Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Master Bus Processor Texas Instruments Instructor Award |
Clay Kaiser Philip Macias Richard Mannion |
Zhen Qin | design_document1.pdf final_paper1.pdf photo1.jpg presentation1.pdf proposal1.pdf video video video video video |
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| General Description We will design a Master Bus Processor (MBP) for music production in home studios. The MBP will use a hybrid analog/digital approach to provide both the desirable non-linearities of analog processing and the flexibility of digital control. Our design will be less costly than other audio bus processors so that it is more accessible to our target market of home studio owners. The MBP will be unique in its low cost as well as in its incorporation of a digital hardware control system. This allows for more flexibility and more intuitive controls when compared to other products on the market. Design Proposal Our design would contain a core functionality with scalability in added functionality. It would be designed to fit in a 2U rack mount enclosure with distinct boards for digital and analog circuits to allow for easier unit testings and account for digital/analog interference. The audio processing signal chain would be composed of analog processing 'blocks’--like steps in the signal chain. The basic analog blocks we would integrate are: Compressor/limiter modes EQ with shelf/bell modes Saturation with symmetrical/asymmetrical modes Each block’s multiple modes would be controlled by a digital circuit to allow for intuitive mode selection. The digital circuit will be responsible for: Mode selection Analog block sequence DSP feedback and monitoring of each analog block (REACH GOAL) The digital circuit will entail a series of buttons to allow the user to easily select which analog block to control and another button to allow the user to scroll between different modes and presets. Another button will allow the user to control sequence of the analog blocks. An LCD display will be used to give the user feedback of the current state of the system when scrolling and selecting particular modes. Reach Goals added DSP functionality such as monitoring of the analog functions Replace Arduino boards for DSP with custom digital control boards using ATmega328 microcontrollers (same as arduino board) Rack mounted enclosure/marketable design System Verification We will qualify the success of the project by how closely its processing performance matches the design intent. Since audio 'quality’ can be highly subjective, we will rely on objective metrics such as Gain Reduction (GR [dB]), Total Harmonic Distortion (THD [%]), and Noise [V] to qualify the analog processing blocks. The digital controls will be qualified by their ability to actuate the correct analog blocks consistently without causing disruptions to the signal chain or interference. Additionally, the hardware user interface will be qualified by ease of use and intuitiveness. |
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