The current network connection protocols are transforming the field of sound, easily taking them to the different audiovisual media, where issues such as information security and mass control are integrated into the great protocols of computing.
By: Andrés Núñez Rubiano*
Nowadays, the different audio protocols offer connection alternatives through the data network, without the need to install complex connections of physical wiring, allowing to transmit audio information simultaneously between enclosures without having loss due to compression, free of strange noises between connections and low latency, achieving a simple administration under the process of a data matrix and a significant saving in installation times and in economy.
At first, these connection protocols gave a solution to the theme of music production and live audio easily achieving the different connections between equipment of the same enclosure, managed under a software, which is mostly free.
These protocols have grown very fast and their use has spread to a number of experiments that the same manufacturers did not expect, as is the case of the corporate sector or the education sector, where it is required to connect a complex number of enclosures with each other for communication between them, creating as a consequence an increase in size in the data matrix. When developing this type of project, the need for two essential elements for the correct use of these protocols is born: the control of massive connections and the security to manage said matrix.
When the different virtual connections are inclined to a single-enclosure array, their control is very versatile and you get a high degree of trust, where the margins of error are reduced because you are the only administrator of that area, but when you have a large number of interconnected enclosures, and these spaces have a high number of connections through the data network, the control of this matrix becomes a complex system that can be generating a number of problems, as is the common case of making a connection between enclosures, at an inappropriate time, creating setbacks such as the interruption of a meeting that is running at that time, or forget to restore these connections to the default pattern to avoid inconveniences in future events.
On the security side, having different network connection points, we can easily access this matrix and create unauthorized changes, engage in espionage processes or inappropriate actions that are developed intentionally, this because most programs for the management and control of these connections is free for download, and these programs easily recognize all existing connections by simply physically connecting to the network.
Faced with this important need, at present, we are working on solutions to offer an adequate solution, designing a massive management and control software, giving a guarantee to the user in security issues and aids for the correct action of assigning or routing the information.
We have the particular case of the Australian company Audinate, with its Dante protocol, which are currently working on a complete solution for the administration of its protocol. The Dante Domain Manager, will allow in the control part, to define specific groups by enclosure, achieving a totally independent administration, giving the possibility of creating internal threads for the same control of the enclosure with the option of scaling or segmenting said management, offering real-time information of the different metrics of the current state of all connected devices, server performance at a general or sectional level, with a versatile and easy-to-understand dynamic control interface, compatible with intuitive widgets.
In the security part, this solution will offer the market an authentication control under the user-password mode, compatible with the simplified directory access protocol (LDAP), based on the creation of profiles with security levels, from a basic profile to an administrator profile, protecting the end customer from unwanted changes, achieving total control and ensuring that only people with authorization can operate or develop such activities, as well as you can assign users by enclosures, to achieve an independent control of each space or area.
It is important to note that this new solution will offer a detailed monitoring of the different changes that users may be managing, managing to deliver an audit report and reporting immediately, the changes that are being executed at that time, through emails, with the option of searching records of the events created. It will also have, with a local backup support or through a server, easy to restore.
Its programming will allow to work under the support of encrypted control traffic and the secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS), guaranteeing a secure communication between the server, the web interface and the Dante network, compatible with any desktop or mobile web browser with easy update notices of both the same software and also the firmwares of the different devices connected in the network.
In good time, the solution of these problems begins, which is created thanks to the same advantages and open possibilities offered by these tools. It is interesting, as the current network connection protocols, are transforming the field of sound, taking them easily to the different audiovisual media, where issues such as information security and mass control, are integrated into the great protocols of computing, offering a high-level service, without losses and signal delays, this leap will give us a start of communication without barriers between countries, eliminating quality problems completely.
*Andrés Núñez Rubiano is the founder of the firm Psicoacústica, active and integrated member of the AES committee for Colombia, workshop and specialist in the field of architectural acoustics, sound system designs focused on Psychoacoustics, electroacoustic measurement and calibration, BIM design, programming of objects oriented to the sound field and specialist in native software in fields of sound physics. His works have stood out for designing architectural projects oriented to theaters, auditoriums and churches, taking into account the biological reactions underlying the cognitive and neural field that produces sound.
