Mixer apparatus and music apparatus capable of communicating with the mixer apparatus

• US 20030121401A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Mikio
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/625
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/031 File merging MIDI, i.e. merging or mixing a MIDI-like file or stream with a non-MIDI file or stream, e.g. audio or video
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/321 Bluetooth

Abstract

A plurality of music apparatus 10 to 30 such as an electronic musical instrument and a microphone apparatus are connected by wireless to a mixer apparatus 40. A Bluetooth module is adopted as wireless communication means to construct a piconet with mixer apparatus 40 functioning as a master and music apparatus 10 to 30 functioning as slaves. Audio signals and MIDI data from music apparatus 10 to 30 are transmitted by wireless to mixer apparatus 40 through isosynchronous communication procedure using Bluetooth modules 11, 21, 31, 41. In mixer apparatus 40, with regard to the MIDI data, music tone signals based on the MIDI data are produced, whereafter the produced music tone signals and the aforesaid audio signals transmitted by wireless are mixed. Wiring by means of cables between a plurality of music apparatus and a mixer apparatus is abolished, thereby eliminating the cumbersomeness of wiring and the restrictions accompanying the wiring.

Claims

1. A mixer apparatus for inputting audio signals or audio signal producing signals respectively produced in a plurality of music apparatus and for mixing the input audio signals or audio signals produced on the basis of the input audio signal producing signals, said mixer apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication section capable of wireless communication with said plurality of music apparatus by allowing said plurality of music apparatus to function as slaves and allowing said mixer apparatus itself to function as a master, said wireless communication section respectively receiving said audio signals or audio signal producing signals that are transmitted from said plurality of music apparatus; and

a mixing section for mixing the audio signals received by said wireless communication section or the audio signals produced on the basis of the audio signal producing signals received by said wireless communication section.

2. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication section respectively issues requests to said plurality of music apparatus for transmittance of said audio signals or audio signal producing signals, and respectively receives said audio signals or audio signal producing signals that are transmitted from said plurality of music apparatus in response to said requests for transmittance.

3. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication section receives said audio signals or audio signal producing signals from said plurality of music apparatus by isochronous communication procedure.

4. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising mixed signal transmitting section for transmitting the audio signals mixed in said mixing section to said plurality of music apparatus via said wireless communication section.

5. The mixer apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said wireless communication section transmits the audio signals mixed in said mixing section to said plurality of music apparatus by broadcast communication procedure.

6. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising communication condition setting section for setting conditions of communication with said plurality of music apparatus in a state in which a wireless connection is established between said mixer apparatus and said plurality of music apparatus.

7. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising wired input section connected by wire to a different music apparatus other than said plurality of music apparatus, for wired input of audio signals or audio signal producing signals for producing audio signals that are output from the different music apparatus, wherein

said mixing section also mixes the audio signals input by said wired input section or the audio signals produced on the basis of the audio signal producing signals input by said wired input section, in addition to the audio signals received by said wireless communication section or the audio signals produced on the basis of the audio signal producing signals received by said wireless communication section.

8. The mixer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising audio signal generating section for generating audio signals independently from said plurality of music apparatus, wherein said mixing sectional so mixes the audio signals generated by said audio signal generating section, in addition to the audio signals received by said wireless communication section or the audio signals produced on the basis of the audio signal producing signals received by said wireless communication section.

9. A mixer apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication section for receiving by wireless first audio signals or first audio signal producing signals from a plurality of first music apparatus; and

a mixing section for mixing the received first audio signals or second audio signals produced on the basis of the received first audio signal producing signals, wherein

said mixing section mixes third audio signals or forth audio signals produced on the basis of second audio signal producing signals in addition to the received first audio signals and the produced second audio signals, when said wireless communication section receives by wireless the third audio signals or the second audio signal producing signals from a second music apparatus while said mixing section is mixing the received first audio signals or the produced second audio signals.

10. A music apparatus capable of wireless communication with a mixer apparatus that mixes a plurality of audio signals, wherein the music apparatus comprises:

mixing signal generating section for generating said audio signals that will be subjected to mixing or audio signal producing signals for producing said audio signals that will be subjected to mixing;

a wireless communication section for transmitting by wireless to said mixer apparatus the audio signals or the audio signal producing signals generated by said mixing signal generating section and for receiving mixed signals mixed by said mixer apparatus and transmitted by wireless from said mixer apparatus, said mixed signals including said audio signals transmitted by wireless from said music apparatus or the audio signals produced on the basis of said audio signal producing signals transmitted by wireless from said music apparatus; and

reproduction section for reproducing the mixed signals received by said wireless communication section.

11. A computer readable program applied to a mixer apparatus:

said mixer apparatus comprising a wireless communication section for receiving audio signals or audio signal producing signals for producing audio signals that are transmitted by wireless from a plurality of music apparatus, and mixing the audio signals received by said wireless communication section or the audio signals produced on the basis of the audio signal producing signals received by said wireless communication section, wherein

said computer readable program allows said wireless communication section to function as a master and allows said plurality of music apparatus to function as slaves.

12. A computer readable program according to claim 11, wherein

said computer readable program allows said wireless communication section

to operate to issue requests to said plurality of music apparatus for transmittance of said audio signals or audio signal producing signals, and

to operate to receive said audio signals or audio signal producing signals that are transmitted from said plurality of music apparatus in response to said requests for transmittance.