Sarang, Here's my non-professional solution for 16 channels:
- One recent PC with 2 free PCI slots - Two 7.1 PCI sound cards (16bit / 48KHz is enough) - Linux (or OSX) with Jackd - Basic soldering skills - A bit of lecture and some luck : http://quicktoots.linuxaudio.org/toots/el-cheapo/ http://www.jrigg.co.uk/linuxaudio/ice1712multi.html An easier (but more expensive) solution is to use M-Audio Delta 1010 PCI cards and interconnect their external sync, for up to 4 cards (and 32 channels). For the amplifiers you can use D-class (or T-class) stereo (or quad) amp modules and one (or more) big switching PSU with a few big filtering capacitors (for a cleaner supply). -- Marc Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:23:22 +0200, "Sarang S. Dalal" <sarang.da...@uni-konstanz.de> wrote : > Hi everyone, > > I've been lurking for only a day, but Sampo's note gives me the > courage to go ahead and ask the first question I was hoping this > group might help me answer. > > I am interested in experimenting with periphonic sound synthesis > using Ambisonics and (likely) Matlab, for research purposes. I've got > a grasp on the software side of things to do this, and already can > pipe multichannel sounds generated in Matlab to a standard 5.1 > receiver. > > Now I would like to construct a higher-order sound system, ideally > with consumer-level (and consumer-priced) components. I don't need a > big dynamic range, high power, or the best sound fidelity possible, I > just need a working prototype. This is the part I have found very > little information on in my research… > > My understanding is that 8 channels is the minimum needed for stable > 3-D Ambisonics (rather than planar surround). From my Mac, I can > easily output up to 8 channels of lossless PCM audio over HDMI or > optical Toslink. So it seems like it should be possible, in > principle, to assemble a budget system -- the question is what kind > of affordable receiver/amp would be appropriate? > > The home cinema/gaming market offers several 7.1 systems these days, > but I imagine the subwoofer channel would likely be band-limited with > different amplifier circuitry than the other channels. There are > also some 9.2 receivers available. I'm not clear how to input more > than 8 channels to these receivers, given that they all take > HDMI/Toslink inputs, Dolby TrueHD etc are all 7.1, as far as I know, > and they don't normally have discrete analog inputs. So I'm not sure > if an 8-channel digital input would imply one channel is destined for > a subwoofer as expected for a 7.1 system. And, otherwise, if these > systems do funky in-receiver processing to generate 9.2 sound from 8 > input channels, then that certainly seems incompatible with > Ambisonics… > > Are any of these receivers an option? Any other suggestions? Of > course, I don't care about the video switching capabilities, etc., > the multiplexed digital input just needs to be decoded and sent to 8+ > speakers somehow. > > Otherwise, if there's a Firewire or USB solution, I'd be happy to > hear more about those as well. > > Thanks in advance! > > Sarang > > > On Jul 29, 2011, at 1:06 AM, Sampo Syreeni wrote: > > > On 2011-07-28, Carsten Bohn wrote: > > > >> I usually don't comment very often cause most threads are "out of > >> my league knowledge-wise" ;-) [...] > > > > It just came to my mind, I've been seing these kinds of comments > > alot on-list. All too many, in fact. On most lists I've been on, > > they are a sure sign that the list is less accessible than it could > > be. And usually not because of the technical level of discussion, > > but because for one reason or another, "it's difficult to get into > > the discussion". Because of the perception that there's an > > established in-crowd that doesn't really want you, or somesuch > > other sociological reason. > > > > So I hope I'm not too much out of line if I say, that's not how it > > works around here. Please don't hesitate to participate, even by > > just asking about what the hell all that ambisonic high priestess > > shit is about. I mean, I at least didn't, and that's pretty much > > the only reason I ever got even this far in understanding surround, > > or that high priestess shit. If you look a few years back, you'll > > see I've made a total ass of myself over and over again, often > > without even realizing it, before I finally started to grasp what > > this stuff is about. And I've never seen a list more accommodating > > of such newbie stuff (or the not-so-newbie) than this one. > > > > Surround sound is a broad and variegated subject, with altogether > > too little easily accessed reference material lieing around. > > Ambisonic as part of it is doubly so, since it's so poorly known. > > That's then precisely why these kinds of lists are there: not only > > to discuss esoterica between those already in the know, but also to > > keep up the culture. Not least by inducting new folks into it. > > > > So again, and with due reference to the Real Practitioners and the > > Tenured Gurus around here, I think people shouldn't apologize > > unless they royally fucked up. Instead they should use those two > > lines to pose an interesting question. And of course the next half > > a decade to become the guru in the guru's place. ;) -- Sampo > > Syreeni, aka decoy - de...@iki.fi, http://decoy.iki.fi/front > > +358-50-5756111, 025E D175 ABE5 027C 9494 EEB0 E090 8BA9 0509 85C2 > > _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing > > list Sursound@music.vt.edu > > https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound > > _______________________________________________ > Sursound mailing list > Sursound@music.vt.edu > https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound > _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
