The SHARC® Audio Module is an expandable hardware/software platform that enables project prototyping, development and deployment of audio applications including effects processors, multi-channel audio systems, MIDI synthesizers, and many other DSP-based audio projects.
The centerpiece of the SHARC Audio Module is the Analog Devices ADSP-SC589 SHARC processor, a remarkable engine for audio processing which incorporates dual SHARC+ DSP cores and an ARM core. Accompanying the SHARC is an expert selected group of peripherals ideally suited for audio project development.
While the SHARC Audio Module can be used as a self-contained product, it is designed for custom expansion. Analog Devices is developing expansion boards (called “Fins”). The first in this series is an Audio Project Fin that plugs directly onto the main SHARC Audio Module.
In addition, there are several leading developers and board designers that provide a variety of software and hardware platforms for you to expand the SHARC Audio Module platform. Since all of the major functions and GPIO of the board can be accessed via the two multi-pin connectors, you can easily design and build your own expander. Documentation for these connectors can be found in the SHARC Audio Module Hardware Reference Manual.
This board is designed to be used in conjunction with the CrossCore® Embedded Studio (CCES) development tools. The development environment aids advanced application code development and debug.
In addition to traditional C and C++ development, the SHARC Audio Module supports Faust (Functional Audio Stream), an open-source, functional programming language, specifically designed for real-time audio signal processing and synthesis. Faust generates C++, as well as other target languages, for signal processing applications. The Faust library provides a rich set of audio DSP objects that can be used in creating DSP algorithms. Using Faust, it is possible to quickly create large algorithms that take advantage of the computing power available on the SHARC Audio Module platform.