DirectOut PRODIGYs and EXBOXes – they’re all EARS!
EARS unlocks seamless auto-changeover for dual-redundant audio playback systems
Computer audio playback now features in the performances of most live bands, musicals, TV programmes, events, conferences – often from a laptop. But as many will attest, these are notoriously vulnerable to locking up, glitching and any number of other problems.
The obvious solution is to run two – side-by-side and synchronised, so if one fails the other is available to take over.
But, by the time an operator has detected that computer A is off with the fairies, there’s a gap in the audio. DirectOut’s EXBOX.BLDS was the first device to offer completely automated and seamless changeover to a 2nd backup playback system. It requires just one track on each playback device to be dedicated to a special low-level digital BLDS signal.
The Tech Insight
For those that are interested, BLDS stands for Buffer Loop Detection System. While it is easy to detect the loss of an incoming digital connection or carrier such as MADI, AES3 etc. it was impossible to detect if the playback software itself had locked up. In this situation the output hardware would probably just loop the current contents of its output memory or buffer because nothing further has turned up from the audio playback software for it to output. Hence the need for detecting buffer loops…
The solution, developed by DirectOut’s co-founder and developer Stephan Flock, was the BLDS signal, recorded as one of the tracks of a multichannel playback . A detector in the playback signal chain monitors and instantly detects a break or error in the received BLDS sequence. This triggers the switch-over to the output from the backup computer or playout system. If the two systems are synchronised, no gap, no glitch and the audience is none-the-wiser that all hell has broken loose in the wings or at the FoH sound desk.
The Hot News!
The hot news is that this widely used technology, now christened EARS (Enhanced Automatic Redundancy Switching), prized and revered by sound and playback engineers around the world, has been added to DirectOut’s PRODIGY series. The series comprises PRODIGY.MP processor and audio hub and the PRODIGY.MC converter and router, both offered in three variants . These, with the dedicated EXBOX.BLDS and EXBOX.MD Dante-to-MADI and EXBOX.RAV Ravenna-to-MADI interfaces, brings the number of DirectOut products offering this essential and effective redundancy changeover technology to nine.
This development not only offers EARS across MADI, Dante, Ravenna, AES67, ST2110-30 and ST2110-31, multi-channel connection, it expands the choice of supporting processing, routing and resilience functions and the range of audio I/O to which it can connect.
The addition of the PRODIGY units to the EARS stable allows the consolidation of all the playback redundancy and conversion elements into a single 2U unit:
- Playback connections via MADI, Dante or Ravenna
- EARS detection and changeover
- Routing and distribution
- Output to sound desk via MADI, Dante, Ravenna, AES3 or analogue line.
The new EARS configuration tabs in the MP and MC Settings of globcon, the unified control application for DirectOut devices, contain an EARS section for each of the multi-channel MADI and AoIP ports, allowing the selection of the respective changeover partner. In the case of the AoIP ports, this includes the option to split the connection into two groups, each with its own changeover partner channels from the same AoIP port or one of the other ports.
The Control
Using globcon, EARS can also be integrated with sequencing, broadcast or show control systems with activation or selection of specific ports in each EARS pair using triggers from MIDI, OSC, external control inputs from other software, network devices or local keyboard shortcuts.
The Where
There’s more about each of the EARs equipped units here:
EXBOX.BLDS – the original MADI changeover device
PRODIGY.MC Essential/Advanced – format converter & router with two EARS pairs
PRODIGY.MP Essential – format converter & router with up to three EARS pairs
PRODIGY.MP Advanced – audio hub processor, converter and router with up to three EARS pairs
EXBOX.MD – Dante to MADI bridge
EXBOX.RAV – Ravenna to MADI bridge
The When – Summer of ’22
As Acts around the world prepare for possibly the busiest summer season of UK, European and World tours, it’s clear that many of them will feature EARS equipped playback systems. However, it’s not just playback that’s being protected by EARS, it is now being deployed to protect performance-critical instruments and components or elements of the supporting recording systems and PA rigs. Some of which, due to rammed festival and major concert schedules, are having to use multiple systems that will leap-frog there way around the world’s venues, stadiums and festivals.
The Teaser
News has reached us from DirectOut Towers that DirectOut and globcon are about to announce a significant update to the EARS capabililty of the PRODIGY series to harden and expand the resilience offered by EARS. Keep in touch for the latest on this. If you’re not already subscribed, sign up for the Touch! newsletter below.
