What do I need to consider when using OSC, MIDI over IP or UDP with Ctrl Suite?
This article is applicable to all applications that use MIDI, OSC or send raw UDP.
Reliability
UDP was designed as a transport method to communicate network packets with as little bandwidth requirement as possible. Acknowledgment, time out and retransmission are not present, consequently, UDP does not ensure that communication has reached receiver and allows for packets to be received out of their intended order.
In show environments, out-of-order receipt of information can cause performance issues (i.e. mixing rhe values of a fade in a different order can cause causing stepping).
Maintaining a network that isn't overcrowded, with a reliable connection to all devices is the best way to get the most out of UDP based control protocols.
Multi-Cast Routing Challenges
The CtrlNet communication network used to communicate between all elements of Ctrl Suite uses multi-cast network traffic for communication between Designer, Engine and Players.
Multicast traffic can present a significant challenge to wireless router CPUs. It is best to avoid low cost / low spec routers that may be overwhelmed with this amount of traffic if linking Ctrl Net elements.
When using MIDI, OSC or UDP, connect to a secondary network port on your Ctrl Engine hardware to separate your commands from the CtrlNet network where possible.
Interference
Wired connections are always advised, however, this may not always be viable.
Wireless routers that operate in the 2.4 GHz radio spectrum are subject to large amounts of traffic due to the popularity of the 2.4 GHz radio band for consumer wireless devices. The spacing of the communication channels used within the 2.4 GHz spectrum are narrow. Therefore, in cases where MIDI, OSC or UDP over WiFi must be used, ON LX recommends profiling the wireless space to ensure minimal channel overlap, using modern wireless devices that support 5.2 GHz 802.11 AC (or better) wireless specification, and other wireless technologies that minimize channel overlap to improve quality of service (QoS). If the option to use a wired network is available ON LX recommend this every time.
Summary
ON LX doesn’t guarantee the performance of UDP based wireless OSC messaging systems due technical factors inherent to UDP. If a WiFi based MIDI, OSC or UDP setup is required, it should be tested before being trusted for a fixed installation or live show environment. In all cases, wired connections are advised.