Networked BeagleBoards for Wireless Music Applications

One of the most demanding challenges in the field of audio engineering is the transmission of low-latency high quality audio streams over networks. While several protocols nowadays allow wired local network streaming, much effort is still required to achieve similar goals over existing wireless LAN technologies. While the challenge is still far from being solved, several design issues can be highlighted and future scenarios can be outlined. This paper proposes the setup of a wireless music production system based on open hardware and open software which requires relatively low setup effort while allowing for a high flexibility of use. The hardware platform is the Beagleboard, based on Texas Instruments DM3730, running a GNU/Linux OS and the computer music language Pure Data. Such a device can capture electric instrument audio, generate sound, send MIDI or OSC control data, and stream to PCs and other embedded devices operating as mixers, effect racks and so on, enabling an ecosystem of flexible and open devices. Tests conducted on a home wireless network show acceptable latency for many applications.