Digital audio router

[r315]

Hello,

I have been tasked in developing a solution that allows audio routing between multiple channels and would like t know you opinion on possible hardware solutions.

The current specification is not closed yet, but the general idea is to be able to interconnect 9 PCM channels with 4 slots (16bit) each in a way that any slot in a any channel can be routed to any other channel in a different slot.

So far I have found 3 possible solutions for implementation, XMOS chip (XU208 family), Analog ADAU14/42/45/66 or fpga implementation.

XMOS seams to be the goto solution but it is very difficult to obtain parts. Analog has a very nice GUI for implementation however some features require licensing, FPGA implementation I never use it before but I guess it is possible to start from an example and modify it for my needs.

What is your opinion on hardware solution?

 

[barry]

Maybe those audio processors can do it, i’m not familiar with them, but this sounds more like a task for an fpga.

 

[FvM]

For a simple router/switch, FPGA seems the first choice. You didn't yet mention a digital audio standard, e.g. AES3.

 

[BradtheRad]

To imagine a simple hardware setup...
An old-fashioned telephone operator has 9 customers. Any one of them can initiate a call to another. You have four patch cables. You plug in a cable so it connects the caller to the receiver allowing them to have a two-way conversation. Four independent conversations are possible at one time.

Hidden from sight is a jumble of cables. Do you need a similar setup? Your post describes 4 slots in a central junction. Each slot is able to join any two of 9 electronic channels.

The 4066 IC has an internal switch able to connect two wires, controlled by the state of a third wire. One chip contains four independent switches. The signals can pass in either direction. The signals can be analog or digital.

The wiring can be hidden from view, although a human being is needed to press the correct buttons in order to make hardware join a talker to a listener.

 

[FvM]

Digital router involves decoding and reassembling of packet frames. No job for a simple digital or analog mux.

 

[r315]

The format of PCM frame is the standard where FS has the duration of a bit at start of a frame and data starts by msb.

The solution must allow a given slot to be routed to one or more channels in different slots, a simple mux does not allow the flexibility.