Re: RFC: 16-bit Sound Processor Design

[andrep@balboa.eng.uci.edu (Andre Prellwitz)]

In article <C2uA9B.88G@csn.org> bazyar@teal.csn.org (Jawaid Bazyar) writes:
>I'm in a hardware phase once again.  I'd appreciate any ideas/comments/
>suggestions you Ensoniq-lords have about a new sort of sound processor I'm
>thinking of banging out.  It's going to be 16-bit, utilizing the new
>1-bit DAC technology found in newer CD player models (that results in
>better sound for less money than standard DACs).
>
>What sorts of features does it need?

Hmm...sounds interesting.  Why not use a DSP for sound systhesis/output?  If
you use an additive wave synthesis mode (like the SNES?) you could have as many
channels as you want.  Also, the board would need 1Meg RAM at least.  This
would function as both waveform RAM *and* sampling RAM.  It would be possible
to use "old" GS samples, touched up a bit (excuse the pun) with DSP routines.
The 'line in' function could be muxed to select either a GS DOC output line or
the audio sampling line.  In the GS DOC input mode, you could then use the DSP
to do audio spectrum, equalization, Dolby Surround processing, etc.
As to audio modes...make sure the DOC 'swap pop' doesn't exist.  It must be DMA
of course.  Interrupts would not be too hard to implement with a DSP :)  No
high-band frequency filters, please (I *hate* not having an awesome crash
cymbal on the GS).  If you use DSP, you would only have to worry about hardware
lin; GS sound gurus would write the DSP code to do the synthesis, I'm sure.
Hope this helps!  (gosh, all this talk about DSP lately ;)

email at: andrep@balboa.eng.uci.edu

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The University of CA, Irvine possibly doesn't agree with me. :)