To say that Audinate’s Dante digital audio platform has taken the professional AV industry by storm would be an understatement. Only six months after announcing that 150 manufacturers had signed on as licensees, Audinate recently confirmed it has added more than 50 to bring its impressive list to more than 200 companies.
Audinate says to date more than 20 million Dante network products have been shipped, and more of half of those shipments have occurred within the past year alone. Audinate has been working to ensure the Dante platform remains ahead of the technological curve.
During InfoComm 2015 in Orlando, Fla., Audinate demonstrated its Dante Via software. According to the Australian company, Via extends Dante’s capabilities to include USB, FireWire and ThunderBolt-enabled devices, as well as audio applications such as Apple’s iTunes software.
Via “transforms computer audio interfaces and soundcards into networked devices that can connect with each other, and with over 400 Dante-enabled products,” the company says. Audinate points out that all dealers need to do is connect their devices and check the “Enable Dante” directive in the Dante Via interface. Via allows integrators to configure systems to specific user requirements through the ability to isolate and route audio from applications, and it notes that integrators can monitor systems locally with headphones or speakers without adding more equipment.
Learn More: A Brief Conversation With Dante
In addition, Audinate says that dealers can configure dedicated, standalone audio networks with up to 32 x 32 channels, and eight applications or mixed audio connections at levels as high as 24-bit/48kHz.
“When one thinks about it, the computers we use handle a lot of audio. My laptop has a built-in microphone and speakers, and has an output that can drive headphones. It can easily connect to external devices like USB microphones, mixers, interfaces and powered loudspeakers. Inside there are applications that generate audio, applications that record audio, and some like Skype that can handle two-way communications,” says Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. “Dante Via is software that enables all of these audio resources to be independently connected to a Dante audio network.
“Dante Via uses a simple user interface to route signals from products such as microphones, mixers and interfaces to the network, expanding their range and connectivity well beyond the one-to-one limitations of USB and Firewire cables. Audio from your applications may be isolated and moved to the Dante network on independently labeled channels,” he says.
Via works with Windows 7 and higher computers, as well as Apple’s 10.9 (Mavericks) OS. Audinate says its drag-and-drop interface facilitates the setup process. Ellison says dealers and their clients will appreciate the solution’s versatility.
“Dante Via can also isolate audio from individual computer applications. This means that you can select an audio application such as your media player and route it over a Dante network for background music, while eliminating any interference from annoying computer system sounds and notifications,” says Ellison.
More from Audinate’s release:
Audinate, creator of the industry-leading media networking technology Dante, has announced the immediate worldwide availability of its new Dante Via software. Having already revolutionized the delivery of audio-over-IP with its widely adopted Dante networking solution, Audinate now makes it even easier for end-users, integrators, consultants and sound engineers across a wide range of markets to experience the advantages of Dante-based networking.
The Dante Via software connects any audio application or device from your computer to a Dante network. Dante Via enables USB, FireWire® or Thunderbolt™ devices — including microphones, legacy mixing consoles or I/O boxes — to join any Dante audio network. The new software also allows a Dante network to be created without the need for dedicated Dante hardware, providing a straightforward approach to routing audio using only computers. Sporting an intuitive, easy to use ‘drag and drop’-style interface, Dante Via enables rapid discovery and simple connection of devices and applications.
Dante Via allows integrators, engineers and end-users to create and extend audio systems using cost-effective computer based networked I/O to virtually anywhere. For example, a computer running Dante Via can be used by a corporate facility, school or house of worship to quickly and flexibly distribute audio to an overflow room.
Plus, with its ability to network software applications, Dante Via makes it easy for commonly-used applications, such as media players, to be individually played out across a public facility. The software isolates audio from one application — eliminating the system sounds from a computer’s general audio-out jack. A hotel, bar or restaurant might use Dante Via installed on a computer at the registration desk to route background music used in the lobby and other areas.
“The culture of Audinate has always been centered on inventing products that facilitate networked convergence, and Dante Via is the latest ground-breaking solution,” states Lee Ellison, Chief Executive Officer of Audinate. “Dante Via is the bridge from analogue to digital that makes networking the millions of legacy USB, Firewire and Thunderbolt devices literally as easy as ‘drag and drop.‘”
Dante Via has already secured several high-profile awards, including several “Best of Show” accolades at InfoComm 2015. The software runs on PCs running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, and Macs using OS X10.9.5 or higher. It supports up to a total of 48 source and 48 destination channels, and stereo I/O for as many as 8 simultaneous applications.
Dante Via is priced at $49.95 USD and available to experience now with a 30 day free trial by visiting www.audinate.com/dantevia.
