From: ucacmsu@ucl.ac.uk (Mr Stephen R Usher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: FALCON
Date: 26 Aug 92 09:28:56 GMT
Organization: Bloomsbury Computing Consortium, London

Well, here's my two penny worth...

Some background..

I've worked upon (helped develop) a high speed, high resolution seismic data
acquisition system for a hot dry rock geothermal energy project. This system
contained a 16 bit 200KHz A/D system, both hardware and software filters
etc...

Now to the real stuff...

In article <l9lg87INN67u@aludra.usc.edu> baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer) writes:
>In article <1992Aug25.143553.14540@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> an375@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jason Baker) writes:
>>
>>In a previous article, baffoni@aludra.usc.edu (Juxtaposer) says:
>>>	Sure, but CD players are cheap and due to the amount of components
>>>manufactured for them, I am sure that their components are cheap enough to
>>>be incorporated on the Falcon.  So beware - it may very well be the same
>>>D/A that Sony uses.  Or Kawai. :)
>>>
>>	Wouldn't cd player hardware have a fixed rate of 41khz (or is it 44)?
>
>	(44KHz).  Nah, (just about) the only useful component from a CD player
>would be the D/A and the oversampling/MASH hardware.  None of that is sample
>rate dependant (other than spec. min/maxs).
>
>>>	Besides, I get the feeling from reading the origonal post that he will
>>>be more upset by the fact that I am pretty sure the Falcon has only one set of
>>>stereo out (and in) jacks, with the 8 channels internally mixed for output onto
>>>the one output jack - not as he was saying 8 separate/independant external 
>>>stereo outputs.  As such, you are not going to be able to use it as a mixer.  
>>>It does mean it can handle 8 separate channels of audio info, and let you mix 
>>>them internally.
>>	To me, it would seem more usefull to process one live instrument while
>>doing various fucked up loops in real time.
>
>	Well, with only one input, that is all you are really gonna be able to
>(independently) control.  
>
>[stuff deleted]
>>>>the primary function of the machine, as with a CD player), you'll only
>>>>really get about 12-14 bits worth of real-world resolution.  This
>>>>is marvelous for most applications (like adding little sound effects
>>>>to your desktop), but not good enough for real studio work.
>
>>	It seems like it would also be enough for live work.  Aren't some
>>older samplers only 12 bits?  And weren't the first cd players 14?
>
>	Yes, and yes, but I believe the original poster goofed by putting 
>"professional" in his post, and got jumped on.  I guess "near professional" 
>would be more accurate (and being subject to interpretation, he wouldn't be 
>labled wrong out of hand).  I am still a little fuzzy on his "real-world" 
>resolution.  I mean, since when is a studio a real world anyway (or a home 
>studio for that matter).  If he is talking about how well it deals with 
>interference... well, unless you are in a nice, insulated studio, the mics will
>pick up noise, and of course cables can be very antenna like...I should
>think that noize generated by your A/D connector would be rather minimal
>(unless of course it is a really bad/cheap A/D that produces noize on
>the input line).  However, since I am hardly a music studio tech., these
>are merely the ramblings of a frustrated EE student (almost grad).

In the "real world" you are very lucky if you can get 14 bits of real
resolution, the noise levels, even on the highest quality A/Ds and filters,
are too high.

>
>>>>(Also, when you get a Falcon, take a look at the audio out system.  I
>>>>bet you it's not anywhere near as noise-free as the out of an AKAI
>>>>sampler.)
>

I can't really comment on this, and neither can you, until you put the same
data through both systems and check it with a spectral analyser.

Just because the AKAI system is from a big company and costs a large amount
of money doesn't mean that it's the best you can get, often the best kit
comes from small innovatory companies and doesn't cost a large fortune.

Steve

PS. I am not saying that the Falcon IS better than the AKAI system. I'm just
saying don't prejudge just on the price!

PPS. Even if the built in A/Ds aren't good, what's to stop you bolting some
onto the back of the DSP? In the realms of digital Data Acquisition, the
Falcon is quite a formidible system, 8 channels at 50KHz adds up to a total
sampling rate of 400KHz! An Analogics 400KHz 16bit A/D with 8 channels (VME
bsu based) will set you back something in the region of 10 thousand pounds
stirling (ex VAT). A PC system of the same sort of ability will cost you
about the same or more.
--
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