White Paper: Dante/AES67-Native AV Matrix — Part 2: System Design, Control Integration & Deployment Scenarios

White Paper: Dante/AES67-Native AV Matrix — Part 2: System Design, Control Integration & Deployment Scenarios

White Paper — Part 2 of 2

Dante/AES67-Native AV Matrix Infrastructure

System Design, Control Integration & Deployment Scenarios

Continued from Part 1: the AV/IT audio divide, card-level Dante, five signal formats, chassis sizing, and AES67 interoperability.

6. Unified AV/Audio Routing in Practice

In a traditional installation, routing Source 3 to Display 12 requires two commands: video to the matrix, audio to the DSP. If these fall out of sync, you get Source 3 video with Source 7 audio — a common real-world failure mode. In the Flex Matrix Pro, video and Dante audio co-route via a single preset command. Synchronization failures are structurally eliminated.

Where audio processing is still required, the Flex Matrix Pro feeds audio directly from its Dante ports into a Dante-enabled DSP — no analog conversion, no cable runs, no channel count limitations from analog I/O.

7. Network Design for Dante at Scale

  • Dedicated Dante VLAN with IGMP snooping enabled
  • QoS DSCP EF (46) — Dante packets must be prioritized
  • STP PortFast + flow control disabled on Dante ports
  • PTP (IEEE 1588) required when interoperating with AES67 devices
  • DDM for multi-VLAN / enterprise deployments. All Flex Matrix Pro cards are DDM compatible.

8. Control Integration

MethodCapability
Web GUIFull routing, presets, video wall, Dante audio routing — standard browser
REST APIComplete HTTP control. Integrates with scheduling, room booking, facility management without proprietary SDK.
RS-232 / TCP-IPCrestron, AMX, Savant, Control4 via documented command set
Dante ControllerAll cards discoverable in Audinate’s free software — audio routing managed independently of video

9. TAA Compliance

All Flex Matrix Pro chassis and I/O cards are TAA compliant — GSA Schedule, DoD, NASPO/OMNIA, E-rate, and state/local government programs. Combined with native Dante/AES67 and 12G-SDI, this is the only TAA-compliant matrix offering broadcast-grade signal handling and enterprise network audio in a single chassis.

10. Deployment Scenarios

Government Command Center — FLEX-PRO64X64
48 sources/displays. Surveillance via 12G-SDI — Dante audio to operator stations with no de-embedder hardware. TAA for GSA. Crestron + REST API to incident management platform.
University Performing Arts — FLEX-PRO32X32
12G-SDI + HDMI + DP in one chassis. Dante from each card feeds a Biamp DSP — no analog runs. E-rate via TAA. Fiber cards to remote campus buildings.
Corporate Campus — FLEX-PRO32X32 × Multiple Sites
REST API routes content from room booking. Dante feeds shared ceiling speaker zones. Identical card configs across sites = uniform spares, training, and firmware.

11. Flex Matrix Pro vs. Standard FLEX

RequirementStandard FLEXFlex Matrix Pro
HDMI/CATx, 8–60 ports✓ RecommendedOverkill for basic use
Native Dante/AES67 at every I/ONot available✓ Standard on all cards
12G-SDI sourcesNot supported✓ FLEX-PROSDI-IN/OUT
DisplayPort sourcesNot supported✓ FLEX-PRODP-IN/OUT
Fiber backbone (2km+)Not supported✓ FLEX-PROFIB-IN/OUT
64–128 crosspointsMax 24×60✓ Up to 128×128
TAA compliance✓ Both

Conclusion

The separation of video and audio in professional AV is not a technical necessity — it is a legacy of hardware limitations that no longer apply. The Flex Matrix Pro eliminates that separation across all five signal formats at every chassis size. For integrators: audio infrastructure is included in the matrix. Two control APIs become one. For end users: routing mismatches are structurally prevented.

Contact KanexPro at support@kanexpro.com or 888.975.1368 for chassis configuration recommendations.

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