[LAU] Open Source Audio Interface (was Successor/replacement for RME HDSP+Multiface?)

[Charles Z Henry]

On Sun, Aug 31, 2014 at 4:56 PM, Len Ovens <len at ovenwerks.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Aug 2014, Moshe Werner wrote:
>
>> On Sun, Aug 31, 2014 at 7:29 PM, Len Ovens <len at ovenwerks.net> wrote:
>>       On Sun, 31 Aug 2014, Moshe Werner wrote:
>> This is not the first time for this idea. There are one or two people
>> working on
>> it. The idea that seems to be the best is an ethernet connected AI because
>> this
>> seems to be the digital interface that stays around and is best supported.
>> The
>> idea is to use an arm based board with a netjack master and built in audio
>> IF. The
>> only project I know of is to at first provide stereo i/o as a proof of
>> concept.
>>
>>
>> Interesting, I didn't know this. Can you send a link to it?
>
>
> http://lists.linuxaudio.org/pipermail/linux-audio-user/2011-October/081520.html
> is the start I think... Though it may have surfaced since then too.
>
> It seems to me that at some point the same project came back in either LAU
> or LAD but the topic got changed.

I love a good design project, and a modular audio interface would be
an amazing one.  My vision of a real Open Hardware Audio Interface
would take a formiddable team of engineers, each with specific
specialties to tackle the problem.  High-freq circuits, HDL
programming, kernel modules, mixed-signal, audio pre-amps, and power
supply design... you'd really need someone who's willing to study each
one of them.

I met with a good group of people at LAC 2012 who are working on AVB
support under linux.  At the time, this was the group of people that I
was primarily considering "the audience" for organizing such a
project.

After meeting everybody, I realized we were heading in different
directions.  I (personally) don't want to work on software or sound
card protocols--I can barely follow along with AVB.  So--I did not
follow up on it.  I moved on to other projects.  I'd love to work on a
HW project, but not without considerable support and teamwork to see
it through to the end.

There is still some value in an Open Hardware design that goes beyond
the consumer cost/benefit relationship of the device itself.

Whatever you come up with, in terms of design documents, working
hardware, software, etc are all stepping stones for new/existing
companies to use.  You add competition to the marketplace with Open
Hardware, lower the barrier to entry, and open up different design
goals.  There's a lot of potential for economic effects that will end
up making audio interfaces better for consumers in the long run.