Modular platform for creation and manipulation of audio and musical signals

• US 9,800,357 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Donald Tillman
• Original Assignee: John Donald Tillman
• Inventors: Tillman, John Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANMAVO, KUASSI A
• Application Number:
  US15/052,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0091 Means for obtaining special acoustic effects combined with modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/06 Circuits for establishing the harmonic content of tones , or other arrangements for changing the tone colour
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/32 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/116 for graphical editing of sound parameters or waveforms, e.g. by graphical interactive control of timbre, partials or envelope non-graphical waveform editing G10H2250/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/471 General musical sound synthesis principles, i.e. sound category-independent synthesis methods details of musical waveform synthesis G10H2250/541; special instrument [spint] G10H2230/045; sound category-specific synthesis G10H2250/315
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/00 Instruments in which the tones are synthesised from a data store, e.g. computer organs
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0088 using discontinuously variable devices, e.g. switch-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3026 the gain being discontinuously variable, e.g. controlled by switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/05 Mobile studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A platform for audio and electronic music applications where the electronics are implemented as modules, and the modules mount in a cabinet with a common power supply and infrastructure. The platform addresses problems in electrical, mechanical, usability, and power distribution areas, and is suitable for guitar effects, synthesizers, studio equipment, and DJ gear.

Claims

1. An audio processing system, comprising:

an audio processing unit including;

a rear panel including a first set of input and output jacks for the audio processing unit;

a front panel including user interface controls and labeling, a second set of input and output jacks, and display components;

a printed circuit board assembly (PCB) positioned between the front panel and rear panel electrically connected to components of the rear panel and components of the front panel and including a backplane connector, and includes a circuit configured to process audio signals or control voltages received from the first and second sets of input jacks, and deliver processed audio signals to the first and second sets of output jacks; and

a cabinet including;

a cabinet housing having a front opening, a rear opening, a unit volume, and a cabling volume, wherein the unit volume is adjacent to the front opening, the cabling volume is adjacent to the rear opening, and the unit volume and the cabling volume are adjacent to one another and the volumes are defined inside the cabinet housing by a plurality of mounting flanges;

a backplane rail mounted inside the cabinet housing and inside the unit volume having a plurality of backplane connectors spaced uniformly across the backplane rail, wherein each audio processing unit is plugged into a backplane connector;

cabling providing electronic signal interconnection between the audio processing units, wherein the cabling is contained within the cabling volume and adjustable through the rear opening of the cabinet housing;

a power supply mounted within the cabinet housing which includes an electric power connection to the audio processing units inside the cabinet and receives a power cable from the exterior of the cabinet thereby providing power to the audio processing units inside the cabinet housing; and

wherein two or more audio processing units, are contained within the unit volume and the distance between the front panel and rear panel corresponds to the distance between the front opening and the cabling volume of the cabinet housing, and the audio processing units are secured to the mounting flanges.

2. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first set of output jacks on the rear panel are electrically connected to at least one corresponding number of output jacks on the front panel of the second set of output jacks.

3. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein the user interface controls and labeling of the front panel include:

a rotary switch that selects between multiple simultaneous outputs on the rear panel.

4. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein the rear panel further comprises:

threaded mounting screw holes.

5. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein the backplane connector includes:

power;

grounds; and

monitor BUS.

6. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein the user interface controls and labeling of the front panel further comprises:

a color coding scheme applied where each of a number of functional groups are provided unique color, the functional groups including;

control and pitch voltages;

low frequency modulation sources;

audio filter down functions;

audio gain and mixing functions;

audio sources and oscillators; and

harmonic content functions.

7. The audio processing system of claim 6, wherein the front panel further comprises:

A pilot light which activates when the audio processing unit is powered and glows the color corresponding with the functional group of the audio processing unit.

8. The audio processing system of claim 6, wherein the user interface controls and labeling further comprises:

printed text is black-on-white;

outputs are differentiated from inputs with white-on-black printing;

a frame is printed around a perimeter of the front panel in the color corresponding with the functional group of the audio processing unit;

rounded rectangles printed around related user interface controls; and

a block diagram representation of the function and signal flow of the audio processing unit, including all inputs and outputs.

