Which sound device is best for my Myriad installation?

Modified on Tue, 24 Sep at 12:45 PM

Myriad Playout supports a wide range of internal sound cards and external sound devices. Choosing the best option for your system will depend on a couple of factors such as how you will be using Myriad as well as what devices the outputs (and inputs) are plugging into.

In this article we will offer some general advice about what option may be best for certain combinations of function and equipment. The soundcards / devices outlined in this article have all been tested for use with Myriad and offer the functionality that Myriad Playout requires, although we do not guarantee the long term stability of the devices or drivers.

We have tested Myriad Playout with all the devices in this article but there a great many more devices available that will offer similar features and work with Myriad Playout.

General considerations

Device costs

As with anything in life, generally you get what you pay for with sound cards so whilst we do not necessarily mean you should buy the most expensive option available, we would recommend avoiding the cheapest options available. It is perfectly feasible that very low cost devices will work fine with Myriad and provide you with a good level of reliability and audio quality, but we would recommend using a well known brand so that you can research your device before you purchase it!

USB vs Internal sound cards

Another major consideration is whether a sound device is internal (sound card) or an external USB device. Logic would suggest an internal device would offer some advantages (you cannot turn it off or accidently unplug it) but aside from this, we have successfully used good quality USB devices (like the Roland Octacapture) with Myriad Playout for many years. USB devices can also offer some advantages such as more inputs / outputs and easier connectivity (XLR or 1/4" jacks instead of mini-jacks or breakout cables).

If you are considering an external USB device, here a few things to consider:

Is the device rack mountable - where will it live?
Does it have lots of knobs and buttons that people may knock or play with?
Does it auto 'power on' if there is a power cut?
Does it have the correct number of inputs and outputs that you can use? Many have a lot of inputs and not as many outputs or they have a high number of mono outputs so check carefully.

When considering an internal sound card, things to consider include:

Full height vs low profile - some rack chassis (like our budget 2u cases) cannot take full height PCIe cards.
Does your PC have an expansion slot in the right format? Most sound cards are PCIe but check carefully!
Physical I/O - Many of the professional multi-channel cards (Sonifex, AudioScience etc) have a large number of I/O but physical space is extremely limited so many use a breakout cable or box which may add cost and complexity to your installation.

Do you need a sound device at all?

It may seem an odd question but in the modern world, a high number of station may not need a sound card or device at all. There are three main scenarios when you can consider ditching sound devices in favour if virtual sound drivers.

If your station has digital mixers that support AoIP virtual sound drivers such as Dante, Livewire or Ravenna. Most modern digital mixers offer AoIP in one format or another (AEQ Capitol / Forum offer the option for Dante and Axia mixers use their own proprietary Livewire system.
If you are running an automated service that is streaming directly to web from the same PC (ie Myriad and your encoding software are on the same PC) then you can use a a low cost Virtual Audio Cable (VB-Audio Virtual Apps for example) to provide Myriad with a virtual audio device that can be encoded directly. Generally this option is not suitable if you need to listen to the audio in real time (for live shows etc) but is great for automated services or if you are using Myriad Anywhere Pro for remote live shows.
If your mixing console offers USB sound devices directly. Some mixers (like the D&R Airlite) offer multiple USB devices that are linked directly to faders. Myriad can be configured to use these directly removing the need for a sound device at all!

Balanced or unbalanced

One of the major considerations when looking at the best sound card or device that you will use is actually what equipment it will be plugged into and whether that equipment will be expecting / providing balanced or unbalanced audio.

Balanced audio can be considered as the professional option and you will find that majority of professional audio equipment and broadcast mixers will use balanced audio.

There is lots of information about balanced audio available online (Balanced audio - Wikipedia) but the key things you need to know is that balanced audio is designed to minimise 'noise' on longer audio cable runs and is at a higher audio level than it's unbalanced cousin.

Common mixers that use balanced audio include:

Sonifex S1 and S2
Soundcraft Series 10 & 15
Alice Air 2000
AEQ Forum & Capitol (if you are using analogue audio inputs instead of Dante AoIP)
Axia iQ (if you are using analogue audio inputs instead of Livewire AoIP)
Basically any professional analogue broadcast equipment

Balanced connections are usually XLR or Balanced wired 1/4" jacks although a RJ45 (network plugs wired in a specific way)) plugs have become increasingly popular on some devices.

Unbalanced audio is the domestic standard that you will be familiar with from hi-fi equipment, TV and virtually all consumer devices that involve audio inputs or outputs. Unbalanced audio is at a lower level than balanced and is susceptible to electrical noise over longer cable runs but in a small studio, this is not normally an issue. Some entry level broadcast mixers are based on unbalanced audio I/O to help keep costs down. Examples include:

Broadcast Radio SRMv2
Sonifex S0
D&R Webstation, Airlite & Airmate USB

Unbalanced connections are usually mini jacks or phono plugs.

Stereo or multi-channel

The final consideration is whether you need a multi-channel sound device or whether you only need a stereo output?

This will come down to what you are plugging into and how you intend to use it!

If you are plugging into a mixing console that will be used for live presentation then you really need a sound card or device that offers as many outputs as Media Players you have configured in Myriad Playout so that each Media Player can be controlled by it's own fader on the mixer. This gives the presenter the most control over playout and allow them to preview individual items and 'ride the fader' for items to suit their needs.

