Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!eos!phil
From: phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Phil Stone)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CD sound
Message-ID: <7521@eos.arc.nasa.gov>
Date: 29 Oct 90 22:11:42 GMT
References: <901023.160924.CDT.C503719@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU> <1990Oct23.215703.1586@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1990Oct25.003358.24989@dg-rtp.dg.com> <112348.26565@timbuk.cray.com>
Reply-To: phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Phil Stone)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 47


The desirability of quality sound for the Amiga (and no, eight-bit sound
does *not* march under this banner) never seems to get much respect here,
but I'd like to offer an alternative viewpoint, if possible.

First, let me state that I bought a 1000 soon after they were available,
upgraded to a 2000, and am now saving my pennies for the luscious 3000.
I have been performing live music (electronic/experimental/new whatever
you want to call it) with the Amiga for over four years.  Nothing else,
until recently, has given me the flexibile (i.e., totally programmable)
control over sound production that the Amiga does.  Commercial samplers
do not allow direct, live access to registers, memory areas, etc.  You
buy a "slab," and depending on the design philosophy of the manufacturer
of that slab, you can tweak only certain high-level aspects of the sound.
This is why I use an Amiga, and not a commercial sampler/synthesizer.

Over in the M*cintosh world, a company called Digidesign has produced
a DSP (56000) board and software system capable of stereo sound
sampling/processing/playback at 16 bits/44.1 Khz.  They are selling
quite well, from what I can tell.  Here at NASA Ames, several researchers
are using this system, for many of the same flexibility reasons that I
cited for the Amiga, above.  These researchers (especially the psycho-
acousticians I work with) could not seriously consider 8-bit dynamic
range for their work, nor are they impressed with the current audio software
available for the Amiga (though programs like Audiomaster are an excellent
beginning).  I drool over the Digidesign system; I would love to be able
to use it for my music, instead of just for work.  I still consider
M*c II's to underdesigned and over-priced, but oh...you should hear these
babies sing!

If it were possible to increase the Amiga's dynamic range capability
to 16 bits, perhaps switchable to 8 bits for downward compatability,
I would be a very happy person.  Maybe a better idea would be for
Commodore to throw some official support behind some of the Amiga
DSP-board efforts that have appeared now and again; maybe Digidesign
could be talked into an Amiga port of their excellent system (if I'm
not mistaken, they have an Atari version as well).  The Amiga need not
be left behind in the high-end audio game.  Believe me, that game
exists, and is being played on computers, not just on synthesizers.

It is my strong belief that audio is an equal partner in "multimedia."
Let's give it as much respect and attention as we do to Amiga graphics.

Oh, and please don't mistake me for the Marc Barrett of audio.  I won't
go on and on about this, I promise.

		Phil Stone  (phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov | ...ames!eos!phil):w