University of Edinburgh turns to Dante network
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In early 2020, as the realities of the pandemic were starting to take hold, the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh reached out to the university's Learning Spaces Technology team asking for a way to share audio between its three instruction labs, and then also share audio back-and-forth with students attending remotely. At the time, because of campus restrictions, the university could not bring contractors or electricians onsite to install the new audio cable systems needed.
Faced with the challenge, the Learning Spaces Technology team began researching IP-based audio to make use of the university’s existing IP network. The resulting solution involved a set of Dante-enabled audio components, all connected via the University of Edinburgh’s regular network, switches and cabling on the same VLAN as all the other AV and managed by DDM (Dante Domain Manager).
Stephen Dishon, the Learning Spaces Technology team manager, explained that the school already had made an investment in Extron AV control systems and Sennheiser in-ceiling and wireless microphone systems, so he and his team started looking into what these manufacturers and their existing equipment had to offer.
“I spoke with our Sennheiser associate about their intelligent ceiling mics and learned that the system is Dante enabled and that we actually had a demo unit on campus; so we borrowed the unit, popped it into the ceiling in one of the engineering labs, connected it to the network, and it worked," said Dishon. “We made a few network connections with lab techs on campus and with some users connected remotely, and everyone was very impressed with the quality. The Dante connectivity made our audio network test a quick and easy success, so we were off and running.”
Dishon explained that the Extron control/DSP and HDMI switch units, and the Sennheiser multi-channel wireless microphone receivers they owned were all out-of-the-box Dante equipped. Each lab and overflow room also had a pair of Monacor Dante connected speakers as well as Yamaha and Lightware equipment to complete the audio setup.
“One of the key trends we have seen in the last few years is more and more universities adopting the use of Dante as an audio transport standard,” said Inesh Patel, business development manager at Sennheiser. “Much of the reason for this is down to the general adoption of Dante throughout the AV industry, the guarantee of interoperability and the incredible variety of Dante products available. Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2, with its complete pack of audio features and integrated Dante and support for DDM has helped many universities improve their sound reinforcement and remote/distance learning delivery.”
The Dante platform from Audinate is a complete AV-over-IP solution that allows audio, video, and control data to be transported over standard 1GB ethernet networks. Supported in more than 3,000 Dante-enabled products from more than 500 manufacturers, Dante replaces point-to-point analogue and digital connections with software-based routing, effortlessly sending AV channels anywhere on the network with perfect digital fidelity.
For the Engineering labs, the digital audio signals run from the ceiling mics to the signal processor over the network, then from the signal processor — also Dante-enabled — to a pair of network-ready speakers in each room. Additionally, the speakers and microphones are powered via the IP network connection. For the hybrid learning structure, each engineering lab has an instructor and about ten students spaced properly within the classroom, with about 30 students attending remotely. The labs are used for instruction for 6 hours a day, five days a week. At any one time, there are roughly 90 to 100 remote students.
“We keep growing our audio network system, and everything keeps working. There’s no need to buy, build or run long, multiple runs of analog cables, we just plug our equipment into data points on the network - which we have everywhere - configure the workflow with Dante Controller software or Dante Domain Manager, and we’re good to go,” said Dishon.
“We’re still figuring out some design elements with our campus-wide network, and the general AV equipment shortage hasn’t helped, but I see nothing other than the continued growth of Dante at the University of Edinburgh,” said Dishon. “Dante audio networking really helped us adjust and adapt during the pandemic, and we’ve expanded the system since then. I’m glad we took the opportunity to learn about all that Dante technology offers.”
