Soundstation Engineer Streamlines the Design of Active Noise Cancelling Headsets
CES, Las Vegas, 7 January 2013 – Soundchip SA is pleased to announce
the availability of Soundstation Engineer[TM], an innovative
computer-aided-design tool created to simplify the design of headsets
with an active noise cancelling (ANC) feature.
The design and tuning of active noise cancellation and audio
equalization filters in high performance ANC headsets has
traditionally involved the selection and placement of many passive
components around a conventional or so-called “noise cancelling”
op-amp. However, to effectively balance the audio performance of a
headset-in-design, this process can involve considerable iteration
and rework, which can be time-consuming, costly and sometimes
unsuccessful.
Soundstation Engineer has been developed to streamline the tuning
process by providing headset designers with fingertip, drag and drop
programming of active noise cancellation and audio equalization
filters.
A Soundstation Engineer computer-aided-design station comprises the
Soundstation Engineer software, complementary hardware incorporating
a digitally programmable Soundcore R3 enabled audio device, and
supporting cables.
Active noise cancellation and audio equalization filters are
configured through a simple drag and drop approach and then
immediately synchronized with complementary hardware, which is
connected to the headset-in-design. The performance of candidate
filters can be evaluated in real-time or measured and analyzed using
other Soundchip or third party tools, including Mathworks MatlabŽ.
Mark Donaldson, Soundchip’s CEO said, “Developing active noise
cancelling headsets with Soundstation Engineer and a Soundcore R3
enabled audio device is considerably faster and more reliable than
methods proposed by competitors, which have proven problematic and
costly for headset manufacturers.”
Soundstation Engineer will be showcased to prospective customers in
association with STMicroelectronics, an HD-PAŽ Partner, at the
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, 8 – 11 January 2013.
About Soundchip SA:
From its base in Switzerland Soundchip offers global customers access
to a broad range of solutions in audio systems technology for sound
at the ear. The company is the originator of the HD-PA Reference and
is committed to providing customers with solutions that demonstrate
the superior qualities of high definition sound in products designed
for mobility and convenience. Soundchip licenses its solutions to
leading brands involved in the design and manufacture of audio
codecs, processors, sound transducers, multimedia systems and
consumer products. Soundchip and HD-PA are registered trademarks of
Soundchip SA. All rights reserved.
Further information on Soundchip can be found at: www.soundchip.ch
About HD-PA:
Consumers are adopting mobile entertainment, communications and
gaming devices in ever increasing numbers with each new generation of
device offering substantially improved power and performance. An
aspect of end product that has remained relatively unchallenged
during this period of growth is audio and in particular personal
audio or audio delivered at the ear. As consumers search for a better
sound experience on-the-go, an opportunity has emerged to demonstrate
leadership in audio systems engineering and electroacoustics through
intelligent innovation.
The High Definition Personal AudioTM reference has been developed to
encourage a step change in the performance and capabilities of
personal audio devices. This change is achieved by applying
innovative audio system technologies in concert with state-of-the-
art processing and sensory silicon, including MEMS. Devices that
comply with the HD-PAŽ reference meet an ambitious standard of
performance and offer their users enhanced sound quality, comfort and
convenience in a manner that is resilient to environmental factors,
including noise.