European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The latest in sound technology by Andrew Pollack new York times it might be called Carnegie Hall on a Chip. New electronics technology allows music played on a living room or automobile stereo system to sound As if it is being played in a concert Hall stadium or basement jazz club. The products known As digital sound Field processors or digital signal processors use sophisticated computer chips to create echoes and reverberations that mimic those at a live performance. Virtually All stereo equipment manufacturers Are now coming out with Home units similar to the first Home sound Field processor which was introduced by Yamaha in 1986. Among the companies already in this business Are the Sony corp., the Victor co. Of Japan and lexicon inc. Of Waltham mass. The Fujitsu ten corp., a subsidiary of the japanese computer giant has begun Selling the first digital signal processing system for automobiles and other companies including Pioneer electronics and Matsushita a Technics division Are expected to follow later this year. Reproducing the sound of a live performance has been something of a holy grail for record companies stereo manufacturers and audio buffs. Not All of the attempts have been successful. Quadraphonic sound a four speaker system that appeared in the Early 1970s, failed to catch on in part because the Industry could not agree on standards. Over the years several manufacturers have brought out devices that tried to create reverberations and a Richer sound. But manufacturers Hope improvements in the technology will allow the latest devices to succeed. Quot intuitively the understanding was there but the execution Wasny to quite possible Quot said Marc finer a consultant to Sony. The new approach takes advantage of digital sound technology. Once sound is stored in the computer language of ones and zeroes or bits it can be manipulated like any other computer data. The sound Field units contain special chips known As digital signal processors that Are adept at manipulating sound signals. Indeed digital sound Field creation is just one application of digital signal processing. Some units on the Market also allow for very precise tone control like raising the Bass or lowering the treble. In the future some automobile i units will produce sounds that cancel out the engine noise. Digital signal processing represents the next step in the incursion of digital technology into the stereo business. Until now digital technology has been used in making recordings with the digital compact disk largely replacing the analog Vinyl record. The digital signal processing units move digital technology into the reproduction of the sound in the Home or automobile. At a live performance the sound the audience hears consists of three components. First comes the direct sound which travels straight from the musician to the listeners ears. Following usually by a few hundredths of a second is the Early reflection the sound that bounces once off the Back of the stage a Side Wall or the floor before reaching the listener. That is followed by reverberations that gradually decay which Are produced As the sound bounces from one Wall to another before reaching the listener. The actual characteristics of these reflections and reverberations depend on the character of the room. The larger the room the longer it takes for the reflections to reach the listener. A room with hard Walls like a Cathedral has longer and stronger reverberations than a room with carpeting and drapes. In a stadium with no roof it is a Long time before the reflection reaches the audience and there is almost no reverberation. The digital signal processing units or digital sound Field processors take the music coming off a compact disk record or cassette convert it to digital form if necessary and calculate the appropriate reflections and reverberations. The unit sends those sounds to various speakers delaying them an appropriate amount of time to simulate a particular Type of room. The systems generally require four speakers beyond the two main stereo speakers. The direct sound and most of the Early reflections generally go through the speakers in the front of the room or car while the reverberations come from both front and Back speakers. In some systems users can adjust the conditions. Lengthening the time Between the direct sound and Early reflection makes the room seem bigger. Cutting reverberations simulates a quiet room with carpets and drapes. Making reverberations longer and louder simulates a Cathedral with hard Walls. In designing its sound Field processor Yamaha relied on studies of music Halls in Japan and Europe. Researchers put microphones facing in four directions making the car a concert Hall digital sound Field processors aim to recreate the ambiance of a concert Hall in ones Home or car. They do this by digitally simulating the echoes and reverberations of the concert Hall. Listeners hear sounds in three Basic Waves. First comes direct sound right from the platform. Next comes the Early reflection a sound bounding off