New info

This is an area where you can share your most unusual or creative application(s) using Har-Bal. We receive emails from folks who are using Har-Bal in ways we never would of imagined!
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har-bal
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New info

Post by har-bal »

Other than the normal EQ'ing I've used it to test room acoustics in a manner that allows me to get a better handle on where the problem lies.

At present I'm working on upgrading the convolution engine in HarBal to support arbitrary process buffer sizes and when that is complete and functioning then creating a VST plugin version should be a pretty simple operation. Progress has been good so far and the solutions seems easier than I'd initially thought.

Looking beyond the VST version and Mac ports into the more distant future, we have plans for a "HarBal Live" product version tailored toward live performances. This version would have the convolution and analysis engines in an external DSP hardware module (for robustness reasons) and would interface to a PC/Mac via USB interface. The PC/Mac would have controlling software that would behave in a manner very similar to the current version of HarBal. The main difference would be that the average spectrum estimate would be maintained on a real time basis (i.e. updated regularly with the music currently routed through HarBal Live), with a reset button available to clear the current spectrum average and start afresh.
However, being a hardware solution it will obviously cost considerably more (most likely in the $1000 US region) but that in itself can give it added flexibility. For example, you could use such a module as a room EQ module in a Pro studio or domestic HiFi. You'll have the quality of the HarBal EQ in the reliability of hardware. But this is quite a way off yet. I'm just mentioning this to give you an idea of where our thinking lies.

Regards,


Paavo.
fbc
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Post by fbc »

I like the plan for a 'live product', but why use external hardware, in a live setup, the pc/mac should have plenty of power to handle the program. since it is (in my situation) not doing anything else.

(Maybe you allready guesed it: I'm using Smaart for live work, and i would love to see a HarBal alternative)

regards
Flemming
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Post by HarBal »

fbc wrote:I like the plan for a 'live product', but why use external hardware, in a live setup, the pc/mac should have plenty of power to handle the program. since it is (in my situation) not doing anything else.

(Maybe you allready guesed it: I'm using Smaart for live work, and i would love to see a HarBal alternative)

regards
Flemming


I have no issue making a live PC or Mac version. I'd suggested a hardware version for absolute robustness. A PC or a Mac does indeed have enough power to do the job but the nature of the OS's are such that any other errant app on the platform running at the same time (whether intentional or unintentional) could result in dropouts. Put simply, you can't guarantee dropouts won't occur whereas you can with external hardware. The hardware option is for those who want a rock solid implementation.

Regards,


Paavo.
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