UT Ferman Center for the Arts - Tampa, Florida
At the University of Tampa’s Ferman Center, Mainline Connects implemented a Dante Domain Manager system, giving staff precise control over audio in multiple performance venues while ensuring smooth, independent operation of each space.
Solutions & Services
The focus of this project was implementing a Dante Domain Manager system to manage audio across multiple venues.
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Dante Design
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System Integration
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Access Control
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Training
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On-Site Support
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Commissioning
Mainline Connects Dante Domain Manager
The University of Tampa’s Ferman Center for the Arts, a state-of-the-art facility for music and performance, needed a robust and flexible audio network solution to support its numerous performance and teaching spaces spread across multiple floors. The university was facing challenges with its integrated Dante audio network, as different venues within the building often needed to operate independently or overlap without disrupting other spaces. To solve this, Anuvision partnered with Mainline Connects to implement a Dante Domain Manager (DDM) system that provided access control, venue management, and seamless audio networking across the entire building.
Multi-Venue Audio Solution
The Ferman Center houses various performance spaces, including a performance theater, black box theater, recording studio, and rehearsal spaces, all connected via the Dante audio network. The university needed a way to ensure that different events and classes could take place simultaneously without audio interference between venues. Dante Domain Manager was the perfect solution, allowing staff to control and manage each venue independently while still offering the flexibility to interconnect spaces for special events.
Mainline Connects implemented a turnkey Dante Domain Manager system that enabled the University to assign different access levels to staff and students. This feature was critical, as it ensured that technicians working in one venue couldn’t accidentally disrupt audio in another. For example, a technician in the black box theater could only control audio for that space, preventing any impact on events in the main performance theater or rehearsal spaces.
Turnkey Installation and Configuration
Mainline Connects took a hands-on approach to provide a complete DDM installation. Unlike the standard Dante Domain Manager offering, which is delivered as software requiring significant setup, we sourced and configured all necessary hardware, turning it into a turnkey solution. This included:
- Installing the Dante Domain Manager software on a Dell server.
- Configuring Netgear AV switches for optimal network performance.
- Setting up VLANs and access control for different staff members.
- Designing the network layout to accommodate the multi-floor venue.
Our expertise with both Dante and DDM systems ensured that the university’s audio network was configured to their exact specifications, allowing for independent or interconnected operation of each space based on event needs.
On-Site Training and Support
In addition to the installation, Mainline Connects provided in-depth training for the University of Tampa’s staff. Key power users were trained on system operation, including adding and managing users as student staff rotated in and out. This hands-on training ensured the University could maintain, troubleshoot, and expand their audio network independently.
By separating the building’s many Dante-enabled devices into distinct domains, each venue now operates without fear of interfering with another. Select staff members were given elevated privileges to interconnect venues when needed, such as for larger events that require overflow between spaces.
A Custom, User-Friendly Solution
The comprehensive Dante Domain Manager system provided by Mainline Connects has transformed the way the Ferman Center for the Arts manages its audio systems. The flexibility to control who can access and modify audio in each space has brought peace of mind to the university’s AV technicians and staff, allowing them to focus on delivering exceptional performances and educational experiences.