Why no DSP cards for DX - Computer music & technology forums

Forums - Computer music & technology

Subject: Why no DSP cards for DX

Pages: 1 2 3

Original Message 1/26 25-May-01 @ 07:14 PM - Why no DSP cards for DX

Brett B

Posts: 781

Link?: Link

File?: No file

I understand that Sonar is the first professional grade direct x platform, but I would think companies like TC and creamware would would want to cash in on the success of this new platform, and it's potential. Also the new uad-1 is a nice looking plug-in based dsp card will run as vst and MAS.

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 2/26 26-May-01 @ 07:55 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

Brett B

Posts: 781

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Don't any of you want the power of protools quality reverbs and compression in sonar. To get it we need the hardware companies to make dx versions of thier dsp cards. Like Universal Audio and TC. Please e-mail them a request. I am mailing a letter to them and creamware to take notice of Cakewalk and I am sending a request to cakewalk to try and forge alliances with these companies.

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 3/26 26-May-01 @ 08:01 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

Brett B

Posts: 781

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Will the directxer allow you to run the plug-ins from the TC-powercore and the UAD-1?

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 4/26 30-May-01 @ 08:51 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

99devils

Posts: 2707

Link?: Link

File?: No file

You don't need dedicated DSP hardware to get good sounding plugins at all. DSPs are simply CPUs that are optimized for certain types of computation. In the days of 1ghz machines, multiple processors, etc this technology isn't all that necessary, IMHO.

Sound quality of a plugin has nothing to do with whether it runs on DSP or the host CPU, it's the processing algorithm that counts. If the DX version of the Waves Renaissance Compressor and the ProTools TDM version of the same plugin use the exact same algorithm, then the sound quality will be identical between the two.

On the other hand, a DSP card would free up resources on the host machine. The question is, do you need the free resources?

-Craig

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 5/26 30-May-01 @ 08:54 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

99devils

Posts: 2707

Link?: Link

File?: No file

And another thing, most of these DSP cards I've seen cost like $800-1000. For $1k, you could hook yourself up with a new dual processor motherboard, a pair of Pentium III 1ghz CPUs, and 512MB of memory. Still think you need a DSP card?

-Craig

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 6/26 31-May-01 @ 12:53 AM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

Formant

Posts: 316

Link?: Link

File?: No file

yah theres a great thread on audioforums.com where the guy from waves and the guy from bomb factory (protools plugs) jump and pound on tc electronics and talk about how dumb their idea of accelerator cards are...

check the waves forum and look for the one with like 20 something responses.

jamey

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 7/26 31-May-01 @ 05:55 AM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

Brett B

Posts: 781

Link?: Link

File?: No file

You have to conseider the fact that native plug-ins cut corners for cpu conservation as apposed to their hardware counterparts like the power core. Finalizers are well respected tools. and the card produces the power of the finalizer and then some at a cost of less than a finalizer. The powered plug-ins on the uad-1 with emulated la-2a's sounds nice. As for bomb factory, that is all run from protools farm card dsp, as well as the waves tdm versions which are said to sound much better than native waves plug-ins. you should be able to hear the diferance between high quality outboard reverbs and native plug-ins. I do, and high powered cards are required to run them wethor or not your pc can handle it is not the question, but the native plug-ins have scaled down algorythms to be able to run on slower machines regardless of your speed.It sounds like the protools advocates are a little taken by the idea that hardware developers are now able to squeeze protools type fx power into any VST native environment ar a fraction of the cost. DSP based power on cards makes sense. Whats $1000 to add a massive amount of pro FX right into the VST chain freeing up more power to mix and track. I hear the differance between songs done in protools and onse done in Logic and Cubase. It's the eq's reverbs and compressors that make that diferance. You wont get them in VST without studio grade dsp cards to run the fx.

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 8/26 31-May-01 @ 03:26 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

99devils

Posts: 2707

Link?: Link

File?: No file

You're comparing apples to oranges. Comparing a $1500 PC with a $1000 dsp card to a $20k protools rig is ludicrous! It's like comparing a casiotone to a 32 voice Q..

The Waves TDM Gold bundle costs $2600, while the native version costs $1300. You simply aren't going to get something for nothing!

As far as cutting corners goes, DSP programmers also optimize/make trade offs in their code to conserve DSP power.

I just don't see it as a viable, long-term option. PCs are getting faster and cheaper every day, and native plugins are sounding better every day. Why would you tie yourself to a DSP-based solution?

-Craig

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 9/26 31-May-01 @ 07:23 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

Posts: 12353

Link?: Link

File?: No file

i still ask the question... could a vst-dx wrapper address a dsp host based vst plugin?... i wonder?..

___________________________________

I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 10/26 31-May-01 @ 07:28 PM - RE: Why no DSP cards for DX

99devils

Posts: 2707

Link?: Link

File?: No file

That I do not know. I would assume it's possible to come up with a wrapper that CAN do that. Whether or not any of the current wrappers can is a good question..

-Craig

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Pages: 1 2 3

There are 26 total messages for this topic

Reply to Thread

You need to register/login to use the forum.

Click here to Signup or Login !

[you'll be brought right back to this point after signing up]

Back to Forum