DSP as a Service: Foundations and Directions

This article proposes a vision for digital signal processing as a service (DSPaaS), which exploits the Internet of Musical Things’ capabilities to dematerialise and enhance music production tasks beyond networked music performance. If all musical devices were connected to the Internet, which new services and value could be created for musicians, and which technical challenges and trade-offs would arise? First, we identify the main components of a DSPaaS system and introduce its building blocks, technological enablers, design trade-offs and network configurations. Then, we segment DSPaaS applications into three categories based on different latency constraints. Subsequently, we describe three illustrative case studies and analyse them under the key performance indicators of latency and reliability. Finally, we discuss the current research challenges, aiming to inform developers’ choices during the processes of creating new digital services for musicians, and to facilitate researchers’ understanding of the key research directions stemming from the DSPaaS vision.