![]() Having successfully mastered software sample editing, a fully featured digital audio recording and processing solution was, in retrospect, the logical next step. ![]() Sound Tools, released in 1989, was Digidesign's first attempt at a computer-based hardware direct-to-disk recording solution with a software front end.Įssentially, Brooks and Gotcher wanted to design a digital recording solution based on what they'd learned from Sound Designer but decided the Mac's 8-bit AD/DA conversion capabilities weren't up to scratch. Hooking up a separate 16-bit interface to the Mac, it then became apparent that any serious signal processing was going to push the computer's processor to its absolute limit. "With the pros catered for, Digidesign began to target the budget-conscious consumer." Even carrying out very basic edits meant having to wait for the computer to process the signal, making for an infuriating stop-start workflow. The solution came in 1987 with the release of the Macintosh II, complete with six NuBus expansion slots. Brooks built an expansion card equipped with a 16-bit DA converter and a prototype Motorola DSP chip, allowing Sound Designer to use the DSP chip rather than the computer's CPU for its audio editing.Īfter showing off the prototype at the NAMM trade show, Digidesign set about developing a full audio input, output and processing system, eventually producing the 16-bit Sound Accelerator card, DAT-I/O digital interface and AD In analogue interface. ![]() The Sound Tools system's stereo audio features were groundbreaking, but the move to multitrack recording with the release of the Pro Tools system was a logical progression for Digidesign. Released in 1991, the first version of Pro Tools was based around a similar hardware-software hybrid setup to Sound Tools, this time with a four-channel interface.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |