CEDAR for Windows was a radical departure in audio restoration systems. Providing both multi-channel and simultaneous multiple-process restoration capabilities, it offered unique flexibility and performance making it suitable for applications such as audio preparation for DVD and surround formats as well as for stereo mastering. The system incorporated four elements: the host computer, up to eight CEDAR ProDSP boards, the CEDAR for Windows Console software, and one or more real-time audio processes.
The system could run on any suitable PC. However, CEDAR supplied a bespoke host PC housed within a robust rackmount chassis. This offered a 14-slot motherboard that allowed users to configure a fully-populated system in a single, convenient unit. The processing power was then provided by the ProDSP cards, which also offered 24-bit stereo I/O and 40-bit floating-point processing. You could patch the AES/EBU, SPDIF, and expansion I/O on each ProDSP board in series and/or parallel for a wide range of processing configurations.
The Console software managed the ProDSP boards and the processes, allocating any available module to any board, and providing comprehensive status and volume monitoring. Each ProDSP board could run whichever process you required, and you could pass your audio straight through the system, hearing the results in real-time while auditioning any adjustments to the process parameters.