Re: Hearing Twice (was Re: Second Sight....)

[ajmcd4@cc.monash.edu.au]

In article <3ohd9e$k9j@blackice.winternet.com> irsman@drift.winternet.com (Ian Schmidt) writes:
>From: irsman@drift.winternet.com (Ian Schmidt)
>Subject: Hearing Twice (was Re: Second Sight....)
>Date: 7 May 1995 03:03:10 GMT

>In article <6MAY199509494522@vax2.concordia.ca>,
>Mitchell Spector <spector@vax2.concordia.ca> wrote:

>>       And of course 16-bit sound resolution would make those patches
>>sound even better (we're currently limited to 8-bit sound with the 
>>Ensoniq 5503). This is just a pipe dream, but what would to take to
>>clean things up in this area...some sort of new stereo card that could
>>patch-in and enhance the current built-in sound chip, or would you have 
>>to abandon it and basically add an Ensoniq 5505 w/ 1MB DOC-RAM on a slot 
>>card? 

>Have you heard an Ensoniq 5506-based item lately?  Ensoniq's ASR-10 sounds
>as good as a CD.  You simply won't get that out of a computer (PC, Mac, or
>GS) due to the switching power supply.  Nonetheless, it would be a neat hack,
>and I'd consider buying one if someone made it.  You'd certainly want
>to bypass the existing 5503, lest you forsake ROM3 compatibility.  The board
>should also have SIMMs for a DOCRAM capacity of at least 4 megabytes (on pro
>synthesizers these days less than 8 is considered amature, but call me
>amature :), and good-quality DACs and output filters (ideally programable
>filters, but I'd settle for fixed).  (yes, on the 5506 the DAC is not 
>built into the chip, you supply it yourself).  Some kind of decent coprocessor
>would be good too; Ensoniq sells a 5506 companion chip called Odie which is
>basically a 68000 and some support hardware which would be ideal for such a 
>board.

>--
>Ian Schmidt - irsman@drift.winternet.com - Self-proclaimed sound/music pimp
>    "Where would I be without IBM?" - P. Robb, Information Society


Sounds like you may as well buy an ASR synth.  All those chips would make the 
gs's sound very nice indeed (understatement), but - correct me if i'm wrong - 
they wouldn't exactly be cheap.  (Ok, maybe a lot cheaper than buying an 
ensoniq synth)

Donz