Ikaron DSP Synth Card for PC Shipping

March 13, 2003

Ikaron Editor
(Click for a close-up)

Ikaron DSP Card
(Click for a close-up)

Ikaron, a modular synthesizer for the PC, is now available. This DSP-based card features a complete and autonomous hardware synthesizer with modular sound generation covering VA, FM, sampling, and wavetables, leaving your computer's CPU free to perform other tasks.

Over 40 modules are included with Ikaron, and the system is ready to grow. The manufacturer plans to release additional modules on their web site for free. A framework to combine the modules and modulation sources that can be selected directly inside the modules let you create musical results quickly. No in-depth knowledge of synth architectures is required to get started. Integrated editors for samples and wavetables are included. According to the manufacturer's philosophy, all software updates including new modules and sounds will be provided for free.

Ikaron will not function as a general purpose sound card or interact with your other applications however. All audio and MIDI data passes through the card's external connections only, and not the internal PCI bus. The computer's role is simply to power the card and load the programs that define the synthsis algorithms to be used. While a restriction in some respects, this design also simplifies design and allows for reduced latency (less than 1 ms. according to the company).

Ikaron runs under Windows 98/2000/XP. It's shipped ex stock by the Swiss manufacturer Frei Audiotechnik for EUR 865.- (excl. VAT).

Recent Frei Audiotechnik headlines

Ikaron Modular Synth for PC Updated (2003-11-18)
Ikaron DSP Synth Card for PC Shipping (2003-03-13)
New DSP-Based Synth for PC Coming (2002-11-04)

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