Focusrite Rednet User Manual

System User Guide

FA0458-02

www.focusrite.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

12.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. No naked ﬂames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.

The appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.

If the mains plug supplying the apparatus incorporates a fuse then it should only be replaced with a fuse of identical or lower rupture value.

The apparatus shall be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.

Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/ apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

FIN

Laite on liitettävä suojamaadoituskoskettimilla va rustettuumpistorasiaan

NOR

Apparatet må tikoples jordet stikkontakt

SWE

Apparaten skall anslutas till jordat uttag

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

The lightning ﬂash with arrowhead symbol, within equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufﬁcient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (ser vicing) instructions

in the literature accompanying the appliance.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE AND OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS, SUCH AS VASES, SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON THIS APPARATUS.

ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION

Compliance Information Statement: Declaration of Compliance procedure

Product Identiﬁcation: Focusrite RedNet Responsible party: American Music and Sound Address: 4325 Executive Drive Suite 300 Southaven MS 38672

Telephone: 800-431-2609

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

For USA

To the User:

1. Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modiﬁcations not expressly approved by Focusrite may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use this product.

2. Important: This product satisﬁes FCC regulations when high quality shielded cables are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use high quality shielded cables or to follow the installation instructions within this manual may cause magnetic interference with appliances such as radios and televisions and void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.

3. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense

For Canada

To the User:

This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

RoHS Notice

Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited has conformed where applicable, to the European Union’s Directive 2002/95/EC on Restrictions

of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) as well as the following sections of California law which refer to RoHS, namely sections 25214.10,

25214.10.2, and 58012, Health and Safety Code; Section 42475.2, Public Resources Code.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .............................................. 2

INTRODUCTION ................................................................5

About this User Guide .........................................................5

Overview ....................................................................6

RedNet System Components ...................................................6

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Network Requirements........................................................8

INSTALLATION GUIDE .......................................................... 10

Unit Connections and Features ................................................10

Getting Started..............................................................11

Hosting RedNet .............................................................11

Constructing a RedNet system.................................................12

Example RedNet studio setups ................................................14

OPERATION WITH REDNET CONTROL.............................................18

Using Dante Virtual Soundcard ................................................22

Using Dante Controller .......................................................22

APPENDIX.................................................................... 26

Registering your product .....................................................26

Customer Support ...........................................................26

Troubleshooting.............................................................26

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for investing in the Focusrite RedNet system.

RedNet is a powerful, low latency, digital audio networking system designed speciﬁcally for music, recording studio and broadcast applications. It is based on Audinate’s Dante™, a well-established audio networking technology known for its extreme robustness. Dante - and the RedNet system is capable of transporting up to 512 channels of bidirectional audio (at 48 kHz sample rate) over a single Ethernet link. The number of channels available in your DAW will depend on the host method being used.

RedNet brings Dante technology into the studio as the basis of a complete system. RedNet is a range of extremely high quality analogue and digital audio interfaces and components that do a great deal more than simply allow you to connect your digital studio through an Ethernet network: they will revolutionise the way you work in other ways too. Importantly, Dante is non-proprietary; this means it will work with any ASIO- or Core Audio-compliant DAW software, including Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase and Nuendo.

If you are a musician or an engineer currently using USB or FireWire-based interfaces, RedNet will give you a more reliable, powerful and professional system infrastructure. RedNet is a great solution in facilities where long cable runs are involved and/or there is a requirement to routinely reconﬁgure the various rooms making up a facility. It also has the advantage of only needing a standard network cable to interconnect all the I/O throughout the system, minimising installation time and impact on a building.

RedNet allows system components to be controlled remotely via RedNet software on a host computer. Input and output interfaces can be placed anywhere on the network and hot-swapped: RedNet automatically recognises and reconﬁgures replacement units as soon as they appear.

ABOUT THIS USER GUIDE

A copy of this System User Guide is packed with each of the hardware interfaces in the RedNet range. The Guide provides a detailed explanation of the RedNet system to help you achieve a thorough understanding of its capabilities; this includes the installation and use of the RedNet PCIe card, which will be a central component in many RedNet systems. We recommend that all users, including those already experienced in digital audio networking, take the time to read through this Guide so that you are fully aware of all the possibilities that RedNet and its software has to offer. If the Guide does not provide the information you need, be sure to consult www.focusrite.com/rednet, which contains a comprehensive collection of common technical support queries.

