Eikon Group begins managing its 37 Dante devices with Director

Dante Director (Audinate), cloud-based SaaS application, brings new control possibilities to Eikon Group, specialist in mastering, localization and content distribution.

The London offices of Eikon Group they had 37 devices Dante-enabled, although these were originally on a single VLAN. What was a controlled solution became more and more complex, given the increase in the company's production and post-production resources. Patrick Roche, lead multimedia systems engineer, then decided to implement the Dante Director API integration to simplify and automate the management of the subscriptions of these teams. This, as he explains, has completely changed the way he works with tools such as Q-Sys Core 500i: "I started implementing Dante streaming in and out of the Q-SYS Core, and also built iPad interfaces for use in content suites and projection rooms where staff could choose or change their sources much more easily. Press a button on the iPad and it will tell the Blackmagic Design video router what to do. It also makes an API call to Dante Director, which changes audio subscriptions."

Dante Director allows administrators organize Dante devices from logical groups, manage user access, secure devices, track device stability using event logging, extend transparent control and monitoring with custom Dante Managed API integrations, and remotely manage one or more Dante networks. Designed to meet the different needs of all Dante-based AV-over-IP networks, the solution enables IT and AV administrators to be more productive through the remote access for management and monitoring. Administrators can remotely configure Dante channel subscriptions, ensure network security, and remotely monitor multiple Dante networks from a single account.

Dante Director works closely with Dante Controller to provide AV management capabilities. After initial setup, users can launch and use Dante Controller remotely from any Internet connection without requiring direct local network access. With Dante Director, administrators can manage multiple AV networks from a single web dashboard, providing faster response times, greater flexibility, and greater peace of mind with real-time monitoring.

The API Dante Managed, included free with Dante Director, allows IT and AV administrators to create custom interfaces to make it easier for the end user to control complex configurations. Eikon's workflow includes switching audio feeds from individual mixing rooms to larger exhibition spaces for testing. surround sound and mix in a suitable environment. The new ease and reliability of audio routing with the API through Dante Director helps Eikon avoid downtime and focus on the core challenges of producing a top-notch end product for your customers.

"At first, staff were skeptical of iPads because they thought, oh, I'd rather have a volume knob than a slider on an iPad. Now they love them because they make switching equipment so much easier. Plus, with API calls through Dante Director, we only have the subscriptions we need, so there's a lot less traffic on the network. If I'm honest, I've almost lost my job because it works so well," concludes Roche.