📄 ️ Broadcast‑Quality Rack & Mixer Configurations
This article explains how to use InterScribe features effectively in your events.
- Author
- by Admin User
- 23 days ago
📖 Overview
For high-production events and permanent venue installations, you can integrate InterScribe into a full AV rack system. This setup enables:
- Higher audio fidelity
- Persistent uptime and auto-start
- Centralized signal routing
- Support for complex live environments (e.g., churches, conference halls, hybrid panels)
While more technical, this configuration delivers the most reliable and scalable experience — especially when transcription and voice interpretation need to be consistently available.
🧱 Example Components
Here’s what a typical rack-based AV integration might include:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Rack PC or mini-computer | Runs the Desktop Agent. Can auto-start and auto-connect on boot. |
| Digital audio mixer | E.g. Behringer X32, Yamaha TF series — handles all mic and media routing. |
| Audio feed from mixer | Either via USB audio interface or analog audio output to the rack PC. |
| (Optional) Dante/NDI interface | Used in large or networked venues for audio-over-IP routing. |
| Network switch (AV-dedicated) | Ensures stable AV traffic flow — required if using Dante/NDI. |
| Power conditioner & UPS | Protects against outages and maintains clean power for sensitive equipment. |
| External monitor, keyboard, mouse | For setup, diagnostics, and quick adjustments if needed. |
⚠️ Important: Dante/NDI are not required for most setups. A basic USB interface or analog line-out is sufficient for single-room or small-venue use.
🛠 Setup Guidelines
Follow these steps to build a reliable broadcast-grade configuration:
1. Plan Your Audio Routing
- Identify the microphones or buses that should feed InterScribe.
- Send a speech-only mix — exclude music and ambient sources.
- Use a dedicated aux bus or output that remains consistent.
2. Configure the Mixer
- Assign speaker channels to a dedicated USB, Dante, or line output.
- Ensure gain staging is correct: not too low (causes misrecognition), not clipping.
- Label the routing path clearly (e.g., “To InterScribe”).
3. Connect to the Rack PC
- Preferred: USB audio interface connected to the mixer's output.
- Alternative: Analog audio line-out from mixer into PC line-in.
- (Advanced) Dante/NDI interfaces can also be used, but require configuration and a stable AV network.
4. Set Up the Desktop Agent
- Install the Desktop Agent on the rack PC.
- Set it to auto-start and auto-connect on system boot.
- Assign the correct AV Channel so the session knows where to pull audio from.
5. Assign AV Channels in InterScribe
- AV Channels act as bridges between your physical setup and the digital session.
- Each Desktop Agent, Web Agent, or RTMP/SRT/WHIP feed must route to an AV Channel.
- Create one per room, booth, or interpreter.
6. Test and Monitor
- Use the Streamer Dashboard to verify that audio is flowing.
- Check signal quality, live transcription, and any translation/voice channels.
- Have a colleague join the session to assess live latency and sync.
✅ Best Practices
| Recommendation | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Send a clean speech-only feed | Avoid background music — it interferes with transcription and AI interpretation. |
| Label everything | Prevent confusion and reduce setup/debugging time. |
| Use Dante/NDI only if needed | Adds flexibility in large networks but introduces complexity and latency. |
| Keep your signal chain simple | Fewer conversions = less latency and fewer failure points. |
| Provide redundancy | Use a backup PC/agent in case of hardware or network failure. |
| Ensure ventilation & UPS | Prevent overheating and power-related service drops. |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stream multiple rooms from the same rack?
Yes — if you have multiple audio outputs and enough compute power. However:
- Multi-streaming from a single Desktop Agent instance is not currently supported.
- Running multiple agents on the same machine is not recommended due to OS-level conflicts and performance degradation.
✅ Workaround: You can open multiple tabs of the Web Agent (browser-based) on a capable machine to stream from separate audio sources. This works best in limited cases (e.g. different USB mics, simple interpretation booths).
Do I need Dante or NDI?
No. You only need Dante or NDI if:
- You already use a networked AV ecosystem
- You're supporting multiple rooms or input sources
- Your mixer/audio infrastructure is already IP-based
Most InterScribe users can simply connect a USB audio interface to their mixer and stream via the Desktop Agent.
🧪 Real-World Notes
- Rack PCs can be small (e.g., Intel NUC, fanless i7 mini-PC, Raspberry Pi device) — no need for full tower cases.
- Latency will depend on total signal path: mixer output → interface → PC → Desktop Agent → Internet → InterScribe cloud → Session.
- If using AV Ingress (e.g., RTMP from OBS), expect 3–10 seconds of delay due to protocol buffering — best for online-only events, not local interpretation.