quantizer question

[Fraser, Colin J]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roman Sowa [mailto:rsowa at WizjaTV.pl]
> Sent: 01 September 1998 13:23
> To: Synth-DIY
> Subject: ODP: quantizer question
> 

> But i really don't want to start any war at DAC field. 

No war intended, but I hate to be told something won't work, when I know
from experience that it does...  :-)

 > If your'e satisfied with your DACs, go for them.
> As for me - in my midi2cv i'll use 16-bits DAC for 2 reasons:
> 1. it's affordable - about $10
> 2. i'll have wide range and precsion, plus pithbender

I haven't found a 16 bit convertor suitable for this, those my normal
supplier (Maplin) stocks all seem to have a serial interface, and cost a
lot more than $10. 

What 16 bit part are you planning to use ?

> Some converters (12 bit nad more) are, as they call it, laser-trimmed
> before haused in packages. Some, but few, can auto-calibrate.
> And they are not so noisy, as you suggest.

Maybe the DACs are not inherently noisy, what I meant was that, for
example, unless the circuitry following a 16 bit DAC has over 96 db SNR,
some of the LSBs of resolution will be lost.

While we're on the subject, given that you might want to generate pitch
bend / glide etc on a DAC output cv, does anyone know what DAC
resolution is required versus frequency range to fool a human ear into
hearing a continuously variable pitch instead of stepping ?


Colin f