Audio System

• US 20110019842A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Takamitsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/119
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

In an audio system, a control device includes a setting part that sets automatic compensation of each of a plurality of input ports of the input device into either ON state or OFF state and an adjusting part that adjusts an analog gain of each of the plurality of input ports. The input device includes the plurality of input ports, each input port including an amplifier that controls a level of an analog signal input to the input port based on the analog gain adjusted by the adjusting part, an AD converter that converts the analog signal from the amplifier into a digital signal, a compensator that controls a level of the digital signal from the AD converter based on a digital gain of the input port, and a selector that selects one of the digital signal from the AD converter and the digital signal from the compensator. when the automatic compensation of an input port of the input device is set into the ON state from the OFF state by the setting part of the control device, the digital gain of the input port varies in accordance with the analog gain of the input port so that a value change in the analog gain of the input port by the adjusting part is compensated by a value change in the digital gain of the input channel.

Claims

1. An audio system comprising a control device and a plurality of devices being connected to an audio network, the plurality of devices including an input device and a mixing device,

wherein the control device controls each of the plurality of devices directly or via the audio network according to manipulation performed by an operator, the control device including a setting part that sets automatic compensation of each of a plurality of input ports of the input device into either ON state or OFF state and an adjusting part that adjusts an analog gain of each of the plurality of input ports,

wherein the input device includes the plurality of input ports and a sender, each input port including an amplifier that controls a level of an analog signal input to the input port based on the analog gain adjusted by the adjusting part, an AD converter that converts the analog signal from the amplifier into a digital signal, a compensator that controls a level of the digital signal from the AD converter based on a digital gain of the input port, and a selector that selects one of the digital signal from the AD converter and the digital signal from the compensator, and the sender sending the digital signals selected by the selectors of the plurality of input ports via the audio network,

wherein the mixing device includes a receiver that receives the digital signals sent by the input device via the audio network, a plurality of input channels, each of which controls characteristics of each of the digital signals from the receiver, and a mix bus that mixes the digital signals from the plurality of input channels, and

wherein, (a) when the automatic compensation of an input port of the input device is set into the ON state from the OFF state by the setting part of the control device, the digital gain of the input port is set to a predetermined value and the selector of the input port selects the digital signal from the compensator, (b) while the automatic compensation of an input port is in the ON state, the digital gain of the input port varies in accordance with the analog gain of the input port so that a value change in the analog gain of the input port by the adjusting part is compensated by a value change in the digital gain of the input channel, and, (c) when the automatic compensation of an input port of the input device is set into the OFF state from the ON state by the setting part, the selector of the input port of the input device selects the digital signal from the AD converter.

2. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a console connected to the audio network as one of the plurality of devices, the consol having a control panel which is provided thereon with a plurality of controls operable by an operator to control the audio system.

3. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a personal computer connected to one of the plurality of devices, the personal computer running thereon a control program for controlling the audio system.

4. The audio system according to claim 1, in combination with another audio system connected to the audio network,

wherein said another audio system comprises another control device having the same construction as the control device of the audio system, and another mixing device having the same construction as the mixing device of the audio system, said another mixing device being controlled exclusively by said another control device,

wherein the mixing device and the input device of the audio system are controlled exclusively by the control device of the audio system,

wherein said another mixing device includes a receiver that receives the digital signals sent by the input device of the audio system via the audio network, a plurality of input channels, each of which controls characteristics of each of the digital signals from the receiver, and a mix bus that mixes the digital signals from the plurality of input channels, and

wherein, while the automatic compensation of an input port o the input device of the audio system is in the ON state, the receiver of said another mixing device receives the digital signal having the level which is not changed by the analog gain of the input port adjusted by the adjusting part of the control device of the audio system.

5. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the audio network is capable of transporting a plurality of audio signals and at least one control signal at the same time between the plurality of devices connected to the audio network.