| Well, I don't know for sure what products you're talking about, but there are
some new entries into the 16-bit audio field for Amiga, as well as one "old"
one.
Synthia Professional is a superb sample *synthesis* and editing package for the
Amiga. It can use virtually every type of synthesis technique currently known.
(I'm talking DSP terms here, folks, not manufacturese: additive, subtractive,
FM...) While it can use Paula for playback, it was really intended for use with
external sampling keyboards, using MIDI sample dump format for transfer. I've
drooled over Synthia II (its 8-bit cousin) fairly often, but so far have
managed to wipe my chin in time...
The interesting *new* stuff is some add-on boards which in essence provide their
own *equivalents* of Paula, in 12- and 16-bit formats. They were just advertised
in the last AmigaWorld, but I can't recall the company; GVP? MAST? I'm sure
some kind noter will plug in that info in a reply. Now these products are
intriguing! I didn't notice if they support MIDI sample dump; it would be a
tremendous gaffe if they didn't, but that's been known to happen.
Ironically, I think the Amiga is getting this technology as an add-on as a
result of the I*M machine's sonic deficiencies. That lack spurred a development
market for add-on sound boards, and sure enough, they followed fairly quickly
for the Ami. Maybe the two are not related, but I would guess otherwise.
Cheers,
Bob
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