Audio playback over network

[1972nail]

Probably a simple solution to this as I’m sure it is a common thing to do. I use an ilive system, T112 and idr32 in a Church installation where the mixrack is portable and used with as laptop around the complex for small to medium events throught the year.

I’m always trying to simplify the setup to reduce the time and energy required from the volunteers and instead of running multicore to the back of the venue we use a reel of Cat5.

While setting up for an event this weekend where audio playback is required from a CD player controlled by the FoH engineer, I realised tyhat the only way I knew how to do that was to run analogue cables from the back where the engineer sat to the mixrack at the front.

Is there a way to send digital audio over the cat5to the mixrack? I don’t have a dante card in the mixrack. I know that I could add an xdr expander at the rear and do it that way, but is there an alternative?

[Underscore]

If you were using the T112 surface, you could connect the CD audio to one of the sets of inputs on the back of the surface.

Don’t think you can do any other way across the network outside of Dante, or an expansion. And I think even with Dante, you would need another cat5 cable, because I’m not sure that you can mix them over the same Ace cable.(I could be wrong on that though)

[1972nail]

Yes connecting to the surface is what I do in the main Church installation, but in the smaller venues I just use the laptop or ipad to mix.

I don’t want to use those ‘wifi’ 2.4 and 5.8ghz audio transmitters you can get as I use a number of digital wireless mics which use the same frequencies.

[ddff_lv]

Since there’s no good way to do wireless audio playback, you can use a player that supports remote control over wifi, so you can control from the same device you use for mixing.

ddff

[1972nail]

Although that sounds like a good idea, I can be using up to 12 AKG and
Line 6 digital mic transmitters at one time plus the iPad wifi. The more devices on the wifi frequencies the higher the dropout risk and the shorter the range. I’m reluctant to add any more wifi traffic if I can help it.

There are cheap home hi fi ‘converters’ which allow audio, probably analogue, to be sent over cat5, could that interfere with the mixrack control if I used the same cable?

[ddff_lv]

Well, you can send balanced audio over pairs of CAT5/6 cable- 4 channels total. Soundtools are selling good looking interface boxes for this purpose.

ddff

[SteffenR]

something like apple tv in the wired network?

since cotrolling from a computer does not use the ACE you can use a switch to add more devices
and you can use it with the the surface as well

[jb12string]

What are you playing back from and are you using wireless for the laptop? You could possibly use an apple airport express.

[1972nail]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I’m using a Numark MP103 CD/usb player and a Laptop for mixing. Usually the shows we do are ‘ad-hoc’ with people turning up with backing tracks on CD, mp3 etc.

I want to be able to play from the laptop or MP103 over the cat5 or wifi to the mixrack at the front. I already use a really good wifi hub for connecting an iPad, for monitor set up etc, which could possibly be utilised.

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