Using IP for Broadcast Studio Audio

0sing IP foi Bioaucast Stuuio Auuio

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ExecutiveSummary
Arevolutioniscurrentlytakingplaceinthefieldofaudiostudiodesign.Itinvolvesafundamental
rethinkingofthewaysignalsaredistributedandmanagedthroughoutthebroadcastfacility.
AnewapproachtothisprocessutilizesadigitaltransmissionformatsimilartothatusedontheInternet
forpurposesoftransportanddistributionofcontentaroundanaudioproductionenvironment.
ThisformatisknownastheInternetProtocol,generallyreferredtoasIP,anditistheverycoreofthe
Internet.IPisthecommonformatusedforanykindofdatathatflowsontheInternet(including
streamingmedia),andonprivateextensionsoftheInternet,suchastheLANsemployedinenterprise
networksandsmalloffice/homeoffice(SOHO)networks,bothwiredandwireless.Itsetstherulesfor
thisentiredatanetworkinginfrastructure,bothhardwareandsoftware,whichhasemergedandbeen
sobroadlyembracedoverthelastquartercenturyormore.Sincemostaudiofacilitieshavealready
convertedtodigitalaudio,itthereforemakessensetonowexaminetheuseofIPthere,aswell.
GiventhatIPisthelinguafrancaofcontemporarydatanetworking,itcanprovidesignificanteconomies
ofscaleforspecializedapplicationssuchasprofessionaldigitalaudiodistribution.Thisexploitsthesame
processthathasmadethegeneralpurposedesktopcomputeranefficientandcosteffectiveplatform
forthecreationandstorageofprofessionalaudiocontent.IPAudiodistributionissimplyanextension
ofthatthinkingandtechnology,replacingthepurposebuilt(andrelativelyexpensive)mixers,routers
andswitchersthathavetraditionallybeenusedbyaudiostudiosformanagingmultipleaudiosignalsas
theypassthroughaproductionorbroadcastfacility.IPalsoallowsthefullandcontinuingforceof
MooresLawtobeappliedtoaudiodistribution,justasthePChasdoneforotheraudioprocesses.
Beyondsimplecosteffectiveness,however,IPAudiooffersotherimportantbenefits.Theseincludehigh
scalability(i.e.,theabilitytoeasilyaccommodategrowthandotherconfigurationchanges),convenience
(i.e.,easyandfastinstallation)andfutureproofing(i.e.,highlikelihoodoffittingwellintoanyscenario
forfuturefacilityrequirements).Puttingalltheseelementstogethercreatesavaluepropositionthatis
hardtoignorewhenconsideringoptionsfornewfacilitydesignsorexistingstudioupgrades.
ManyotherindustrieshavealreadyconvertedtheirlegacycommunicationsprocessestoIPbased
replacementsystems.StudioaudiosystemsusingIPbasedtechnologyarenowsufficientlymatureto
allowaudioproducersandbroadcasterstodothesame,providingthemwithsubstantialsavingswhile
simultaneouslypositioningthemwelltoaccommodateindeterminatefutureneeds.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio Page

Introduction
Thispaperconsidersthereplacementoftraditionalformsofaudiosignaltransportinthebroadcast
studiowithnetworkedaudiocarriedviaInternetProtocol(IP).Itexaminesthevalueandprocessofsuch
conversion,thechallengestodoingso,andthelikelyfutureofthisenvironment.
ThisstudywascommissionedbyAxiaAudioinearly2008.
ABriefHistory
Thebroadcastaudiostudiohasalonglegacyrelationshipwiththetelecommunicationsworld.The
earliestaudiofacilitiesandstandardpracticesweredevelopedbyBellSystemandWesternElectric
engineersintheearly20
th
century,andthetwoworldshaveneverstrayedfarfromeachothersince.
Inparticular,broadcastaudiohasretainedacloseconnectiontothetelecomenvironment,sinceso
muchofbroadcastingscontentcomesand/orgoesfromthestudioviatelcoprovidedpaths.
Thusitisnotsurprisingthatthenextgenerationofstudioaudiotechnologyshouldonceagainfollowa
pathblazedbytelecommunicationstechnologies.
Inthiscase,thetechnologyinvolvesdigitalnetworkingspecificallyusingthepopularandnownearly
ubiquitousInternetProtocol(IP).Thisprotocol,coupledwitheithertheTransmissionControlProtocol
(TCP)orUniversalDatagramProtocol(UDP)datatransportformat,providesthebulkofdata
communicationcarriedontheInternet.Itspopularityforthatpurposehasalsomadeitusefulforother
localized,nonInternetdatanetworkingpurposes.Thisisprimarilyduetothevolumeofdevelopment
andresultinghardwareandsoftwarethatsupportsTCP/IPorUDP/IP,andthegreateconomyofscale
thatresults.
Foralittlebackground,notethataprotocolinthedatanetworkingcontextissimplyanagreementon
theformatofdatathatwillbepassedbetweendevices.Thereforeitspecifiesasetofrulesforvarious
parametersofthatdata,suchasthedataratesallowed,theerrorcheckingalgorithmsemployed,any
datacompressionformatsthatmightbeused,howthestartandendofindividualmessageswillbe
determined,howconfirmationthatamessagehasbeensuccessfullydeliveredwillbecommunicated,
andsoon.
ItsalsohelpfultoreviewsomeoftheearlydevelopmentthatledtoIPsparticularpopularity.Ina
nutshell,theIPapproachisasimplificationofthecanonicalsevenlayernetworkingarchitecture
1
down
toastackconsistingofonlyfourlayers,asshowninTable1.