Note that this System User Guide does not include a detailed description of the various interfaces; a separate User Guide speciﬁc to each interface is supplied with every unit, in addition to the System User Guide. Much of the installation and operation of a RedNet system revolves around setting up and conﬁguring the system itself – these are factors which are common to all RedNet components. The examples used in this System User Guide necessarily use particular RedNet units, but you should not be concerned if your system does not include the same units – the principles of operation as far as the overall system concept is concerned is applicable to all RedNet hardware.

OVERVIEW

Focusrite RedNet Audio Networking - key features

• Digital audio networking developed speciﬁcally for studios

• Scalable, up to 512 bidirectional audio channels per link (at 48 kHz)

• Choice of various analogue and digital I/O interfaces

• Supports as many interfaces as required

• Pristine audio quality with low latency

• Round trip latency less than 3 ms with RedNet PCIe card

• Based on Dante

• 24-bit, up to 192 kHz sample rate

• Very simple to conﬁgure

• Hot-swappable interfaces

• Remote control of all interfaces via included RedNet control software

• Supports any open DAW package, including ProTools, Logic and Nuendo

• Mac and Windows compatible

- proven reliability and robustness

REDNET SYSTEM COMPONENTS

A RedNet system requires both hardware and software components. The RedNet hardware range currently consists of various models of I/O interface and a PCIe digital audio interface card which is installed in the system’s host computer. All the I/O units can be considered as “Break-Out” (and/ or “Break-In”) boxes to/from the network, and all are built in mains-powered, 2U 19” rackmounting housings.

There are three software items for installation on the host computer: RedNet Control, Dante Controller and Dante Virtual Soundcard. RedNet Control is required for all systems and Dante Controller is a useful accessory but familiarity with it is not absolutely essential for operation of simpler systems. Dante Virtual Soundcard is an optional software alternative to the RedNet PCIe card, and allows the creation of RedNet systems without a dedicated computer interface card. Systems based on Dante Virtual Soundcard have a lower channel capacity and a slightly inferior latency performance compared to systems using the PCIe card.

RedNet I/O interfaces

A variety of audio interfaces is available for the RedNet system, including mic preamps, analogue line level I/O and various interfaces catering for digital protocols. For more information please visit: www.focusrite.com/rednet

Full details of each RedNet interface can also be found in the User Guides supplied with each unit.

RedNet PCIe card

The RedNet PCIe (PCI Express) card is an optional hardware interface between the Ethernet network interconnecting the various I/O units in a RedNet system, and the host computer. When installed in a 4-lane (minimum) PCIe card slot in either a PC or Mac, it allows up to 128 channels to be sent to/ from the DAW through its on-board Ethernet port. A system latency of less than 3 ms is possible with the PCIe card, but to achieve this, we recommend the use of a 16-lane PCIe card slot. Note also that system latency in all cases will be dependent on buffer size, sample rate and processor power.

The computer into which the card is ﬁtted will require RedNet Control to be installed. The Ethernet port on the PCIe card should be connected to the network via a Gigabit Ethernet switch, and the host computer’s native Ethernet port should be connected to another port on this same switch. In this arrangement, the PCIe card’s Ethernet port handles all the audio and the native port handles the control data between RedNet Control and the remote RedNet I/O units.

RedNet Control

RedNet Control is the software application which lets the user conﬁgure the RedNet system and control each individual RedNet I/O device, whatever its physical location. RedNet Control versions for both PC and Mac are available as downloads from the Focusrite website – see “Installing RedNet Control” on page 13.

All RedNet devices on the network are auto-detected by the RedNet Control software, and visualised on-screen along with their various controls and settings. Blocks of audio channels can be re-routed and system conﬁgurations can be saved and reloaded as required.

