Application Notes: Dante in Corporate AV Installations
Boardrooms, conference rooms, campuses, lobbies — real-world deployment scenarios Corporate AV is among the most practical deployment target for…
Dante/AES67-Native AV Matrix Infrastructure
System Design, Control Integration & Deployment Scenarios
Continued from Part 1: the AV/IT audio divide, card-level Dante, five signal formats, chassis sizing, and AES67 interoperability.
6. Unified AV/Audio Routing in Practice
In a traditional installation, routing Source 3 to Display 12 requires two commands: video to the matrix, audio to the DSP. If these fall out of sync, you get Source 3 video with Source 7 audio — a common real-world failure mode. In the Flex Matrix Pro, video and Dante audio co-route via a single preset command. Synchronization failures are structurally eliminated.
Where audio processing is still required, the Flex Matrix Pro feeds audio directly from its Dante ports into a Dante-enabled DSP — no analog conversion, no cable runs, no channel count limitations from analog I/O.
7. Network Design for Dante at Scale
- Dedicated Dante VLAN with IGMP snooping enabled
- QoS DSCP EF (46) — Dante packets must be prioritized
- STP PortFast + flow control disabled on Dante ports
- PTP (IEEE 1588) required when interoperating with AES67 devices
- DDM for multi-VLAN / enterprise deployments. All Flex Matrix Pro cards are DDM compatible.
8. Control Integration
| Method | Capability |
|---|---|
| Web GUI | Full routing, presets, video wall, Dante audio routing — standard browser |
| REST API | Complete HTTP control. Integrates with scheduling, room booking, facility management without proprietary SDK. |
| RS-232 / TCP-IP | Crestron, AMX, Savant, Control4 via documented command set |
| Dante Controller | All cards discoverable in Audinate’s free software — audio routing managed independently of video |
9. TAA Compliance
All Flex Matrix Pro chassis and I/O cards are TAA compliant — GSA Schedule, DoD, NASPO/OMNIA, E-rate, and state/local government programs. Combined with native Dante/AES67 and 12G-SDI, this is the only TAA-compliant matrix offering broadcast-grade signal handling and enterprise network audio in a single chassis.
10. Deployment Scenarios
Government Command Center — FLEX-PRO64X6448 sources/displays. Surveillance via 12G-SDI — Dante audio to operator stations with no de-embedder hardware. TAA for GSA. Crestron + REST API to incident management platform. University Performing Arts — FLEX-PRO32X3212G-SDI + HDMI + DP in one chassis. Dante from each card feeds a Biamp DSP — no analog runs. E-rate via TAA. Fiber cards to remote campus buildings. Corporate Campus — FLEX-PRO32X32 × Multiple SitesREST API routes content from room booking. Dante feeds shared ceiling speaker zones. Identical card configs across sites = uniform spares, training, and firmware.11. Flex Matrix Pro vs. Standard FLEX
| Requirement | Standard FLEX | Flex Matrix Pro |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI/CATx, 8–60 ports | ✓ Recommended | Overkill for basic use |
| Native Dante/AES67 at every I/O | Not available | ✓ Standard on all cards |
| 12G-SDI sources | Not supported | ✓ FLEX-PROSDI-IN/OUT |
| DisplayPort sources | Not supported | ✓ FLEX-PRODP-IN/OUT |
| Fiber backbone (2km+) | Not supported | ✓ FLEX-PROFIB-IN/OUT |
| 64–128 crosspoints | Max 24×60 | ✓ Up to 128×128 |
| TAA compliance | ✓ Both |
Conclusion
The separation of video and audio in professional AV is not a technical necessity — it is a legacy of hardware limitations that no longer apply. The Flex Matrix Pro eliminates that separation across all five signal formats at every chassis size. For integrators: audio infrastructure is included in the matrix. Two control APIs become one. For end users: routing mismatches are structurally prevented.
Contact KanexPro at support@kanexpro.com or 888.975.1368 for chassis configuration recommendations.
