GPU Delay - A delay plugin running on a graphics card

[Nils Schneider]

Then I don't understand why? You supposedly aren't going to develop any synth anyway.

Because I wanted to know how fast a GPU really is.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

And Aleksey, what do you have against him or his work?

If you were not reading correctly, please re-read everything I've replied. I do not have ANYTHING against him or his work. But before everyone starts talking about gpuDelay and GPU plug-ins, and how great they are in general, and then start to ask why Voxengo (or anybody else) does not want to release them as well, I want to give people an idea why. OR I will gratefully accept a working solution and will be investing time and money in GPU plug-ins.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

I just want to thank you Aleksey for your posts in this (any many other threads) - you always manage to demystify DSP and put in in the context of real world production. I've grown to trust your opinion and if I can justify ever needing to purchase any mastering plugs, I know where to come.

WRT this thread, I'm wondering whether GPU's will disappear in the not-too-distant future as CPU's become so much more powerful. If Intel are really to have 80 cores on one chip by 2010, then surely there'll be no need for external processing?

To me it is absolutely obvious that GPUs will be transformed into 'specialized processors' in the future. So, looking into the future it can be useful to practice on GPU with the idea that such 'practice' (and techniques/technologies it develops) can be applied to the future computer technologies.

What I really want to demystify is a processing power of UAD-1 card. I do not believe 125 MHz MPact2 processor can bring even 1 GFLOPS of general-purpose processing performance. Beside that, other vendors at that time have chosen Sharc and Motorola processors (whose stats are known). If MPact2 was much more powerful at that time, I do not think anybody would be interested in building multi-DSP processor board (like those Motorola-based). Just my thoughts - do not want to argue on this subject.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

I also don't so why isn't it working? Maybe an old driver, PCIe settings, etc... I would come over but you're a bit too far away

EDIT: Didn't you say that your tests for GPU processing aren't working well on your setup either? You may rethink again about if your partner really didn't do a good job, or if it is your setup.... my 2 cent. What where the problems with your tests?

No, it was definitely my partner who has not delivered what could be possible. Your gpuDelay is a prove for that position. But that's a question of past now.

As for my setup, I've just did a driver update. It did not help. What helped is increasing audio block size to 2048 samples. However, when I'm scrolling project view in Sonar5, CPU is spiking anyway - not as disastrous, but I guess in big project this will generate considerable glitching. BTW, on VST implementation note, you are not clearing plug-in buffers when resume() or suspend() is called (I mean, delay tails are not cleared - they continue after I press stop/start).

[beej]

What I really want to demystify is a processing power of UAD-1 card. I do not believe 125 MHz MPact2 processor can bring even 1 GFLOPS of general-purpose processing performance. Beside that, other vendors at that time have chosen Sharc and Motorola processors (whose stats are known). If MPact2 was much more powerful at that time, I do not think anybody would be interested in building multi-DSP processor board (like those Motorola-based). Just my thoughts - do not want to argue on this subject.

It's always been a contentious one that one. I guess we'll find out soon enough, as UA *have* to be working on a more powerful card to take their product line into the future, and the MPact processors aren't developed past the MPact2, as far as I know. A multi-MPact solution doesn't seem likely because of the heat, so they would have to use a new processor type and port their entire architecture to the new processor.

So whatever the new processor ends up being may well give a clue as to the inherent power of these things.

In any case, I find it interesting that Nils is playing with this technology to see what is practical, and sharing his early work with the group. Aleksey has pretty decided, based upon the work he's done, that he doesn't find the technology viable, at least for now, which is fine. Whether you mean it or not Aleksey, you are coming across as being negative towards Nils, at least that's how your posts read here.

Nils, I encourage you to keeep working at it, play with the technology, and make up your own mind. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your development efforts, and I will be following any developments with interest.

[ddummer]

Is PS 2.0b the only way to go?

Just asking because it could be better for the testing
if as many people as possible could join the event...

//Daniel

[unic]

Is there ***ANY*** chance for this technology being ported to linux environment? At least ogre is crossplatform, and linux badly needs additional audio muscle ... not only for *music* audio work.

[Nils Schneider]

It wouldn't be much work, but does VST exist on linux? I have no idea what exists there, I also have no linux here though...

@ddummer the Delay is working with PS2.0, but the chorus requires too many instructions to work on a PS2.0 card. More complicated plugins will be even worse, as they require PS3.0

[ddummer]

I'm buying a new laptop soon-ish and there is a
Nvidia Geforce 7200 on board with 3.0 PS so maybe that
would do.....

//Daniel

[Tony Ostinato]

Here is a recent quote from a UA support rep when asked about native versions of the UAD-1 plugins:


"Actually the UAD-1 plugins are incredibly DSP intense, much more so than you would think. Running natively, even with the fastest 2.5 G5, you may be able to get 4 maybe 5 up before you were out of host CPU. To put it in perspective, that little extra host load per plugin on the G5s, that's just 1/2 of just the DMA transfers to the card, that's not even any of the algorithm running."


heres the monster thread:

http://www.chrismilne.com/uadforums/vie ... ct&start=0


you can argue tech specs but you cant argue how many awards uad-1 has won. their multiband is up for another TEC award as we speak!

[djsynchro]

Hey Nils....

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061007-7929.html

"At a press event earlier this week, ATI unveiled their plans to start selling GPUs for applications outside the realm of graphics. No specific products were announced, but the company would like for its GPUs to find uses in high performance computing applications."

"What AMD/ATI would like to do is partner with software developers to find new applications for stream processing, applications that they can then support on their hardware. The idea is not to compete with general-purpose CPUs, but to complement them by selling the GPU as a generic stream coprocessor that be used in multiple application domains."

"One of the pieces to this puzzle that AMD/ATI is working to address involves increasing the amount of two-way communication between the GPU and the rest of the system, including the CPU. This is needed if the GPU is going to be able to rise to the level of a full-blown coprocessor, instead of merely processing output and sending the results straight to the display. One way of attacking this is at the chipset level, by using Xpress Route to more closely link multiple PCIe-based GPUs with each other and with the CPU."

Sounds like what the doctor ordered for crazy music DSP!

[Nils Schneider]

Hi @ all,

Both plugins have been updated to version 1.07a, the following changes have been made:

- Starting spikes were still there, have been removed now really
- crackling sound might have appeared during usage, fixed
- Different plugins can be used at the same time
- support to use the plugins as sends
- resume & suspend implemented (no longer trailing delays on stop / start). thx to Aleksey for the hint
- all loaded plugins use only one renderer
- Installation: No longer any hassles with environment variables or required logons / logoffs

Download is available here:

http://www.nilsschneider.de/temp/GPUDelay.exe
http://www.nilsschneider.de/temp/GPUChorus.exe

Please uninstall the previous versions first, if any.

[djsynchro]

http://www.gpgpu.org/

[Nils Schneider]

Thanks for the links. I know them already though

[djsynchro]

Thought you would... Keep going man! We'll beta test for you. If no-one tries we'll never know!