CreamWare Unveils Luna 2496 DSP

Luna PCI Card
(Click for a close-up)

April 14, 2000 -- At Musikmesse 2000 in Frankfurt, CreamWare unveiled Luna 2496 DSP, an audio I/O interface system for both Windows and Macintosh computers.

Luna features a large number of analog and digital I/Os in 24 bit/96 kHz, the new Ultra Low Latency Interface (ULLI) with a comprehensive driver set, and three SHARC DSPs for audio processing, mixing, and surround sound software applications.

The system hardware consists of a new PCI card and an external AD/DA converter box. The card hosts stereo analog and stereo S/PDIF digital inputs and outputs. The converter box adds another eight analog I/Os. Luna can operate all of these channels in full 24-bit resolution at 96 kHz speed at the same time. Furthermore, the system can easily be expanded with additional I/Os, up to 36 I/Os per unit, and two units can be linked via S/TDM bus.

Luna External AD/DA Converter Box

Luna 2496 DSP comes with an extensive driver set for Windows PC and Macintosh. It includes drivers for ASIO, ASIO 2.0, EASI, DirectSound, MME, tripleDAT, OMS, and Sound Manager. The GigaSampler Interface is also supported. The system is equipped with CreamWare's Ultra Low Latency Interface (ULLI). With this technology, audio driver latencies can be adjusted to a minimum of 2 msec.

The Luna system incorporates a 24-channel mixing software. With the on-board DSPs, the mixer can also integrate external equipment, such as hardware synths or effects processors, into the setup, and handle all audio in realtime, without perceptible latency.

Luna 16 Channel Surround Mixer

Luna 2496 DSP is also capable of handling surround sound. A specialized 16-channel mixing application for the creation of surround mixes is included in the package. With five surround channels plus one LFE channel, Luna supports today's most common surround formats. This feature was specifically designed for multimedia and film composers, and for DVD authoring.

Another unique feature of the Luna software package is its free-routing window. It provides the user with a precise overview of the current routing setup and permits the quick and easy creation of any desired signal routing between drivers, hardware I/Os, and the mixing application, all via virtual cables. Any number of setups can be created and saved for later instant recall.

Luna 2496 DSP is scheduled to be available in Q II 2000. The Luna 2496 converter box also will be sold as a stand-alone I/O expansion for the Luna 2496 DSP system, PowerSampler, and future planned CreamWare products.

For more on Luna, visit CreamWare at www.creamware.com.