Developer Spotlight: Meet Dave Tate

Who are the developers that use our Audio Control API to develop amazing things? We are pleased to have the opportunity to interview some of them to inspire the rest of you!

Third in line: Dave Tate, a developer and a digital technology generalist. When Dave started his Audio Control API project, he faced a problem: conference rooms packed with media sources and multiple screens and audio systems. The objective was clear from the beginning: anyone should be able to route any media source anywhere with no difficulty.

“I’m sure lots of devices have a functional network API, but Sony appears to be giving their API first-class treatment. The documentation is online, easy to find, easy to read, and includes functional examples. I used it and it’s good.”

You say that the key part of the objective is anyone. Can you please explain?

– Absolutely! Everyone knows what they want to do and how to accomplish it, but nobody could possibly know how somebody else decided to wire up cables to routing matrices. It’s impossible for a first-time user to intuit the designed signal flow paths, which are often deliberately hidden for aesthetic reasons. Worse, people know that some of the choices available to them are necessary, but others could “mess up” the arbitrary configuration in the room. We can do better than a laminated input or output lookup table. The goal was to create a remote control that a first-time visitor could instantly recognize and operate effortlessly and without trepidation.

How did it go?

– The project arose as a hobby inspired by noting regular minor grievances that visitors with different sorts of devices and needs encountered when using a conference room. Initially, I planned to build a remote just for an HDMI routing matrix, but then it grew from there.

Did you buy Sony STR-DN1080 just for this project, or did you already have the receiver?

– Actually, it was purchased specifically for this project. In fact, the whole project was tailored around the selection of the STR-DN1080. I compared a lot of devices and the network-based control API was the main selling point.

What’s the overall experience using the API?

– Very good. It was the main selling point for me, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m sure lots of devices have a functional network API, but Sony appears to be giving their API first-class treatment. The documentation is online, easy to find, easy to read, and includes functional examples. I used it and it’s good.

And what’s your impression of the STR-DN1080?

– As a matter of fact, it meets all my requirements. I get more inputs than I required, can output different sources simultaneously to TV and projector, several sources (although limited) can output audio to the “big” speakers, and the API is there. I just had to create the touch interface.

How long did it take to finalize this project?

– It took a couple of months, working whenever I could find some free time. Because it was a pet project, I also chose to build using a language I had no previous experience with, so there was an additional learning curve. I am very satisfied with the outcome. It was successful, and I found the API design and documentation both refreshing to work with.

Are you using this remote control daily, or do you know if anyone is?

– Yes, it is used daily in a professional setting.

And now, what’s next for this project? Have you tried to promote it in any way?

– No, the implementation code is technically open-source but was not designed to be useful outside of my very specific use case. It was just for fun.

If you had been able to start over with this project, would you have done anything else?

– No, but there is a lot I wanted to do but did not finish. For example, I planned to build an audio volume control UI but never did.

Would you like to add anything else?

– Thanks for building this! I look forward to doing more with this API, says Dave.

Have you also made an outstanding project using Audio Control API? Let’s share with us! Submit your project here.

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