Hello. I'm looking to put together a little hard disk recorder - essentially six audio channels connected to some sort of audio interface on a motherboard and a storage device (a serial ATA disk). Essentially, I'm looking for a motherboard with six high quality audio inputs and on-board USB or Firewire. The speed of the CPU is immaterial, it's far more important that the device has low power consumption. Does anybody in the group have any recommendations for a motherboard? I can't find any board that has this many inputs. cheers, MC
Recommendation for audio hardware
Started by ●October 25, 2006
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote:> Essentially, I'm looking for a motherboard with six > high quality audio inputs and on-board USB or > Firewire.In a word: forgetit. No such thing as a high-quality audio input on a PC-kind motherboard, much less six of them. Multi-channel high-quality audio hardware comes in separate boxes connected to the computer either by high-speed serial line (USB, 1394) or by dedicated cable to an extension card. -- Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de) Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote:> Essentially, I'm looking for a motherboard with six > high quality audio inputs and on-board USB or > Firewire. The speed of the CPU is immaterial, it's farBy "motherboard" I assume you mean a PC motherboard? You won't find such an animal. You can, however, add a multitrack "mixer-board-on-a-card" to a standard motherboard. The audio input on a normal PC motherboard is far from what I'd call "high quality", by the way.
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
On 25 Oct 2006 11:20:13 -0700, in comp.arch.embedded artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote:>Hello. > >I'm looking to put together a little hard disk recorder - >essentially six audio channels connected to some sort >of audio interface on a motherboard and a storage >device (a serial ATA disk). > >Essentially, I'm looking for a motherboard with six >high quality audio inputs and on-board USB or >Firewire. The speed of the CPU is immaterial, it's far >more important that the device has low power >consumption. > >Does anybody in the group have any recommendations >for a motherboard? I can't find any board that has this >many inputs. > >cheers, >MCAs Larwe said, getting a mobo with 6 audios will be a problem, have a look here http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mini-itx/ I think they have low power stuff available as well, but it depends on your definition of low power, and your budget. what about kbd/LCD etc.? Check out M Audio for external sound doofers, quite adequate. If you can handle linux, maybe gumstixs modules might work time for my meds...... martin
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
martin griffith wrote:> On 25 Oct 2006 11:20:13 -0700, in comp.arch.embedded > artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote: > > >>Hello. >> >>I'm looking to put together a little hard disk recorder - >>essentially six audio channels connected to some sort >>of audio interface on a motherboard and a storage >>device (a serial ATA disk). >> >>Essentially, I'm looking for a motherboard with six >>high quality audio inputs and on-board USB or >>Firewire. The speed of the CPU is immaterial, it's far >>more important that the device has low power >>consumption. >> >>Does anybody in the group have any recommendations >>for a motherboard? I can't find any board that has this >>many inputs. >> >>cheers, >>MC > > As Larwe said, getting a mobo with 6 audios will be a problem, > have a look here > http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mini-itx/ > I think they have low power stuff available as well, but it depends on > your definition of low power, and your budget. what about kbd/LCD > etc.? > Check out M Audio for external sound doofers, quite adequate. If you > can handle linux, maybe gumstixs modules might work > > > time for my meds...... > > > martinAs noted, no such animal exists as a single board in (supposed) PC motherboard form factor. Define: High quality audio Low power Cheers PeteS
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
martin griffith wrote:> On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:15:30 GMT, in comp.arch.embedded PeteS > <peter.smith8380@ntlworld.com> wrote: > > >>martin griffith wrote: >> >>>On 25 Oct 2006 11:20:13 -0700, in comp.arch.embedded >>>artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote: >>> >>> > > chomp > >>>>Does anybody in the group have any recommendations >>>>for a motherboard? I can't find any board that has this >>>>many inputs. >>>> >>>>cheers, >>>>MC >>> >>>As Larwe said, getting a mobo with 6 audios will be a problem, >>>have a look here >>>http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mini-itx/ >>>I think they have low power stuff available as well, but it depends on >>>your definition of low power, and your budget. what about kbd/LCD >>>etc.? >>>Check out M Audio for external sound doofers, quite adequate. If you >>>can handle linux, maybe gumstixs modules might work >>> >>> >>>time for my meds...... >>> >>> >>>martin >> >>As noted, no such animal exists as a single board in (supposed) PC >>motherboard form factor. >> >>Define: >> >>High quality audio >>Low power >> >> >>Cheers >> >>PeteS > > Just been doing/attempting a 48V very low noise phantom power supply > design for 4 condenser mics, at 6.5V in it took 180mA rms. that wasn't > even worst case. Think it needs some tweaking....... > > soldering can be quicker than simulation > > > martinI agree completely. I prefer to do a quick perfboard for some things than try and simulate it. Why simulate when you can measure? Cheers PeteS
