Virtual lab by ST for audio design

STMicroelectronics has made available a complete virtual audio laboratory that can be downloaded free of charge at www.st.com/apworkbench for audio design and evaluation. ST says the Audio Processor Workbench is the first and, so far, only solution on the market enabling comprehensive evaluation of a full audio and acoustic chain, from microphone to sound amplifier and output speaker going beyond typical GUI apps used for device configuration, and provides many features usually available only in high-end test gear.

Engineers can use this tool to assess the entire audio subsystem of new designs for A/V equipment, multimedia PCs, smartphones, tablets or docking systems, and to verify performance and configure and tune individual components. Moreover, its simplicity and ease of use help reduce lengthy tuning operations to a few-minutes’ task.

“The Audio Processor Workbench delivers unprecedented value for designers, and is also a cost-effective tool for production testing and quality control,” said Andrea Onetti, General Manager Analog and Audio Systems Division, STMicroelectronics. “We have applied many lessons learned from working with our customers in the digital audio space to provide features engineers need to create new products with outstanding audio performance.”

In addition, the built-in support for ST’s MEMS microphones significantly expands the audio-system designers’ capabilities, making it easier to implement advanced features such as voice recognition and noise cancellation in new product designs.

As a fully featured virtual laboratory, Audio Processor Workbench gives engineers access to sophisticated instruments such as signal scopes, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, level meters, parametric equalizers and much more, on the desktop.