[linux-audio-dev] SEK'D Samplitude Trackspeed: 32stereo tracks on P400 , any thoughts ?

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Subject: [linux-audio-dev] SEK'D Samplitude Trackspeed: 32stereo tracks on P400 , any thoughts ?
From: Benno Senoner (sbenno_AT_gardena.net)
Date: pe helmi  18 2000 - 10:51:24 EST


Hi.
I've just read some infos about the new SEK'D Samplitude with
"TrackSPEED" in the german "Keyboards" magazine.
They say up to 100% improvement in terms of simultaneous tracks.
32 stereo tracks on a PII400 and up to 64 stereo tracks on a high-end system.

Since one of my boxes is a PII400 , I tested if my multitrack playback code
on linux can keep up with Samplitude.

I can achieve 32 stereo tracks quite easily with mixing and panning by using
about 20-25% of the CPU. ( PII400 + HD IBM 16GB EIDE UDMA)
I use about 1MB buffers per track (32MB) in order to provide provide acceptable
reliability.
Seems that mmap() + lock-free ringbuffer is really the way to go. :-)

I tried to push my disk to the limits: at 38-40 (!) stereo tracks you begin to
max out seek performance, and you need 2MB buffers per track, and you have
avoid to even an "ls" when the playback is running.
Anyway this proves that linux can keep up very easily with Windoze, Mac and
friends when it comes to number to simultaneous tracks per dollar.
:-)

I think that the SEK'D engineers had to fight quite hard to get their results
on Windoze.
:-)
But anyway they did a good job.

Benno.


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