The effects of primitive size on the overall design of real-time digital audio signal processors

The size of the primitive elements in a modular digital audio signal processor (DASP) is one of the most significant design decisions. Primitive elements in almost all DASPs are interconnected via one or more time-multiplexed digital data buses in a way that allows them to be logically connected together in arbitrary ways under computer control. Large primitives (like filters, delay lines and oscillators) make most efficient use of hardware and interconnections but they are inflexible. A simple small-primitive design gives a machine that is very programmable but is less hardware-efficient and is restricted in size by bus bandwidth limitations. A more complicated small-primitive design overcomes this size restriction.