Traditional analogue connectives have been long used to connect the devices, however, they have now been widely replaced by the Dante Audio Network, a high-utility, power-packed Audio Technology.
Dante Audio allows many channels of audio to be transmitted and received over a single Ethernet cable minus the complications and restrictions of previous solutions like the traditional analogue networks.
Dante replaces point-to-point analog and digital connections with a standard IP network that delivers:
- Lossless audio
- Massive channel counts
- Signal routing flexibility
AND it’s incredibly easy to deploy and use.
In this blog, we deep-dive into What is Dante Audio? Benefits of Dante Audio, Why and How to use Dante Audio.
D-A-N-T-E: What is Dante in Audio?
Dante stands for Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet and essentially a Dante Network moves Digital Audio over hundreds of feet (and more) using svelte Cat 5e cables (A Category 5e cable is a particular kind of cable that is frequently used for telephony, data transmissions, and Ethernet connections in local networks) or fibre-optic cables.
DANTE is developed by Audinate Pty. Ltd.
If a Fast Ethernet (the successor of 10-Base-TEthernet) or Gigabit Ethernet IT infrastructure (the successor of Fast Ethernet) is in place, then Dante can run over that.
And, because the data is digital, there’s no deterioration as it moves around the network.
However, it is important to note that Dante does not support Wi-Fi, your networked devices need to be physically connected to the Dante Network via Ethernet (Cat5e or Cat6 cables) across a compatible network switch.
Also Read: Understanding the Latest Wi-Fi Version - Wi-Fi 7
Where is Dante Used?
Dante Audio Network is great for use in commercial and professional audio environments, DANTE is a combination of hardware and software meant for transporting multi-channel, digital audio over a standard IP over Ethernet network.
Dante is used in live sound, places of worship, education, commercial sound installations, stadiums or airports, and for broadcast. It is popularly used in recording studios and post production as well.
What are the Benefits of Dante Audio?
Dante is a digital protocol that creates flexible routes between the various devices.
This means that devices can be up on the network and the Dante transmitter can be received by several other Dante receivers.
But that’s not all!
There is a wide array of benefits of using Dante Audio Networks in place of traditional analogue networks:
- Many manufacturers produce Dante-enabled devices, where one Dante device can link with another Dante device and also offers the flexibility of linking to another Dante device fast and easy.
- All of the devices communicate with each other on the network. There is no requirement of unplugging the channel from the multi cord and plug it into another channel. Instead, virtual Y splits can be created all over the place; the patch from one device can be changed over to another device at just a quick touch of a button.
- IP routes can be created hassle-free between the devices onsite and also remote offices where the system can be managed and monitored effectively by an IT team to ensure the system is adequately functioning.
How to Set Up a Dante Network?
It’s time we cover the basics of setting up a Dante Network.
If you follow these steps, you will be up and running in no time in acing up any Dante-based setup out there.
- Log in to your Audinate account, create an account if you don’t have one.
- Go to the Dante Controller download page to get the latest version of the Controller software
- Connect a Cat5e/Cat6 cable from the Primary port on your Dante device to an Ethernet port on your switch
Also Read: Everything You Need to Know About Wireless Multi-Room Audio
Once connected, your device/devices will be recognized automatically, without any need for an additional setup. If, by chance, your devices aren’t recognized, it could be attributed to an IP or network configuration mistake.
We recommend that you check out Audinate’s troubleshooting guide for more details
Hopefully, this blog gave you a quick overview of the concept, usage and benefits of dante audio. You can now reach out to our experts at Ooberpad who can answer your questions in-depth and help you with reliable information.
