Digital audio communication and control in a live performance venue

• US 8,532,311 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EN Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: EN Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Heineman, Fred W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONIKANG, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US12/759,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20100290638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/119, 381/80, 381/82, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for digitally transmitting audio that is converted from analog audio received from analog media pickup devices in a live performance venue by a stage box to a base unit over off-the-shelf twisted pair cable while sending pre-amplification control signals and power over the cable to the stage box. Audio for the performance venue is remotely managed from a virtual audio engineering mixing board that wirelessly communicates audio control commands to the stage box from a handheld computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a first stage box at least one analog media signal from a media pickup device, digitizing each analog media signal, and multiplexing the digitized signal to produce a first multiplexed digital media signal;

transmitting the first multiplex signal from the first stage box over a cable to a daisy-chain second stage box;

receiving at the second stage box at least one analog media signal from a media pickup device, digitizing each analog media signal, and multiplexing the digitized signal to produce a second multiplexed digital media signal;

multiplexing the first multiplex signal and the second multiplex signal at the second stage box into a combined multiplexed signal;

transmitting the combined multiplex signal from the second stage box to a daisy-chain base unit over a cable;

demultiplexing the combined multiplex signal at the base unit; and

powering each of the daisy-chained stage boxes by transmitting power from the base unit through the daisy-chaining cable to each of the stage boxes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is a twisted-pair cable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is a co-axial cable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is tri-axial cable.

5. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting a pre-amplifier control setting from the base unit to at least one of the plurality of stage boxes over the daisy chain.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pre-amplifier control setting is a digital command for instructing a processor to control a pre-amplifier control feature of the stage box.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processor and the pre-amplifier control are embodied within the stage box.

8. A method comprising:

receiving at a first stage box at least one analog media signal from a media pickup device, digitizing each analog media signal, multiplexing the digitized signal to produce a first multiplexed digital media signal, and processing a portion of the multiplexed digital signal to improve audio quality;

transmitting the first multiplex signal from the first stage box over a cable to a daisy-chain second stage box;

receiving at the second stage box at least one analog media signal from a media pickup device, digitizing each analog media signal, multiplexing the digitized signal to produce a second multiplexed digital media signal, and processing a portion of the multiplexed digital signal to improve audio quality;

multiplexing the first multiplex signal and the second multiplex signal at the second stage box into a combined multiplexed signal;

transmitting the combined multiplex signal from the second stage box to a daisy-chain base unit over a cable; and

demultiplexing the combined multiplex signal at the base unit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cable connection is a twisted-pair cable.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the cable connection is a co-axial cable.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the cable connection is a tri-axial cable.

12. The method of claim 8, further including powering the stage box over the cable.

13. The method of claim 8, further including pre-amplifying the analog audio signals in the stage box.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the cable is a multiple twisted-pair cable.