Audio over IP is slowly taking over the world – this much has been clear for some time now. I’ve been doing a lot more AV Integration than Broadcast Engineering of late, and this has led me to lean pretty heavily on Dante (and AES67, but mostly Dante, because let’s be honest here – it’s much more widely understood in the AV world).

One of the cheapest ways to get high-density Dante I/O is to use the Yamaha Tio1608-D.

This 2RU device is typically paired with the Yamaha Tio consoles, but works great standalone too. It has 16 XLR Preamp inputs, and 8 XLR Line outputs. Need lots of audio inputs and outputs? The Tio1608 could be a great solution for you.

In Australia, it sells for about AU$1300, which works out at about $81.25 per input, $162.50 per output, or $54 per channel for both inputs and outputs.

Compare this to AU$270 for a 2-ch AVIO Input adapter ($135 per mono input), or $3300 for an Axia xNode ($412 per mono input or output, or $216 counting all mono inputs & outputs).

Not only is it cheaper per-channel, but it’s also readily available from many local music stores (subject to the current supply chain issues the world is experiencing). Just like commercial IT hardware, anything that can be bought off a literal shelf is a big win in my book!

Needless to say, when budgets are under pressure (or even when they’re not), this is a fantastic go-to Audio I/O device.

Configuring the Tio1608

The Tio1608 has a series of dip-switches on the back, and the manual is somewhat murky when it comes to the exact combinations needed to achieve standalone usage (i.e. usage without a Yamaha console).

So I thought I’d take the time to document these settings. Like most of my blog posts, this is as much for my benefit as it is for anyone who happens to find this information via a search engine. I can, and do, put this sort of information in internal project documentation – but it’s much more useful if you can Something Search it!

For the record, the TIO series is very similar to the RIO series – so the information here may apply to both series (although I’ve only tested this on the Tio).

Background Info – Network Ports

Like any Dante device, there are two Network ports on the rear of this device: Primary & Secondary.

Unlike many Dante devices, the Primary port actually has two IP Addresses – one for Dante, and another to use with R Remote (Yamaha’s config software).

So when we have to set a Static IP address, we must do it in two parts – once in R Remote, and another time for Dante Controller.

Dip Switches

There are eight DIP switches on the back of the unit. I find that they aren’t recessed so far that you can’t flick them up and down with short fingernails.

The next thing I tell you may be one of the most important pieces of information you read: DIP Switches cannot be changed while the unit is running.

If you change a DIP Switch while the unit is running, it will be ignored – even if you subsequently reboot the unit!

Here is the listing of DIP Switches:

  • 1 & 2 = Unit ID
  • 3 = Initialise Mode
  • 4 = Daisy Chain / Redundant Mode
  • 5 & 6 = IP Address Mode
  • 7 & 8 = Startup Mode

These specific modes are explained in the manual, but I will show you how to use them to achieve specific tasks below.

Connecting R-Remote

What I want to do when running the Tio without a consol.e is get Static IPs for both the Dante network & the Yamaha R-Remote control network. But before we do anything, we must connect R Remote via a default IP address. Here’s how:

  1. Switch the Tio off
  2. Set the front ‘Quick Config’ switch to Off
  3. Set DIP Switches 1, 2 & 3 up
  4. Set DIP Switch 4 down (Dante redundant mode)
  5. Set DIP Switch 5 to down & Switch 6 to up (this will set the Unit’s IP address to ‘192.168.0.1’
  6. Set DIP Switches 7 & 8 to up (refresh mode – allows you to set details from R-Remote)
  7. Connect your computer to the Dante Primary port
  8. Switch on the Tio
  9. Set a Static IP on your computer to 192.168.0.100 with subnet 255.255.255.0 (or really anything in the 192.168.0.* range)

After performing these steps, you can run R-Remote to connect to the Tio on 192.168.0.1. You can run a firmware upgrade (highly recommended), and set a Static IP address.

Setting a Static IP Address for Control

When you set a Static IP on the Tio, you will need to do the following (make sure you first complete the steps in the previous section: ‘Connecting R-Remote’):

  1. Set a Static IP for the Tio in R-Remote (File > Device Information > Set IP address)
  2. Turn off the Tio
  3. Change DIP Switches 5 & 6 to both down (Static IP Set)
  4. Turn the Tio back on
  5. Check the new Static IP address has applied (make sure your computer is in the new range)
  6. Switch the Tio off
  7. Change DIP Switch 7 to down & 8 to up (Resume mode)
  8. Turn the Tio on again
  9. Check the Static IP is still set

Setting a Static IP Address for Dante

Dante Control allows you to set a static IP Address for the Dante side of the network. However, unlike most Dante devices, you can’t do so without setting some DIP Switches on the device.

The fantastic news is that Dante won’t respect the IP Address DIP switches when trying to change network settings. Switches 5 & 6 don’t seem to matter here.

The slightly less fantastic news is that some settings in Dante Controller aren’t changeable unless you’re in Refresh Mode (DIP Switches 7 & 8 to up).

Starting from scratch, here is what you need to do to change the Dante IP address on your Tio1608:

  1. Switch the Tio off
  2. Set the front ‘Quick Config’ switch to Off
  3. Set DIP Switches 1, 2 & 3 up
  4. Set DIP Switch 4 down (Dante redundant mode)
  5. Set DIP Switch 5 to down & Switch 6 to up (this will set the Unit’s IP address to ‘192.168.0.1’
  6. Set DIP Switches 7 & 8 to up (refresh mode – allows you to set details from R-Remote)
  7. Connect your computer to the Dante Primary port
  8. Switch on the Tio
  9. Let your PC get a Self-Discovered IP address (the range 169.254.** with subnet 255.255.0.0)
  10. Open Dante Controller
  11. Double click on your device in the ‘Device info’ tab to open the settings
  12. Set the Static IP, Subnet, Gateway, etc.
  13. Press ‘Apply’
  14. Press ‘Reboot’
  15. Set your computer’s Static IP to the same range as your Tio
  16. Wait for the Tio to re-appear in Dante Controller with the new IP Address
  17. Switch the Tio off
  18. Change DIP Switch 7 to down & 8 to up (Resume mode)
  19. Turn the Tio on again
  20. Check the Static IP is still set

Dante Primary & Secondary

Earlier in this guide, I had you configure your Tio in ‘Redundant’ mode. If you know your Dante, you will know this means both ports run off independent subnets (and preferably different physical networks, too).

This allows audio to keep flowing even if the primary network infrastructure fails (e.g. cable damage, switch failure, etc).

However, it must be noted that the Tio1608 only allows control data (i.e. R Remote) from the ‘Primary’ port.

Running a Firmware Update on the Tio1608

When you install R-Remote, bundles a Update Utility within the R-Remote software itself

  1. Make sure you can connect to your Tio in R Remote
  2. Download the latest firmware package from Yamaha
  3. Extract the ZIP file
  4. Open ‘R Remote’
  5. Go to Tools > Firmware Update
  6. Load the ‘BIN’ file (from the firmware package ZIP file) into the ‘filename’ field
  7. Wait for it to verify your firmware versions
  8. Press ‘Update’
  9. Wait & pray
  10. It all goes well, it will tell you the update has succeeded, and you can carry on with your life