Dante for Churches: Simplifying Your Audio Network

If you’ve been struggling with the complexity of audio routing in your church’s AV system, Dante might be the solution you’re looking for. In this guide, I’ll explain what Dante is, why your church should consider it, and how to set up a robust Dante network.

What is Dante?

Dante stands for Digital Audio Network through Ethernet. It’s a technology that allows you to send audio signals over standard network cables rather than traditional analog audio cables. This means you can route audio from various sources to multiple destinations without needing physical rewiring or dedicated point-to-point connections.

Why Your Church Should Use Dante

In a church environment, you have numerous audio sources and destinations:

• Wireless microphones sending signals to your mixing console
• Your mixing console sending audio to your speakers
• Computers running presentation software like ProPresenter needing to send audio to your sound system
• Recording or streaming computers needing to receive audio from your console

Dante creates a flexible network where all these devices can communicate with each other digitally, with lower noise, greater flexibility, and simplified setup compared to traditional analog methods.

Essential Components for a Dante Network

1. Dante-Compatible Hardware

Your key audio devices need to have Dante capability. For example, our Allen & Heath SQ7 mixing console has a Dante card installed that allows it to send and receive 64 channels of audio over the network. Many manufacturers offer Dante cards as optional add-ons for their equipment.

2. Dante Virtual Sound Card

For computers that need to send or receive audio on your Dante network, you’ll need Dante Virtual Sound Card (DVS) software. This transforms your computer’s network port into a virtual audio interface with up to 64 channels of Dante audio.

DVS is perfect for:

• Sending audio from presentation software to your sound system
• Recording multitrack audio to a DAW like Logic or Ableton
• Running virtual soundchecks with pre-recorded audio

The software costs less than $100 (the Pro version is available but unnecessary for most churches).

3. Dante Controller

This free software is your command center for the entire Dante network. With Dante Controller, you can:

• Route audio between devices with simple checkboxes
• Monitor signal presence and status
• Configure device settings
• Set sample rates and synchronization
• Name channels for better organization

4. Network Infrastructure

While Dante can work with basic unmanaged switches, I recommend a more robust setup for churches:

My Recommended Setup:

• UniFi Dream Machine Pro router
• UniFi Pro AV-compatible switches (layer 3)
• Separate VLAN for Dante audio traffic
• CAT6 cabling (minimum CAT5e required)

For our installations, we typically use:

• VLAN 60 for Dante audio
• Manual IP addresses (192.168.60.100+) for critical devices like consoles and receivers
• DHCP for computers and less critical devices (192.168.60.6-99)
• Pro AV settings enabled on Dante ports
• Multicast routing enabled

Useful Dante Accessories

Dante Avio Adapters

These affordable adapters (around $160 each) extend Dante connectivity to non-Dante devices:

• Bluetooth Avio: Perfect for wireless music playback from phones
• USB-C Avio: Connect computers or mobile devices directly to your Dante network

Setting Up Your Dante Network

1. Configure your network with proper VLANs and settings
2. Install Dante cards in compatible equipment
3. Install Dante Virtual Sound Card on computers
4. Use Dante Controller to establish audio routes:
   • Click the intersection between a transmitter and receiver
   • Verify connections with signal indicators
   • Label channels for clarity
5. Set consistent sample rates across all devices
6. Assign appropriate IP addresses (manual for critical equipment)

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues with your Dante setup:

• Check for status indicators in Dante Controller
• Verify network settings and IP addresses
• Confirm all devices are on the same sample rate
• Ensure switch settings are correctly configured for Dante
• Look for proper clock synchronization between devices

Conclusion

Dante has transformed how we handle audio in church environments. The flexibility, reliability, and expandability make it worth the investment, especially for growing churches that want to future-proof their audio systems.

If you’d like help building a Dante system for your church, reach out to us at Churchfront. For more in-depth training, join Churchfront Premium, where I’ll be adding comprehensive Dante training later this year.

Happy routing!

Jake Gosselin Churchfront