Sound effects processing device with embedded software
Client’s Name (Country):
NDA
The Challenge:
The client had researched and developed sound systems and sound control devices for musical shows and discotheques. By the end of the 90's, Japanese companies were able to offer a new class of devices for this market. These devices allowed the application of various digital sound effects to a phonogram on the fly, all under the manual control of a DJ manipulating a touch-screen and a few buttons. With the understanding that the design of such a device demands extensive experience in the field of digital signal processing and embedded systems, NDA ordered the development of a similar, competitive device from AT Software.
The Solution:
Within the framework of the project, AT Software developed software and hardware architectures for the sound effects processor, and implemented more than 100 sound functions on the target platform (DSP56362), such as reverberation, simulation of acoustic environment, pitch shift, distortion, sampling, 3D effects, and much more. All the specific control functions, like touch-screen and flash memory control, were implemented on the single CPLD XC9572. The developed device is a leader of all similar devices in this market niche in terms of sound quality, the number of applied effects and additional features (like digital I/O, "Roboplay" control, Hot keys and so on).
Tools and Technologies:
Motorola 56362, Xilinx 9572, Xilinx Foundation Express tools,
Modelsim, Motorola DSP Suite56 tools.
Project Duration (months):
9 month