Architecting Your Digital Nervous System.
Cymatic Logic is a high-value consultancy focused on Unified AVoIP (Dante/NDI), Network Architecture, and Custom Software Integration (C#/Node.js/OSC).
Our Expertise
Why We Are Different
We Are The "T-Shaped Expert"
The market is flooded with "IT guys" who don't understand latency, and "AV guys" who don't understand Layer 3 routing. This gap is where disasters happen.We are different. Our expertise is T-shaped:The "Vertical" (Our Depth):
Enterprise-grade Network Architecture & Custom C# / Node.js Software Development.The "Horizontal" (Our Breadth):
Dante, NDI, ProPresenter, VSTs, OBS, and OSC/MIDI control.We don't just sell boxes. We design the"digital nervous system" that makes them work together.
Insights
Dante vs. NDI: 5 Critical Mistakes When Architecting a Converged AVoIP Network on a 10G Fiber Backbone
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The "Blueprint" -
Unified AVoIP Network Architecture
We design your 10G+ fiber backbone to run Dante, NDI, and IT data flawlessly. We deliver enterprise-grade, "zero-dropout" network designs by implementing correct QoS, VLAN, and Layer 3/4 routing.
The "Magic" -
Show Control & Software Integration
We are the glue. We write custom C# / Node.js software to sync your entire show. We build the logic that connects ProPresenter, OBS, VST Rigs, and your Console via OSC, MIDI, and NDI automation.
The "Insurance" -
Unified AVoIP Infrastructure Retainer
You get a remote Network Architect on call. We provide 24/7 monitoring, cloud backups for all your configs (Dante, VST, OBS), and emergency SLA support when your NDI feed suddenly drops at 9 AM on a Sunday.
Dante vs. NDI: 5 Critical Mistakes When Architecting a Converged AVoIP Network on a 10G Fiber Backbone
Why your 10G network is still dropping packets, and how to actually run Audio and Video on the same enterprise infrastructure.
The Intro: The "One-Cable" Myth & The Bandwidth LieThe sales pitch from the IT vendor is always seductive: "Just run this 10G fiber backbone, and you'll have more bandwidth than you'll ever need."They're not wrong, but they are dangerously inaccurate.On an unplanned network, all that backbone bandwidth means nothing. A single, tiny broadcast storm can—and will—paralyze the entire system. And this is before we even introduce the high-demand, high-strung protocols of NDI and Dante.Sure, it works fine on a simple 1-to-1 connection or a 5-port switch. But as you scale, the system doesn't get stronger; it gets more fragile.This creates the "Expert Gap" where the disaster happens:
1. The AV Engineers don't understand network architecture.
2. The IT Engineers don't understand NDI/Dante's non-negotiable real-time latency requirements.The result? A system that technically "works," but it works weirdly. You get those "unprofessional" glitches, pops, and stutters that even the audience can't ignore.Mistake #1: The "Good Steward" Fallacy
(Using the Wrong Tool)This is the most common mistake IT engineers make when entering the AVoIP world: they try to be a "good steward" by purchasing a "usable" (i.e., consumer-grade) piece of hardware.Think of this scenario: a department needs to send one NDI feed to four displays. The IT manager buys a cheap 5-port, maybe even unmanaged, switch. It's cheap, all ports are used, and when they plug it in... it works! They look like a hero for saving money.But does it really work?The nightmare begins an hour later. The system always fails. Audio starts popping, video flickers, and clients fall out of sync. They try to fix it in the software—adjusting Dante latency, lowering NDI bandwidth—but the problem persists.Finally, in desperation, they surrender. They call in a contractor to pull new SDI, HDMI, and XLR cables, completely defeating the purpose of AVoIP and incurring massive new costs in time and labor.The hard truth: Consumer-grade (or even "Smart") switches are not built for the relentless, high-bandwidth demands of AVoIP. Only Enterprise-grade or purpose-built AVoIP switches have the backplane and chipsets to sustain that level of traffic 24/7.Mistake #2: The "Truck vs. Car" Problem
(Mismanaging Multicast)So, you bought an Enterprise-grade switch. The problem is over, right? Wrong. Now the challenge shifts from "Hardware" to "Configuration."* The Car: Dante (Audio)
Dante is a Ferrari. Its bandwidth is tiny (~1.5 Mbps per channel), but its demand for synchronization is absolute. It relies on PTP Clock packets that are microscopic but must arrive with sub-microsecond precision. A delay of just a few milliseconds isn't a "glitch"; it's a phase disaster.* The Truck: NDI (Video)
