SCIENCE

Analog Devices has announced that Roland Corporation has adopted ADI's Blackfin processor for its next-generation audio interface for music creation and recording--the "OCTA-CAPTURE". The OCTA-CAPTURE audio interface is designed for home/professional studio recording and is ideal for musicians who want to record and edit multi-track audio on a personal computer.

Roland's OCTA-CAPTURE is a 10-in / 10-out USB 2.0 audio interface for computers that delivers outstanding audio quality and functionality. The compact device captures eight simultaneous 24-bit/192-kHz, low-latency audio tracks with eight channels of high-quality microphone pre-amps. The OCTA-CAPTURE is available now in the U.S. and Japan, with wider availability to come.

Providing eight XLR microphone inputs with high-grade preamps in an industry-leading compact size (W 283.8 x D 157.9 x H 50.4mm), the OCTA-CAPTURE delivers a number of advanced digital audio features, including eight compressors, four digital sub-mixers, and a reverb function, all enabled by ADI's Blackfin processor. Also powered by the Blackfin processor, the OCTA-CAPTURE's automatic level-control system can detect and automatically adjust the eight audio sources simultaneously. With Roland's super-low-latency driver, and other I/O functions enabled by the Blackfin processor, the OCTA-CAPTURE lets users record and monitor audio without the significant audio delay usually associated with computer-based recording.

According to Kimitaka Kondo, executive director, Roland Corporation, "Roland has led the audio interface market since we introduced the world's first USB audio interface, the UA-100, in 1998. Our new product, OCTA-CAPTURE, is our next-generation audio interface and features exceptionally low latency. Using this new product, musicians can easily record multiple tracks with up to eight microphones simultaneously from individual drums to a full band. Thanks to the Blackfin processor, which has a smart design philosophy and a USB2.0 interface, we could develop this new higher performance product in a smaller size, and for lower cost, in a very short period of time. ADI is helping us to keep our superior position in the quickly moving audio interface market."

Blackfin Benefits: Performance, Programmability, Time-to-Market, Cost Savings

The OCTA-CAPTURE implements the Blackfin ADSP-BF525 processor, which operates at 533 MHz/1066 MMACS (million multiply accumulate operations per second). With the ability to run a RTOS and embedded USB capability, the Blackfin processor provides the necessary control and connectivity functions while enabling the digital audio mixing and effects features of OCTA-CAPTURE. In addition, the Blackfin processor architecture allows functions that would normally be performed by a separate microcontroller and a DSP to be handled by a single Blackfin chip, enabling an overall system size reduction and lower pricing.

"Building on the outstanding expertise that the Roland engineers have developed over the years, OCTA-CAPTURE represents yet another breakthrough product in the Roland line," said Denis Labrecque, pro-audio product marketing manager, Analog Devices. "We are delighted that Roland's extensive experience and innovative engineers have been able to provide so many features by using the Blackfin processor to its full capacity."

Innovative Design Demands Blackfin-Class Processing

Analog Devices' Blackfin 16/32-bit processors enable engineers to advance the intelligence, functionality and connectivity of any application that benefits from a convergence of digital signal processing and control processing in a unified architecture. Delivering exceptional price/performance and energy efficiency, and complemented by a rich ecosystem of development tools, applications and third-party support, Blackfin is the processor of choice for a wide range of innovative applications including industrial, medical, automotive, security, digital home entertainment and portable devices.