Article Overview

ALC NetworX announces new RAVENNA Partnerships

AETA, Digigram and Neumann have joined RAVENNA

With IBC 2011 opening its gates, the RAVENNA partner group is fortified by three well-known manufacturers from the pro audio industries: the French company Digigram S.A. has joined the community of RAVENNA supporters.

AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS

AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS S.A.S. has a convincing track record of innovations and industry firsts for more than 30 years. The famous Scoopy was the first professional IP codec using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for IP audio transmission. With its newest successor Scoopy+HD you never lose a story. Its newest additional feature – HD-Voice – offers two additional advantages: Firstly, transmissions of live reports or recorded programs now are virtually guaranteed as you have your own dedicated voice channel once the mobile call is established. Secondly, the “HD Voice” service (AMR wideband) sound quality (7.2 kHz) is so much better that your voice becomes your signature. AETA’s product launches in 2011 include the ground-breaking 4MinX the first fully integrated multi-track digital recorder and multichannel mixer in one unit (2 in 1 product). In another industry first, AETA has added professional hardware codecs to support HD-Voice (also known as AMR WB) to the renowned version portable Scoopy+ and its studio version Scoop4+.

Christophe Mahoux, Directeur Générale, AETA: “We are a leading international developer of portable sound recording units, mixers and advanced audio codecs, optimized for any kind of media and transmission infrastructure. Therefore RAVENNA is the perfect fit for our innovative audio codecs as it provides a powerful, highly flexible and future-proof audio and control interface for the highly integrated systems being used with state of the art newsrooms. These features will provide additional key benefits for our clients.

By the way, AETA is also a co-founder of the Audio-Over-IP experts group, which includes the leading manufacturers worldwide and targets inter-operation standards for IP transmission meeting EBU recommendations.”

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States Andreas Hildebrand, Senior Product Manager of ALC NetworX: “The RAVENNA group has gained another important partner by AETA AUDIO Systems joining the community. Their experience and knowledge is welcomed strongly as it will strengthen the knowledge base of the RAVENNA group and - together with the existing members – broaden the spectrum of RAVENNA-enabled products and solutions for the Professional Broadcast market. The growing support for the RAVENNA community underlines the demand for an IP-based media distribution technology based on open technology and standards.”

Digiram

SoundsCards, IP codecs and digital audio networking technologies; Digigram offersbuilding blocks for the avant-garde of broadcast and professional audiosystems. In addition to being the world’s leading developer ofprofessional sound cards, today Digigram is spearheading the development of networkedaudio infrastructures for professional audio applications. By being at theconvergence of IT and digital audio, the company has a long-term vision of thepossibilities of audio infrastructures and tools to develop competitive,future-proof solutions for its partners and end users.

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Philippe Delacroix, President & CEO, Digigram: “Offering state-of-the-art audioquality, and efficient, powerful yet easy-to-use solutions through innovationhas always been at the core of Digigram’s commitment to the broadcastcommunity. For this very reason, IP audio has been a key component of ourstrategy and is embedded in our audio networking solutions since 2007 with fullcompatibility with EBU N/ACIP recommendations for AoIP contributions over WANs.

The RAVENNA protocol offers a host of neat featuresfor synchronous Audio-over-IP distribution, (particularly for large-scalebroadcast production facilities) based on open, existing standards. It wastherefore a logical step for Digigram and entirely in keeping with our ownin-house IP audio developments to offer bridges to/from the RAVENNA ecosystem. Broadcastersand audio professionals opting for RAVENNA networking for their IP audiodeployments will be able to integrate Digigram equipment into their system tocreate the best possible infrastructure.”

States Andreas Hildebrand, Senior Product Managerof ALC NetworX: “Digigram is awelcome member to the RAVENNA community, adding tremendously to the knowledgebase of the RAVENNA community and - together with the existing members –broadens the spectrum of RAVENNA-enabled products and solutions for theProfessional Broadcast market. The growing support for the RAVENNA communityunderlines the demand for an IP-based media distribution technology based onopen technology and standards.”

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Neumann

Georg Neumann GmbH, with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, is well known as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones. The company, which was established in 1928, has a long track record of world-leading product designs and has been recognized with a string of international awards for its technology innovations. From 2010, Neumann offers this expertise in electro-acoustic transducer technologies to the studio monitoring market, and will provide optimum solutions to its customers in the areas of TV and radio broadcasting, recording, and audio productions. Neumann is now the perfect partner for both the input and the output of the audio signal path. Neumann has manufacturing facilities in Germany (microphones) and Ireland (loudspeakers), and is represented in over 50 countries worldwide by Sennheiser subsidiaries, as well as by long-term trading partners. Georg Neumann GmbH is a Sennheiser Group company.

Stephan Peus, President Development, Neumann, about RAVENNA: “Integrating audio network technology with our Solution-D digital microphone system has time and again proven to be a successful path. This has become apparent again this summer, with many live events, like open-air concerts, and installed sound applications.

We are pleased to have found in RAVENNA an open and IP-based network technology. Besides handling the audio stream, it also provides the possibility to remote control our digital microphones, thereby facilitating their full integration with mixing consoles. Especially for customers of the Lawo Group, the advantages of digital microphone technology are straightforward, with direct remote control from their consoles.

We believe that RAVENNA, with its growing number of participating companies, will find rapid diffusion and acceptance, in the studio as well as in the recording world.”

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States Andreas Hildebrand, Senior Product Manager of ALC NetworX: “Neumann is a welcome addition to the RAVENNA group as the company has a long-standing tradition in the professional audio market. With its experience in microphone and speaker design it will strengthen the knowledge base of the RAVENNA community and - together with the existing members – broadens the spectrum of RAVENNA-enabled products and solutions for the Professional Broadcast market. The growing support for the RAVENNA community underlines the demand for an IP-based media distribution technology based on open technology and standards.”

RAVENNA

RAVENNA is a technology for real-time distribution of audio and other media content in IP-based network environments. Utilizing standardized network protocols and technologies, RAVENNA can operate on existing network infrastructures. RAVENNA is designed to meet the strict requirements of the pro audio market featuring low latency, full signal transparency and high reliability.While primarily targeting the professional broadcast market, RAVENNA will also be suitable for deployment in other pro audio market segments like live sound, install market and recording. Possible fields of application include (but are not limited to) in-house signal distribution in broadcasting houses, theaters, concert halls and other fixed installations, flexible setups at venues and live events, OB van support, inter-facility links across WAN connections and in production & recording applications.

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ALC NetworX GmbH

ALC NetworX is an R&D company in Munich, Germany. A team of experts with excellent reputation from the Pro Audio industry and in-depth knowledge in networking technologies has been assembled to develop the RAVENNA technology platform. While ALC NetworX will continue to keep the lead role in the RAVENNA technology development, product implementations will be executed by individual partner companies. Current partner companies include DirectOut, DSA Volgmann, Genelec, Innovason, Lawo, LSB / VSM Control, Merging Technologies, Neumann and Schoeps. Interested manufacturers are welcome to join the list of current partner companies.