ISDN has been the standard real-time communication link for various industries, including voice over, for decades. Providing broadcast quality and extremely low latency, ISDN has many advantages over other forms of voice transmission. However, if you plan on setting up ISDN in your home studio, there are a few things you should take into consideration.
Pros and Cons of ISDN in Home Studios
There are many advantages to having an ISDN connection in your home studio. For example, as the go-to remote audio connection for decades, it has proven to be the most reliable voice transmitter. Some of the other advantages of ISDN are:
Extremely Low Latency
Broadcast Quality Audio
Highly Stable Connection
Though ISDN has a number of advantages, that isn’t to say this technology is perfect. For example, while ISDN provides broadcast quality sound in real time, it can be complicated to set up initially, and unless you have the technical skills, you likely need an audio engineer to do the installation.
Additionally, the cost to maintain this service can be costly, in the neighborhood of $200 per month. Unless you are an established voice over artist, it makes more sense to utilize a studio, like CMDNYC, that has access to this technology.
Equipment Needed for ISDN Connection
In short, aside from cost and the difficulty with installation, if you live in a major metropolitan area that has access to ISDN (such as New York or Los Angeles), all you need is the hardware unit and an ISDN service provider. However, ISDN is only compatible with copper phone connections, and many phone service providers are moving to fiber. This makes the accessibility of ISDN more difficult every year.
Additionally, there are many more cost-friendly ISDN alternatives, including Source Connect, that are helping bridge the gap while ISDN becomes less accessible. In fact, many industry experts expect these alternatives to completely overtake ISDN within the next few years.
Contact CMDNYC Today!
At CMDNYC, we are one of the few studios that still has the ability to utilize ISDN. We are also Source Connect compatible, so no matter which audio transmission method you’re most comfortable with, we are able to assist. Contact our Manhattan studio today by calling 212.213.9420.
