At the recent NAMM show in Anaheim, a start-up outfit called Arria Live Media unveiled a bold new concept for networked sound reinforcement. It is unquestionably ahead of the curve. Whether it is too far ahead of the curve remains to be seen.
With other sound systems, networking has served largely as an after-the-fact technology used for linking the legacy hardware components of a system: stage box, mixing console, outboard computers, DSP amplifiers and, in a few cases, wireless microphone receivers and powered loudspeakers.
Arria Live put aside all the existing boxes and said, “Let's start with the simplest possible audio networking solution and then plug all our input and output devices directly into the network switches.” The idea is to have a complete system with no stage boxes, no XLR or TRS inputs or outputs, no hardware mixing console, no separate amplifiers, and no outboard computers. Everything – microphones and speakers included – is a “smart” device that plugs directly into a network switch via Cat-5 cable, identifies itself, and shows up in the iPad app used for all mixing and control functions. For the latter, of course, you simply plug a WiFi router into your network as well.
How far can you take this concept? Well, at Arria Live's NAMM booth, they even had – purely for demonstration purposes – an electric guitar equipped with an RJ45 port that plugged directly into the network switch.
Now, as an astute reader, you're probably aware that there has to be a DSP mixing and processing engine somewhere in the system. Yes, that's true. The assumption here is that at least one main powered loudspeaker will be in the system, so the main DSP engine lives in there. The NAMM demo had this engine along with a multi-port switch built into a Behringer powered loudspeaker, though it should be noted that at this point Behringer is not yet on board as an OEM supplier.
So, stepping back for the long view, what are the advantages of this “nothing but network” approach? Arria Live emphasizes the plug'n'play simplicity for applications where the operator has little or no “smarts” regarding pro audio systems. Here, the network instead automatically configures itself using the smart components that you connect to it. You can plug a microphone, a loudspeaker, a headphone amplifier, and (someday) an electric guitar into any port on any network switch anywhere in the system – on stage, at FOH, or in the main loudspeaker. The system will recognize each component, show it on the mixer, and configure the DSP engine to accommodate it.
Pretty cool, and there's even more. If you dig deeper into the iPad app and the DSP engine for mixing and effects, you can access a full complement of digital equalization, dynamics control and audio effects comparable to those in today's entry-level digital mixers. You can set compression, EQ and effects for all your inputs and have individual EQ and delay for every loudspeaker as well. Of course this set-up procedure is not simple, but it could be done only as needed by an experienced tech and then locked away behind a password.
Where this concept really shines is the fact that you can link each channel setting for a specific input device. Not just a type of device, but one particular device – like one singer's microphone. You could set up one mic as “Bruce's vocal” and then, no matter where you plug it in, that mixer channel is configured automatically as “Bruce's mic” with all the particular parameters not only for that mic capsule but for my (rather pathetic) voice as well. Of course, multiple presets can be programmed for each mic, so if Cherie sings through that mic instead of Bruce (yea!) you simply assign her preset to it.
Unquestionably the basic concept is both elegant in its simplicity and unique in its potential benefits. However, as far as practical implementation in even basic church systems, there are a number of compromises involved and some short-run hurdles to surmount.
The biggest hurdle, of course, will be providing a broad selection of network-ready input and output devices to satisfy both the objective requirements of various churches and the subjective tastes of musicians and worship leaders. As of this writing, Arria Live is offering their own high quality dynamic vocal microphone, which can leverage the DSP to effectively emulate a number of popular models, at least within the constraints of the capsule's inherent bandwidth and transient response. One of the cool added features is a built in ring of multi-color LEDs on the bottom of the mic that can be remotely set in the iPad app to match the color on the input channel strip. No more turning up the wrong mic.
In the meantime, to accommodate other input and output transducers, Arria Live is building palm-sized modules for connecting other microphones, loudspeakers, IEM transmitters and headphones. All are powered by a PoE (power over Ethernet) switch, so no wall warts are required for phantom powering a condenser mic or for driving the headphone amp.
To get the ball rolling, Arria Live will offer a basic system starter kit with two dynamic mics, a mic/line input module, a stereo input module, two speaker output modules and a PoE switch for under $1,000. Add a pair of powered speakers for about $500 and you're all set for a small church, a mid-sized church fellowship hall or a larger church classroom.
Arria Live is working hard to line up partnerships with third-party suppliers of loudspeakers and microphones, and the long-term success of the concept may hinge on how many partners decide to come on board. Many of the big players, according to an Arria Live spokesperson, remain aloof as they either already have proprietary networking schemes or have committed to other network protocols like Dante.
But there's no doubt that Arria Live is the first out of the gate with a radically “network-centric” sound reinforcement system. The race is on!
