After two long nights working on trying to stabilize the sound system based around cobranet and not getting to solid ground, I have decided to do my best to patch completely around the network audio side of the rig. Much of the system already has copper lines run as a backup to cobranet (note to self, “one must wonder about a system that is redundant by design that needs a third and different backup”). All of the signal distribution between the house DSP (Biamp Audia Flex) is achieved via cobranet. There are a few analog lines coming in to DSP units here and there but it’s possible that there simply is no way around using cobranet for some signal distribution (backstage, lobby, program, etc…) because there is simply no way to distribute that much audio in the analog domain of the system.

We’ve already bypassed the cobranet component of the main L/R arrays. Overstage monitors are working without any network audio. Subs will be easy. Front fills are ready. Underbalc / other delay rigs are a concern. Will I have time to set new delay times once I completely bypass the house DSP?

Fortunately some parts of the system have onboard DSP (some of the Renkus Heinz speakers) so maybe the job won’t be such a big deal. For example, if the Main L/R speakers are EQed internally, nothing is lost by bypassing the house DSP. Only delay times will change due to removing some of the latency of the system.

So before the first show on Friday night, I need to measure and verify all the venue speakers and my own speakers (eq and delay as necessary).

More soon…

The Winspear Opera House PA system is based on the COBRANET protocol.

WIKI – Cobranet network audio

cobranet website

The FOH console is a Yamaha PM5D. All other DSP is covered by a Biamp Audia system. The system includes multiple Yamaha mic pres, (2) Apogee BIG BEN work clock generators, network switches, etc…

All the original Renkus Heinz speakers are fed via Cobranet with a copper backbone for redundancy.

I recently received a call from a audio fellow friend who is assisting a church in getting their system back up and running after some sort of DSP failure. He works in the PRO AUDIO department at Guitar Center so he sees a lot of this type of work.

Our initial conversation was about blown speakers and how to service them but in the end the DSP proved to be the issue. Just goes to show that without being able to correctly assess an issue, there is no path to a solution.

I volunteered to visit the venue last week just to check things out for myself. The PA currently sounds terrible even though it works again. This indicates that it wasn’t designed correctly in the first place. The room is a big rectangle without almost no acoustic treatment. Clapping my hands in the room yields some of the worst ping pong delay I’ve ever heard. When I put sound through the PA and mute it there is about a 2 second of reverb. This indicates that the PA is loading the walls and possibly the ceiling. Surprisingly the reverb is nice. Most rooms shaped like this church don’t sound nice when loaded.

The PA consists of (8) Frazier 69 speakers. (4) aimed long and (4) aimed short.

Yamaha LS9-16 for the front of house console.

DSP was a dbx Driverack 260 (which failed). It has been replaced by a dbx Driverack PA2.

On my next visit I’ll measure the PA and see if I can help make it sound more flattering.

photos coming soon…

Audinate – Dante Via webpage

QUOTE:

Dante Via creates a flexible software audio bridge for your computer to connect with local USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt and analog audio interfaces, transforming them into networked devices.

With Dante Via you can now build a complete, standalone audio system of networked PCs without the need for any dedicated Dante-enabled hardware to be present on the network.

Dante Via breaks down traditional physical barriers and allows for flexible networking of sound to and from any connected PC or existing Dante endpoint. Send, receive, and monitor any track while also recording. Use your Dante Via to connect to other media applications, such as Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic, PowerPoint audio or Skype. Connect your existing Dante network with Dante Via and extend sound from your Macs and PCs. Or use it to as a tool for monitoring any local or remote channel.

Dante Via allows networked audio to be sent anywhere within facilities like schools, houses of worship, meeting centers, conference rooms and court houses.

END QUOTE:

prosoundweb.com – New Audinate Dante Via Transforms Computers Into Networked I/O Devices