[jacal01]

But I do have my Valyrian blade...

 

[artur9]

  Manhattan update:
...

I have some experience in this area so willing to take a listen to the prototype to help optimize it
 
Way back I was involved with people who created a DSP out of 48 Motorola 68000 (48 channels, 16bit) and then hired a digital genius to cram it into a chip, only 24 channels, IIRC, as that's all that would fit.  Another story, if I may.  Your 3s lag is nothing.  Those same people had to entertain the investors for 8 hours while the input got converted into the output.  I wasn't there for that but I hope they had lots of blinking lights going.
 
Awesome update, BTW.
 
For the person asking about this in layman's speak:  Flux Capacitor applied to your Music.  You won't know where you are in time OR space after listening to the Manhattan!

 

[Blue Warper]

  Manhattan update:
 
I finally have something to update. The very first, proof of concept Manhattan prototypes that we covertly brought to some shows and meets has been replaced! The problem with that proto was that we had an unintended consequence which was undesired parameter alteration resulting in excessive expensive hardware requirements. So we hired Dr. Alphabet (I still can't pronounce her last name – Ivana is much easier.) and now we have a a 2nd generation algorithm which now runs properly – no unintended consequences save the occasional crash (a 2nd derivative glitch, she reports). Because it is an algorithm in search of hardware, it runs only on a BSD OS computer, it is not yet suitable for prime time.
 
It is also a clunky thing to use, as I have to rip a track, PCM only, process a three minute track, then play the processed track. Since it is still not buffered, it takes the whole three minutes of the track to process plus the latency of the algorithm itself (1-3 seconds – not suitable for home theater, thank God!)
 
So here comes the tease: OMG wait until you hear this. There is no way to describe it other than the perception shifts in a uniquely seductive way. The next step is to get this buffered and running in a DSP processor so we can make it portable and expose it to others just to make sure the four of us here aren't crazy.

 
Thanks, Mike, for this exciting update!
Some weeks ago, thinking it over again and again, I believe I had a l33t epiphany, and I felt confirmed in my own speculation about what I *think* Manhattan might be..
Now, as I learn you still can't pronounce dr. Ivana's last name and so resorted to calling her Dr. Alphabet (for now), I can't help being thrilled (and even moved) about this true groundbreaking achievement of your team.  I've been wishing for a long time to hear what music can sound like when it is played according those parameters you and Dr. Ivana are trying to design algorithms for.
What you are achieving is a real milestone in music playback.  I really wonder how you could even make it come to being...  Then I think Manhattan name is even more fitting, 'cause, if I understand correctly, you are really 'disassembling', so to say, the digital representation of a musical recording, breaking it up into its basic constituent pieces (down to the bits level?) in order to reconstruct and rebuild it in that new shape, which your team designed algorithms for, with the help of Dr. Ivana Alphabet's mathematical and musical skills.  A bit like the original Manhattan Project dealt with obtaining a lot of energy by using the basic constituents of the matter.
 
Now, if my assumptions are correct, I don't want to say more, 'cause you know when and what to say, and I don't want to spoil anything.  All I can I add is if it won't be you and your team who will succeed and make this happen, then I feel it won't be anyone else (well, at least not any time soon).  This is a very special combination of mathematical, engineering and musical knowlegde, skills and passion that might be so unique as to arise perhaps once in a century.
Mike, you know digital audio like maybe no other, you and Jason are first-class engineers, you've got Dave's programming talent, and now you've got Dr. 'Ivana Alphabet' to help you with the hard math. In addition, you don't only like music, but you know the musical theory AND you can play music too (IIRC).
You can change musical playback forever and even overturn current established musical tenets (which are maybe based, borrowing from you, on factoids rather than facts?

).  So please go for it!
 
Peace to you!

 
NB - Other more technical-related question will follow.  I just wanted to say thank you for all your wonderful work!

 

[Sam Lord]

Hmmm, I called a tube emulator a while back and will stick with that for now. But whatever it is will be great, because Mike and his Schiit army just rule.

 

[US Blues]

Hmmm, I called a tube emulator a while back and will stick with that for now. But whatever it is will be great, because Mike and his Schiit army just rule.

Why build a tube emulator when they build the Freya, which is a great piece of kit? The Manhattan Project is something altogether new, having to do with the digital representation of music, something that has never been done before. 

 

[Ableza]

Question for Mr. Moffat: Is Manhattan intended for headphones or do you think it will be suitable for any 2-channel use?

 

[Rowethren]

Let's not get all frothy now that there's a woman involved. This seems childish.

Don't be too hard on him, he is just using the incoming President of America as an amazing roll model of how a real man should treat women... /sarcasm :rolleyes:

 

[Vigrith]

  Question for Mr. Moffat: Is Manhattan intended for headphones or do you think it will be suitable for any 2-channel use?

 
I'd love to have that answered too.

 

[Baldr]

  Question for Mr. Moffat: Is Manhattan intended for headphones or do you think it will be suitable for any 2-channel use?

All of the above.
 
RE:  Dr. Ivana
 
She just happens to be not only intelligent, but a genuinely nice person.  She has no agenda other than working with us, and deserves no such mention in any context other than just that.  So I have deleted three posts above, the first of which really deserves it.  It would be disgusting to validate that post by even quoting it.  There is NO place for that sort of crap here.  None.  NADA. 
 
Believe me, I am no social justice warrior.  Common sense and decency is common sense and decency.  It's NOT that difficult to be nice.

 

[Ableza]

 
All of the above.
 
 

Outstanding.

 

[slex]

No disrespect.Meant her ingenuity and intelligent of course.

Peace Out !!

 

[artur9]

  RE:  Dr. Ivana

My son is applying to college.  At one of them he really bonded with a Eastern European (Russian?) mathematics professor.  If Dr. Ivana is anywhere near as nice as the math prof then you've a blessing there.  My math profs were interesting but not necessarily nice....
 
What is Dr. Ivana's specialty?  Sometimes I can puzzle out an advanced math text.

 

[Baldr]

  My son is applying to college.  At one of them he really bonded with a Eastern European (Russian?) mathematics professor.  If Dr. Ivana is anywhere near as nice as the math prof then you've a blessing there.  My math profs were interesting but not necessarily nice....
 
What is Dr. Ivana's specialty?  Sometimes I can puzzle out an advanced math text.

Bachelor's and Master's - Computer Science
PhD - Media, Arts, and Technology with Dissertation in Musical Moods

 

[RoundRound]

My guess is some sort of clever room correction/convolution that works in the frequency AND time domain - and is design to feed the Yggy/multi bit dacs.
If it can handle subs as well that would be awesome!
 
Room correction can do wonders if done well but the only elegant implementations have been with home cinema receivers that otherwise sound like crap (especially compared to a 'proper' 2-channel system playing music). 
 
That would be groundbreaking - Well done guys!

 

[judmarc]

  Manhattan update:
 
I finally have something to update. The very first, proof of concept Manhattan prototypes that we covertly brought to some shows and meets has been replaced! The problem with that proto was that we had an unintended consequence which was undesired parameter alteration resulting in excessive expensive hardware requirements. So we hired Dr. Alphabet (I still can't pronounce her last name – Ivana is much easier.) and now we have a a 2nd generation algorithm which now runs properly – no unintended consequences save the occasional crash (a 2nd derivative glitch, she reports). Because it is an algorithm in search of hardware, it runs only on a BSD OS computer, it is not yet suitable for prime time.

 
If you put out a version that *only* runs on BSD, I am so buying it.