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[AARC-NET Brochure and Pricing]
NEW (June,
2009)...
'AARC-NET'
AUDIO NETWORKING MADE SIMPLE
 A-rrakis.
A-dvanced . R-adio . C-onsole - NET-work
Ethernet Audio networking for Arrakis consoles
Also supports Arrakis Digilink-Xtreme automation
Replaces cables and punch blocks with one CAT-5 cable
Uses
world-standard ‘Cobranet’ (~ 1 million nodes installed)
Inexpensive, easy to install, easy to set up, easy to use
AARC-NET is a seamless integration
of Arrakis consoles & automation, ‘Cobranet’ audio
networking products, and Arrakis software. Cobranet is THE world
standard in audio networking with over 1,000,000 nodes installed.
All Cobranet products from different manufacturers work together
to form a powerful audio network. The core of the AARC-NET network
are Cobranet products from AudioScience. Plug-in compatible with
the Arrakis ARC & MARC & X-MIXER consoles, installation & setup
takes minutes. No more punchblocks or multipair cables. Changing
a wiring connection is a simple software choice. AARC-NET is fast,
easy, and inexpensive.
One of the important features of AARCNET is that it integrates
standard analog and digital consoles onto the network instead of
using expensive network based digital mix engines. You can therefore
integrate consoles that you already own into the system. This makes
repair and maintenance easy, and your console doesn’t fail
when the network crashes. Most importantly, AARC-NET is world standard
Cobranet, not a custom one-of-a-kind network.
Inexpensive...
a
standard AARC-NET system is 1/3rd to 1/2 the price of competing
systems, thus bringing networked audio within
the reach of the entire radio market.
AARC-NET ethernet audio distribution system
Ethernet
Audio networking for Arrakis ARC & MARC & X-MIXER series
consoles &
Xtreme
Automation
One
CAT-5 ethernet cable interconnects all Consoles and Automation
systems
Supports
the integration of consoles by other manufacturers into the network
Replaces
multipair wire and punch blocks in intrastudio wiring
Easily
expands by plugging more Terminals into the system
Not
a custom system. Uses world standard Cobranet audio over ethernet
(~
1 million nodes installed worldwide)
Uses
standard Arrakis (or other) consoles. (does not require an expensive ethernet
mixing console)
Uses
standard 100BASE-T ethernet network
(does
not require Gigabit ethernet for low latency mixing engines)
‘AARC-NET’ is the Arrakis solution for easily and
inexpensively linking Arrakis ARC & MARC & X-MIXER series
consoles and Xtreme Automation systems into a powerful audio network.
It replaces multipair cables & punchblocks with a single CAT-5
network cable. Therefore, ‘AARC-NET’ dramatically simplifies
audio management. It altogether eliminates or reduces the need
for stand-alone routers, distribution systems, and long multi-pair
cables, as well as the time and expense for configuration, maintenance
and installation for traditional wiring. ‘AARC-NET’ even
supports Arrakis Digilink-Xtreme automation systems by distributing
BOTH audio AND logic over the ethernet network. The Arrakis ARC
and MARC series consoles use the same RJ45 CAT5 cables as the AARC-NET
Terminals. The X-MIXER has an optional cabling kit. Installation
is plug and play.
Why Cobranet is the Best Choice for Audio Networking
Cobranet was the first major audio over ethernet product in the
world
Cobranet is owned by CIRRUS LOGIC, not a small custom radio manufacturer
Cobranet is supported by many different engineering and manufacturing
companies
Cobranet is a growing technology because of its open technology
design
Cobranet works on 100Mbit networks which are far more common than
Gigabit networks
Ultra-high analog audio performance of <0.0015% THD and >105dB
dynamic range
Low 1.33 millisecond latency is standard
Over 1,000,000 nodes installed and growing
History of Cobranet
CobraNet was developed in 1996 by Boulder, Colorado-based Peak
Audio. CobraNet was first introduced as a standard in collaboration
with manufacturer QSC Audio Products. The first major commercial
use of CobraNet was during the half-time show at Super Bowl XXXI
in 1997. CobraNet was subsequently enhanced to support a switched
Ethernet network. An SNMP agent was added for remote control
and monitoring. Support for higher sample rates, increased bit
resolutions and lowered latency capabilities were later introduced
in an incremental and backwards-compatible manner. In May 2001,
Cirrus Logic acquired Peak Audio. CobraNet has been widely licensed
by commercial audio equipment manufacturers.
