[linux-audio-user] Re: [linux-audio-dev] Re: [Alsa-devel] Firewire Audio Card Support

[Mark Knecht]

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 21:22:43 +0000, Steve Harris
<s.w.harris at ecs.soton.ac.uk> wrote:

> I have a vague recollection that the ADAT format is encumbered in some
> way.

Encumbered in terms of patents or something?

This would be an issue for all of the design. Not only need we design
it, but to some extent we need to make an effort to ensure that the
preamp design doesn't step on a patent, etc.

> 
> For me this would be most useful as a portable i/o, so I'd want a few
> analogue ins and outs. Mic preamps would be good, but not essential.

I think I mostly agree, but I probably have two uses - portable where
I want some preamps and in the studio where I want to connect to other
PCs.

> 
> Personally I would be willing to pay over the odds for something like
> this, particularly if it had a bit of spare FPGA space that could have a
> DSP unit blown on it, or whatever.

I'm not sure but I thought there are some FPGAs out there now with
processors already in them. DSP I'm not sure. However it's nigh on
impossible to do 1394 or USB without at least a small microcontroller
so I think we'd be looking at some form of a processor somewhere.
(Really answering an email where you raised this point earlier.)

> 
> > Send/Returns - use normal ins and outs or something special?
> 
> Electrically as simple as possible I'd have thought.

More D/A & A/D though. Can sends and returns be lower quality or does
everything need to be consistently good? I have no opinion right
now...

> 
> > MIDI?
> 
> Ideally. Cheap, standard USB MIDI ports are common though, so not
> essential IMHO.

My tendency would be to not put it in. Probably anyone who wants MIDI
has a solution long before this unit shows up anyway.

- Mark