Yamaha has two decades' experience of manufacturing networking equipment and has been leading the audio industry for much of that time. Starting with the CL consoles in 2012, almost all of Yamaha's digital professional audio products are now based on Dante networking. While Dante offers a huge increase in quality, scalability and redundancy for audio systems, when they grow complex IT equipment is needed to connect them together.
The SWP1 series is the first range of network switches designed and produced solely and specifically for the professional audio industry. Offering a comprehensive set of Ethernet features, it features very straightforward, plug-and-play operation straight out of the box. Flipping a single DIP switch allows an optimised Dante setup to be instantly recalled, making SWP1 switches ideal for audio engineers who have no expertise in IP networking.
The switches simplify configuration by having settings for QoS, IGMP Snooping and other parameters pre-configured for optimum Dante performance. In addition, it is just as straightforward to set up independent VLAN domains to take full advantage of a network's potential for handling StageMix or other smart device functions. Again, no prior knowledge is required, as the SWP1 series includes three VLAN presets that are selectable via DIP switch. There is also a User mode that allows for fully customised VLAN setup.
The SWP1 series is compatible with Dante-enabled products from both Yamaha and other audio manufacturers, making it an essential addition to any Dante audio network.
"The convenience of audio networking has made it indispensable in a wide range of pro audio applications. The SWP1 series network switches were born out of a desire to give our customers easier solutions that they could operate with confidence, without the need for any special networking know-how," says Ken Hiraoka, Yamaha PA department manager. "It is a refined Yamaha solution, offering significant advantages for pro audio applications and is, we believe, about to start a small revolution in audio network setup, monitoring, and operating convenience."
"The SWP1 series is ideal for audio engineers who may be new to IP networking, simplifying the optimisation of network configuration for Dante networks and configuration settings, while offering enhanced network status tools through its 'network visibility' capability", adds Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate.
SWP1 network switchers will be available in March in three versions - SWP1-8 (eight Ethercon ports), SWP1-8MMF (eight Ethercon ports plus Multimode fibre connector) and SWP1-16MMF (12 Ethercon ports, four standard RJ45 ports plus Multimode fibre connector).
(Jim Evans)
