AT&T Stadium, located in Arlington, Texas, is a global icon of modern sports and entertainment venues and the home of NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. The stadium’s massive 160-foot-wide HD video board, mobile app integrations, and Wi-Fi network not only provide fans with an unparalleled experience but also set a new standard in sports stadium technology, reinforcing its image as a high-tech venue.
Originally a CobraNet installation, the stadium’s AV team undertook a massive three-year project to convert the entire stadium over to Dante audio.
CobraNet was end-of-life, and we were already having issues sourcing replacement parts, so the migration was a need, not a want,” said Richard Bratcher, audio consultant at AT&T Stadium and owner of Caprock Professional Services. “As the de facto audio standard in pro AV, it was a no-brainer for us to migrate the stadium to Dante.”
The first year involved replacing all of the stadium’s amplifiers with Dynacord IPX10:4 units. The IPX series offers advanced 96 kHz high-resolution digital signal processing for the highest performance, internal analog-to-digital conversion with ultra-low latency, and a superior signal-to-noise ratio. The 4-channel, Dante-enabled 2500-watt IPX10:4 amplifier can run in either 48- or 96 kHz, including FIR Drive.
Year two encompassed remodeling the south side of the stadium, including suites, clubs, corridors, concessions, and more, while year three involved the north side. All existing BSS DSPs were replaced with Dante-enabled BLU-806DA DSPs coupled with BLU-120 and BLU-326DA I/O expanders. The Soundweb London BLU-806DA offers configurable I/O, configurable signal processing, and a high bandwidth, fault-tolerant digital audio bus. The processor features Dante audio with primary and secondary ports for fault tolerance, with control through a separate Ethernet port. The BLU-806DA also includes support for integration with Dante Domain Manager.
All Dante channels feed into a Solid State Logic (SSL) System T console for mixing and production. System T bridges the gap between commonly found DAW and controller setups. Its digital audio handling and advanced production workflows, including Dolby Atmos, are complemented by SSL production tools optimized for immersive music production, providing multi-format immersive and object signal paths. Full SSL dynamics and EQ are available on every channel and bus, along with 3D panning, DAW control, Dynamic Automation, Dante integration, and an inbuilt effect rack.
Gary French, AT&T Stadium’s A1 audio engineer, says that working with Dante offers seamless, low-latency audio networking, allowing him to manage complex audio setups efficiently with high-quality, uncompressed sound over standard IP networks.
“Working with the Dante-enabled SSL console is a game-changer for me,” said French. “Its flexibility and ease of integration make managing even our most complex audio setups a breeze.”
The stadium’s massive AV network is separate from the data network, but the stadium uses the SSL HC Bridge SRC when content needs to be shared between them. HC Bridge SRC provides 256 bi-directional channels of sample rate conversion for Audio-over-IP (AoIP) networks. HC Bridge SRC facilitates connecting audio between devices running at different sample rates or in different clock domains on Dante (48 and 96 kHz), AES67 or ST 2110-30 networks. The two network connections can be to physically or virtually separate networks, providing control isolation between two sets of equipment where an AoIP discovery and control ‘firewall’ is required.
“Dante has proven invaluable at the stadium because it delivers higher quality audio with greater flexibility and scalability, all while simplifying integration and control across various devices and platforms,” said Bratcher. the effort.”