1
TheOpenSystemsInterconnection(OSI)referencemodel,establishedinthelate1970s,includedApplication,
Presentation,Session,Transport,Network,DataLink,andPhysicallayers.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

APPLICATION HTTP,RTP,FTP,SMTP,TELNET
TRANSPORT TCP,UDP
NETWORK IP
LINK Ethernet,WiFi
Table1:ThefourlayersofInternetdatatransmission,withsomeexamplesofeachlayersprotocols.

TheInternetprocessalsoincludesanaddressingprotocolforeachofitsdatapackets,theIPaddress.
AnydeviceattachedtoanIPnetworkisassignedanIPaddress.Untilrecentlyi.e.,usingIPv4anIP
addresswasspecifiedasanumericstringoffouronebytenumbers(oroctets,sinceonebyteiseight
bits),eachexpressedindecimalform(from0to255)andseparatedbyperiods(e.g.,169.10.206.2).
2

ThisimpliesthatthenumberofpossibleaddressesinIPv4isthatexpressedbya32bitnumber(4x8
bits),meaningthat2
32
,orapproximately4.3billion(4.3x10
9
),uniqueIPaddressesareavailable.This
maysoundlikealot,butmanyofthesearereservedforspecificuses(moreonthisbelow).
Today,theIPworldisconvertingtoIPv6,whichspecifiesitsIPaddressesusing128bitratherthan32bit
numbers.
3
ThenumericalexpressionofIPv6addressesalsodiffersfromIPv4s,inthatitgenerallyuses
hexadecimalnumbersintheformhhhh:hhhh:hhhh:hhhh:hhhh:hhhh:hhhh:hhhh,whereeachbyte(or
octet)isrepresentedbyahexadecimalpairofnumbers(from00toff,e.g.,e7),andeachpairofbytesis
separatedfromthenextpairbyacolon.Anexampleis30c1:0ab6:0000:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:2f8e.For
awhile,theremaybealotofzerosinIPv6addresses,andtheycanbeskippedwiththeinsertionofa
doublecolon,asinthisnotationofthepreviousaddress:30c1:0ab6::8a2e:0370:2f8e.
OneoftheprimaryimprovementsofIPv6overIPv4isitsallowanceoffarmoreIPaddresses.Thisisa
realissuegiventheexpectationthatsomanydevicesinthefuturewillrequireuniqueIPaddresses.
IPv6s128bitrangeprovidesmorethan3.4x10
38
possibleaddresses,ormorethan5,000addressesper
squaremicrometeroftheEarthssurfaceprobablyenoughtolastforawhile.
Nevertheless,itisexpectedthatIPv4willremainthestandardformatoftheInternetforsometimeto
come,whileIPv6supportisgraduallydeployedworldwide.
ThereasonthatIPaddressesareimportanttothisdiscussionisbecausetheyessentiallyreplacethe
audiocrosspointsinatraditional,circuitswitchedenvironment.InanIPAudiosystem,alltrafficflows
alongasingle,serializedpath,andeachpacketofdatagetstoitsintendeddestinationviatheIPaddress
initsheader,ratherthanbyitsbeingsentalongadedicatedwirebyaswitcher.

