16 Nov
2008
16 Nov
'08
6:14 p.m.
Fons Adriaensen wrote:
On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 11:51:12AM -0500, nescivi
wrote:
I see.
The original discussion was about how hardware features like MADI sync
source selection should be exposed to applications. My answer was that
it should not be exposed. It should be managed by the sound subsystem
and the tools related with it. If this kind of "safe sync" feature is
necessary in real life situations then it should not be business of the
application to do it.
So the Wave Field Synthesis application should not care about where the
sync comes. It must just assume there will be proper sync all the time.
Instead this kind of monitoring can be given to a dedicated program (if
a simple shell script cannot do it). This keeps the actual application
clean and reduces the risk that it doesn't work with a MADI card from
some other manufacturer.
Best regards,
Hannu
He needs to make this system autorecover from any
accidental loss of
external sync, since he will not be able to watch the control panel
of one computer, let alone 16 or so. And he needs other people to be
able to use and run the system, when he takes a break, or has more
important things to do.
That's correct, but only part of the picture. The system
will be used in two roles, as a permanent installation
in a museum, and as a research tool.
In the first role it has to work unattended day after day,
surviving power and network interruptions and everything
else that could go wrong. All the museum staff will see
is a 'player' like telecommand GUI on a computer at the
reception desk. The system is on its own, and not only
when I'm taking a break.
In the second role it has to be completely flexible and
reconfigurable. It should be able to resume the 'museum
mode' with a single mouse click when the researchers are
done using it. For this reason, they are not allowed to
modify any physical wiring, and all signal routing
including clock distribution must be under software
control.
In the future the system may be connected (by optical
links) to other installations in the same building and
also to a concert hall or recording studio a few km away.
This again has to be remotely controlled, and of course
may involves switching, among other things, some clock
sources.