Tonecore Development Kit Introduction

[vettaville]

Well as noted earlier, here it is announced officially.
Line 6, Inc. announces the ToneCore™ DSP Developer Kit, a programmable stomp box effects development platform that enables anyone with a PC and an interest in Digital Signal Processing to become a hardware effects developer and distributor.

http://www.vettaville.nl/news.php#609

[tiges_ tendres]

I just saw this too!

http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/Content/Line6/PR/ToneCore-Developer-Kit.html

I have no experience with this stuff, but as the very happy owner of three tone core pedals, I'd love to know how hard it could be to get started with this stuff.

[levon]

This is one of the coolest things ive seen from NAMM this year. it will be great to have a common hardware device that is powerful enough to do high quality effects.

i think ill be getting myself one.

[tommy.genes]

That HC article says the dev kit will cost $199 and include one programming dock and one module. That's well within a hobbyist's budget, even just for one reprogrammable pedal for personal use.

I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one!

-- T. G. --

[The Tone God]

Interesting.

Andrew

[SeanCostello]

I doubt that programming this box will be easy. The Motorola DSP's (Freescale now) are not supposed to be easy to program via C code - the compiler does not generate efficient code from C, so you will probably need to learn Motorola assembler in order to get decent performance out of the chip. Plus, fixed-point DSP programming is a pretty big shift from programming VST plugins and the like, which can run floating point code.

Having said that, Motorola assembler is reputed to be fairly simple, compared to other assembler codes (like TI). The big advantage of the Tonecore kit: $199, instead of the $1000 required for comparable Freescale development kit ($750 for the EVM, plus $250 for the corresponding 56364 daughter card). Having a working pedal code example as a starting point will be very useful.

Sean Costello

[SeanCostello]

On the cost front, I just found this:

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=SYMP_SOUNDBITE

$150 for a development board. Lots of input/outputs. Since the compiler is free, this is a GREAT deal (as a way of contrast, most of the ADI boards cost $500, and come with a crippled compiler - to use all of the code memory on board the DSP requires VisualDSP++, which is $4K).

Still, the Line 6 stuff seems more immediately useable for guitarist types.

Sean Costello

[tiges_ tendres]

My other thought is that if this is a line 6 thing, does anyone think that they will host a site in which you would be able to upload your codes to for other people to download into their pedals?

Much like with the patches for the Yamaha Magicstomp but more complex.

[levon]

another guitar forum i use www.thestompbox.net have a patch exchange site, when the tone core modules are released im sure a new section would be added.

[SeanCostello]

Anyone found any updates on this? I saw that the release date is now estimated for summer 2008, and that the Developer kit will be demoed at the Embedded Systems Conference, but I can't find any Line 6 site to check for updates. Does anyone have any contact info for Line 6 personnel that are involved with this project?

Thanks,

Sean Costello

[SeanCostello]

Any new updates? I have moved much of my development to the FV-1, but I am still interested in this for more intricate algorithms that won't fit on the FV-1, like granular synthesis, frequency domain algorithms, etc. I am running a Google search on this every few days, but no new developments yet, except for there was a demo at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Francisco. I missed the conference this year (and will miss it every year that I can - I went once, and let's just say that there was not a lot of rock in that room).

Sean Costello

[rocket]

Updates???

[vettaville]

Updates???

I've recorded a video of a demo with Marcus Ryle, with the kit and software. I haven't look back yet and haven't redone it for online distribution, so bare with me. I'll post it here when I get it online.
Don't expect too much as an in depth video..

[defzeppardica]

AHHH!!!!!! WHEN IS IT COMING OUT!!!!! I CANT WAIT ANY LONGER!!!!

[Zero]

Here it is, announced at the Musikmesse 2008 in Frankfurt...

A video with Markus Ryle from Line6:
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=6291

Looks very cool! I'm definitely getting one... I've got experience with AD Sharc DSPs, so I see it as a good opportunity to broaden my DSP knowledge by using other processors. All this while realizing my dream stompboxes for use on stage, of course! 

[tiges_ tendres]

Very exciting!

I know I'm getting one and I dont even know a thing about dsp!

[Chris R]

I'll be getting one of these (i'm a programmer by day).

I even signed up for the original beta a year or 2 ago with Mr. Huge (signed the NDA and everything).  However, everything kinda fell through when he left the company.

I can't wait to give it a shot.

[SeanCostello]

Any news about this that is more recent than April 2008? I Google this every few days, but it doesn't turn up much new info.

Sean Costello

[SeanCostello]

I just did a Google search to see what has been posted on the Tonecore Developer Kit in the past month, and turned up the following:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=75smW9DMT1M&feature=related - this was at the Freescale Technology Forum in mid-June.

So, it seems like it is still an active project. Although being shown at a technology forum - even an internal one - is no ironglad guarantee that the Developer Kit will be released to the public.

Sean Costello

[SeanCostello]

OK, it looks like it is finally official:

http://www.line6.com/tcddk/

You can even pre-order (supposed to ship in August 2008):

https://www.globalfulfillment.net/gfsnet/line6/10Expand.aspx?ProductCode=99-043-0001

I am pretty excited about this. It seems like a great way to develop 56K code. Meanwhile, I have a Motorola EVM languishing in the basement that I never touched. Put it in a stompbox, though, and I am ALL OVER IT!

Sean Costello