The DAD AX32, Avid MTRX and NTP Penta 720 all appear remarkably similar. This is no accident, they are fundamentally the same product aimed at slightly different sectors. A useful consequence of this is that training materials created for one are of interest to all, we explain more.

What Is The Difference Between NTP And DAD Products?

If the equipment you’re looking at looks the same apart from the badge and the colour then probably not much. This is why training content about the NTP Penta 720 can be taken to apply to the DAD AX32. They are pretty much the same thing.

NTP make high quality products for broadcast, DAD is more focused on audio production but anyone familiar with either field will understand that there is a huge amount of overlap between the two areas. This split identity has happened because is because in December 2008 NTP Technology acquired Digital Audio Denmark (DAD). Each brand was well known and respected in their respective fields so there was no reason to wind up either brand and if DAD made a product which would serve broadcast well, why not sell it under a brand already known in the broadcast sector?

So they are different but kind of the same!

On the NTP website I came across a series of videos which I thought were really interesting because unless you work in an area of the audio industry in which lots of sources or assets need to be available to lots of users simultaneously, it can be difficult to visualise how someone could need a 1500x1500 cross point matrix. For even the most complex studio you would have to be being very wasteful with your resources to max out an AX32 or an MTRX.

That being said, James Richmond recently bought a MTRX because although he’s a long way off maxing out his MTRX, he would have maxed out the other smaller alternatives he considered.

Having worked in education and in live sound I have an appreciation of the way such environments can get complex, particularly through “feature creep” where unanticipated uses are added once the new system is installed, making having headroom available in the system so important. However if you are going to watch these I’d recommend the House of Worship video first as I think it captures this feature creep the best.

Be warned that although the content is good, the presenter breaks a cardinal rule of mine which is that he reads the text on the slide - Stay with it. The examples are useful. If you want some help visualising how a complex set of needs can be unified using AoIP and the flexibility of having a large, configurable format bridge/router then watch some of these videos.