Ikaron DSP-Based Synthesizer for PC Introduced
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| Ikaron PCI Card |
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Editor Screenshot
(Click for a close-up) |
November 5, 2002
Frei Audiotechnik in Switzerland announced Ikaron, a modular synthesizer on a PCI card. It's intended for PCs running Windows 98/XP and offers an independent sound engine with 5 DSPs, four analog ouputts, two balanced analog inputs, and a MIDI port. It can be played via MIDI and claims very low latency as well as ample modulation capabilities.
Sounds and synthesizers can be created from over 40 modules: Virtual analog components, sampling, FM, wavesets, filters, effects, control modules, morphing, key scalers, and more. However rather than requiring to assemble your designs completely from scratch, 'wiring' all the modules together, the software provides you with a template containing slots for inserting various modules into the signal path. This design keeps things visually cleaner and easier to get results without extensive knowledge of synthesizer circuits.
Integrated editors for samples and wavesets support aquisition of raw data for sound synthesis, while sound tools to convolve samples or convert them into wavesets open a field for experiments.
Typical polyphony is reported as 32 to 64 voices, depending on the exact algorithms used.
Beat Frei, founder of Frei Audiotechnik says: "Ikaron is designed as a musical instrument for sound wizards who like to play expressively on a keyboard. A straight user interface prevents you from getting lost in the modular forest and lets you focus on sound."
Ikaron will become available in Europe around December 2002. Price for Ikaron is EURO 865.- (excluding shipping charges and VAT).
For more information, visit their web site at www.ikaron.ch. | 
