Re: new HW/SW trend?

[Richard Zvonar <zvonar@zvonar.com>]

At 2:49 PM -0500 1/21/03, Dennis Leas wrote:

>The HW/SW approach you describe is exactly the approach used by Symbolic
>Sound with Kyma

Symbolic Sound has always been at the forefront, rising as they did 
from the ranks of the first generation to make a formal study of 
computer music and to put it into a practical single-user system.


>(to a lesser extent) Eventide with their Orville.

The modular programming language in Orville was first used in the 
DSP4000. It was based the Patch Factory and mod factory features 
designed by Ken Bogdanowicz for the H3000. Ken's company Wave 
Mechanics will soon release a set of plug-in called Sound Toys. These 
are very accessible effects processors such as a dynamic filter, 
flanger, etc, but they are designed with a systems approach that 
allows them to access a common function library. I've had 
conversations for several years with Ken about DSP cards and outboard 
processing modules, and I credit some of my observations to him.


>The prediction was that with newer, faster, bigger computers on your 
>desktop or in your lap, you would not need specialized hardware.

That's still true in principal, but how often does the average person 
really upgrade his/her computer?


>Another benefit is that the specialized HW acts as "copy protection."  The
>software is basically useless without the manufacturer's HW box.

The only dongle that makes sense.
-- 

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Richard Zvonar, PhD
(818) 788-2202
http://www.zvonar.com
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