Welcome to our DSP Accelerator Online Advisor.
Ever since the invention of software plug-ins, musicians have wanted to run more of them than their system allowed - sharing CPU power between the many tasks that Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software performs is quite a juggling act. Traditional outboard hardware effects processors though, have the advantage that they are dedicated to the task and always available, regardless of how complex your project is - the natural step therefore, was to take the Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) they are based on into the computer. This produces a best of both worlds solution, combining the graphic interface and production environment of the software, with the always on acceleration of the hardware.
This article will look at how a DSP accelerator can be a useful part of your computer-based studio, and also at their limitations.
Our Online Advisor extends to several pages - you can jump from section to section using the index below or the navigation at the bottom of each page.