-
Type
- Dante
- Networking
- Control
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System Management
- Composer Management Software
- SymVue Screen Authoring
- AV-Ops Center Remote Monitoring
- ARC-WEB Control Interface Signal Processing
- D100 AVoIP DSP Server
- Radius NX AVoIP DSP
- Prism AVoIP DSP
- Edge AVoIP DSP
- DSP I/O Expansion Cards
- Jupiter DSP
- Zone Mix 761 DSP I/O Connectivity
- xIO Bluetooth Endpoints
- xIO XLR Endpoints
- xIO AVoIP DSP Audio Expanders Control Systems
- T-Series Touchscreen Controllers
- W-Series Controllers
- Control Server for Personal Devices
- xControl GPIO Expander
- ARC-Series Controllers
Setup Dante in 5 Minutes Time or Less in Composer
Product:Composer Management Software
Type: Dante
Type: Networking
Composer is intuitive, open architecture, drag-n-drop DSP software for any and all commercial or live sound applications using Symetrix Dante enabled DSP hardware. Additionally, Audinate’s Dante has arrived in full force and is quickly becoming the industry standard, cross platform, network audio buss of choice in the commercial A/V and live sound market.
This tech tip provides a clear and concise set of instructions for both initial setup of Composer to Dante enabled hardware and/or troubleshooting a Dante network in roughly 5 minutes. Simply put, when setting up or troubleshooting any complex system “Less is more”. It is easier to get to the root of any problem when all moving parts have been minimized. Start small and build up to something bigger, that way any issue becomes apparent immediately rather than being buried in a slew of variables, making it much harder to identify.
When setting up a Dante network with Composer hardware the different units may be specified to be installed in different locations across a 3rd party network. Furthermore, Dante may be specified to be in “redundant” mode. However, for initial setup and troubleshooting of a Composer / Dante network of 10 Dante enabled devices or less, it is advised to first daisy chain the units together with Dante in “switched” mode, which is the factory default.
Once audio is successfully passing between the daisy chained units, proving that all Dante devices are communicating normally and that there are no hardware failures, then and only then (if specified) configure the Dante ports to redundant mode and move the hardware to their respective locations across the 3rd party network.
Steps for initial setup of Dante enabled devices (10 or fewer Composer devices):
1) Direct connect all Composer / Dante enabled units together by daisy chaining them:
• Start by connecting the primary Dante port of the first unit to the secondary Dante port of the second unit and continue until all units are daisy chained together.
2) Connect the PC to the DSP’s Ethernet port:
• The PC which has Composer and Dante Controller installed should connect to the right Ethernet port on the first DSP in the daisy chain, such as an Edge or Radius, which has dual Ethernet ports.
3) Link the Ethernet control network and the Dante network together temporarily for setup:
• On the top unit in Step 2, connect the left Ethernet port to the secondary Dante port.
4) Connect any 3rd party Dante device to the primary Dante port on the bottom unit in the daisy chain:
• If there is more than one 3rd party Dante enabled device, connect them to a common switch, and plug the primary Dante port of the bottom unit in the daisy chain into the same switch.
5) Open up Composer and connect to all units:
• The steps for connecting DSPs in Composer software to their respective hardware units is outlined in depth in the Composer certification online training.
• It is advised to leave all units and the PC in DHCP for initial setup
6) Push a site file into the system and check to confirm Dante passes between all units:
• If Dante passes between all units as it should, you can now:
o Switch to Redundant mode if necessary.
o Move the units to their respective distributed locations.
o Disconnect the Ethernet and Dante networks.
o Assign static IP addresses to hardware if needed.
• If Dante does not pass between all units, proceed to Step 7:
7) If Dante is not passing audio or a unit is not seen by Composer, open Dante Controller.
• Since the Ethernet port and Dante secondary port are connected together in Step 3, the PC can run Composer and Dante Controller simultaneously.
• Check Dante Controller to see if all of the Dante enabled units are recognized.
8) If Dante Controller cannot recognize a particular unit:
• Check CAT-5 cable connections
• Hard reset units with the hard reset button next to the Ethernet port, and then upgrade firmware being careful not to interrupt the upgrade process.
• Reconnect the units in Composer software and check Dante Controller to see if all units are present and accounted for.
9) If you’re still having issues, contact Symetrix support at support@symetrix.co
• Also check these additional Symetrix Dante resources:
o Know-it-Use-It-Troubleshoot-it-Dante.pdf
o Record-Audio-Dante.pdf
o DVS.pdf