Dalhousie University


Music

Reproduced with permission from NeXT Computer, Inc.
A Reference Guide to NeXT in Higher Education, Fall 1992
ยช 1992 NeXT Computer, Inc

Acoustic research and education made affordable

After six years as a personal computer user, Professor of Acoustics Marek Roland-Mieszkowski found himself in a quandary. He badly needed computer-based acoustical programs for his teaching and research work at the School of Human Communication Disorders at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Halifax. Yet, creating such sophisticated software in a PC environment was next to impossible.

"I could have either built my own hardware, which would have been time-consuming and expensive," he says, "or I could have put together some sort of hybrid system from several different vendors. I didn't care for that option either."

Then, at the October 1989 Canadian Acoustical Association conference, Roland-Mieszkowski was introduced to NeXT technology.

"I knew almost immediately that the NeXT machine was exactly what I needed," he says. "From just one vendor, I could get all the features I needed-a powerful processor, a built-in digital-to-analog converter, a built-in DSP, and a wonderful graphical interface. Plus, the NeXT is a UNIX-based system. There is nothing like it for acoustical work."

By early 1988, NeXT machines were on the Dalhousie campus. Using Interface Builder, Roland-Mieszkowski designed Digital Function Generator, a custom software application for synthesizing auditory waveforms.

Using NeXT computers and Digital Function Generator, the 90 students who are enrolled in Introduction to Acoustics and Introduction to Psychoacoustics now routinely perform a variety of acoustical, electronic, and audio tests once deemed off-limits in schools because of costly testing instrumentation requirements. Projects include psychoacoustic and hearing experiments; testing and tuning musical instruments; and testing electronic components and devices as well as transducers such as microphones, sonars, loudspeakers, and headphones.

"I've been able to develop powerful, good-looking applications and cut development time by a factor of 10 because of NeXT's object-oriented development environment," Roland-Mieszkowski says. "The results are far better than I would achieve on any other platform. Thanks to Interface Builder, our NeXT machines have become CD-quality editing and recording stations. We've made acoustical theory come alive for students. Previously, I could only talk about acoustics in the abstract, making it difficult for students to grasp concepts. Now students are exposed to situations that cannot be gleaned from a textbook or lecture."

Eventually, Roland-Mieszkowski plans to use NeXT technology in his Hearing Aids and Instrumentation course.

For more information, please contact:

Marek Roland-Mieszkowski
Professor of Acoustics
Dalhousie University
5599 Fenwick Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 1R2
(902) 494-5148
mmieszko@ac.dal.ca