By Will Waters, Audinate, principal product manager.

Audio networking has transformed how sports productions operate on-site, but the next frontier extends beyond the venue entirely. Cloud-based production workflows are reshaping where crews work, how resources are allocated, and what becomes economically feasible.

Cloud production addresses several practical challenges in modern sports broadcasting. Crew travel and equipment shipping are expensive and risky. Building and maintaining production trucks for peak scheduling periods means that expensive assets sit idle most of the time.

Cloud workflows provide flexibility. Core production tasks can be performed at a centralized facility regardless of where the game is played. This enables right-sizing of on-site crews and reduces travel. It also opens possibilities for alternate broadcasts and secondary productions that wouldn’t justify the cost of rolling another truck.

The NHL’s March 2024 cloud production of a Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes game illustrated the concept. Two separate production teams in different cities cut two different shows from the same live feeds: a traditional broadcast from Secaucus and a stats-focused alternate version from New York. Neither production required on-site presence beyond the cameras and audio capture at the venue.

The key is that cloud production doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Many operations use hybrid approaches: venue capture and primary production happen traditionally, while secondary content, alternate languages, or post-game analysis move to cloud-based workflows.

How Dante enables cloud connectivity

The technical challenge of cloud production is synchronizing and transmitting audio from a venue into cloud computing environments while maintaining the timing precision that broadcasting requires.

Dante Connect addresses this through software tools for cloud workflows. At the venue, a gateway device captures networked audio and establishes a connection to cloud instances. On the cloud side, virtual audio devices make those venue feeds available to cloud-based mixers and production applications as if they were local sources.

The architecture uses several components working together. Dante Virtual Soundcard creates virtual audio devices in cloud instances. Dante Gateway handles the latency variances between on-premises and cloud networks. Dante Domain Manager allows the same management and routing tools to work with both physical and virtual devices.

In the NHL cloud production, a small flypack at Capital One Arena connected game audio – crowd mics, announcers, intercom – into AWS. Cloud-based SSL console software and production tools in two different cities accessed those feeds as if they were local, mixing shows with the same operational approach used for traditional on-premises production.

The system currently supports up to 256 channels across on-premises and cloud environments. It integrates with standards such as SMPTE ST 2110 and AES67, enabling cloud audio to interface with other broadcast IP systems.

What makes this practical is that cloud audio behaves like networked audio anywhere else. An engineer routes from venue sources to cloud mixers using the same tools and approaches they’d use for an on-premises facility.

Handling latency

Latency is the first concern people raise about cloud production, and it’s legitimate. The question is whether that delay is manageable.

The key is predictability more than absolute minimums. In the NHL’s cloud broadcast, end-to-end latency was approximately 7 video frames, or 120-200 milliseconds at 30 frames per second. That’s low enough that commentary, effects, and music stay tightly synced with action.

Achieving this requires careful clock management. Gateway devices establish a common master clock between the venue and the cloud using the Precision Time Protocol, keeping all audio channels sample-locked even when running in virtualized instances.

Buffer management matters as much. Engineers set buffer sizes to absorb network jitter, and cloud systems adjust those buffers on the fly. Bigger buffers mean more latency but better protection against network hiccups. For live sports, most teams would rather have a few extra frames of steady delay than audio that drops out randomly.

The reality is that predictable latency matters more than ultra-low latency—directors and talent report that properly managed delay in cloud productions feels operationally similar to traditional REMI trucks.

Security through air-gapped and private networks

Sports venues and production facilities rarely rely on public internet for core audio workflows. Most production trucks and mobile units are built around dedicated network infrastructure specifically for audio traffic.

The air-gap approach means that audio networks aren’t connected to the internet or to corporate IT networks, where security threats typically originate. An attacker would need physical access to the production network to interfere with audio, which is far more difficult than remote network attacks.

When remote connectivity is needed, secure tunneling protocols create protected paths across public networks. VPNs, dedicated circuits, or managed media transport services isolate audio traffic from the broader internet.

Network management and control

Beyond physical isolation, networked audio systems need logical security controls. When hundreds of devices exist on a shared infrastructure and multiple operators have access, preventing accidental or unauthorized changes becomes critical.

Network management tools provide several layers of protection. User authentication ensures that only authorized personnel can make routing changes. Role-based access control limits what different users can do: an A1 might have full routing authority for their production, while a technician has read-only monitoring access.

Domain management adds another dimension. Large installations can segment devices into logical domains that share resources internally while remaining isolated from one another.

Monitoring offers real-time insight into network health. Alerts prompt engineers immediately when devices go offline or when other issues occur that could impact audio quality.

Planning for next season

Before each season begins, audio teams should review and prepare their networked systems.

Audit all networked devices to validate routing configurations. Document firmware and software versions and update to fix problems and add features.

Review network infrastructure with IT. Check switch configurations, verify quality-of-service settings, and run simulated failover tests to confirm redundancy.

Plan legacy integration for new sources. Identify any new analog or digital equipment, acquire and test all interface boxes in advance.

Prepare cloud and remote workflows. Spin up any virtual instances and run mock productions to measure latency, adjust buffer settings, and verify cloud resources.

Audit security and access so user roles match current responsibilities. Revoke access for any departed employees or contractors. Verify that only authorized devices can join the audio network.

Confirm redundancy and backup plans. Test secondary network paths, ensure spare devices are ready to deploy, and verify that analog backup lines for critical feeds still work.

Train staff and update documentation. Hold refreshers on network operations for the audio crew. Update documentation with current IP addresses, channel lists, and connection diagrams.

Establish performance benchmarks. Run complete system tests and measure baseline metrics: latency, network bandwidth usage, and clock sync quality. These benchmarks help spot anomalies during the season.

Preseason preparation pays off when games begin, so crews can focus on mixing great audio rather than fighting technical fires.

Conclusion

Audio networking has moved beyond being a technical curiosity to become an operational infrastructure. The demands driving this shift are practical: faster turnarounds, more flexible staffing, alternate productions from the same source material, and the ability to work remotely when it makes sense.

The technology itself matters less than what it enables. Once audio lives on a well-managed network, production teams spend less time chasing cables and more time finding new ways to best tell the game’s story.