the Back of the stage floor or Walls. Then come reverberations which Are produced from sound that has bounced off several Walls and continues for some time. Sources Fujitsu ten corporation Yamaha digital sound Field processors simulate this by converting the sound from a compact disk or tape to digital signals if Neces sary and then delaying parts of the signal to produce echoes and reverberations which Are emitted by various speakers around the room or car. The direct sound and most of the Early reflection comes from the front speakers. Much of the reverberation comes from the Back speakers. Near a Choice seat in the Hall and then fired a gun on the stage. The timing and intensity of the sound coming from the four directions was recorded and that information was stored on a memory Chip in Yamaha s sound Field processors. Digital signal processing units Are not for everyone. They generally sell for about $1,000 and the extra speakers and amplifiers will bring the total Price to at least $2,000, even for cars. And some experts say that listeners can get carried away with the technology trying out different environments and choosing an inappropriate setting for a particular Type of music. The digital signal processing systems have Competition from various so called surround sound systems that try to envelop the listener in sound. They use less expensive technology. But the Best known of these made by dolby laboratories in san Francisco is designed primarily for movies and to allow people watching a videocassette at Home to enjoy the same sound As in the theater. New York times the dolby system works by Parcelin out sounds to different speakers around the room to make movie viewers feel they Are in the midst of the action. It does not concentrate on re creating the ambiance of a concert Hall. Even More sophisticated three dimensional sound systems Are being developed at several companies and universities. The most publicized is a sound developed by Archer communications of Calgary Alberta which was used in a coca cola commercial during the super bowl. Such systems provide the illusion that sound is coming from a particular Point in space. A train can seem to Roar by or a Fly Buzz around ones head. In music reproduction the systems could make it seem like Drums Are coming from one Side of the stage and violins from the other. The advantage of these systems Over digital sound Field processors would be that the special effects Are encoded onto the recording when it is made. The consumer needs no extra speakers or processing Box. I received a birthday card from my daughter that said she loved me. When you opened it up it continued Quot but i never forgave you for cleaning my face with spit on your  we laughed. She because she thought i was embarrassed. I because i never used a Hanky. I used fingers. In truth i though the sentiment was rather ironic coming from a kid who drank from the water Jug in the refrigerator and deposited so Many crumbs in it that it looked Liko a Christmas paperweight. Sinco she is not yet a Parent How is she expected to know that mothers Are endowed with a spit Supply that developed during pregnancy much like milk glands after birth there is an increased amount to fulfil the demands of child raising. Mothers need All the spit they can get. At first it seems Gross but you soon adapt to it. How else do you of remove a milk stain from a bib lipstick kisses from a Cheek chocolate from lips Bird Doo and mud from shoes ice Cream from noses spilled food from shirts mothers need saliva to tame flyaway hair and co licks remove Mustard from car seats and get fingerprints off Walls and doorknobs. They need it to condition swim goggles. You Don t think kids Are going to use their own spit do you with each child i had a fear that my spit would dry up before i had her trained to soap and water. Parents do a lot of Gross things in the name of motherhood and fatherhood. It does no to matter on what economic level you live when a child hands you a shoe with a knot in the shoestring that he has wet on All Day Long the first thing you do instinctively is put it in your Mouth and try to loosen up the knot with your Teeth. If we had an ounce of Pride wed say Quot you put that shoe in my face one More time and ill Cut its Tongue out a and what is the first thing you do when a child wants to get rid of his gum you stick out your hand and say a a spit it out in  you have absolutely nothing in mind As to what you re going to do with it. It just seems the thing to do. There in t a Mother alive who has watched her child play in his food until it looks like Road kill and when he does t want it Hasni to eaten it herself rather than a a waste a it. We Are born to sacrifice but my daughter is too Young and too inexperienced to know these things l live for the Day when she has spit on three children a naugahyde sofa a steering wheel a Light switch and the handles of a shopping cart and does no to have enough saliva left to put on Mascara. Then she ii know c 1990 Erma Bombeck Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes monday March 19,1990