2
IPv4hasbeeninusesince1981,establishedwiththepublicationbyDARPAoftheseminalRFC791document,
generallycitedastheoriginalspecificationfortheInternet.Althoughotherprotocolsprecededit,formostofus,
IPv4istheonlyversionofIPtheInternethaseverused.
3
IfyourewonderingwhathappenedtoIPv5,itwasascribedtoaversionthatwasoriginallyintendedtobeused
forconnectionbased(ratherthanpacketbased)streamingmediaontheInternet,butworkwasabandonedonit
asstreamingmediabecamepossiblewiththedevelopmentofnewprotocolsoverIPv4.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

IPBeyondtheInternet
Asnotedearlier,IPisusedtodayonmanylocalareanetworksthatarenotconnectedtotheInternet.
ThisiswhytherearealargenumberofIPaddressesthatarereservedfornonInternetusesonprivate
networks.
4
AnumberofIPaddressrangesareinternationallyagreedtobereservedforthispurpose,the
largestcontiguousgroupofwhichspansfrom10.0.0.0to10.255.255.255.Thisgroupaloneprovides
some16millionpossibleaddressesthatarenotaccessiblefromtheInternet(routersareprogrammed
toignoretheaddressesonincomingInternettraffic),andareonlyavailablefromwithinalocalnetwork.
ThisalsoimpliesthataprivateIPaddresshasnoneedtobegloballyunique,andsothesesame
addressescanbeusedbyanyentityonitsinternalnetwork,therebyconservingthenumberofIP
addressesrequiredworldwide.
DevicesassignedsuchprivateaddressescanstillaccesstheInternetifnecessary,viaaproxyserveror
NetworkAddressTranslation(NAT)device.
5
TheprivateaddressspaceisparticularlyusefulforstudioaudioapplicationsofIP,sincethedevicesso
interconnectedaretypicallynotintendedtobeaccessibledirectlyviathepublicInternet.
IPbutnotInternetisalsothecaseforanothermajoremergingtechnologycalledIPTV,whichusesIP
fordistributionoftelevisionprogramming,butoverdedicatednetworksoperatedbytelcos(providinga
multichannelservicecompetitivewithdigitalcableandsatelliteTV),nottheopenInternet.
6

StreamingChangesAll
Althoughoriginallydevelopedforstandarddatacommunication,subsequentenhancementstothe
Internetallowedittobeusedformediatransmission,aswell,whichiswellknownastheprocesscalled
streamingmedia.
ThisdevelopmentfundamentallyalteredtheusageoftheInternet,andhassubsequentlyhadsignificant
impactonallfacetsofthemediaindustry,astheystruggletocopewiththechangesitbrings,andto
takeadvantageofthenewopportunitiesitengenders.
Besidesspawningmanycurrentlyburgeoningonlinemediabusinesses,streamingtechnologyisalsothe
basisforIPstudioaudio.Thisallowstheaudiostudioenvironmenttoleverageseveralkeypropertiesof
anIPbasedenvironment,whichprovidesubstantialimprovementovermoretraditionalapproaches:

4
ThesenetworksuseaddressesintheprivateIPaddressspace,asspecifiedintheInternetEngineeringTask
Forces(IETF)RFC1918,andadministeredbytheInternetAssignedNumbersAuthority(IANA).
5
NotethatinIPv6therewillbenoprivateaddressspaceorNAT,giventhefargreaternumberofgloballyuniqueIP
addressesitprovides.
6
Meanwhile,TVcontentsentviaIPthatdoestravelviatheopenInternet(InternetTV)isalsosoaringin
popularity,increasinglyusedfordistributionofbroadcastcontentaswellascontentcreatedbyconsumers(user
generatedcontent,orUGC).
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

x Scalability:PerhapsthemostfundamentalchangebetweenIPbasedaudiosystemsand
traditionalapproachesanalogordigitalistheabilityofIParchitecturestoadapttochange
andgrowth.Forexample,atraditionalaudioenvironmentmusthaveitsspatialorimaging
format(e.g.,mono,stereoorsurround)predetermined,alongwiththenumberofsimultaneous
audiochannelsitwillrequires(e.g.,one,twoormore).AnIPAudioenvironmenthasnosuch
requirement,andcaneasilyadapttoanyformat.Similarly,atraditionalcrosspointaudio
routingswitchermusthaveitsinputandoutput(I/O)configurationfixedinitshardwaredesign.
Inthisway,suchadevicereflectscircuitswitchingandparalleldesign,whereasIPAudiosystems
implementpacketswitchingandserialdesign.Thisallowsgreatflexibilityandresponsivenessin
accommodatingchangesinI/Oconfiguration.Justastelcoshavemovedawayfromthecircuit
switchedpathsoftheirearlieryearsforsimilarreasons,studioaudiosystemscannowenjoythe
sameadvantagesofscalabilityandflexibilitytoimplementexpansioninanydimension.This
comesnotamomenttoosoon,giventhecompetitivepressurescomingtobearonbroadcasters
forincreasedcontentandlistenerchoice.

x Costeffectiveness:Atalmostanyreasonablesize,anIPbasedaudiosystemwillcompare
favorablywiththecostofatraditionalsystembothintermsofhardware/materialspricingand
installationcost.Thereductioninwirealoneprovidessubstantialeconomy.
7
Maintenance
expensesaregenerallyalsolower.Thesecostdifferentialsincreasewiththesizeofthefacility,
whichiswhysomanylargerinstallationshavealreadymovedtoIPbasedsolutionsastheir
needshavecalledfornewtechnicalplants.

