[sdiy] Freescale Soundbuite

[Barry Klein]

(>> = me):

Whats the point with this if soft tools not entierly in public domain?
Are the Eclips based symphony dev tools GNU or do one have to buy the set?

>> If I knew how to program the damn stuff I frankly wouldn't care if I had 
to pay for the software tools - if I could afford them.  I just don't want
to go layout a surface mount multilayer board and pay some board house to 
make me a few.  If I could program these I would rather buy boards when I
needed and make my modules to my heart's content.  Both the Freescale and
Tonecore use the same chip. Why not make your hardware platform work with
both?
 
> > What I find intriguing is that the ToneCore seems to have a common
> > functional module that then plugs into a base.  We should do the same
> > thing
> > and have a function module that plugs into a the rear of a front panel
> > base  a single module in a modular synth. 

But isnt that a bit boring? All modules are a DSP module with 2 x16 LCD? No?
Gape on a LCD? Wasnt the ide behind modulars to get away from that?

>>  I think coming out with another 4 waveform VCO module is boring, but it
still keeps happening...  My impression of modulars is that it is an
approach to designing your own custom sound design or "noise" generation
system unique to your needs.  I could care less if every module had one chip

on a board with a bunch of pots, jacks, and switches.  LCD display even
better.  But has to have LEDs, right?  :-)

>These boards will be surface mount
>high density but if volumes can get up there they could be a good value
>and of course multifunctional.

But who will manufacture those DSP boards?
They have to make some money out of it and volumes has to be moderately
high!

>>  There are enough interested people with this capability in the world to
create a competitively-priced board.  The DSP chip is way less than what
you'd pay for a Curtis or SSM filter or VCO chip...  Also, I just got a
postcard from a firm that will make your board at normal board cost, get
your parts from Digikey at cost, and make them for a supposedly reasonable
fee.  The whole thing about getting boards made is - how soon do you need
them?  If you let them make them without a nearterm deadline they will give
you a much better price.  I agree, for many of us the thrill was making a
unique circuit on a breadboard and then layout a pcb etc.  But we have to
face it that the newer technology provides the capability to make something
much more powerful for the same cash outlay (and the "fun" will now be using
it).

Freeescales dev board are 2 layer wich is nice, 4x5 inch,6ch audio in and
6ch
audio out , a expansion header, so if everyone agrees to that design you
have
a standard platform to work from, however i have no clue what it might cost?

>> Really 2 layer?  Wow, I think that could cause a few problems, but
whatever.  Anyway, I still thinking panel mount for a modular approach - not
a desktop standalone.  That's fine and you are right that such a board would
be good for that.  I am in the process of getting a Spartan 3E FPGA just for
that purpose (I don't have the programming skills). That one can be had for 
$100-150.  $100 if you go to one of their seminars.

Hmm, its going to be a software synth behind a aluminium face plate.

>> I'm perfectly fine with that!  Just make it cheap and small so I can fit 
them all in a reasonable space.  Having multiple huge keyboard synths is not
practical for me, having a bunch of softsynths that won't work on Vista or
whatever follows it won't work for me, but a bunch of softsynths in panels
sounds the best option.  But really, if it is a "modular" the functions will
be more fundamental than a full blown softsynth in a small panel.  

Well, it could be like Buchla 200e, almost programmable but the hard bit
would
be I/O programability, in other words if external signals are going to be
patched in 100% programability are most likely not viable, however if the
system are entierly built with DSP modules then just sensing of I/O signals
would be enough,just one big TDM network of signals.

>>  I see that problem with Modular synths as they are.  You have sound
generation and control stuff with huge signals but then filters, delays, and
other effects that must work with much lower level signals.  The more this
can be done digitally the more capabilities you can have in signal routing.
Not just digital stuff sounds crappy overdriven...

Barry