Press Release

October 2005FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

THAT Announces New Analog Engine^® for Battery-Powered Audio Products 
THAT4315 offers low-cost, high-performance gain and dynamics control  

THAT 4315S Analog Engine IC

Milford, MA – Manufacturers feeling the demand for ever higher performance at lower prices will get some relief in THAT Corporation’s new low-power THAT4315 Analog Engine®.  Easily configured to handle almost any dynamics or gain control application, the THAT4315 delivers excellent audio performance as a customizable, battery-friendly building block that saves time and money.

Using the new THAT4315, audio design engineers can realize almost any analog audio processing function thanks to the chip’s Blackmer™ voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) and high- accuracy, wide-range rms level detector.  The VCA provides a wide control range of 100 dB, total unity-gain noise of -98 dBV, and is pre-trimmed for typical distortion of only 0.07%.  To top it off, the THAT4315 was designed from the ground up for battery operation, drawing a meager 1.6 mA from a single 5V supply.

The THAT4315’s combination of superior sonic quality, low-power operation, and affordable price raise the audio performance bar in battery-operated devices.  Using their own designs or drawing from THAT Corporation’s extensive library of application and design notes, engineers can configure the THAT4315 as compressor, expander, limiter, gate, noise reduction system, automatic microphone mixer, AGC, remote gain control, or any number of the common signal processing functions required by today’s portable audio products.  In applications from wireless microphones, monitors, and speakers to portable mixing consoles, recorders, and effects boxes, the THAT4315 provides a low-power, low-cost, high performance solution for next-generation designs.

“The THAT4315 is based on our ground-breaking 4320 technology,” says Gary Hebert, THAT’s Chief Technology Officer. “By taking a good hard look at our customers’ needs, exploiting our two decades of Blackmer VCA expertise, and building the 4315 in our proprietary dielectric isolation process, we have reached a level of audio performance at power levels that were, until now, simply unheard of.”

“Our customers were impressed with what we had done with the THAT4320, but for certain products they need a part with even lower current draw,” comments Les Tyler, President of THAT. “We went back to the drawing board and found ways to balance the feature set with the reduced power requirements, while further reducing the 4315’s manufacturing cost.  Needless to say, our customers are very happy.”

The THAT4315 is now sampling with full production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2005.  Packaged in a lead free 16-pin QSOP that is compliant with both leaded and lead-free processes, its target price is $2.14 in 1K quantities.

For more information contact:
THAT Corporation, 45 Sumner Street, Milford, MA 01757-1656, USA
Telephone: +1.508.478.9200; Fax +1.508.478.0990
Email: info@thatcorp.com

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