x Convenience:Thesmallphysicalfootprint,lowoperatingcost,easeofreconfigurationor
upgrade,andfastinstallationofIPAudiosystemsmakethemextremelyconvenientfor
engineeringandoperationsalikeattheaudiostudiofacility.Frominitialdesignto
implementationtodailyoperation,IPbasedsystemsmakelifeeasier.

x Futureproofing:Nothingstrikesfearintheheartoftheengineerormanagermorethan
makingapoormajorpurchasingdecision.MovingtoanIPbasedaudioarchitecturetakesalot
ofthepressureoff,sinceitofferssuchflexibilityandallowsbroadabilityforreconfiguration
downtheroad.Provisioningforunforeseenchangesismuchlessproblematicandcheaper.
NotethattheaboveadvantagesonlyfullyapplytosystemsthatutilizestandardIPintheirarchitecture.
Notallaudiosystemsthatusecomputernetworking(overEthernetand/oronRJ45connectors)for
interconnectionarenecessarilytrueIPbasedsystems.SomesimplyuseEthernetasaphysicallayerwith
aproprietarydataformataboveit,
8
whileothersmayusemoreIPlikeformatsbutwithnonstandard

7
RememberthatapacketswitchedsystemlikeIPdoesnotrequireindividualwiringpathstoeachinputand
outputofeverydevice.Forexample,anaudiomixingconsoleormultitrackrecordingdevicecanhaveallofits
inputsandoutputsinterfacedtotherestofthefacilityviaasinglecableinanIPAudioenvironment.
8
e.g.,Cobranet
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

protocolvariations.Someofthesenonstandardapproachesmayhaveofferedsomevalueinthepast
(suchasreducedoverheadandlatencyoverstandardIPnetworking),butgiventhecapacity,speedand
performanceofaproperlyconfigured,standardIPsystemtoday,thepenaltiespaidbyworkinginanon
standardenvironmentgenerallyfaroutweighanyadvantagesthatsuchvariationsmightprovide,
particularlywhenconsideredoverthelongterm.
IPAnything
Intermsofcriticalmassbehindthistrend,studioaudioiscertainlynotaloneinitsmovementtowardIP
basedprocesses,asalreadynoted.NumerousotherindustrieshavealreadyembracedatransitiontoIP
forsimilarreasonstothosecitedaboveforstudioaudio.
OnesuchdevelopmentthatiscloselyrelatedisVoiceoverIP(VoIP),whichisrapidlygaininggroundin
thetelephonyspaceasareplacementfortraditionalvoiceservice,inbothconsumerandenterprise
applications.AgaintheleveragingofIPasamechanismtousegeneralizedsystemsandtransportpaths
forvariousspecifictaskshasundeniableappeal,andthisargumentisalsofindingfavorinawiderange
ofotherindustries,fromhotelTVsystemstohealthcare.EmergingdigitalTVsystems(includingnew
mobilevariants)arealsofavoringanIPdistributionmodel.
IPisfastbecomingthelinguafrancaofdigitaltechnologyandcontent,allowinganythingexpressedin
itstermstobecarriedandprocessedthroughincreasinglyavailableandcosteffectiveinfrastructures.
JustasthePCbecamethegeneralpurposecomputingplatform(deliveringunprecedentedprocessing
power,speedandcosteffectiveness),IPhasbecomethegeneralpurposedatatransportformat.
Forengineers,familiaritywithdigitalnetworkingtechnologies,includingIP,hasbecomeanear
requirementofthejobanyway(forimplementingtheonlineservicesofaradiostation),sowhynot
applythisknowledgetostudioaudio,too?
ItsbecomingclearthatIPistrulythewayofthedigitalmediaworld,particularlyforanyindustrythat
valuesconnectedness,agilityandcosteffectiveness.Intheradioenvironment,itsnotanoverstatement
tosaythatIPAudioisthefutureofstudioaudiosignalflow.Arguingotherwiseisdifficult:Thereisand
willcontinuetobesomuchdevelopmentwithintheIPenvironment,itonlymakessensetoharnessthe
powerofthateffort,whilealsolettingMooresLawhaveitsfulleffectonthehardwaresideforstudio
audioequipment,justastheseforceseffectsarebeingenjoyedbysomanyotherindustriestoday.
Whatsthecatch?
ThisisnottosaythattherearentsomechallengestotheoptimaluseofIPforstudioaudiotransport.
PrimaryamongtheseisthelatencythattheencapsulationprocessofaudiodataintoIPpacketscan
cause,andtheirserialroutingthroughapacketswitchednetworkpronetodatacollisions.As
mentionedearlier,variousmethodshavebeenputforthbydeveloperstoamelioratethis,butproper
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

