The Yamaha DSP-1 is a processor of early home theater

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to s ...

equipment, produced in 1985. The DSP-1 (referred to by Yamaha as a Digital Soundfield Processor) allowed owners to synthesize up to 6-channels of surround sound from 2 channel stereo sound via a complex

digital signal processor A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor chip, with its architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal processing. DSPs are fabricated on MOS integrated circuit chips. They are widely used in audio s ...

(DSP). Much like today's home theater receivers the DSP-1 offered sixteen "sound fields" created through the DSP including a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

club, a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

, a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that ma ...

, and a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

. However, unlike today's integrated amps and receivers, these soundfield modes were highly editable, allowing the owner to customize the effect to his or her own personal taste. The DSP-1 also included an analog

Dolby Surround Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. Dolby Stereo (also known as ''Dolby MP'' or ''Dolby SVA'') was developed by Dolby in 1976 ...

decoder as well as other effects such as real-time echo and pitch change. Most of the DSP-1's controls are on the unit's remote control. The reason, as mentioned in the manual, being that it was felt that adjustments should be done at the listening position. This can make it difficult for collectors to find a complete functioning unit, although there is at least one provider of aftermarket remote controls with duplicate programming for the DSP-1 if needed. In Dolby Surround mode, only 4 channels are active, with just the front main channels and rear surround channels operating, the forward surround channels being muted. Yamaha has kept the DSP prefix for many of its home DSP and audio amp/receiver products.

External links

Yamaha
{{Yamaha soundchips DSP-1 Audio electronics

See also

External links