Relacart equipped a modern software and hardware development laboratory at Space Engineering University (Huairou Campus, Beijing) with a Dante wired conference system.
Space Engineering University, Huairou Campus, Beijing. To keep pace with the country’s modernization drive, Space Engineering University recently decided to build a modern software and hardware development laboratory — one that would meet today’s experimental needs while leaving room for future growth.
The Challenge
When Relacart engineers first walked into the university’s newly built laboratory, they immediately noticed that its layout was nothing like a conventional lab. As the university’s researchers explained, software and hardware development is an emerging discipline with exceptionally high professional requirements and entry barriers: the laboratory was designed to international standards, so its layout differs completely from typical domestic designs. The researchers also pointed out that during data runs every piece of equipment stays powered on for long stretches of time, which makes stability the top requirement.
The Solution
After several rounds of discussion with the machine-room administrators, and drawing on past project experience, the Relacart engineering team decided to place a CONFER X Dante digital intelligent mixer at the equipment rack, with five TDN1 Dante networked digital microphones on each row of workstations.
Rows of workstations in the new laboratory, each seat fitted with a TDN1 Dante digital microphone
Because the laboratory was built to international standards, the room is long and spacious. A conventional 9-core-cable microphone would have driven up the budget purely in cable length, and messy cabling makes faults hard to trace and fix — directly affecting teaching schedules. The TDN1 Dante networked digital microphone solves this elegantly: it uses inexpensive Cat5e network cable for both power and audio transmission, and the cable can be hidden beneath the anti-static floor, greatly improving the laboratory’s tidiness and the speed of troubleshooting.
The laboratory is laid out to international standards, spacious and bright
The system supports Dante digital audio networking, allowing more than a hundred Dante-enabled devices to exchange digital signals with stable signal synchronization. Paired with Relacart’s in-house TDM digital control software, each microphone gains IP-address visualization, and users can customize its high/low-frequency EQ, operating frequency, LED light color and volume. A unique troubleshooting feature flashes the microphone’s LED at the press of a button, so a faulty unit can be located instantly.
TDN1 Dante networked digital microphones on every workstation
For device interoperability the team chose the TDN series’s natural partner — the CONFER X Dante digital mixer — to receive the microphone signals. The CONFER X also supports Dante audio networking and comes with dedicated control software: after installing it on a PC or iPad, users can conveniently configure channels, matrix routing, modes, system settings and groups in detail, and adjust the mixer’s output level to control the whole PA system. Compared with other brands’ mixers, which lag behind in technology and offer no control software, this system presents a clear interface that is simple to operate — users can tweak it freely and easily obtain the perfect sound they want.
CONFER X Dante digital mixers installed in the equipment rack
System Composition
The laboratory’s modern networked microphone audio system consists of 2 × CONFER X Dante digital intelligent mixers, 20 × TDN1 Dante networked digital microphones and 20 × ES-910 gooseneck microphones.
Closing
The microphone upgrade went smoothly from start to finish. The researchers spoke highly of this modern, intelligent Dante wired microphone system, and the Relacart engineering team came away with valuable project experience.
