Hi Mark,
Perhaps I should have cleared this up earlier...

The Pulsar system does use the SHARC, but it has not been configured for
use with Analog's XTCsound.  XTCsound has certain memory and other
hardware requirements, but we have not yet analyzed the Pulsar to see if
it could run XTCsound.  Their software has been developed completely
independently of Csound and XTCsound.  Our board has been developed
primarily as a development platform for customers to prototype products
and developers to create XTCsound instruments.  We are not marketing
this board to consumers.

An additional note: Creamware has not purchased SHARCs through the SST
division where XTCsound resides.  If they wanted to run XTCsound on
their board, they would have to do so.  The Software and Systems
Technology division adds value and demand for ADI's chips by creating
hardware/software solutions for customers.  XTCsound is one such
solution, useful for the effects processor, digital mixing console,
synthesizer, hard-disk recorder, karaoke and sound card markets.
Customers wanting to use SST solutions simply place chip orders through
our division.

Thanks,
Scotty Vercoe
XTCsound Applications Consultant
Analog Devices Software & Systems Technology Division
Tel: (781) 461-3569       FAX: (781) 461-4291
Support: Csound.support@analog.com
Website: http://www.analog.com/support/systems/audio/csound.html


> ----------
> From: 	mark[SMTP:mark.williamson@dial.pipex.com]
> Sent: 	Wednesday, October 28, 1998 6:57 AM
> To: 	owner-csound-outgoing@maths.ex.ac.uk
> Cc: 	Vercoe, Scotty
> Subject: 	XTCsound confusion...
> 
> I'm asking this in public because I can't imagine I'm the only
> person who is confused by all of this.  
> 
> Having spent the summer learning bits of CSound and playing with 
> various software synths I have come to the conclusion I need hardware 
> support for my synthesis to get the sounds I want in real time. It was
> 
> with great excitment that I discovered the XTCSound board.  Now I 
> have read about something called the Pulsar that is based in the same 
> SHARC chips from Analog that CSound is. The pulsar also fulfills 
> many of my hardware requirements.
> 
> My real question is this does XTCSound run on the SHARC chip ie.
> can I buy the pulsar and run XTCSound or is it specific to the Analog 
> board. 
> 
> mark