Everybody needs to share audio. Sometimes just a few signals — sometimes a few hundred. Across the hall, between floors, now and then across campus. Routing switchers are a convenient way to manage and share your audio, but will your GM really let you buy a router that costs more than his dream car? Unlikely.If you need a routing switcher but aren’t made of money, consider Axia, the Ethernet-based audio network. Yes, Ethernet. Axia is a true network. Place our audio adapter nodes next to your sources and destinations, then connect using standard Ethernet switches and Cat-6. Imagine the simplicity and power of Ethernet connecting any studio device to any other, any room to any other, any building
to any other... you get the idea.

Scalable, flexible, reliable... pick any three
An expensive proprietary router isn’t practical for smaller facilities. In fact, it doesn’t scale all that well for larger ones. Here’s where an expandable network really shines. Connect eight Axia 8x8 Audio Nodes using Cat-6 cable and an Ethernet switch, and you’ve got a 64x64 routing switcher. And you can easily add more I/O whenever and wherever you need it. Build a 128x128 system... or 1024x1024... use a Gigabit fiber backbone and the sky’s the limit.

Put your preamps where your mics are
Most mainframe routers have no mic inputs, so you need to buy preamps. With Axia you get ultra-low-noise preamps with Phantom power. Put a node in each studio, right next to the mics, to keep mic cables nice and tight, then send multiple mic channels to the network on a single Cat-6 cable. And did we mention that each Mic Node has eight stereo line outputs for headphones? Nice bonus.

With a little help from our friends
A networked audio system doesn’t just replace a traditional router — it improves upon it. Already, companies in our industry are realizing the advantages of tightly integrated systems, and are making new products that reap those benefits. Working with our partners, Axia Audio is bringing new thinking and ideas to audio distribution, machine control, Program Associated Data (PAD), and even wiring convenience.

Are you still using PC sound cards?
Even the best sound cards are compromised by PC noise, inconvenient output connectors, poor headroom, and other gremlins. Instead, load the Axia IP-Audio Driver for Windows® on your workstations and connect directly to the Axia audio network using their Ethernet ports. Not only will your PC productions sound fantastic, you’ll eliminate sound cards and the hardware they usually feed (like router or console input modules). Just think of all the cash you’ll save.

Put your snake on a diet
Nobody loves cable snakes. Besides soldering a jillion connectors, just try finding the pair you want when there’s a change to make. Axia Audio Nodes come in AES/EBU and balanced stereo analog flavors. Put a batch of Nodes on each end of a Cat-6 run, and BAM! a bi-directional multi- channel snake. Use media converters and a fiber link for extra-long runs between studios — or between buildings.

Would you like some control with that?
There are plenty of ways to control your Axia network. For instance, you’ll find built-in webservers on all Axia equipment for easy configuration via browser. PathfinderPC® software for Windows gives you central control of every audio path in your plant. Router Selector nodes allow quick local source selection, and intelligent studio control surfaces let talent easily access and mix any source in your networked facility.

This sounds expensive
Just the opposite, really. Axia saves money by eliminating distribution amps, line selectors, sound cards, patch bays, multi-pair cables, and tons of discrete wiring — not to mention the installation and maintenance time you’ll recover. And those are just side benefits: the hardware is about half the cost of those big mainframe routers. That’s right... half.. Once you experience the benefits of networked audio, you will never want to go back.