Software-based and hardware-based hybrid synthesizer

摘要

An audio synthesizer is disclosed for generating an analog or digital audio output in response to coded control instructions representing musical events, such as a MIDI data stream. The synthesizer has a general purpose computer portion with a CPU programmed to receive the control instructions and generate audio samples and a special purpose hardware portion for receiving the control instructions and generating the audio samples. The synthesizer also has a controller for directing the control instructions either to the general purpose computer portion or to the hardware portion to generate the audio samples; and means to combine the audio samples generated by the general purpose computer portion and the hardware portion to form an audio output which accords with the control instructions.