It seems these days there is some type of C complier for almost every microcontroller/CPU.
I don’t know about Moog but if I recall Dave Smith uses a DSP chip and I believe a PIC as the CPU (microcontroller). Moog probably uses something similar as synths, in general, don’t need massive/major processing capabilities unless you are generating the sounds entirely digitally and in many cases a DSP chip is all that is needed.
The Alesis ION uses a few simple but proprietary DSP chips and D/A converters to generate the sounds and a Cold Fire processor for the controls.
They own WaveFront semiconductors (formerly Alesis semiconductors, see the story here)
Now, if I could only learn the layout software I have (Douglas Pro Layout) I could finish some of the projects I started
BTW anyone know of a way to interface I2S devices to a Cold Fire MCF5475EC???
But I suppose you really don’t need much processing power since the sounds are purely analog and the digital aspect of it is just for MIDI, patch storage and the controls.
hemi: I think that’s right; I’ve also seen it called a Z-80+. So it’s basically a slightly souped-up Z80 (which still isn’t very much soup, by today’s standards). It can handle a lot of control voltages at a good clip, though, because we’re not asking it to do a whole lot of math on the signals it gets in and out. Sometimes sweet and simple is the way to go.
..its not so amazing inside IMO…i can distinguish a very little analog board and a big one that seems like digital (or non discrete anyway)…probably the big board is for the controls and the software whereas the little one is the voice board…nothing so special…i thought that it had fewer electronic parts compared to a voyager, but this is so smaller!!! ..its almost disappointing
Mine will arrive in almost 2 weeks and i had in my mind to mod it with a plexiglass “window” so its “guts” could be seen…but, i don’t think it anymore…
P.S. Thanks to Canecreek for showing us the “surgery” procedure!
