With a Dante system in place, Dante Domain Manager proved to be a natural next step to the network, as it added the control and security features the stadium desired.
Dante Domain Manager is network management software that enables user authentication, role-based security and audit capabilities for Dante networks, while allowing seamless expansion of Dante systems over any network infrastructure. Dante Domain Manager allowed the stadium to integrate the many separate subnets into a single, manageable and secure audio network.
For game producers to add to the fans’ game experience, Pedersen and Habedank needed to integrate audio into areas of the stadium that were not originally designed for audio, such as where the live band plays. Instead of adding an audio pathway and thousands of dollars of cabling, they used an existing data drop at these new locations, adding a Dante input/output box and plugging it into the network. However, these new locations were not on the same subnet as Pedersen’s control room. With some configuration and help from the stadium’s experienced IT department, Dante Domain Manager stepped in to bridge the various subnets, easily passing Dante audio from the new locations back to the control room.
“At Target Field, they have a Layer 3 network at the closet, so that means every closet has its own subnet. The control room on the opposite side of the stadium was in a different subnet than the live band location,” says Habedank. “Dante Domain Manager allows us to bridge these subnets and pass Dante from one corner of the stadium all the way back to the control room and really save the day without all of that cost of cabling.”
On the network level, Dante Domain Manager provides the ability to scale and segment audio networks, regardless of the physical constraints of the network. Administrators can define specific AV device groupings, by room, building and site, ensuring the stadium’s audio is playing in the correct location.
Target Field works with network television broadcast trucks during games. More and more, these production companies bring their own Dante systems to connect into the stadium’s Dante system. Dante Domain Manager ensures both the visiting and stadium’s audio channels are secure, crisp and clear.
“We want to protect the house Dante network to make sure that no one inadvertently makes changes,” says Habedank. “Without Dante Domain Manager, that protection is not possible – we essentially open up our whole Dante network to outside companies. But, with Dante Domain Manager, we’re able to create those domains. Outside companies stay in their domain, the house network stays in its domain, and we can bridge the audio between those two as needed. That way we can still have a lot of functionality and can pass as many audio channels back and forth as we want, but we also maintain that protection of the house Dante network.”
Dante Domain Manager ensures the stadium’s audio is separate from the audio they grant the visitors to use, with robust user authentication and role assignment. With Dante Domain Manager, Pedersen can be sure the stadium’s audio runs smoothly and is free of unwanted changes and modifications.
“Before Dante Domain Manager, what I wanted to do was not really possible: the cost would have been prohibitive and the time spent patching and running cables wasn’t feasible,” says Pedersen. “One of the things I can do now is send 16 channels of audio to almost any place in the stadium up to the control room. It is very liberating.”
As the system becomes larger and more complex, the Dante Domain Manger dashboard helps engineers keep tabs on devices and user-made changes. The dashboard provides the critical information with at-a-glance reports, audit trails and SNMP-driven alerts. Additionally, Dante Domain Manager steps in to fix problems with its error logging feature that shows an issue and offers suggestions on how to fix it. Or, Dante Domain Manager provides a suite of auto-configuration tools to fix network issues automatically.
Pedersen explains that while he is currently limited to a 16×16 Dante-enabled console, a new console is in the upgrade plan and he looks forward to expanded channel possibilities. He also wants to extend the Dante network to the broadcast trucks.
“After our facility audio is completely networked, I want to move toward Dante and Dante Domain Manager-managed audio with our broadcast. Right now, we send the trucks a full audio program, and they return a full program. We need to get to where we can send just selected channels or sub mixes,” says Pedersen. “We’ve always had difficulty transferring things back and forth from the trucks to our control room, and it almost takes six people to do it. This whole process will be much easier when the trucks can simply pull either the live or recorded audio of what they need from our Dante audio network.”
Whether it is a concert, football game, soccer game or Major League Baseball showdown, Dante and Dante Domain Manager deliver near-zero latency audio to the more than 39,000 spectators. Target Field administrators can rest easy knowing its network is secure and efficient while delivering the live sound, recorded and broadcast audio performances required to take fans out to the ballgame.