The diagram above illustrates a "typical" network audio system. Except for the red network cabling and the Ethernet switches, it's not much different than a standard, non-networked audio system. There are inputs to the left and amplifiers and loudspeakers throughout the system. This could be any sound system you've installed or designed; a church, restaurant or club, a convention center, a portable touring rig, a sports facility or a school. The scale of the system is really the only difference. All we've done is used a network in place of individual audio feed lines, and peppered BASIS products throughout the system. 

Audio processing can take place in each BASIS device or the BASIS unit can be used simply for signal routing and amplifier monitoring and control. Other types of networked audio systems are designed to use a centralized processor so that all the processing and audio is routed through one main processor. This poses a potential problem in that if that box fails you've lost the entire system - it's a single point of failure. BASIS, on the other hand, is a distributed processing system. Wherever you have a group of amps, such as four to eight amps, place a BASIS to locally process the audio for those amps. You can monitor and control that group of amps and loudspeaker loads simultaneously. Audio is passed to and from the amp group zones via the network using CobraNet as the digital audio network. No one single BASIS has to do all of the processing of the system, it is shared among all the BASIS devices. In the unlikely event of loss of power to, or failure of, one zone or network segment, the remainder of the system stays up and online, allowing the system to "limp along" while troubleshooting and repairs are carried out for the offline zone. 

A QSControl.net system can have one or more computers on the network, controlling all or part of the system. Laptops or tablet PCs can also access, control, and monitor any or all of the system over a wireless network connection.