How Cobranet Works
CobraNet is transmitted using standard Ethernet packets. Instead
of using TCP/IP packets, CobraNet transfers data using link layer
packets, which travel quickly through hubs, bridges and switches,
and are not as susceptible to the latency and QoS problems commonly
found in streaming protocols using a higher transport layer.
Since CobraNet does not use an IP protocol, its packets do not
travel through routers. CobraNet is therefore used on local area
networks (LANs), not the Internet. The network over which CobraNet
is transmitted is 100 Mbit/s (also known as Fast Ethernet).
Cobranet versus ‘Custom Network
Digital Mixing Engines’
Cobranet is a high quality digital audio distribution system over
ethernet. It replaces multipair audio cables and works with standard
technology analog and digital audio products. It provides all
of the advantages of digital audio distribution to traditional
radio studio designs. Some new systems replace the traditional
stand-alone analog or digital console with a ‘digital mixing
engine’ that resides on the ethernet network. This new
type of console requires every audio source to be digitized onto
the network (at great expense) and an ultra-low latency (low
delay) Gigabit network. A Cobranet implementation using standard
consoles only digitizes sources that require multipoint distribution,
has at least equal audio performance specifications, has no latency
issues, is far more reliable, is easier to repair, and is far
less costly.
AARC-NET easily Integrates with Arrakis
ARC & MARC &
X-MIXER
series Consoles
The Arrakis ARC and MARC analog console lines are specifically
designed for easy integration in AARC-NET systems. These consoles
utilize the same RJ45 audio cable IO as the Audio Science Cobranet
Terminals. Prewired CAT-5 cables (supplied with the ARC & MARC
consoles) can therefore be used to link ARC and MARC consoles to
the Cobranet terminals without building custom audio cables. The
X-MIXER digital console has a different connector so Arrakis supplies
an optional cabling kit for plug and play installation.
AARC-NET and Other Consoles
AARC-NET systems can also be integrated with other Arrakis analog
and digital console models as well as with consoles from other
manufacturers. The cables from the console to the AARC-NET terminal
are then custom wired to match the specific connector IO of the
console. Only one end of the cable requires custom wiring however
since the other end is a prewired RJ45 on a CAT5 cable.
Using Analog or Digital consoles with digital Cobranet
Cobranet is virtually transparent to either analog or digital
input sources. Analog THD is under 0.0015% with over 105dB of dynamic
range while digital dynamic range is over 140dB. Because analog
consoles and [high quality] digital consoles feature nearly identical
audio performance, it is not important whether the consoles used
with AARC-NET are analog or digital. Also, Cobranet digital audio
is uncompressed so there are no transcoding artifacts due to multiple
compression/decompression cycles.
ARC & MARC series analog consoles
To reduce cost and speed installation, the ARC and MARC series
analog consoles have been designed with the same RJ45 connectors
and CAT5 cables as the AARC-NET terminal boxes. Because analog
consoles are much less expensive than digital and much easier
to repair, the Arrakis ARC and MARC series analog radio consoles
are an excellent choice for use with AARC-NET systems.
X-MIXER digital console
Digital consoles are also a good choice for AARC-NET since the
audio signal remains digital once it has been digitized. A special
AARC-NET prewiring kit is supplied as an option for the Arrakis
X-Mixer digital console to connect it to the AARC-NET terminal.
Configuring an AARC-NET system
Scalability
One of the greatest strengths of ethernet audio is that the system
is easily scalable, without adding any addition wiring just plug
in more Cobranet terminals.
Initial Configuration
Initial configuration is very simple. There will be one or more
terminals in your central equipment room to interface to your
networks, remotes, and the station audio output chain. There
will also be usually one terminal in each studio for connecting
the console to the interstudio audio feeds.
Choice of Cobranet Terminal
The choice of the terminal depends on the number of audio channels
and the number of logic lines (if any) that are used. The smallest
terminal is 8 mono (4 stereo) inputs with 8 mono (4 stereo) outputs.
The largest terminal is 16 mono (8 stereo) inputs with 16 mono
(8 stereo) outputs. If more than 16 x 16 mono is required in
the studio then a second terminal is added.
