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Like it or not, networking is here to stay in professional audio & production. While it might have you tearing your hair out at the moment, it really is making a massive difference in how we deal with transporting & managing data on a job site. While we grew up hunting down signal flow problems with a mini-mag light as our preferred analysis tool, these days it’s tools like Dante Controller, Wireshark, Wireless Workbench & a solid ethernet dongle for your laptop that get you out of most jams.

Watch Part 2 HERE

Watch Part 1 Here

The days of wrangling large multicore cables and dedicated copper lines for individual channels of audio are quickly coming to a close. The old ways of running long dedicated cables for audio and then needing to duplicate them for additional channels, and again with a different cable for control data, and again for video, is simply too costly and time consuming to carry forward in the face of modern network technology.

There has never been a better time to continue learning, and manufacturers like Audinate provide certification programs for Dante online and for no cost. Understanding networking and having the skills to work with modern gear is essential in a crowded job market. To get started on that path, like you did with audio, fundamentals are always a solid first step.

Enter John Huntington, educator, author, practitioner, storm chaser, photographer & all around nice guy to spend a Sunday chatting with.

I’ve owned his book for many years and have benefited from it massively. As a reference or a jumping off point for learning, he covers tons of different technologies and systems that are beyond the typical ‘audio department’ responsibilities. By the time you’ve seen what some of his friends and colleagues are doing with networks and show control in the big leagues, using a Dante digital snake will likely seem a bit more approachable.

As networked audio has come into its own in the past few years, the knowledge base he has amassed in building reliable show networks and control systems is an excellent foundation to build from and a must have reference on everyone’s shelf in my opinion.

Let’s jump in to part one of this two part interview. We could have gone on talking for hours & I’ve extended an open invitation to John to come back on the channel anytime he’d like in the future.

“Show Networks and Control Systems” by John Huntington

Control Geek

John’s website with everything he has going on right now!

John’s career is truly impressive and a great model for anyone starting in the industry to look up to as they start their journey.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of the interview – it will be added here along with the podcast as soon as they are available.

Thanks to Electro Sound Systems for sponsoring this video. Check out their new video series on YouTube – follow them on facebook or instagram for updates!