Decentralised audio systems are reshaping commercial design like never before. Reece Webb explores how flexibility, security, and scalability intertwine.
Today’s AV environments are more interconnected than ever before. In a market that requires flexibility, scalability, and futureproofing to maximise investments, distributed and decentralised audio systems are reshaping how integrators, manufacturers, and end users think about audio installations.
Distributed and decentralised audio systems offer more than just flexibility. Today’s workplace is adaptable, maximising real estate to accommodate multiple styles of working within a single space.
Rainer Stiehl, vice president of marketing for Europe, Extron, explains: “Contemporary audio system designs continue to shift as the demands of physical spaces evolve. We’ve moved beyond the situation where a space had a single, well-defined purpose.
These days, we hear from people that spaces need to be flexible, to accommodate functionality that might change from day to day or even hour by hour. Conference rooms become training spaces, divisible rooms change configurations constantly, and even public spaces get used for one-off special events. One of the ways the spaces achieve this degree of flexibility is to decentralise the audio, and in many ways the video as well.
“While centralised, static systems might struggle to keep up with constantly evolving room functions, decentralised, zone based architectures allow each space to operate independently or as part of a larger system. Systems can’t just be ‘set and forget’ anymore. When spaces are utilised for a variety of scenarios, they require at least a quick configuration changeover if not dynamic and automatic adaptability. A networked audio system is best suited for these applications, offering scalability, flexibility, and ease of use.”
For Aki Mäkivirta, R&D director, Genelec, it’s just not just about offering continued flexibility, but delivering a new method of designing audio systems that offer greater integration than ever before. Mäkivirta explains: “It’s a completely new way of designing systems. It offers a great deal of flexibility and efficiency when it comes to designing, implementing, and installation systems, but this is a completely different way of thinking.
A Genelec Smart IP system in use at the Peter Roth Resonance Centre, Switzerland
“Traditionally, you had completely separated systems that operated on their own ‘islands’. You could have a central management system for your environment, but this is no longer the case in networked set ups. There are different systems that want to interface with your AV oriented environment, and you have to provide the access for them to do so.”
This revolution has turned conventional design on its head, redefining how systems are devised by putting technology at the centre. Luca Bertani, content marketing professional leader, Powersoft, explains: “Audio is taking centre stage, driven by the all-too-familiar frustration of meetings where participants are impossible to hear. Now, rooms are being designed system first.”
Part of the drive towards system-first design has been led by protocols as Bertani explains: "Protocols are abundant now, and as a manufacturer, it’s important to consider all of them. It’s easy for manufacturers to lock customers in to their own technology, but addressing real world configuration means allowing and expanding compatibility.”
These systems are being driven by a new breed of product that puts integration at the core of its functionality. Regardless of whether it’s a microphone, DSP, amplifier, or a routing matrix. The secret is the integration of every product.
Stiehl explains: “There are a couple of ways that we’ve been able to take advantage of the transition to decentralised audio, but one of the common threads is leveraging the network. Through using technologies like AES67, or even Dante, the network becomes the backbone for audio. We’ve moved beyond microphones and other audio signals being home-run to a central rack full of DSP processors. Now, we can locate these signal processors in an IDF [Intermediate Distribution Frame] or other technical space, saving the high-value customer space for other things.
“With the expansion of this approach, we’re even seeing the amplifiers moving to non-traditional locations. Imagine a single CAT6 cable from the IDF going to the ceiling of a meeting room, and through the power of PoE and audio-over-IP, loudspeakers like our NF 4C LP allow you to have up to four loudspeakers in that space delivering spectacular audio with integrated DSP processing and amplification. That same approach is scalable so that every room and zone within a building or campus can be managed remotely and become a node on a flexible and decentralised audio network. As the physical breadth of these zones expands, using the DMP Plus series of audio processors means that you can group nearby areas logically while still managing them as an overall single solution.”
Bertani continues: “We’ve seen applications in which complete installed solutions work in unison with sound systems meant for live sound in house of worship and large retail applications. These systems are enablers, and there are specific functionalities embedded in our products that will allow you to cover the use cases of single devices. You could use a Nota to extend a system while sound is being sourced, converted, and shared throughout the network from the in-built minijack input.”
Skills for success
For systems integrators, the proliferation of distributed audio brings new opportunities, but also a new skillset that must be mastered to handle a rollout efficiently. So how can integrators successfully implement a distributed audio system that not only ticks the boxes of today’s requirements, but provides a framework for the future?
Thinking ahead can go a long way, especially when considering how the audio network itself will operate and where the power is coming from.
Stiehl says: “One of the advantages of a decentralised audio network is scalability.
I think most of us have experienced scope creep or witnessed how requests from users change over time. These requests are easy to accommodate when you’ve taken advantage of the network and decentralisation. If the network can reach the physical space, it’s now a viable node on the overall system deployment.
“Integrators need to consider network architecture and power budget. Will the system be a completely isolated network or will it take advantage of the data network infrastructure? How are you powering the devices that connect to the network? Are you using localised power supplies? Maybe you want to streamline things and use PoE, but you’ll need to make sure your network switch is provisioned for with the right power supplies to deliver what’s needed to the end devices.”
Stiehl continues: “Any large-scale audio system rollout requires planning for future expansion, ongoing maintenance, and the ability to reconfigure the system as needs evolve. While networked audio simplifies these tasks compared to centralised systems, it does require thoughtful upfront planning. If you’re opting for a converged network where the audio traffic coexists with other facility network traffic, tight coordination with the facility’s IT department is essential to determine if existing infrastructure can handle it and the proper networking protocols and settings are configured correctly.
“Maintaining firmware updates on a networked audio system is also substantially easier. The ability to push firmware updates across the network to all devices ensures that the latest features are available, while also assuring that any necessary patches for security are implemented.”
The key to a successful distributed audio system is an intimate understanding of how it may grow and evolve over the lifecycle of the installation.
This allows for the necessary preparation where cabling may become inaccessible once completed, particularly in environments such as hotels, where buildings may stand for 40 years or more. Therefore, covering all bases and knowing how a system will grow is of the utmost importance.
Bertani explains: “Designing systems with almost unlimited expandability is a challenge by itself, and usually entails setting up those ‘just-in-case’ lines between rooms to allow for different routing options. Sometimes we get lucky and can rely on the existing network infrastructure to deal with complex integrations. It’s all
about setting up for future success. A good sound system will last you up to 20 years, but we can’t guarantee that every component in the system will last that long. If these considerations are made, the system can be scaled up easily and devices can evolve or be replaced, but the backbone should remain untouched.”
With the physical aspects accounted for, the security and software aspects must also be at the forefront of the mind of every integrator installing one of these systems. The transition toward distributed systems over a network has not just opened up the possibility for futureproofed and flexible design but has also opened the door to security risks which must be addressed if a system is to be considered secure and well designed.
Mäkivirta says: “You need a basic understanding of IP networking. Most of the systems that you find these days are easy to approach. If you are running a network that is shared with other services, then you may need to consider virtual networking, security, access, as well as interaction with other systems, particularly if you don’t have the luxury of being able to run your own network.
“IT security is one of the key aspects that people will have to understand sufficiently, especially as new legislation is coming up where system operators must pay attention to security and be able to make a system secure and trackable. You have to be aware of who is in your system and what they are doing, and this is something that will become more important.”