configurationofavailabledevicesusedontodayshighspeedEthernetnetworksisusuallyadequateto
resolveanysuchdifficultiesinIPAudiosystems.
SuchconfigurationofstandardIPequipment(e.g.,Ethernetroutersandswitches,buffersizesand
networkspeeds)canbesettooptimallyservethespecificneedsofastudioaudiosystem,ratherthan
generalizedInternetdatatraffic.Forthisreasonaswellasforobvioussecuritypurposesitis
importanttouseaseparate,dedicatednetwork(eitherphysicalorvirtual)forallstudioaudioIP
applications.Thisnetworkcancarryallaudiocontent,controlsignalsandmetadatarelatedto
production,butshouldbeisolatedfromthegeneraldatanetworkofthefacility.Inaddition,there
generallyshouldnotbeadirectconnectionofthestudioaudiosystemtothepublicInternet.When
Internetconnectionsarerequiredforaccesstooffsiteaudiosourcesordestinations,theyshouldbe
routedthroughaproxyserverorotherisolatingpath.SomevendorswillalsosetIPpacketprioritization
atahigherlevelforaudiocontentpacketsthanforgeneralnetworkdata.ThishelpsIPAudio
performanceevenonnetworksthatarenotdedicatedtoIPAudiousageonly.
Anotherissueisasimpleoneofconnectorstandards.SinceIPAudiogenerallytravelsonCAT5orbetter
9

Ethernetcables,theRJ45connectorisusedforallterminations.ButsomeIPAudiosystem
implementersalsouseRJ45foranalogorAES3digitalaudioI/Oandpatching.Whilethiscanminimize
thenumberofdifferentconnectortypesusedinafacility,andreducethephysicalspacerequiredfor
connectorpanels,thereisnostandardfortheconfigurationofanRJ45connectorforthispurpose.So
individualIPAudioimplementershavedesignedtheirownunilateralformats,againpossiblylimiting
broadcasterstotheuseofonlycertainmanufacturersproductsinanIPAudiofacility,orrequiringthe
useofadapters.
Ofcourse,theneedtoretaincompatibilitywithanalogandAES3digitalaudiowilllikelyremainforsome
timetocomeatanyIPbasedaudiofacility.Attheveryleast,livemicrophonesignalswillneedtobe
convertedfromtheirnativeanalogaudio(orinsomecases,perhapsAES3)format,andinsomecases
analogordigitalaudiofromotherdevicesorremotesourceswillalsohavetobeaccommodated.How
thisconversionprocessisaccomplishedisakeyfactorinthedesignofanIPAudiosystem.
Forthetimebeingatleast,theaboveoptimizationprocessesarguefortheselectionofasinglevendor
forthesupplyofIPAudioequipmenttoagivenbroadcastfacility,oratleasttheverificationthat
compatibilityamongdifferentvendorsIPAudioequipmentisassured.Workingwithasinglesupplier
alsoensuresthatupdatesandupgradeswillbedeliveredinatimelyfashion,andevenspecialfixesfora
particularproblemencounteredatagivenfacilitycanbequicklyprovided.

