Path: utzoo!utgpu!utcsri!lansd
From: lansd@utcsri.UUCP (Robert Lansdale)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Request for DSP Based Master's Thesis ideas....
Message-ID: <5758@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jan 88 19:35:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.5758
Posted: Tue Jan  5 14:35:19 1988
Reply-To: lansd@utcsri.UUCP (Robert Lansdale)
Distribution: na
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 46


     This is a request to all prophets out there able to foresee the
future....

     I am in the position where I must choose a topic for my Master's
level thesis in Electrical Engineering (Computer Option). For my
undergraduate thesis I designed a 16 DSP signal processor solely
intended for music synthesis and sampling. It features two buses on
the backplane - one for transfering two word packets to any number
of the 16 dsp boards simultaneously, and the other a dma bus that
allows any dsp board to dma into another board's address space or
into a 54Mbyte dynamic ram array. TMS-32020s are used as the dsp
processor and an ATARI-ST as the host computer.

      This was fine for an undergraduate thesis, but it doesn't hold up
for a Master's. What I would like is to find an application for this
beast!

      I have considered the following topics and none really hold
much interest for me:

	1) A sampler syth - passe' - at the time I designed the
 	above synth, samplers were $35000. Its cheaper to buy one
	today.
	2) Synthesis from algorithms - its already been researched
	in our lab and Roland seems to be researching this heavily.
	3) Digital filters - YUCK!
	4) 2400/9600 modem - Out of my league.

	Can anyone think of some great, new, fantastic, un-explored
idea that no-one has bothered looking at? (Boy, am I optimistic!). It
doesn't necessarily have to do with music synthesis, ie:

	- T.I. has a talking doll using TMS dsp chips.
	- singing synthesis.
	- word processing artificial intelligence that analyzes
	the user's input and improvises (I could do with that!).  
	- ISDN applications (may be too early for this?)

	I would like to incorporate the hardware mentioned above
into the project as I have already invested $2000 in parts for it.

	Any ideas, whatever they may be, would be appreciated!