Re: Apple Airport Express + DSP
Point well taken, however if you have your network organized well, and a standard approach for how you set the IP addresses for your DSP's, It shouldn't be that hard to keep things well managed. This implies that every box is labeled with their IP address on the front panel (good practice that I seldom see done), and that your guys have some technical sense to navigate to the appropriate menu to set the IP address. Is it really that hard to do either of these things? Maybe they never set the clock on their VCR's back in the day...I'm sure it's hard to find talent in your neck of the woods...
Valid point if your practices are so constantly changing, but honestly, how often do things change that spending an extra 30 seconds to set an IP address is not a good price to pay for a well organized network? Not to nit pick, but when controlling mission critical devices, I'd rather have the security of knowing EXACTLY which box has what IP address, instead of relying on the whims of a DHCP server to determine that for me. This way if an Ethernet cable goes bad, I have eliminated one extra step in troubleshooting the device. This implies good organization in advance of the show. IMHO, DHCP for DSP's or any Professional Audio device is an excuse for a lack of network organization, but that's just me. Ask any network professional worth their pay whether they assign server IP addresses by DHCP? Why should it be any different for mission critical devices in our sound reinforcement systems? Sorry for stepping on any toes here, but I'm a stickler for details, and this is one of them. I can't tell you how many occasions I've come across disorganized networks where it's a pain to get in and do my work.
That's your opinion, I'm sure there are others here who share the same sentiment that the AE is a useful device in my bag, knowing it's limitations. I love the portability, simplicity of setup, cooperates nicely with my home network, and comes in handy when I need a small control network when I'm on the road that my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad connects to effortlessly.
