Dante Audio

WATCHOUT supports Dante as an audio output interface for professional networked audio routing. Dante (Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet) transmits uncompressed, multi-channel audio over standard IP networks with low latency and sample-accurate synchronization. In a WATCHOUT installation, Dante routes audio output from Runner nodes to Dante-enabled equipment — mixing consoles, amplifiers, speaker processors, or any other device on the Dante network — without dedicated analog or AES audio cabling.

WATCHOUT ships as a Dante Ready product: the Dante stack is built into every node and only needs to be licensed per node through Audinate's Dante Activator (up to 64 channels). See Dante Ready and Activation below.

How Dante Works in WATCHOUT

Dante is configured as an audio device type in WATCHOUT's audio device properties. When you set an audio device's type to Dante, WATCHOUT uses the Dante Application Library to create a Dante transmitter on the node, publishing audio channels to the Dante network. The transmitter appears on the Dante network with the name "WATCHOUT-" followed by the node's hostname, making it discoverable by Dante controllers and receivers.

Each Runner node that uses Dante audio needs a Dante-compatible network interface. This is typically a dedicated Ethernet port or a Dante-specific network adapter. The audio data is transmitted over this interface alongside other Dante traffic on the network.

Configuring a Dante Audio Device

  1. Open the Devices window (Window > Devices) and select the audio device you want to configure, or add a new audio device.
  2. In the Properties panel, set the Host to the Runner node that will output the audio.
  3. Set the Device Type to Dante.
  4. Select the Adapter — the Dante network interface on the target node. The dropdown lists the available Dante-compatible adapters on the selected host.
  5. Set the Channels — the number of Dante output channels. Available options are 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 channels.
  6. Configure Latency as needed for your audio routing.

When Dante is selected as the device type, the Device selector (used for WASAPI and ASIO to choose a specific physical audio device) is replaced by the Adapter selector for choosing the Dante network interface. Sample format options are also handled by the Dante library rather than configured manually.

Dante Network Requirements

Dante audio relies on precise timing and dedicated network infrastructure:

  • Dedicated Dante network or VLAN. Dante traffic is latency-sensitive and benefits from a dedicated network segment. In many professional installations, Dante runs on its own switch infrastructure or VLAN, separate from WATCHOUT control and media distribution traffic.
  • Managed Gigabit switch. Dante requires QoS (Quality of Service) configuration on the network switch to prioritize timing packets. Most Dante-certified switches have appropriate QoS presets.
  • PTP timing. Dante uses PTP (Precision Time Protocol) to synchronize clocks between devices. WATCHOUT's Dante stack participates in this clock domain. It is separate from WATCHOUT's own NTP-based time synchronization between nodes.
  • mDNS discovery. Dante devices discover each other using mDNS (multicast DNS), which the Dante stack uses to publish the transmitter. Ensure that mDNS traffic is not blocked by firewalls or switch access control lists.

Dante Ready and Activation

WATCHOUT ships as a Dante Ready product — the Dante stack is built into every node out of the box, with no extra software install. To actually publish Dante streams from a node, the node needs a Dante license activated through Audinate's Dante Activator tool. WATCHOUT supports licenses up to 64 channels per node; pick the channel tier that matches the show's requirements. See Audinate's Dante Ready page for more on the model.

If Dante is not activated, WATCHOUT reports "Dante not activated." If the Dante adapter on the node does not have enough channels for the configured count, WATCHOUT reports "Insufficient number of channels in Dante device." Both messages appear in the Nodes window message indicators.

Channel Routing

Inside WATCHOUT, the show's audio buses map to this device's channels through the routing matrix. On the network, those published channels are routed to physical outputs (speakers, amplifiers) with a Dante controller application (such as Dante Controller from Audinate), which creates routes between the WATCHOUT transmitter and the receiving devices.

The WATCHOUT Dante transmitter appears in the Dante controller with the manufacturer name "Dataton AB" and model "WATCHOUT 7". The channel names correspond to the configured channel count.

Comparison with Other Audio Device Types

Dante is the only audio device type that routes audio over the network rather than through a local hardware interface — ideal when audio processing equipment is remote from the Runner nodes. For the full comparison of WASAPI, WASAPI Exclusive, ASIO, and Dante, see Audio Devices.

Troubleshooting Dante

For Dante symptoms and fixes (no adapters listed, activation and channel-count errors, audio not reaching receivers, dropouts), see Audio Issues → Dante.

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