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Q: FPGA applications in audio

post #1 of 4
10/13/09 at 3:53am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone know of any areas in audio where FPGA / VHDL programming is prevalent?

I may have the option of learning about FPGA programming and if I do would like to use it as a stepping stone to audio applications. Obviously it provokes more interest if it's well paid!

TIA.
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post #2 of 4
10/13/09 at 1:38pm
To quote Phil Greenspun from Stereos of the Rich and Famous:

Quote:
If it is built in Japan, audio equipment is designed by engineers who couldn't get jobs designing video equipment. If it is built in the US, audio equipment is designed by engineers who couldn't get jobs designing high frequency electronics or computers. There are a few exceptions to these rules, but they are generally true. MIT, for example, offers no classes on high fidelity audio equipment design.
Audio applications simply aren't demanding enough to require FPGAs. There are a few exceptions, I believe the Squeezebox uses a Xilinx FPGA, as do some in-car systems, but by and large FPGAs are not used in consumer audio equipment.
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post #3 of 4
10/14/09 at 9:20am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply. That's nice and clear cut. I'm sure I could still find personal projects for the skills/technology but it's not worth actively pursuing.
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post #4 of 4
10/14/09 at 9:53pm
FPGA's are also pretty pricey, processing audio doesn't really require synthesized hardware to run efficiently.
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