Central Equipment Room
The central equipment room is typically where the network feeds
(satellite and otherwise) and remote equipment is located. It
is also where the station output audio chain (with processing
etc) is located. The largest 16 mono in and 16 mono out terminal
may be sufficent or a second terminal may be required. Mono channels
are paired to become stereo channels. If satellite automation
is used, then the GPIO (relay) option may be required in the
terminal. 16 optoisolators in and 16 relays out (or 32 x 32)
are the options in a single terminal. If more GPIO lines are
required then a second terminal is needed. For most applications,
one or two terminals are required in the Central Equipment room.
Studios
In many studios, the smallest terminal is ideal (4 stereo interstudio
inputs to the console). For larger studios, the largest terminal
meets most needs (8 stereo interstudio inputs to the console).
If satellite automation is located in this studio, then the GPIO
(logic) option is probably required. 16 optoisolators in and
16 relays out (or 32 x 32) are the options in a single terminal.
If more GPIO lines are required then a second terminal is needed.
For most applications, a single terminal is all that is required
in a studio.
SPECIFICATIONS
1) Cobranet system specifications
Connectors:
RJ45
Cable
CAT-5e
Network
100BASE-T ethernet
Reference
level 0dBFS=+4dBu
Sample
rate: 48kHz
16,
20, or 24 bit PCM (over 140dB dynamic range for 24 bit)
Latency:
1.33, 2.66 or 5.33ms
Capacity
32 simultaneous stereo audio feeds per switch leg
2) AARC-NET Terminals (analog)
Connectors
RJ45 (Arrakis console pinout)
Inputs
active balanced 10kohm, Max input +24dBu
Input
and Output levels software adjustable from -10 to +24dBu in 1dBu
steps
Outputs
active balanced < 100 ohm, Max output +24dBu
Freq
response ±0.5dB, 20Hz-20kHz
Dynamic
range > 105dB, Nominal level +4dBu, Headroom +20dB above nominal
level, , A-wtd
Noise
-85dB below +4dBu nominal level
THD+n
0.002%, 20Hz-20kHz, ref +20dBu, A-wtd
MODELS
Cobranet for ARC and MARC series
consoles & Xtreme
Automation Systems
ANET-8A Cobranet
Terminal- analog audio, 8 mono in, 8 mono out, without GPIO logic
ANET-8AG Cobranet
Terminal- analog audio, 8 mono in, 8 mono out, with 16 in & 16 out GPIO logic
ANET-16A Cobranet
Terminal- analog audio, 16 mono in, 16 mono out, without GPIO logic
ANET-16AG Cobranet
Terminal- analog audio, 16 mono in, 16 mono out, with 16 in & 16 out GPIO logic
ANET-16AGG
Cobranet
Terminal- analog audio, 16 mono in, 16 mono out, with 32 in & 32 out GPIO logic
ANET-XTR-CB1
optional
audio & logic cables for Xtreme Bridge & ANET-16AG,
10ft long
ANET-XTR-CB2
optional
audio & logic cables for Xtreme Bridge & ANET-16AGG,
10ft long
Cobranet for X-MIXER series consoles (X-MIX-14-22)
ANET-16DG
Cobranet
Terminal- digital audio, 8 stereo in, 8 stereo out, with 16 in & 16 out GPIO logic
ANET-16DGG Cobranet
Terminal- digital audio, 8 stereo in, 8 stereo out, with 32 in & 32 out GPIO logic
ANET-XMIX-CB1
optional
audio cables for X-MIX-14-22, RJ45 to X-MIX connectors, 10ft long
Note: the GPIO logic configurations are most often used when
distributing logic for satellite network sources
Notes on Terminals
1) each Terminal is a 1RU rack mounted cabinet
2) analog & digital connectors are RJ45
3) GPIO logic connectors are terminal block
4) Dimensions 1 RU, 19”(482mm) W x 8”(203mm) L x 1.75”(44mm)
H
5) Weight 7 lb (3.2kg) max, with 16 analog inputs/outputs and terminal
block connectors
6) Operating Temperature 0C to 60C
7) Power Requirements 100-240VAC, 47-63Hz, 25W max.
8) These Terminals are based on AudioScience ASI2416 Cobranet systems
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