Dante Controller

Dante Controller software is Audinate’s proprietary generic audio routing application for use with Dante digital audio networked devices. Installation of Dante Controller is automatic; it will be installed as part of the RedNet Control software installation. Many simple RedNet conﬁgurations will not require its use, as the control capabilities of RedNet Control will be adequate. However, additional, advanced routing possibilities, which cannot be achieved with RedNet Control alone are possible with Dante Controller.

Dante Virtual Soundcard

Dante Virtual Soundcard is a software alternative to the RedNet PCIe card. It allows users who do not require the extremely low latency and high channel count possible with the RedNet PCIe card to implement and control RedNet systems. A maximum of 64 channels (in each direction) is possible, at a typical latency of 7 ms (buffer size and sample rate dependent).

Dante Virtual Soundcard can be downloaded directly from www.audinate.com. (On-line registration is required.)

Using RedNet with other Dante-compatible products

As RedNet is based on Audinate’s Dante system, it is compatible with Dante-enabled devices from other manufacturers. However, note that when using RedNet devices with other Dante-enabled products, you may be limited to sample rates of 48 or 96 kHz, as many other devices do not support the full range of sample rate options offered by RedNet.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

In general terms, computers running the following operating systems will allow a RedNet system to deliver satisfactory performance (but see important note below):

Mac

Apple Mac with OSX 10.7 (Lion), 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later. Please note that RedNet is not supported by Mac PPC. Min. 2 GB RAM Dual core Intel Processor (Quad core recommended)

PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8 (32- or 64-bit). Please note that RedNet is not supported by Windows Vista. Min. 2 GB RAM Dual Core processor (Quad core recommended)

IMPORTANT: Focusrite have evaluated a number of speciﬁc models of computer for use with RedNet systems, and recommend the use of one of these if highest system performance is essential (i.e., lowest latency at maximum channel count). Users should check www.focusrite.com/rednet for the latest information regarding speciﬁcations of suitable computers.

NETWORK REQUIREMENTS

The Audinate DanteTM protocol on which RedNet is based uses standard Ethernet technology for the network. Although RedNet trafﬁc can be mixed with other network data, we recommend that for maximum performance the Ethernet network used for RedNet audio should be self-contained and not used for other IT purposes.

The network topology employed will be dictated by user requirements and building layout.

RedNet is compatible with both CAT 6 and CAT 5e cabling, though CAT 6 STP is preferred. RJ45 connectors with metal screens should be used, with the cable screen bonded to the connector screen.

Gbit Switch requirements

The switches used in a RedNet network should be of the ‘managed’ type, and designed for use in 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) systems. Un-managed switches may prevent correct RedNet network conﬁguration. A switch with an internal PSU (i.e., requiring direct connection to AC mains) is also recommended; the external “plug-top” PSUs supplied with cheaper units may be prone to interference which could generate audible artefacts in the audio.

Numerous makes/models of Gigabit switch have been found to operate satisfactorily with Dante systems. Recommended manufacturers include Linksys, Dell, HP and Cisco. Note the following features are required when selecting a switch for use with a RedNet network:

• Gigabit (1000 Mbps) ports

• Quality of Service (QoS) with 4 queues

• Diffserv (DSCP) QoS, with strict priority

• A managed switch is also recommended, to provide detailed information about the operation of each network link: port speed, error counters, bandwidth used, etc.

Additional information on switch requirements can be found at www.focusrite.com/rednet.

A note about Latency

No digital audio system is “instantaneous”; the term “latency” is used to express the time by which the audio is delayed in travelling through the system. In practice, latency only becomes a problem when mixing signals from systems having signiﬁcantly different delays. The Dante protocol used by RedNet exhibits very low latency, and you should not experience any problems in normal recording practice when using it for multichannel audio transport between a DAW and sources or monitoring.

With the RedNet PCIe card in use, round-trip latency can be less than 3 ms (depending on buffer size and sample rate). If you are using Dante Virtual Soundcard instead of the RedNet PCIe card, additional processing time is required by the computer. However, you should achieve the same order of latency as with a FireWire interface.

The precise latency of any given system will be determined by a number of factors, including the processing speed of the computer, the number of switches in the network, the make/model of switch used and the network topology.

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