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:15:30 GMT, in comp.arch.embedded PeteS <peter.smith8380@ntlworld.com> wrote:>martin griffith wrote: >> On 25 Oct 2006 11:20:13 -0700, in comp.arch.embedded >> artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote: >> >>chomp>>> >>>Does anybody in the group have any recommendations >>>for a motherboard? I can't find any board that has this >>>many inputs. >>> >>>cheers, >>>MC >> >> As Larwe said, getting a mobo with 6 audios will be a problem, >> have a look here >> http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mini-itx/ >> I think they have low power stuff available as well, but it depends on >> your definition of low power, and your budget. what about kbd/LCD >> etc.? >> Check out M Audio for external sound doofers, quite adequate. If you >> can handle linux, maybe gumstixs modules might work >> >> >> time for my meds...... >> >> >> martin > >As noted, no such animal exists as a single board in (supposed) PC >motherboard form factor. > >Define: > >High quality audio >Low power > > >Cheers > >PeteSJust been doing/attempting a 48V very low noise phantom power supply design for 4 condenser mics, at 6.5V in it took 180mA rms. that wasn't even worst case. Think it needs some tweaking....... soldering can be quicker than simulation martin
Reply by ●October 25, 20062006-10-25
artifact.one@googlemail.com wrote:> I'm looking to put together a little hard disk recorder > The speed of the CPU is immaterial, it's far > more important that the device has low power > consumption.Forget using an Intel PC CPU then. I had been thinking for a couple of years about building such a unit, 4 or 8 channels. Would be a bit of a stretch for my skills, but I like "learning experiences". I thought to do the following: Phantom power -> preamp -> PGA(?) -> 24-bit Wavefront A/Ds -> EPLD -> ATSAM7 ARM using 16-bit DMA -> MMC flash memory and USB client. Optional Wavefront digital delay/reverb and/or DSP, and 2-channel D/A and output. Minimal UI (plug-and-go based on clipping detection), handheld, battery/USB powered. Sounds like what you want too... portable HD recorders exist, of course, with good ones starting around $2-3K. Haven't done the research though...
Reply by ●October 26, 20062006-10-26
On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:15:30 GMT, PeteS <peter.smith8380@ntlworld.com> wrote:>martin griffith wrote:>> As Larwe said, getting a mobo with 6 audios will be a problem, >> have a look here >> http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mini-itx/>As noted, no such animal exists as a single board in (supposed) PC >motherboard form factor.It would be quite hard to put six XLR connectors at the edge of a Mini-ITX motherboard :-). Seriously, any PC motherboard will have huge DC currents with large current peaks riding on it due to digital switching flowing around the board. These currents will sooner or later end up in the PCB ground planes, causing potential differences between various points on the ground planes. Connecting a low level audio signal into such hostile environment is going to cause problems, not only from induction from nearby PCB tracks carrying various high current signals, but also due to ground potential problems when unbalanced connections are used. A careful use of separate analog grounds may help when using a single floating signal source, connecting multiple channels to different equipment that may connected together e.g. through other signal lines or power supply lines, may cause all kinds of ground loop problems, injecting interference into the unbalanced ADC input. I also very much doubt that high quality audio ground routing is the primary target, when designing the motherboard layout. When balanced audio lines are used (dynamic microphones are initially balanced anyway), much of the inducted noise is cancelled, most of the common mode interference due to ground potential differences can be eliminated and impedances can be used in the shield connection to limit the ground loop current. I would suggest using a separate board containing the input stages and the ADCs and using some non-galvanic connection (such as ethernet transformer or fibre optic) to carry the digital signals to the computer and/or recorder. For instance, try to find a motherboard with at least three Toslink optical interfaces, so you could use three separate stereo ADC boxes to handle the six channels. Paul
Reply by ●October 26, 20062006-10-26
Clifford Heath wrote:> Sounds like what you want too... portable HD recorders exist, of > course, with good ones starting around $2-3K. Haven't done the > research though...OT but ... I purchased a Yamaha AW1600 16 track, 8 input direct to HD recorder with *many* bells and whistles for $1K last year. However, the only learning experiences have been how to use it, and how badly I *really* sound recorded ;-) -- Michael N. Moran (h) 770 516 7918 5009 Old Field Ct. (c) 678 521 5460 Kennesaw, GA, USA 30144 http://mnmoran.org "So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key." The Eagles, "Already Gone" The Beatles were wrong: 1 & 1 & 1 is 1
