Wheatstone has begun shipping Blade 5 I/O and Mix Engine hardware for its WheatNet IP audio network. The design adds synchronized processing redundancy, dual network paths and redundant-power capability for radio and broadcast studios.
Primary and backup Mix Engines operate as mirrors connected by a high-frequency heartbeat. If the primary fails, the synchronized partner can take control without first booting and rebuilding state. I/O Blade 5 sends audio over two Ethernet paths at the same time so a cable or switch failure can leave the second path carrying the stream without packet loss.
Each 1RU I/O unit includes two audio clip players, processing, Opus codecs, utility mixers, AES67 support, metering, routing and logic. It can be added to existing WheatNet IP systems or used with current Wheatstone console families.
The release confirms the redundancy model but does not publish heartbeat timing, switchover measurements, path-diversity requirements, PTP behaviour, maximum channel counts, management security or failure tests across mixed-generation networks.
