For over a hundred years, audio has been transmitted over copper wires, and for fifty years, there has been Ethernet. In the last two decades, numerous audio-over-Ethernet protocols have emerged – and just as many have disappeared.
With the Milan protocol (Media Integrated Local Area Networking), a specification has been established that is specifically designed for the requirements of professional real-time applications: It is open, interoperable, and future-proof. One of the drivers of this development is d&b audiotechnik. The company positions itself not only with a growing number of Milan-compatible products but also actively participates in the further development of the ecosystem, for example, through the co-development of the manufacturer-neutral Milan Manager.
Milan is based on the open IEEE standards AVB (Audio Video Bridging) and TSN (Time Sensitive Networking). It guarantees deterministic, low-latency, and fail-safe transmission of audio data and offers a high level of interoperability that has long been missing in the pro audio world. Devices from different manufacturers can work seamlessly together, provided they are Milan-certified. Configuration is automatic, bandwidths are reserved, and synchronization is accurate to a few nanoseconds even under high load. Milan is therefore particularly interesting for live events and installations that require high reliability.
IEEE stands for "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers" – a leading global professional association for engineers and technologists. The IEEE develops and publishes international standards for a variety of technical fields, including Ethernet and the real-time developments AVB and TSN. These standards form the basis for Milan and ensure that the technology is open, license-free, and usable across manufacturers.
The role of the Avnu Alliance
To translate these IEEE standards into devices, a strong community stands behind Milan: the Avnu Alliance. The non-profit organization was founded to jointly promote open, standardized, and interoperable networking technologies for time-critical applications.
In doing so, the need for a reliable, deterministic, and adaptable network protocol that is specifically tailored to the requirements of the pro audio industry was recognized. Subsequently, a working group of leading AV manufacturers was formed within the Avnu Alliance, which has since been jointly developing the Milan specification to make AVB interoperable.
The Avnu Alliance not only manages the specification but is also responsible for the certification of Milan devices. Only products that pass the strict interoperability and performance tests receive the Milan certificate: a crucial factor for reliability and compatibility in use.
Milan vs. Dante – two paths, one goal?
When it comes to digital audio networks, the name Dante often comes up alongside Milan. The protocol from the Australian company Audinate is widely used and has established itself particularly in live and studio environments. Both protocols pursue the same goal: high-quality audio transmission over Ethernet. But they achieve it in different ways.
Dante is based on standard IP networks (Layer 3) and uses the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) for transmission. This makes it flexible and easy to integrate into existing IT infrastructures. Synchronization is performed using the Precision Time Protocol (PTP), and the central management with the 'Dante Controller' follows a workflow familiar to many users. However, for stable performance, manual network configurations are often required – such as for QoS, IP subnets, multicast, VLANs, or IGMP - typical concepts from the professional networking environment. Redundancy is often implemented using two VLANs instead of separate networks.
In contrast, Milan is based on Layer 2 and uses AVB, the pro audio profile of TSN. The great advantage is that AVB-capable switches with gPTP protocol implement precise time synchronization and automatically reserve bandwidth exactly as needed. Therefore, there is no delay, no manual QoS configuration, and no worries about IGMP or VLANs. The network infrastructure remains easy to understand, stable, and predictable. This is a crucial advantage for anyone who wants to focus on audio and not on IT.
And while Dante is a proprietary system, Milan is based on open IEEE standards. This means: It is developed collaboratively by many manufacturers, there are no licensing fees, and anyone can implement Milan hardware and software, allowing multiple providers to offer solutions. Especially in times of global supply shortages, this is an advantage that should not be underestimated.
"Dante is a good solution for many applications, and of course we will continue to develop devices that are compatible with this protocol," says Matthias “Matze” Christner, Head of R&D - Systems and Technologies at d&b audiotechnik. “But Milan offers a completely different quality of predictability and interoperability. It is the only protocol that guarantees the synchronization necessary for line arrays, under all conditions.”
Daniel Zimmermann, Product Manager DSP and Networks at d&b audiotechnik, also emphasizes: “With Milan, every switch automatically ensures that there is always enough bandwidth available. A slot is reserved for each sample. This makes the system extremely robust and reliable.”
A milestone in the spread of Milan was the cooperation announced in January 2024 between d&b audiotechnik and L-Acoustics. The two companies, which are otherwise competitors, are combining their strengths to work together on tools and technologies. The goal is to promote the spread of Milan and lower the entry barriers for users, so they can benefit from a more intuitive and streamlined experience when setting up and managing Milan-AVB networks.
A signal effect – introducing the Milan Manager
One result of this collaboration is the Milan Manager, a manufacturer-neutral, free software for configuring and monitoring Milan networks. The software automatically detects all Milan devices in the network, allows easy routing of channels via grid view, and provides detailed status overviews. The Milan Manager is available for download at https://www.milanmanager.com for Windows and macOS.
"Audio engineers should not spend their time on network problems but should be able to focus on creating exciting sound experiences for the audience," says Matthias Christner.
Milan in practice: Why it works
"While Milan is based on AVB, AVB encompasses many parameters. It can therefore happen that two products from different manufacturers both carry the AVB label yet still be incompatible with each other. In contrast, users of Milan can be certain that certified devices communicate smoothly with each other," explains Daniel Zimmermann.
Milan also sets standards in terms of timing. Especially when controlling line arrays, the highest precision is required. "If audio signals do not arrive exactly in sync, it can lead to phase shifts in the high-frequency range and thus to audible quality losses," states Zimmermann. “Milan is currently the only protocol that guarantees this precision. Under all conditions.”
Matthias Christner adds: “For d&b, it is particularly important when controlling line arrays, that a highly stable, time-synchronized arrival of audio signals at all processing and amplifier channels involved is ensured. Otherwise, the high-frequency range would not be reproduced as intended since minimal timing deviations would shift individual elements of the array against each other. That would be very counterproductive. With Milan, we can achieve synchronization in the sub-microsecond range, which is crucial for sound quality.”
From XLR to Ethernet.
For Matthias Christner, it is clear: "The Ethernet socket is the new XLR." Milan enables a manufacturer-independent workflow that is oriented toward the needs of the users and not toward the limits of proprietary systems. “In the industry, it is common for system technicians to work with a d&b system on one tour and with an L-Acoustics system on the next. For them, it is a great advantage if they can apply a workflow once learned, regardless of the manufacturer.”
Daniel Zimmermann is also convinced: "No matter how extensive and dynamic a Milan system is in practice: It will make sure everything that is possible works reliably, no matter what."
Milan in the product world of d&b.
d&b audiotechnik has now integrated Milan into a whole range of products, including the DS100M Signal Engine, the DS20 Audio Network Bridge, the DN1 Switch, and the amplifiers D90, D40, 40D, D25, and 25D. Notably, the D40 became Milan-ready via a firmware update in spring 2025 – an example of how existing hardware can be made future-proof using software.
Conclusion.
Thanks to close collaboration with leading pro audio manufacturers and continuous development, the Milan protocol offers a future-proof solution to the challenges of advancing digitalization in the AV industry. Users can focus entirely on what matters most: creating outstanding, lasting experiences for the audience without having to deal with unnecessary technical complexity.