VCA ICs ~ WAS: [sdiy] cloning a PPG EVU / Wave?

[Seb Francis]

Aaron Lanterman wrote:
>
> On Aug 10, 2007, at 5:53 PM, Seb Francis wrote:
>
>> John Mahoney wrote:
>>>
>>> In my very humble opinion:
>>> The Analog Devices SSM2164 seems to be the best VCA chip available, 
>>> these days. The LM13700, while popular, is no match in the specs 
>>> department.
>>
>> If by 'best' you mean best value while also being relatively good 
>> quality, then yes.  But there are better VCA ICs out there, like the 
>> SSM2018(T) and the THAT2180/2181.
>
> You pay for the quality in the 2018 and 2180/2181 - they're pretty 
> pricey.
>
> The SSM2164 is a nice little chip. A student of mine worked with it 
> for his design last spring and like it a lot.
>

Depends on the application.

For a synth the SSM2164 is plenty good enough (probably better than the 
VCAs in most analog synths - although 'better' is perhaps a subjective 
term as the VCA distortion also forms part of the character of the sound).

But for processing complete audio (like a voltage controlled mixer or a 
compressor, etc.) the extra quality can be desirable.

Seb