A to DSD Sound Card?

Is there in development or is there on the market a cound card that does the analog to dsd conversion?

Thanks!

 

As in a PC card Bill ? - if that is what you mean I don't know - in terms of stand alone devices DCS has a couple both Pro-use and domestic.

All the best - Andrew

 

It might set you back a house and a car...

 

There was this tasty tidbit at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/news/0403/page2.htm

04 / 02 / 03

Sonic Studio is now offering DSD mastering and SACD authoring hardware and software for computers. The three new products consist of their DSD.1 (pictured here) and DSD.X hardware plus their SACD.1 software. The DSD.1 is an eight-channel processor computer card featuring eight channels of playback with crossfades or sixteen without. Sonic Studio's DSD.X computer board is an optional add-on processor that supports the DSD.1. The DSD.X includes four Sony Oxford D-MAP DSD processing and mixing modules and the Sony Oxford SuperMAC 24 channel DSD interface. This, in turn, adds another eight channels along with multi-channel DSD-native EQ and dynamics processing. Lastly, SACD.1 is Sonic Studio's Scarlet Book layer authoring software for Sony's proprietary SACD. Made only for the Macintosh, it provides the ability to separate mastering and authoring functions. Sonic Studio claims the release date of their DSD.1 and SACD.1 will be during the second quarter of 2003 with the release of their DSD.X shortly thereafter. No prices have been set at this time.

I don't however see it on the Sonic Solutions website yet. Jeff

 

Thanks for that Jeff

It's mentioned on this page at Sonic Solutions here http://www.sonicstudio.com/jeffs_construction_zone.htm

All the best - Andrew

 

PC or Mac... A board that does the a to dsd conversion in real time. It would prevent you from having to get a dcs box or one of hte EMM Labs a to dsd converters...

 

Thanks!

Good Call.

I wonder why Pro Tools has not jumped into the DSD pool yet?

 

Unless I'm mistaken, the Sonic Studio card discussed is a DSP engine and, as such, it requires outboard conversion. The Mykerinos card (www.merging.com), used by Merging Technologies and AudioCube, is similar. None of them are particularly suitable for consumer use; they all require proprietary software and the cheapest will set you back a few grand.

I think it will be some time before Digidesign shows interest in DSD although it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong if they did. I think DSD is still very much a niche item on the production side and Digidesign has addressed hi-res audio with ProTools HD (24/192), which sounds awfully good. So why take the time write the code and promote a niche product that can only eat into the sales of an existing one? I suspect they're more interested in large-scale, all-in-one, plug-in heavy, multitrack production and are willing to leave the DSD production and mastering market for Sonic, Sadie, and whomever else comes along trying to make a name for themselves.