9
CAT5eorCAT6
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

Implementationandintegration
ThisbringsustoactualIPAudiosystemconsiderations.Giventheadvantagesofscaleprovidedbythese
systems,itmakessensetomaketheIPAudiodomainaslargeaspossiblewithinagivenfacility.That
impliesthataudiosignalsinotherformsshouldbeconvertedtoIPpacketsassoonaspossible.
Thebestplacetodothisinmoststudioconfigurationsisatthecentralpatchbayand/orthestudio
mixingconsole(s).Microphoneoutputsandsignalsfromotherlegacyaudiosourcescanbe
immediatelyconvertedtodigitalaudioform(iftheyarentalready)andpacketizedasIP.OnceintheIP
domain,thesesignalscanbeaddressedandroutedtoanyotherlocationonthenetwork.Thiscan
includedestinationswithintheconfinesofafacilityviaLAN,oranywhereintheworldviaWAN.
Anotheradvantageofthisapproachisthatamixingconsolecanactasarouter.Inotherwords,because
anyinputontheconsolecanhaveauniqueIPaddress,itcanbeconnectedtoanyIPAudiosourceon
thenetwork.(Evenmoreamazingtoveteranaudioengineersisthatthiscanbeaccomplishedeven
thoughtheentireconsoleisconnectedtothenetworkviaasinglecable.)Acentralswitchingcontrol
unit(typicallyaPC)canassigntheseI/Oconnections,orthemixingconsoleitselfcanhaveacontrol
interfaceforthispurpose.Inaddition,standalonehardwareswitchcontrollerscanbedistributedaround
thefacility,essentiallyduplicatingtheappearanceandfunctionoftraditionalroutercontrolpanels.Inall
cases,however,allthatisbeingdonetoachievetheroutingistheadditionofappropriateIPaddresses
totheheadersofIPAudiopacketsonthenetwork.
10
Ofcourse,themixingconsolecanalsobeequippedwithtraditionalanalog(mic/line)orAES3inputson
someinputsaswell,toaccommodatelocalaudiosourcedevices.Thesesourcesareinturnconvertedto
IPbytheconsole,andviatheirroutingtotheconsolebusordirectoutputs,thesesignalsmayinturnbe
madeavailableasIPsourcestotherestofthenetworkagainviathesinglecableconnectingthe
consoletothenetwork.(SeeFigure1.)
ConsideralsohowPCbasedaudioplayout/automationsystemscanbeinterfacedtosuchasystem.
RatherthantheiraudiooutputsbeingdirectedthroughPCsoundcardstotraditionalaudioinputs,the
automationsystemcanbefittedwithanIPdriverthatprovidesasoftwareinterfacebetweenthePC
audioandtheIPnetworkdirectlyintheIPAudiodomain.Thisnotonlymaintainshighaudioquality,but
cutscostsintheautomationsystemsinceno(oratleastfewer)soundcardsarerequired.TheIP
interfacecanalsocarrycontroldataandPADaswell,eliminatingtheneedforseparatedatalinks
betweendevices.

10
Ideally,theIPfeedsto/fromanymixingconsoleinanIPAudiosystemareusedonlyforthoseitemsthatneed
accesstotheconsolesaudiomanipulationfeatures.Simpleinputtooutputconnectionscanbehandledbythe
coreIPAudioarchitecturewithouttakingupconsoleresources(orevenusingupacrosspoint,intraditional
switchingterms).TheconsolecanbeconsideredasanIPapplianceoraudioengine,whichcanhostanysortof
audioleveladjustment,mixing,processingorcoding/transcodingthatthefacilityrequires,applyingallsuch
processesefficientlyandwithintheIPdomain.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

Moreover,asingleIPdriverinterfacebetweenanautomationsystemandanIProutingarchitecturecan
carrymanyindependentaudiochannels(perhapsupto24),whereasatraditionalswitchingsystem
wouldrequireacrosspoint(pluswiring)foreachsoundcardinputandoutput.Thecombinedhardware
savings(soundcards+crosspoints+wire+installation)inalargefacilitycouldbesubstantial.
AnyIPAudiosystemtodaywillalsoincludeoneormorestandardEthernetswitches,whichareusedto
interconnecttheEthernetconnectionsfromeachfacilityordevicethatprovidesaudioI/OviaIP.These
switchesarestandardtelecomdevices,whichreplacethemorecommonEthernethubsorroutersused
forsimilarRJ45terminationsintypicalhomeorsmallofficesituations.SwitchesarepreferredinIP
Audioapplicationsbecausetheyhavemoreintelligencethanhubs,whichallowsthemtoinspectdata
packetstodeterminetheirsourceanddestination,andforwardthemappropriately.Throughthis
intelligentcontrol,eachmessageisonlysenttotheintendeddevice,therebyconservingnetwork
bandwidthandprovidingbetterperformance(includingreducedlatency).

Figure1:ConceptualblockdiagramofatypicalIPAudiobasedbroadcaststudiofacility,showingonestudioand
TechnicalOperationsCenter(TOC).

Ethernetswitchescomeinunmanagedormanagedforms,thelatterallowinguserconfigurationof
variousparametersoftheswitchsoperation.InsmallerIPAudiofacilities,unmanagedswitchescan
performadequately,whilelargerfacilitiesmaybenefitfrommanagedswitches.Someswitchesalso
TOC

Local
Audio
Sources

(Mic/line
Analogor
AES3)
Softwareinterface
(audio+control)
IPAudio
Converter
IncomingRemoteAudio+
ControlSignals
ProgramOutputs
toAudio
Processors,
ConventionalSTLs,
Monitoring,etc.
(AES3orAnalog)
To/from Internet
RadioServers
LANorWAN
Ethernet
Switch
(Core)
PCbasedAudio
Storage/automation
System
(w/IPDriverSoftware)
EthernetSwitch(Edge)
Conversion
toIP
IPbasedMixing
Console
Ethernet
LAN
To/fromIPSTLs&
OtherSites
WAN
Ethernet
LAN
To/fromOther
Studiosinthe
Facility
LAN
STUDIO
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