If the Myriad Workstation you are considering is an automation system that will not have presenters needing to control individual levels (physically in a studio) then you can use a stereo output sound device (i.e. one output channel consisting of left and right). You will still have four or more Media Players configured in Myriad, it is just they will also be configured to use the single stereo output device. You can also consider this option if you are looking at a production studio or an installation where faders are limited on your console. You could have all Media Players configured so they come up on a single fader on the console. The main disadvantages are you cannot physically control the level of individual Media Players (you can use the software 'faders' on the players in Myriad) and you cannot 'preview' audio as it would be played 'on air'. This second restriction can be overcome by using a second stereo sound device (onboard maybe) that is configured for Previews, Editing and Segue Editing only in Myriad Playout.

So as you can see, device selection is principally driven by what the device is you need to connect to and whether it will be used 'live' or for production / automation. On top of that, considerations of costs, formats and I/O are also important.

Some real world examples

Now that you know the theory, lets look at a few common scenarios and what sound devices we would recommend!

On-air studio (for live use)

In this example we will need a multi-channel sound device that will provide the presenter with maximum control. The list below shows some common broadcast mixing consoles and what sound devices we would recommend for them.

AEQ Capitol / Forum IP (with Dante module) - Dante Virtual Soundcard - provides 8 stereo I/O via Dante AoIP at a very low cost.
AEQ Capitol / Forum IP (no Dante module) - Roland Octa-Capture - provides 4 x stereo balanced I/O via USB. Alternate option - Sonifex Auricon 4.4 PCIe - this provides 4 x balanced stereo I/O.
Sonifex S1 or S2 (or any other professional analogue broadcast mixer) - Roland Octa-Capture - provides 4 x stereo balanced I/O via USB. Alternate option - Sonifex Auricon 4.4 PCIe - this provides 4 x balanced stereo I/O.
Axia iQ - Livewire Virtual Driver - Options for between 1 x stereo and 24 x stereo AoIP drivers.
Other Digital Broadcast Mixer (AES3 or AES/EBU inputs) - Sonifex Digitorc 4 - Provides 4 x AES/EBU I/O.
Broadcast Radio SRMv2 - Terratec Aureon 7.1 PCIe - provides 4 x stereo outputs plus 1 x stereo input on unbalanced mini jacks.
D&R Webstation & Airlite - Built in USB - Both mixers come with multi-channel USB linked directly to faders (3 on Webstation, 4 on Airlite).
Behringer DX2000USB (or any other small domestic mixers) - Terratec Aureon 7.1 PCIe - provides 4 x stereo outputs plus 1 x stereo input on unbalanced mini jacks.

Production studio

In the case of a production studio, a single fader can be used for all of the Myriad Media Players. This offer less control but frees up faders for other equipment.

AEQ Capitol / Forum IP (with Dante module) - Dante Virtual Soundcard - provides 8 stereo I/O via Dante AoIP at a very low cost.
AEQ Capitol / Forum IP (no Dante module) - Roland Rubix 22 - provides 1 x stereo balanced I/O via USB.
Sonifex S1 or S2 - Roland Rubix 22 - provides 1 x stereo balanced I/O via USB.
Axia iQ - Livewire Virtual Driver - Options for between 1 x stereo and 24 x stereo AoIP drivers.
Other Digital Broadcast Mixer (AES3 or AES/EBU inputs) - Sonifex Digitorc 4 - Provides 4 x AES/EBU I/O.
Broadcast Radio SRMv2 - Built in USB - The SRMv2 has a built in stereo USB I/O which would be ideal/
D&R Webstation & Airlite - Built in USB - Both mixers come with multi-channel USB linked directly to faders (3 on Webstation, 4 on Airlite).
Behringer DX2000USB (or any other small domestic mixers) - Terratec Aureon 7.1 PCIe - provides 4 x stereo outputs plus 1 x stereo input on unbalanced mini jacks. Or you could use the built on 'on board' sound included with most PC's.

Automation PC

In this example, we are considering a Myriad Playout PC that is being used as a pure automation PC. As no one is using it for live shows, a single stereo output is all that is needed. As with the other examples, the main consideration is what device or service the automation PC is connecting to. Here are some common examples:

Connection to professional analogue audio equipment (processor, transmitter etc) - Roland Rubix 22 - provides 1 x stereo balanced I/O via USB.
Connecting to professional digital audio equipment - Sonifex Digitorc 4 - Provides 4 x AES/EBU I/O.
Connecting to Dante AoIP network - Dante Virtual Soundcard - provides 8 stereo I/O via Dante AoIP at a very low cost.
Connecting to Axia Livewire AoIP network - Livewire Virtual Driver - Options for between 1 x stereo and 24 x stereo AoIP drivers.
Connecting to streaming encoder on the same PC - VB Audio Cable - Stereo virtual sound card driver.

Admin PC

In general, admin PC's can use the built in sound device on the PC as they generally only need a stereo device and they are usually connecting to domestic speakers or headphones. Obviously, any of the devices listed above would also work if the situation requires more I/O or balanced audio.

More information

For a full list of supported sound devices visit - Professional Sound Cards & Sound Devices (broadcastradio.com)