Virtual lab for audio designs

Design Automation

21 August 2013 Design Automation

STMicroelectronics is putting sophisticated audio design and evaluation capabilities within reach of all engineers using its SoundTerminal audio chips and digital MEMS microphones, by publishing a complete virtual audio laboratory that can be downloaded free of charge at www.st.com/apworkbench.

The Audio Processor Workbench enables comprehensive evaluation of a full audio and acoustic chain, from microphone to sound amplifier and output speaker. It goes well beyond typical GUI apps used for device configuration, and provides many features usually available only in high-end test gear.

Engineers can use this tool to assess the entire audio subsystem of new designs for A/V equipment, multimedia PCs, smartphones, tablets or docking systems, and to verify performance and configure and tune individual components. In addition, the built-in support for ST’s MEMS microphones makes it easier to implement advanced features such as voice recognition and noise cancellation in new product designs.

As a fully featured virtual laboratory, Audio Processor Workbench gives engineers access to sophisticated instruments such as signal scopes, spectrum analysers, signal generators, level meters, parametric equalisers and much more, on the desktop.

The tool provides a user interface to the sophisticated IPs embedded in ST’s audio chips, giving engineers full control over the acoustic path. Leveraging the pure digital nature of the audio input and output devices, it allows streaming of the acquired acoustic signal to the host PC, digital processing by the user’s chosen audio IP, and listening of the tuned acoustic path, all in real-time.

The Audio Processor Workbench supports ST’s digital MEMS microphone portfolio and the majority of SoundTerminal ICs including analog and digital audio processors, CODECs, headphone amplifiers, power amplifiers, and filtering and signal conditioning devices.

It also supports the firm’s range of audio evaluation boards, as well as the recently released STA321MP STSmartVoice digital MEMS microphones evaluation kit. Designers can use the STAudioHub to connect their hardware, such as a prototype or ST evaluation board, easily to the host PC and quickly begin analysing its performance.

For more information contact Erich Nast, Avnet Kopp, +27 (0)11 319 8600, [email protected], www.avnet.co.za

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Virtual lab for audio designs

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