KVR Audio

NovaTago · Post by **NovaTago** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:15 am

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Hey All,

I just noticed this post on slashdot about a c like GPU language. Apparently, you can run math intensive operations on your graphics card while shuffling data back and forth through the agp interface.. A GeForce FX 5900 would achieve 20 GFLOPS! This sounds perfect for VST instruments!!

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/21/169200 (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/21/169200)

Anyone wanna give it a go?

-Charley

VicDiesel · Post by **VicDiesel** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:22 am

NovaTago wrote: A GeForce FX 5900 would achieve 20 GFLOPS! This sounds perfect for VST instruments!!

Pity the poor developers. Not just Intel and AMD, but a host of different graphics cards....

FWIW: using 3D Now! or SSE2 is a relatively painless way to get extra ops out of the graphics componen of the system.

V.

nutekk · Post by **nutekk** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:39 am

wow...
i wonder if that would be possible.
u could buy an additional gpu and use it like
a dsp...

VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:40 am

hey

if that could work in the way you are thinking.. then I wonder if it would be possible to run multiple videocards and link the power?

Muff Wiggler · Post by **Muff Wiggler** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 6:43 am

imagine powering vst's with my GeForce 4

this would be siiiiccckkk....

daizo · Post by **daizo** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 6:57 am

Well afaik, thats what Universal Audio did with the UAD-1 (which i got btw, awesome essential gear imho) , take an old graphics processor and re-engineered it to run VST plugs, seems quite well within the realm of possibility.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 8:20 am

like the GPU, there's an APU. nVidia has one I think. My guess is that if it's so fast, it's because it's (too) specialized, & plugin developers would rather prefer freedom. Might be interesting, though.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 8:25 am

about nvidia's APU:

The Audio Processing Unit is a multi-processor engine which provides hardware audio acceleration for both output streams (playback) and input streams (record).

The APU is divided into four main sections:

Setup Engine – This unit is responsible for performing all data and parameter setup for the other processors. All memory management, mapping and DMA resources are controlled in this unit.

Voice Processor – This unit contains several fixed function digital signal processing (DSP) units responsible for processing voices and mixing the results in the mixer buffers.

Global Processor – This unit is built around a programmable DSP. The DSP is responsible for adding varied effects to the data in the mixer buffers and producing the final output stream to the OS.

Audio Features Comparison

The Dolby Digital Interactive Content Encoder is built around a programmable DSP, which encodes Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio streams. Using the SPDIF connection, an impressive home theater system can be assembled (see figure below).

nForce APU System Configuration

With five DSPs (three fixed, two programmable) dedicated to audio processing, the nForce APU supports the latest features in the DirectX 8 audio API. Up to 256 hardware-processed voices (audio streams) or 64 hardware voices in 3D are supported.

Meaning, like a common audigy, it might have a lot under the hood, but might be of no use in a 100% software based audio environment. I mean, audio cards are like graphic cards, they're made for games. You won't see a serious 3D renderer use the graphic card's power, other than for previewing. Same for audio. Lack of freedom, lack of communication between the hardware & the software, hardware-dependency, etc.

mauseoleum · Post by **mauseoleum** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:22 am

hahaha - there was a rant similar to this one a while ago and I proposed that somebody should write new drivers for almost forgotten 3DFX woodoo's ...

anyway, if one suceeds and expands it further, can you imagine having an ultra-stylish intel-based SGI desktop (they ARE way cool, aren't they, should fit in some Jules Verne scenery) and all this mighty processing power under the hood.

griels · Post by **griels** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:34 pm

This is why I dislike proprietary solutions for making VST plugins. Hope Synthedit gets an 'output to C++' option soon so we can compile to GPU

griels · Post by **griels** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:46 pm

gol wrote: You won't see a serious 3D renderer use the graphic card's power, other than for previewing. Same for audio. Lack of freedom, lack of communication between the hardware & the software, hardware-dependency, etc.

Ah, so a serious audio renderer has to use the GPU (UAD-1) for audio and a serious video renderer has to use the APU for video?

Funny... I thought the UAD-1 was pretty serious

Maybe the lack of Delphi for GPU is biasing your opinion here?

olafmol · Post by **olafmol** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:41 am

i wonder who will be the first to write a realtime convolution plugin (SIR for matrox??) that will run on a matrox card?

hmmm...maybe a smart VST-plugin-wrapper that loads some of the CPU intensive math onto the GPU and then back into RAM memory??

all kinds of possibilities..i mean if the UniversalAudio peeps with their amazing UAD1 can do it, why not somebody else??

Olaf

Kim Lajoie · Post by **Kim Lajoie** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 11:11 am

Where have UA said that the UAD-1 is based on an old graphics processor?

Forever,

Kim.

olafmol · Post by **olafmol** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:51 pm

check this:

http://www.chrismilne.com/uadforums/top ... PIC_ID=579

Kim Lajoie · Post by **Kim Lajoie** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 12:28 am

http://interview.sonikmatter.com/data/joe_bryan.php wrote:UA bought out a company I formed in 1998 called Hyperactive Audio Systems, and I became UA's VP of Engineering. Hyperactive developed the DSP technology used in the UAD-1. That effort mainly involved scouring the desert near Roswell, NM for parts from downed UFOs, and negotiating with the Chinese military for their schematics.

Forever,

Kim.

Use the GPU!