Scratch effect controller

• US 6,541,690 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerry W. Segers Jr
• Original Assignee: Jerry W. Segers Jr
• Inventors: Segers, Jerry W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/020,738
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 846/05, 846/00, 847/23, 847/43
• US Class Current: 84/605
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0091 Means for obtaining special acoustic effects combined with modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/241 Scratch effects, i.e. emulating playback velocity or pitch manipulation effects normally obtained by a disc-jockey manually rotating a LP record forward and backward
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data

Abstract

There is provided a rotary encoder having the physical characteristics of a vinyl phonograph disc on a properly prepared turntable. A disc jockey (DJ) may intuitively use this encoder in a virtually identical manner to a conventional record to create scratch effects in a digital signal being supplied from a digitized audio signal source such as a CD, mini-disc, digital audio tape (DAT), data file or any other source of a digital signal. Speed and direction information from the encoder are used as inputs to a digital signal processor so that scratch effects typically produced by the manipulation of a vinyl record on a turntable may be simulated in the digital signal.

Claims

1. A computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal, comprising:

a) a rotary encoder apparatus for receiving manual manipulation from a user and for producing a digital control signal representative of said manual manipulation, wherein said rotary encoder apparatus comprises;

i) a motor having a driven shaft;

ii) a substantially circular platter having an upper surface and being rigidly and concentrically affixed to said driven shaft;

iii) a substantially circular slip disc having an upper surface and being disposed concentrically on said upper surface of said platter and affixed thereto;

iv) a substantially circular encoder disc disposed concentrically with and proximate said upper surface of said slip disc and in a slidable relationship therewith, said encoder disc comprising a pattern for interaction with a pick-up;

v) pick-up means proximate said encoder disc and adapted for interaction with said pattern for generating a digital control signal representative of at least the angular velocity and rotational direction of said encoder disc;

b) processing means for receiving said digital control signal and a digitized audio signal, said processing means running at least one software program capable of modifying said digitized audio signal in a predetermined manner dependent upon said control signal, thereby producing a modified digitized audio signal;

c) digital-to-analog conversion means for receiving said modified digitized audio signal and providing an analog audio signal representative thereof;

whereby through manipulation of said rotary encoder, said user may impart a scratch effect to said digitized audio signal.

2. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, said rotary encoder apparatus further comprising a USB interface operatively connected to said pick-up means and adapted for communicating said digital control signal to said processing means.

3. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein said encoder disc has tactile feel to said user substantially the same as a vinyl record on an audio turntable.

4. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein the coefficient of friction between a lower surface of said encoder disc and said upper surface of said slip disc is within a predetermined range of values.

5. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing means comprises personal computer.

6. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 5, wherein said personal computer comprises at least a USB interface, a digital input port and a digital output port.

7. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein said pattern of said encoder disc comprises at least one of the group:

regular notches spaced about the periphery of said encoder disc and a pattern of indicia on a face of said encoder disc.

8. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein said pick-up means comprises optical sensing means.

9. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 8, wherein said optical sensing means comprises at least one from the group:

reflective optical sensor and see-through optical sensor.

10. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 9, wherein said optical sensing means comprises at least an illuminator and a receptor.

11. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 10, wherein said illuminator comprises at least one from the group:

light-emitting diode (LED) and incandescent lamp.

12. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 10, wherein said receptor comprises at least one from the group:

photo diode and photo transistor.

13. The computer interface for producing scratch effects in a digitized signal as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing means comprises a digital signal processor (DSP).