AES Standards News Blog

AES70 is a suite of standards for control and monitoring of devices in professional media networks. AES70 does not specify a media transport scheme. Rather, it is designed to operate with media transport schemes such as the one specified by AES67.

AES70's intended range of use spans networks of all sizes. This includes mission-critical applications, high-security applications, IP and non-IP networks, and local and wide-area applications. AES70 can control real or virtual devices located on premises or hosted by cloud services. AES70 consumes little computing power and uses network bandwidth lightly.

AES70 is based on the Open Control Architecture (OCA), originally developed by the OCA Alliance.

AES Standard » AES70-1-2024: AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 1: Framework

AES Standard » AES70-2-2024: AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 2: Class structure

AES Standard » AES70-3-2024: AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 3: OCP.1: Binary protocol

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Some reports of the Spring 2024 AES Standards Working Group meetings are now online.

SC-02-01 Working Group on Digital audio measurements
SC-02-02 Working Group on Digital audio interfaces
SC-04-08 Working Group on Measurement and EQ of sound systems in rooms
SC-04-09 Working Group on Assessment of Acoustic Annoyance
SC-05-02 Working Group on Audio Connectors
SC-05-05 Working Group on Grounding and EMC Practices

Additional reports will be posted as they become available.

View the reports here

The Call for Comment on DRAFT AES31-4-xxxx, "AES standard for network and file transport of audio - XML Implementation of Audio Decision Lists" was published 2024-05-22.  

AES31-3 was published in 1999 to provide a long-term alternative to proliferating proprietary formats. It provided a convention for expressing edit data in text form in a manner that enabled simple and accurate computer parsing while retaining human readability. It also described a method for expressing time-code information in character notation and simple automation for stereo & surround panning and audio gain. These edit documents were known as Audio Decision Lists (ADL) and used an Edit Decision Markup Language (EDML).     

The subsequent growth of XML offers a similar markup facility but with better availability of software tools for faster implementations. XML also offers support for multi-byte characters in human-readable metadata instead of the plain ASCII of EDML, opening implementation to a world-wide user community.      

AES31-4 sets out a mapping to express EDML as XML as defined by a new XML Schema that closely mirrors the original structure of an Audio Decision List documents as defined in AES31-3. 

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Commonly used modular connectors are widely used, but are fragile in demanding installations, where a broken connection can affect the application critically. This is not important in many applications, such as structured data cabling for use with computer networks, or simple interconnect cabling and patching using Category 5 (or better) data cable.  However, in professional audio applications, a broken connection can affect the application critically. A standard ruggedized fitting will promote system security in these applications. This document specifies a ruggedized data connector that is compatible with 8-position 8-contact (8P8C) modular connectors, commonly (though inaccurately) called RJ-45 connectors, with regard to mechanical aspects for proper mating and locking.

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The spring AES Standards Working Group meetings will be held the week of May 20 through 24.  As has been the case for several years the meetings will be held online using Zoom.  Details and a complete schedule are available on the AES Standards website.  

See the schedule here

The Call for Comment on DRAFT REVISED AES70-1-xxxx, "AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 1: Framework" was published 2024-04-18. 

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The Call for Comment on DRAFT REVISED AES70-2-xxxx, "AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 2: Class structure" was published 2024-04-18.  

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The Call for Comment on DRAFT AES70-3-xxxx, "AES standard for audio applications of networks - Open Control Architecture - Part 3: OCP.1 Binary protocol" was published 2024-04-18.

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Standards are a core activity of the Audio Engineering Society and help to ensure the Society can meet the future demands of the audio industry.  AES Standards are developed by members of the audio industry, with guidance from the AES Standards Manager.  Broad participation across the industry is essential for these standards to be both authoritative and useful.  If you have skills and knowledge to share, please get involved!

Membership of any AESSC working group is open to all individuals. AES membership is not required.  Currently, we operate 13 working groups - with approximately 1000 registered members - working in the following fields:

• Digital audio: Digital audio measurements, interfaces & synchronisation, file exchange, and pro-audio uses of data networks
• Acoustics: Sound systems, loudspeakers, microphones, and acoustic annoyance
• Interconnections: Connectors and EMC practices
• Preservation and Restoration of Audio Recording: Forensics, Metadata, and Archiving

These working groups currently maintain 84 published standards and information documents, have issued 16 reports and are working on over 12 new development projects.

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Metoree, Lenbrook Media Group, Lautsprecher Teufel GmbH, and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology CO.,LTD have joined the AES Standards Sustainer program at the basic level. The generosity and support of all four companies is greatly appreciated.

The standards work of the Audio Engineering Society has been vital to the advancement of the audio industry.  Numerous standards in development are driving an expansion of the AES standards operation.  That necessitates an expanded base of funding.  Unlike other technical societies with standards programs the AES does not charge participation fees.  The Society believes that a completely open process ultimately produces better and more widely accepted standards.  Consequently other sources of revenue are required.

Standards Sustainers provide critical funding for this effort.  Besides enabling the development of standards that underlie fundamental technology in the audio industry, the program offers participants significant marketing and public relations exposure.  The Audio Engineering Society is a nonprofit organization and 100% of the contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

In the past year, Standards Sustainer's generous contributions helped fund ongoing Standards activities and our liaison relationships with other societies.  It also allowed the AES to launch new standards development projects, and continue work on existing projects.  We could not have accomplished these things without that support.

Besides enabling the development of standards that underlie fundamental technology in the audio industry, the program offers significant exposure and valuable marketing / public relations avenues.

Information on the program is available here