I'm looking for opinions on folk's favorite (but under $100) software to be used with a computer's sound card. I'd like to use my computer as test equipment for audio signals. I'd like signal generation, spectrum analysis, and a two channel scope.
Thanks. Unfortunately I have an investment in Windows (and all the associated software) and won't in the near term be going to Linux.
I did some more searching and found a reasonably priced package:
formatting link
It can create tones and waveshapes, and some are built in:
"The Expression Evaluator allows sound to be generated from almost any equation. For example, to generate a simple sine wave, the following can be entered:
sin(2*pi*f*t)
General expressions for sine, triangle, and square waves are already provided, plus expressions for dial tones, effects, and noises."
It looks to do most of the other things I care about too. The price is apparently around $45 US. That doesn't seem bad--even a starving EE student could almost afford that. I think I'm on my way to having a garage audio lab. LOL
I use DaqGen for generating signals in the audio range (the program can do up to 64KHz... but depends on limits of soundcard).
formatting link
. Freeware.
[]s
--
Chaos Master®, posting from Canoas, Brazil - 29.55° S / 51.11° W
"Now: the 2-bit processor, with instructions:
1. NOP - does nothing, increase PC.
2. HLT - does nothing, doesn't increase PC
3. MMX - enter Pentium(r) emulation mode; increase PC
4. LCK - before MMX: NOP ; after MMX: executes F0 0F C7 C8 "
There was something similar and in the same ballpark pricewise named Cool Edit 2000, it was a regular stereo wave editor with pretty much the features of Goldwave (and a better UI, IMHO), and there was Cool Edit Pro which was a multitrack recorder/editor for several hundred dollars. Adobe bought the Cool Edit products, dropped the lower-end 2000 product (too bad), and renamed the Pro product Adobe Audiotion and kept the several-hundred-dollar pricetag. If you can find earlier 'trial'/shareware versions of Goldwave or Cool Edit 96, maybe on a shareware download site, these are 99 percent fully functional and very useful as they are. If what you want is to do audio analysis, there's a free program named Rightmark that does lots frequency response and distortion tests, and can give precise measurements even with cheap soundcards (all consumer/game soundcards are less-than-great quality), since it tests the card and subtracts its contribution to the test results.
If you're using this for audio-band signals all this will work okay, but outside of the 20Hz to 20kHz band you'll need a 'real' A/D card that goes from DC to your upper frequency of interest, and these aren't so cheap. You might as well get a 'real' oscilloscope. I've got a Velleman digitizing two-channel scope, it goes to 60MHz, is powered by a wallwart, plugs into a parallel port, and cost about $300 a few years back. The Pentium computer and monitor it's plugged into cost a lot less than that at the thrift store.
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.