R&D Stories: AoIP Delivers on Flexibility, Is Controllability Next?

In this R&D Stories article for audioXpress, Matt Hardy (Business Development Manager, DeusO GmbH) looks at the evolution of Audio Control Interfaces. Looking beyond the transportation of audio over IP, the article considers approaches to matching the flexibility of an AoIP network structure with new technologies and standards for control and monitoring user interfaces. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2019.

During its own Avid Connect Live event in Nashville, anticipating another edition of Summer NAMM 2019, Avid unveiled two new audio control surfaces — the Avid S4 and Avid S1 — designed for professionals at smaller facilities and project studios. These incredibly sophisticated, powerful, and versatile modular products provide audio engineers, producers and musicians with the most integrated and yet affordable control solutions, both scheduled to be available later in 2019.

Neyrinck, a San Francisco-based software company specializing in music technology solutions, has introduced V-Control Pro version 2.3 which now supports the control of Pro Tools 11, 12, or 2018 software from legacy controllers like Pro Control or Control 24. The updated control application is able to support up to 32 faders in banks, to access an unlimited number of channels or tracks. The V-Control Pro application runs on the Pro Tools computer (Mac or PC) and uses a direct Ethernet connection to the legacy control surfaces.

Control surfaces are never enough and Studiologic, the famous Italian manufacturer of digital musical instruments, master keyboards and MIDI Controllers offers one of the most compact and versatile solutions. The SL MixFace is a complete by using Bluetooth and USB portable controller device with a powerful engine, able to auto-map any of the main DAWs. Announced at Musikmesse 2018 and now shipping all over the world, the Studiologic SL MixFace will be in Anaheim, California, for the Winter NAMM Show.

British digital broadcast console specialist, Calrec Audio has a lot to show at IBC 2018. Following a presentation at NAB 2018, in Las Vegas, the company will be showing its new modular, expandable, IP-based radio system, Type R, for the first time in Europe. Calrec is also previewing its new Impulse core, the next generation audio processing platform and routing engine with AES67 and SMPTE 2110 connectivity, compatible with existing control surfaces.