Blade 4 is Wheatstone’s fourth generation WheatNet-IP I/O unit and the most significant AoIP improvement to come out of recent times. Unique to Blade 4 is its integration of key studio elements into one native AoIP environment, including audio processing, codecs, mixing, routing, control and operating system. It has a built-in OS for running apps and customized scripts for specialized software, metering apps and virtual interfaces. Also included are Opus, MP3 and AAC codecs for streaming audio between the station studio and home studios, plus modern add-ons such as dual audio clip players enhanced to play compressed or uncompressed audio files from the built-in USB ports to virtually eliminate memory storage issues.
Blade 4 is fully AES67 compliant for interoperability with a wide range of AES67 networks and devices and supports SMPTE ST 2110, including the NMOS discovery standard for AES67 and next generation television networks. Blade 4 puts both I/O and intelligence into one AoIP environment for everything from routing audio, mixing sounds and processing feeds, to turning mics on or off, controlling consoles and triggering mix-minus presets by show, location or talent.
These new functions are in addition to existing Blade features, such as two 8x2 stereo utility mixers for online mixing of sounds or segueing remotely between feeds; routable stereo processor with parametric equalizer, compressor and limiter; and 12 universal logic ports plus 128 software LIO ports, programmable as inputs or outputs, and routable through the network.