Moreover,asingleIPdriverinterfacebetweenanautomationsystemandanIProutingarchitecturecan
carrymanyindependentaudiochannels(perhapsupto24),whereasatraditionalswitchingsystem
wouldrequireacrosspoint(pluswiring)foreachsoundcardinputandoutput.Thecombinedhardware
savings(soundcards+crosspoints+wire+installation)inalargefacilitycouldbesubstantial.
AnyIPAudiosystemtodaywillalsoincludeoneormorestandardEthernetswitches,whichareusedto
interconnecttheEthernetconnectionsfromeachfacilityordevicethatprovidesaudioI/OviaIP.These
switchesarestandardtelecomdevices,whichreplacethemorecommonEthernethubsorroutersused
forsimilarRJ45terminationsintypicalhomeorsmallofficesituations.SwitchesarepreferredinIP
Audioapplicationsbecausetheyhavemoreintelligencethanhubs,whichallowsthemtoinspectdata
packetstodeterminetheirsourceanddestination,andforwardthemappropriately.Throughthis
intelligentcontrol,eachmessageisonlysenttotheintendeddevice,therebyconservingnetwork
bandwidthandprovidingbetterperformance(includingreducedlatency).

Figure1:ConceptualblockdiagramofatypicalIPAudiobasedbroadcaststudiofacility,showingonestudioand
TechnicalOperationsCenter(TOC).

Ethernetswitchescomeinunmanagedormanagedforms,thelatterallowinguserconfigurationof
variousparametersoftheswitchsoperation.InsmallerIPAudiofacilities,unmanagedswitchescan
performadequately,whilelargerfacilitiesmaybenefitfrommanagedswitches.Someswitchesalso
TOC

Local
Audio
Sources

(Mic/line
Analogor
AES3)
Softwareinterface
(audio+control)
IPAudio
Converter
IncomingRemoteAudio+
ControlSignals
ProgramOutputs
toAudio
Processors,
ConventionalSTLs,
Monitoring,etc.
(AES3orAnalog)
To/from Internet
RadioServers
LANorWAN
Ethernet
Switch
(Core)
PCbasedAudio
Storage/automation
System
(w/IPDriverSoftware)
EthernetSwitch(Edge)
Conversion
toIP
IPbasedMixing
Console
Ethernet
LAN
To/fromIPSTLs&
OtherSites
WAN
Ethernet
LAN
To/fromOther
Studiosinthe
Facility
LAN
STUDIO
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

includeremoteadministrationcapability.TodaysfastestswitchesoperateatGigabitspeeds,usingCAT6
cable,andthesearethemostappropriateforlowlatencyIPAudioapplications.
AsFigure1indicates,atypicalIPAudiofacilityincludesmultipleswitches,usuallyarrangedwithone
large(core)switchinacentralroom,andsmaller(edge)switchesplacedasneededinotherrooms
aroundthefacility.Suchdistributedroutingintelligenceimprovesperformance,andalsoprovides
redundancyincaseofswitchfailure.
NotealsothattheproliferationofVoIPandotherrealtimeapplicationsviaIPhavespawnedbroad
implementationofnonblockingarchitectureinrecentEthernetswitches.Thisapproachvirtually
eliminatesdatacollisionswithinaswitch,whilemaintainingcosteffectiveness,byensuringjust
adequatecapacityfornxnconnectivity
11
throughtheswitchingfabric.Missioncriticalperformanceis
therebymaintainedbyusingEthernetswitchesthatimplementnonblockingdesign,andwhenproperly
implementedwithinanIPAudiosystem,switchcapacityshouldneverbeexceeded.MostIPAudio
vendorsrecommendonlynonblockingEthernetswitches,andthisisonereasonwhyusersshouldheed
vendorsrecommendationsforallswitchesusedintheirfacilities.(Again,theeconomyofscaledriven
bybroaduptakeoftheseswitchestodayprovidessuchadvantagestoIPAudioimplementersatvery
attractiveprices.)
TheuseofEthernetswitchesbymissioncriticalandotherhighreliabilitytelecomoperationshasdriven
majormanufacturerstoprovideexcellent24x7andovernightreplacementsupport.Notealsothatasa
facilitygrows,itmayneedtoreplaceolderswitcheswithnewermodels;thefactthatEthernetisa
ubiquitousstandardmeansthatallupgradeswillremainbackwardcompatible.Meanwhile,Moores
Lawensuresthatassuchnewhardwarebecomesavailable,price/performanceratioswillcontinually
improve.
TheIPAudiodomainisalsoextendingbeyondthestudio.Figure1showshowIPAudioisconvertedback
toAES3(orevenanalog)forprogramoutputsconnectiontoconventionalStudiotoTransmitterLinks
(STLs),butthediagramalsoindicatesthatanSTLcouldcarryIPAudiotothetransmittersite(viaWANor
otherdedicatedlink).WhetherleasedfromtelcoorusingastationoperatedRFpath,ifadequate
bandwidthisavailable,multipleaudiochannels,controlandmetadatacanallbecarriedviaIPonthe
linkbidirectionally,ifdesiredwithminimallatency.
12
IPAudioinUseToday
TheadvantagesofIPAudiohavebeennoticedbybroadcastersandstudioownersaroundtheworld.Itis
fairtosaythattheengineersdesigningeverynewbroadcaststudiofacilitybuilttoday(andfromthis
pointforward)areatleastconsideringtheuseofanIPAudioarchitectureandmanyofthemare
decidingtotaketheplunge.Speakingwiththemafterwardswillfindalmostunanimousagreementthat

