NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/comp/sys/atari/st/21104

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-27 | 2.7 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!uunet.ca!xenitec!tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca!semprini.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca!cherborth
From: [e-mail] (Chris Herborth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: InterZONE Design
Subject: Re: ADVOCACY: Re: PC VS ST
References: <[e-mail]>
    <[e-mail]>
    <H.ea.01zv&[e-mail]>
    <[e-mail]>
    <[e-mail]>
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Reply-To: [e-mail]
X-Software: HERMES GUS 1.04 Rev. Sep  5 1992
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 22:14:02 EST
Lines: 48

In <[e-mail]>, Warwick Allison writes:
> [e-mail] (Chris Herborth) writes:
>
> >> For around $300? Good luck.
>
> >I don't care, but I'm sure I were to blow a few minutes looking through
> >Computer Shopper, I could see a DSP board for $300.
>
> Go on then.  We're all standing here waiting for you to either do that,
> or stick your other foot in your mouth.

I didn't realise I had one foot in my mouth already.  Grabbing my Jan.93
Computer Shopper, I looked through a few pages from the back.  The first
Falcon-quality sound card:

Sound Blaster 16 ($239) - 8-bit and 16-bit digitized voice channel;
20-voice StereoFM music synth; MIDI interface; built-in power amp (hmm,
Falcon doesn't have one of those)

Next, I found a DSP card.  Not quite as versatile as a general-purpose
DSP board, but it was the first one I found; if I were interested in the
DSP, I'm sure I could find another one (or twelve).  Oh, and I guess I'm
embarassed in front of the world, eh?  It's $425.  Not quite around
$300 but in the ball park:

Sound 2000 ($425) - CD Quality sound up to 44.1 kHz sampling; 32
simultaneous stereo voices with 16/32-bit DSP sampled sound (DSP model
not specified); 127 MIDI instrument sound patches, 47 percussion sounds
built-in; 16-bit digital audio recording (1 stereo or 2 mono
channels)/16-bit digital audio playback (2 stereo or 4 mono channels)
with MIDI interface.  Oh, and bundled software.

> Because you keep ignoring the DSP.

Because I have no use for it (it's not going to speed up POV-Ray or
Lexicor's stuff for me) and I haven't seen a useful (to me) application
of it yet.  Other than JPEG decompression/compression, which a faster
CPU will handle quite nicely.

> I understand you.  If the Falcon didn't have the DSP, I wouldn't by it.
> It would be underpowered and overpriced.

I think it still is.  Then again, you've probably got more of a use for
the DSP than I do.
--
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Chris Herborth
[e-mail]