Analog Devices announced the availability of the SHARC® Audio Module (ADZS-SC589-MINI), a hardware/software platform that facilitates efficient product prototyping, development, and production of a variety of digital audio products. Delivering an innovative combination of high-performance audio signal processing components and a comprehensive software development environment, the SHARC Audio Module is ideal for effects processors, multi-channel audio systems, MIDI synthesizers, and many other DSP-based audio projects.
Traditional product development efforts usually require a significant investment in time and effort to select components, prototype a board, and develop a basic software structure before developers can even begin to address their own product needs. The SHARC Audio Module significantly accelerates this process by providing an audio platform integrating a wide selection of analog and digital I/O with a fundamental software package and development environment. The SHARC Audio Module can be used as a self-contained system but can also be expanded, allowing for the creation of custom I/O and control surfaces.
“The SHARC Audio Module is an ideal central hub for development of audio processing devices,” said Brewster LaMacchia, CEO of Clockworks, Inc. “It’s allowed me to create a variety of highly functional custom I/O peripherals in a fraction of the time it would have taken to design an entire system from the ground up.”
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| SHARC Audio Module. |
The centerpiece of the SHARC Audio Module is Analog Devices’ ADSP-SC589 processor, a state-of-the-art engine for audio processing, featuring two 500 MHz SHARC+® DSP cores and an ARM® Cortex®-A5 core. Connected to the processor is a carefully designed set of system peripherals, including:
- Two 2 Gbit DDR3 memories and a 512 Mbit SPI flash memory
- UART (for MIDI & more)
- SigmaDSP ADAU1761 96 kHz, 24-bit audio codec
- Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF and 1/8“ stereo jacks
- USB OTG & HS
- AD2425W A2B® multi-channel audio interface
- Two 64-pin expansion connectors
In addition to the main SHARC Audio Module, Analog Devices is also offering an expansion board called a “Fin,” which provides additional functionality. The Audio Project Fin (ADZS-AUDIOPROJECT) is a MIDI and musical instrument/FX daughter card that provides a control surface with ¼” stereo I/O, additional connectivity, and expanded signal accessibility for the SHARC Audio Module.
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| Audio Project Fin for the SHARC Audio Module. |
“The SHARC Audio Module platform, and its support for the Faust audio DSP language from Grame University, enabled us to quickly migrate our audio synthesis and processing algorithms to a powerful and performant hardware platform,” said Pat Scandalis, CEO of moForte. “The Audio Project Fin had the perfect set of I/O for us to use.”
The SHARC Audio Module allows developers to focus on their own algorithm and user interface development utilizing a compact, cost-effective, base platform with a highly optimized software and tools ecosystem.
Pricing & Availability
| Product Name | Availability | Single Unit Price |
| ADZS-SC589-MINI | Now | $195.00 |
| ADZS-AUDIOPROJECT | Now | $95.00 |
