSITIONING TO IP
Your IP audio network will determine how much your studio can or can’t do, now and in the future. It’s important to get the right one for your needs. Here are ve things to think about:
Think beyond access. Think control.
IP connec vity isn’t just about access. It’s about control. The more func onality you can put on the network,
the more control you’ll have over change. For example, WheatNet-IP has an integrated control layer that carries all the logic func ons for audio. This makes a world of di erence when it comes to being able to handle the unexpected or to repurpose a news set for mul ple produc ons. Control is built into each WheatNet-IP connec on point that is shared with other IP connec on points across the network, giving you access to not only all sources at once, but also the presets and any associated logic that go along with each feed for controlling such things as mic ON/OFF, automa on START/STOP, or changing remote mic se ngs for gain, IFB rou ng, processing and other parameters.
Think distributed network intelligence.
Centralized network management is a single-point failure wai ng to happen. Distribu ng network intelligence throughout to every IP point in the network is the smarter approach, because distributed networks like WheatNet- IP automa cally build in redundancy. If one part of
the network fails for any reason, the rest can keep on func oning. Each IP connec on point – or BLADE – stores the en re con gura on of the network onboard, which means that failover is immediate. And because WheatNet- IP BLADEs talk to each other, adding onto the network is plug-and-play for easy system expansion -- which in turn adds more control resources, audio mixing and processing tools, and more intelligence for whatever new services come along.
Think routable tools.
Having the right tools for the job is important. That’s why we place audio tools at all IP connec on points in the WheatNet-IP audio network. For example, having two stereo 8x2 u lity mixers at each point of I/O makes it prac cal to do online mixing of sounds, between feeds, virtually overdub and pan, you name it. We added audio processing to our I/O BLADEs as yet another routable tool in our audio toolkit. Adding new tools is possible because each of our I/O BLADEs has a CPU and DSP processing inside, which we can add to, change, and make to t just about any scenario that’s needed.
Think about what’s going to be hanging o of that network.
In addi on to console selec on, pay a en on to
the devices and elements that make up the network environment. Will you need talent sta ons? Will you want to route processing and mix remotely? What about virtual tools? Will you want to add customized interfaces through apps such as ScreenBuilder or con gure your own console using tools such as those available for our LXE? The devices and so ware that make up the network environment will determine how exible and expandable your system will be in the long run.
Don’t forget AES67.
Being able to check this box will make it possible to stream audio between networks as your plans for IP audio expand and grow. l
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