Fairlight-CMI

Hi Peter,

I think you have a great product that will certainly fill a void in 
musical production right now.  I think the price to performance/ 
feature ratio is definitely on par with other companies, such as Open 
Labs, who are building computer based workstations.  If you haven't 
heard of them, check them out here: http://www.openlabs.com/

For a quick example of price:

Timbaland Special Edition NeKo $4,999

Hope that helps!

Lance
 

--- In Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Vogel" <peter.vogel@...> 
wrote:
>
> Hi Tobias & Fabian,
>  
> Many thanks for such thoughtful comments.
> 
> All the issues you raised can be addressed by the approach I am 
considering.
> Vari-speed for sure. No loss of resolution from summing, sure. 
That's
> because the Crystal Core is not a DSP, it is a bunch of gates that 
can be
> configured to make whatever is needed for the task.
> 
> If you are interested in the technicalities, read this whitepaper:
> http://www.fairlightau.com/Downloads/Public/Crystal%20Core%
20Technology%20Wh
> ite%20Paper%20October%202006.pdf
> 
> Here's one relevant part (the whole paper is worth a look). You 
will see why
> this platform spaked my imagination.
> 
> 4. Dynamic Resolution Optimization
> The World's first combination fixed/floating point professional 
media
> platform --
> with variable precision.
> There are two established signal processing paradigms that are used 
in
> professional
> digital media systems: fixed point and floating point. Whether they 
are
> using fixed or
> floating point, current systems also have a fixed precision from 
end to end.
> For example,
> they are either 32 bit fixed point OR 32 bit floating point. Each 
paradigm
> has advantages
> as discussed further below.
> A unique feature in the design of the CC-1 architecture allows 
Fairlight to
> implement both
> paradigms in the Crystal Core.
> Fairlight's revolutionary Dynamic Resolution Optimization (DRO) 
architecture
> enables the
> optimal precision needed for a specific task to be used within each 
of its
> Nodes. This
> uncompromising design means ultra-precise 72-bit fixed point can be 
used in
> CC-1's EQ
> Node, while optimal 36-bit floating point can be used in the Mixing 
node. In
> areas where
> extreme precision is not required, CC-1 adjusts the precision 
accordingly.
> For example,
> audio metering is more than adequately specified at 16-bit fixed 
point. DRO
> is unique,
> and is patented by Fairlight worldwide.
> Dynamic Resolution Optimization (DRO) provides unsurpassed quality 
by
> allowing the
> best processing for the task at hand. This not only improves 
quality, but
> exponentially
> increases efficiency, providing greater performance at a lower cost.
> Traditional systems must maintain the highest precision required 
from end to
> end, using
> either fixed point or floating point paradigms (not both). These 
aging and
> inflexible
> architectures are made to look like costly compromises, and 
dinosaurs with
> inherent
> disadvantages for some tasks.
> DRO supports both sides of the resolution debate as referenced 
below by
> delivering a
> solution and without the need for any compromise.
> "The double precision 48-bit processing is used when long time 
constants are
> required.
> This occurs when low frequency filters are on the job and when 
compressors,
> expanders
> and limiters are used with their relatively slow attack and release 
times.
> If 24 bits are all
> that are available when more precision is required, the results are 
a
> problem. The
> function misbehaves and the least damaging result is poor sound 
quality. The
> worst
> result is amplifier or loudspeaker damage due to a misbehaving DSP
> crossover, making
> double precision a must-have for superior audio."
> ( Greg Duckett and Terry Pennington of Rane Audio, "Superior Audio 
Requires
> Floating
> Point", published on the Rane Audio website
> http://www.rane.com/note153.html)
> Another example:
> "The first observation is that digital filtering when we allow the 
user to
> select high-Q, very
> low-frequency filters is difficult at the best of times. Even 64-bit
> floating point can produce
> significant error energy if the best filter forms are not used. 
Even for
> floating point, it is
> important to use forms that have normalized state variables so that
> imbalances in the
> state values do not lead to further degradation of the precision of 
the
> result. Clearly, the
> performance of 32-bit floating point and 24-bit integer will be 
considerably
> inferior to that
> of 64-bit floating point, so we might conclude that it is not 
possible to
> achieve high-quality
> results for these extreme filter settings. Furthermore it is shown 
that
> sweeping the
> settings of a filter with time excites some aberrant behavior when 
the state
> variables are
> not normalized, even with 64-bit floating-point arithmetic. 48-bit 
integer
> is proposed as a
> compromise between economic realizability and ultimate precision. 
The
> increased
> headroom and guard bits allowed by the format provide enough 
precision to
> allow some
> extreme filter settings and still preserve a 24-bit result after 
several
> stages of processing."
> ( Andy Moorer - pioneering digital audio engineer and currently 
head of
> computer science
> at Adobe. 48-BIT INTEGER PROCESSING BEATS 32-BIT FLOATING POINT FOR
> PROFESSIONAL AUDIO APPLICATIONS, available at
> http://www.jamminpower.com/PDF/48-bit%20Audio.htm)
> DRO serves as yet another example of the disruptive nature of 
Crystal Core
> technology.
> DRO's dramatically improved performance, greater efficiency and 
lower cost
> signals the
> end of the legacy media processing era.
> 
> 
> 
> Peter
>