NDI is a freight train. A single 4K stream demands 300-500+ Mbps. To send this single stream to multiple destinations (e.g., 4 displays), you enable Multicast.The "Broadcast Storm" You Created
And this is where network engineers break out in a cold sweat. When you enable Multicast on an unconfigured switch, it defaults to "flooding." The switch treats the NDI signal like a broadcast storm, sending that massive 500+ Mbps stream to every single port on the network.This flood doesn't just crash the NDI clients. It drowns your critical Dante PTP packets. It suffocates your RTMP stream to YouTube. Your entire network collapses, not from a lack of bandwidth, but from a complete lack of traffic management.The Solution: You don't need wider roads; you need a traffic cop. This "cop" is a switch feature called "IGMP Snooping," and it's the only thing that can intelligently route the "NDI truck" to only the ports that requested it, leaving the "Dante Ferrari" a clear path.Mistake #3: Running a "Flat" Network (Ignoring VLANs & QoS)In modern networking, "physical isolation" (different wires for different systems) is an outdated, chaotic solution. The modern solution is virtual isolation using VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks).The Architect's Solution:1. Build Walls (VLANs): The first step is to create separate, virtual networks. We build a fortress wall around our AVoIP traffic, completely isolating it from the Guest-WiFi VLAN and the Corporate-IT (NAS/Office) VLAN.
2. Create Priority Lanes (QoS): Building the wall isn't enough. We use QoS (Quality of Service) to create priority lanes. We configure the switches to treat Dante PTP Clock packets like a presidential motorcade—they get the highest priority (DSCP 56) and pass through first, no matter what. NDI traffic is assigned the next-highest priority.This combination is the only way to guarantee your office's NAS traffic will never interfere with your audio, and your audio clock will never be delayed by your video stream.Mistake #4: The "Green" Trap
(Ignoring Energy Efficient Ethernet)Energy efficiency (EEE, or 802.3az) sounds responsible. But in the AVoIP world, this "green" feature is a catastrophic pitfall.The problem: EEE works by putting "idle" ports into a low-power "sleep" state.
The nightmare: The switch often misinterprets Dante's tiny-but-constant PTP clock packets as "idle" and puts the port to sleep.When that port "wakes up," the non-uniform latency it introduces is enough to completely destroy the PTP clock's sensitive synchronization.Grandma is (almost) always right about turning off the lights. But for your AVoIP network? It's better to leave the lights on. (Disable EEE on all ports).Mistake #5: The Philosophy Clash
(Thinking "IT" is "AVoIP")This brings us to the final, and most critical, mistake. It's not a technical error, but a philosophical one.In the traditional "IT" world, the primary goal is "Complete Transmission." If a packet fails, the system (TCP) simply retries. The system is built for data integrity.In the "AVoIP" world, the primary goal is "Hyper-Punctual Delivery." We live in a world where a 0.001-second (1ms) delay isn't a "glitch"—it's a catastrophic phase disaster that can cause comb filtering or jitter noise.The Show Must Go On (And There Is No "Retry" Button)The world of live production is unforgiving. There is no "Retry" button.This means that a corrupted recording due to clocking errors is permanent. That night's performance is lost forever.This is what defines the disaster. It’s not just a momentary error; it’s the deep, lasting regret that comes with the helpless feeling that you can do nothing to save the performance. A failed show doesn't just earn you embarrassment; it earns you the title of "unprofessional" and the angry questions from passionate fans.And in today's world, that failure isn't private. It’s the "PAFails" or "AVFails" short-form video that gets uploaded, shared, and lives on forever.The Conclusion: The Architect is the Solution"Complete Delivery" (IT) and "Hyper-Punctual, On-Time Delivery" (AVoIP) may sound similar, but as anyone who has ever shopped online knows, the underlying cost, infrastructure, and mindset are completely different.This is the road where art and technology must merge.We aren't just AV engineers, and we aren't just network engineers.We are Cymatic Logic. We are the architects who understand both. And we are here to help you solve these problems.Book Your Free 30-Minute Architecture AuditP.S. Need to fix your show's workflow before it hits the network? Check out our SaaS platform, PatchGrid.app.
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