Conclusion and benchmarks

As we've seen, the transmission of audio signals between studio equipment is based on numerous "tangled" standards. The AES/EBU signal is a two-channel digital signal governed by AES3, EBU Tech. 3250, ANSI S4.40 and IEC 60958-3 (consumer mode). Synchronization of several of these signals is defined in AES11, EBU R83, ANSI S4.44. Another aspect of synchronization between transmitting and receiving equipment is dealt with in the AES42 standard, which also covers two other aspects: power supply via the cable and feedback of adjustment information. The insertion of AES audio streams into a digital video signal is covered in standards ITU-R BT.1305 and SMPTE 272M.

Other standards exist but are not covered here, such as MADI (AES10), which allows up to 56 digital audio channels to be grouped in parallel.