An AoIP Primer: Understanding Audio over IP
Dante, AVB/TSN, Ravenna, AES67. Perhaps you've heard of one or more of these terms. What are they? What do they mean, and what do they actually do for your sound?
What is AoIP?
AoIP (Audio over IP) is a category of systems that digitize audio and transmit it to another network device in a point-to-point manner in real-time.
Think of it like sending an email, but instead of text, you are streaming high-fidelity audio. Because a standard Gigabit network moves data at incredible speeds, you can easily send dozens of audio tracks simultaneously with almost zero perceived delay.
Why Switch to a Networked Setup?
Imagine setting up a simple network between two different DAW stations in adjacent rooms. Instead of running multiple snakes or dozens of individual cables to connect mixers and interfaces, you can send all that audio over the network with a single Ethernet cable.
The Role of Managed Switches
In most cases, your existing infrastructure is sufficient. However, for more complex setups, a managed Ethernet switch such as the MOTU AVB Switch is required. These switches allow you to access QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, which set transmission priorities for different types of data packets. In some cases, we need to raise the priority of AoIP packets to prevent bottlenecks and ensure audio data flows reliably.
Competing Protocols: Dante, AVB, and More
AoIP is a concept, not a specific protocol. There are several competing AoIP protocols that share many similarities but serve the same primary function: transporting audio over a network so you can tap into, monitor, or process it.
Dante (By Audinate)
Among the protocols, Dante is probably the best known. Created by Audinate, it currently supports over 600 manufacturers and more than 4,000 products. It is the industry standard in many professional live-sound and studio environments.
AVB/TSN (Audio Video Bridging)
AVB (Audio Video Bridging/Time-Sensitive Networking) is similar in many ways to Dante but is open-source rather than proprietary. As a manufacturer, you don't need to pay a licensing fee to incorporate it into your product.
AVB is gaining some momentum but isn't quite as widely used in practice as Dante. AVB requires an AVB-certified network switch to function, whereas Dante can often run on standard "off-the-shelf" Gigabit gear.
Ravenna
Ravenna is also open-source and frequently used in the broadcast industry. While it is more flexible in configuration than AVB and Dante, it can be more complex to set up and maintain. Ravenna is built upon the AES67 protocols.
AES67
AES67 is a standard proposed in 2013 by the Audio Engineering Society to bridge various digital network protocols. It acts as a "common language" to maximize interoperability between Dante, Ravenna, and other systems.
Real-World Application of AoIP
How does this look in practice? Imagine you have a live drum room in one studio, but the recording engineers are in the studio next door.
Once your microphones are placed and plugged into a digital board with an AoIP expansion card, you can route the signals from the board to your Ethernet port. The adjacent studio can then access those signals as inputs on their own device.
The interfaces handle all timing information for transmission and reception, and your DAW automatically accounts for latency, keeping every track perfectly in sync.
At this point, it really doesn't matter where the receiving DAW computer is. It could just as easily be anywhere in the world. We recently helped a client set up two rigs: one in a club and one in a studio across the city. By incorporating devices with built-in GPS receivers, we used satellite timing to provide sample-accurate synchronization over long distances.
Benefits of AoIP
AoIP offers a massive leap forward in professional audio routing:
- Convenience: Drastically reduced cabling.
- Flexibility: Route any input to any output on the network instantly.
- Performance: Low latency and high track counts.
Whether you are looking to eliminate cable clutter or build a massive multi-room broadcast facility, AoIP is the future of professional connectivity. At Long & McQuade, we carry the latest AoIP-enabled gear from digital consoles and stage boxes to professional interfaces and managed switches. Our experts can help you find the right gear for your setup.
