AoE provides a reliable backbone for any audio application, such as for large-scale sound reinforcement in stadiums, airports and convention centers, multiple studios or stages.
Most can make use of standard Ethernet hubs and switches though some require that the network (or at least a VLAN) be dedicated to the audio distribution application.
High quality digital audio distribution was patented in 1988 by Tareq Hoque at the MIT Media Lab.
[15] The technology was licensed to several leading OEM audio and chip manufacturers that were further developed into commercial products.
[18] MADI uses 75-ohm coaxial cable with BNC connectors or optical fibre to carry up to 64 channels of digital audio in a point-to-point connection.
This was used extensively by contractors supplying the BBC's wide area real-time audio connectivity around the UK.
Some of these systems are usable on the Internet, but may not be as instantaneous, and are only as reliable as the network route — such as the path from a remote broadcast back to the main studio, or the studio/transmitter link (STL), the most critical part of the airchain.
In broadcasting, and to some extent in studio and even live production, many manufacturers equip their own audio engines to be tied together.