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A DSP Hardware Revoloution
The Chameleon is a truly multi-functional rack unit. You can completely "re-skin" it to be anything you need. It could be a monster filterbank, mastering tool and vocoder, a high-quality reverb, a virtual analogue synth module, an amp-modeller for guitar recordings, a solid multi-FX for mixdown, a dance music machine for a DJ gig, a gungy monosynth, warping delay-FX module... it's whatever you need, and it just takes a minute.
The wide range of skins keeps on growing - and the possibilities for future developments are literally endless.
If you are a bit smart with computer DSP code you can even write your own skins for it - unlike any other audio hardware manufacturer we are giving away free our software development kit to all those interested... this makes the Chameleon the only open platform around. Linux for DSP audio, anyone?
For hardware, this is a revolutionary concept. We designed it so that you can wipe its brain and load a completely new program into it. This makes it seem like a PC. However, this is not a PC in a box. This is simply adaptable, dedicated hardware.
There is a good reason why dedicated hardware is respected by professional users. Unlike normal computers, DSP hardware and their operating systems are designed specifically for the demanding requirements of studio and stage users. They are portable, they don't crash, are silent, switch on instantly, have no latency issues and the code is highly optimised to run on chips born to process sound, not run a word processor. Digital audio hardware units are true, stand-alone musical tools.
But the thing that general computers can do is change quickly, as you can make them do new tricks whenever new software rolls out. But there is a price to pay - we are the unwilling victims of so many compatability issues, stability concerns, constant platform wars and upgrade jungles as the general computers try to please everybody from office workers to graphic designers to gamers.
In the light of all this, the Chameleon concept takes todays audio hardware to its logical conclusion - it combines the best of both worlds. It's just like the rest of the hardware crowd in its dedication and quality, but this time it is as flexible as a circus contortionist
Nearly all of the soundskins for the Chameleon that we develop in-house will be available free for download from this website.
As we and other developers continue to create more soundskins, you can download them too, making the number of possible uses for your Chameleon continually expand.
In a market where hardware equipment depreciates rapidly as the technology advances. Chameleon fans will continue to add value and functionality to the Chameleon by adding new and exciting 'skins'.
In the end you will have more, not less. Try to find this commitment anywhere else in the pro-audio industry.
Technically, the Chameleon delivers 24-bit audio over a crystal-clear signal path and it uses the same industry-standard Motorola chips found in the most advanced DSP synthesizers and FX units. We even resurrected the MIDI engine from the Atari ST to give the Chameleon the tightest timing.
So this really is just the start of something. Already, it can do so much - but what new skin is round the corner? Maybe you can answer this...
For those interested in developing skins for the Chameleon platform, download the following multimedia presentation. It describes the Chameleon hardware in more detail. Note that hardware DSP development is a challenge for those more used to VSTs, but very rewarding, as you have a very clean and stable machine to work with, a fantastic SDK and all the clear advantages of DSP hardware. You can also take a moment to read the interviews with other Chameleon developers to find out why they love developing on their Chamie.
