I understand that the Luminex switches are very cost effective, much more so than the few others now available. I think this will help bring costs down across the board, so that AVB networks will be cost-competitive while offering significant technical and performance advantages.”
Bob McCarthyDirector of System Optimization, Meyer Sound
AVB networks were employed as the signal backbone for Meyer Sound systems at three stages of the 2018 Roskilde Festival in Denmark, marking the first time the technology has been used to interconnect the company’s GALAXY network platforms for a major European rock festival. The fiber optic networks were configured for the event’s two largest stages, Orange and Arena, using new Luminex GigaCore 10 switches while the smaller Pavilion stage employed Summit Series X440-G2 switches by Extreme Networks.
Compared to multiple analog or AES3 digital streams, use of AVB networks at Roskilde reduced set-up time and simplified system configuration while delivering rock-solid stability and trouble-free reliability. In addition to linking audio signals for the GALAXY processors, the networks also carried all data for comprehensive, real-time system monitoring using RMServers.
“We had zero issues with the networks over four days of continuous shows,” reports Bob McCarthy, Meyer Sound’s veteran director of system optimization, who was on hand throughout the festival.
Roskilde also marked the first use of the Luminex switches as an integral component of a Meyer Sound GALAXY network platform, and it was an auspicious debut according to McCarthy.
“I understand that the Luminex switches are very cost effective, much more so than the few others now available,” he says. “I think this will help bring costs down across the board, so that AVB networks will be cost-competitive with Dante-based networks while offering significant technical and performance advantages.”
At the Orange Stage, a total of 18 AVB-networked GALAXY processors were configured to drive 263 Meyer Sound LEO Family loudspeakers, including LEO, LYON and LEOPARD line arrays as well as 1100-LFC and 900‑LFC low frequency control elements. Headline acts at the Orange Stage included Eminem, Bruno Mars and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
The eight GALAXY processors networked at the Arena Stage served a 143-loudspeaker LEO Family system with the LYON, LEOPARD and LINA line arrays bolstered by 1100-LFC low frequency control elements. Artists appearing here included Nine Inch Nails, Fleet Foxes and David Byrne.
At the Pavilion Stage, where four networked GALAXY processors linked a 58-loudspeaker system based around LEOPARD and LINA line arrays, the eclectic mix of international artists included Oh See, Myrkur and Sacred Paws.
Meyer Sound systems were deployed at all stages for the 2018 Roskilde Festival for the first time under a long term partnership agreement between Meyer Sound and festival management. All systems were supplied by the Bright Group, Scandinavia’s leading supplier of large-scale event technologies. System deployment, configuration, tuning and operation involved a team effort on the part of Bright technicians, Meyer Sound technical support, and members of Roskilde Festival’s own highly skilled tech staff, most of whom received special advance training for their key roles in the event.
AVB provides absolutely reliable, deterministic and future-proof media networking as defined by IEEE standards. AVB now incorporates the new Milan protocol, introduced earlier in 2018, which enables a streamlined certification process through the Avnu Alliance that guarantees seamless interoperability among networked AV devices. Both Meyer Sound and Luminex actively participated in formulation of the Milan protocol.