Studio Technologies Model 5418 Mic/Line Interface

The Model 5418 is a fully professional product that offers the audio quality, features, and reliability required by 24-hour on-air and commercial applications. Located on the unit's front panel, the eight mic/line audio inputs use standard 3-pin female XLR connectors for easy interfacing with balanced and unbalanced sources. The input circuitry features adjustable gain, P48 phantom power, and high-pass filter functions. Configuration of the inputs can be made locally by using pushbutton switches and an OLED display. Alternately, the STcontroller software application allows remote control of the input parametres. The analog mic/line input audio signals are converted to 24-bit PCM digital and then transported via the Dante interface.

Using the Dante Controller software application, eight digital audio signals can be routed (subscribed) to the Model 5418 via the Dante interface. These input signals are then converted to analog and provided to users as balanced line-level analog outputs. One 25-pin female D-subminiature connector, located on the unit's back panel, provides access to the eight analog outputs.

The monitor section provides the user with the ability to select any input or output signal, or signal pair, for monitoring using the 2-channel (stereo) headphone output. A configuration choice allows selected analog outputs to provide a monitoring function for connection to inputs on amplified loudspeakers. The OLED display offers level metreing functions which allow the input or output audio signals to be visually monitored.

The Model 5418 provides three Gigabit Ethernet ("GigE") network interfaces, two to support redundant Dante operation and the third for accessing the management menu system. To meet the latest interoperability standard the Model 5418's Dante implementation supports AES67-2018. The unit also supports the Dante Domain Manager (DDM) software application. An integrated web server allows fast and flexible monitoring and configuration of the unit's networking, audio, and Dante performance. Front-panel indicators, an OLED display, and pushbutton switches provide users with direct access to key operating parametres.

The Model 5418 can be powered by 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz mains or a source of 12 volts DC. Both can be simultaneously connected to provide redundant operation. The lightweight enclosure mounts in one space (1U) of a standard 19-inch rack. Industry-standard connectors are used for the audio input, audio output, Ethernet, DC power, and AC mains interconnections.

Dante audio-over-Ethernet has found wide acceptance as an audio "backbone" due to its ease of use, interoperability, excellent audio quality, and wide adoption by a large number of equipment manufacturers. The Model 5418 can serve as an "edge" device for Dante network implementations, providing high-performance input, output, and monitor resources in a compact, cost-effective package. The unit can also serve as a general-purpose "tool" to help extend Dante capabilities to facilities and applications that were initially implemented to support signals in the analog domain.

Dante Audio-over-Ethernet

Digital audio data associated with the Model 5418 is interfaced with a local area network (LAN) using Dante audio-over-Ethernet media networking technology. Status LEDs provide a real-time indication of Dante and LAN performance. A major benefit of using Dante is its ability to use any standard Ethernet network implementation, including switches, to directly transport professional audio signals. The Model 5418 supports digital audio signals with a sampling rate of 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz and a bit depth of up to 24. These sampling rates were selected for optimal support of broadcast, production, industrial, and commercial applications.

The signals associated with the eight mic/line input channels are converted to digital and then routed to transmitter (output) channels on the Dante interface. Eight transmitter (output) channels from one or more associated Dante-enabled devices can be assigned to the Model 5418's receiver (input) channels using the Dante Controller software application. These input signals are converted into analog and then, depending on the unit's configuration, sent to the analog output circuitry.

Network Ports

Using the Dante Controller software application, the Model 5418's two Dante Ethernet ports can be selected to operate in either the switched or redundant modes. In the switched mode a single Ethernet connection is used for interconnection with other Dante-compliant devices. The second Model 5418 Dante Ethernet port can be used to interface with another piece of network equipment. In the redundant mode independent Ethernet connections would be made to the unit's two Ethernet ports implementing Dante's redundant network capability.