11
Inotherwords,anyinputontheswitchcanalwaysbeconnectedtoanyoutputontheswitch,underanyusage.
12
BidirectionallinkscansubstantiallydecreasejitterandlatencycomparedwithunidirectionalIPpaths.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

itwastheproperchoice,andtheresnolookingback.Inmanycasesyouwillhearthatthetransition
processwasfareasierthantheyexpected.
TheinstallationofanIPAudiosystemmakesmanypeopleattheoperationhappy,fromtheCEtothe
CFO.ThetotalcostofbuildingandoperatinganIPAudiofacilityissignificantlyreduced,andyetthiscan
beaccomplishedwithoutgivingupflexibilityinfactit,too,isgreatlyincreased.Operationsareoften
minimallyinterrupted,aswell,duetothesmallfootprintandquickinstallationofIPAudiosystems.
Thisiswhybroadcastersofallstripes,andwithbudgetslargeandsmall,havemovedtoIPAudio
systems.OnthecommercialsideintheU.S.,broadcastersfromClearChanneltoGreaterMediahave
recentlyinstalledIPAudiosystems,whilenoncommercialoperatorsfromMinnesotaPublicRadioto
WYMS,Milwaukeehavedonethesame.
Infact,theclienteleforthisemergingtechnologyalmostdefiescharacterization.Itincludessmall
independentstations,collegeradio(includingnumerousruralandcommunitycolleges),ethnicand
religiousbroadcasters,satelliteradioservices,radioandtelecomnetworkoperators,contentproduction
andbroadcastoriginationsites,corporatefacilitiesandgovernmentagenciesalongwithsomeofthe
largestandmostrespectedstationsinthecountry.
NeitherisadoptionisbyanymeanslimitedtotheU.S.IPAudioisalreadywellensconcedaroundthe
world,fromSpaintoSouthAfrica,fromItalytoIsrael,fromChinatotheCzechRepublic,andmanyother
placesinbetween.
Clearlythetechnologyhasalotofuniqueadvantagestooffer,andthesehavebeennoticedbymanyof
theleadingpurveyorsofaudiocontentanddeliverythroughouttheplanet.
Conclusions
Itsnotoftenthatanewtechnologyoffersconsiderabletechnicalimprovement,easierinstallationand
maintenance,greatlyenhancedflexibilityandscalability,andreducedcostwhencomparedwithits
predecessors.YetthesearetheattributesofaproperlyimplementedIPAudiosystem.
Broadcastershavealwaysbeenacostconsciouslot,andrightlyso,butgiventodaysincreasingly
competitivelandscape,efficienciesincapitalexpendituresandoperatingcostshavebecomeevenmore
criticalanddesirable.
Meanwhile,itsbecomequiteclearthattheradioindustrywillfacesubstantialchangeinthenear
future,andmuchofitwilllikelyinvolvequantitativegrowthinservices.Morestreams,moreaudio
channels,moredata,moreresponsivenesstoaudiencedemands,andprobablymorestill,areallonthe
paththatliesaheadforbroadcasters.AnIPAudioplatformprovidesalegitimateplatformtomost
realisticallyaccommodatethesemanychallenges.
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

Itbehoovesanybroadcasterfacedwiththeopportunitytoconfronttheseuncertaintiestoseekthe
counselofexpertsinthefieldofIPAudio,andtobenefitfromtheexperienceofthosewhohave
recentlyundertakensimilarprojects.YouwilllikelyhearstrongencouragementtomakethemovetoIP,
justasmuchoftherestoftheworldisdoing,withgoodreason.

Fairfax,VA
February2008
UsingIPforBroadcastStudioAudio

Axia Audio, a Telos Company 2101 Superior Ave. Cleveland, Ohio, 44114, USA +1.216.241.7225 www.AxiaAudio.com