9. The audio processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

A bypass circuit configured to bypass the circuit of the PCB, and thereby enable audio signals or control voltages to pass through the audio processing unit unaltered, wherein the bypass circuit is triggered through any of a physical switch on the front panel, the receipt of a predetermined control voltage through a predetermined input jack, or through an electrical signal received through the backplane connector.

10. The audio processing system of claim 1, wherein the display components of the front panel comprise:

an LED oscilloscope that fluctuates between two colors based on a received control voltage, wherein the LED oscilloscope glows a first color at positive voltages and a second color at negative voltages, and the degree of brightness of the LED oscilloscope is controlled by the magnitude of the control voltage.

11. An audio processing system, comprising:

an audio processing unit including;

a rear panel including rear panel jacks, wherein rear panel jacks include default input and output jacks for the audio processing unit;

a front panel including user interface controls and labeling, display components, and front panel jacks, wherein front panel jacks include support input and output jacks, and;

at least three printed circuit boards (PCB) layered between the front panel and the rear panel including a first PCB, a second PCB, and a third PCB wherein,

the first PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the front panel and the second PCB, and further including a first circuit providing circuitry for the user interface controls and display components of the front panel;

the second PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the first PCB and the second PCB, and further including a backplane connector, connectors for the front panel jacks, and a second circuit configured to process audio signals or control voltages received from the default, support input jacks, and deliver processed audio signals to the default, support output jacks

the third PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the second PCB and the rear panel and further including connectors for the rear panel jacks; and

a cabinet including;

a cabinet housing having a front opening, a rear opening, a unit volume, and a cabling volume, wherein the unit volume is adjacent to the front opening, the cabling volume is adjacent to the rear opening, and the unit volume and the cabling volume are adjacent to one another and the volumes are defined inside the cabinet housing by a plurality of mounting flanges;

a backplane rail mounted inside the cabinet housing and inside the unit volume having a plurality of backplane connectors spaced uniformly across the backplane rail, wherein each audio processing unit is plugged into a backplane connector;

cabling providing electronic signal interconnection between the audio processing units, wherein the cabling is contained within the cabling volume and adjustable through the rear opening of the cabinet housing;

a power supply mounted within the cabinet housing which includes an electric power connection to the audio processing units inside the cabinet and receives a power cable from the exterior of the cabinet thereby providing power to the audio processing units inside the cabinet housing; and

wherein two or more audio processing units, are contained within the unit volume and the distance between the front panel and rear panel corresponds to the distance between the front opening and the cabling volume of the cabinet housing, and the audio processing units are secured to the mounting flanges.

12. The audio processing system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the default output jacks on the rear panel are electrically connected to at least one corresponding support output jack on the front panel.

13. The audio processing system of claim 11, wherein the user interface controls and labeling of the front panel include:

a rotary switch that selects between multiple simultaneous outputs on the rear panel.

14. The audio processing system of claim 11, wherein the rear panel further comprises:

threaded mounting screw holes.

15. The audio processing system of claim 11, wherein the backplane connector includes:

power;

grounds;

LED brightness; and

monitor BUS.

16. The audio processing system of claim 11, wherein the display components of the front panel comprise:

an LED oscilloscope that fluctuates between two colors based on a received control voltage, wherein the LED oscilloscope glows a first color at positive voltages and a second color at negative voltages, and the degree of brightness of the LED oscilloscope is controlled by the magnitude of the control voltage.

17. An audio processing system, comprising:

an audio processing unit including;

a rear panel including rear panel jacks, wherein rear panel jacks includes for wiring a number of audio processing units together to generate a functional block (“

functional block jacks”

);

a front panel including user interface controls and labeling, display components, and front panel jacks, wherein front panel jacks include default input and output jacks, and;

at least three printed circuit boards (PCB) layered between the front panel and the rear panel including a first PCB, a second PCB, and a third PCB wherein,

the first PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the front panel and the second PCB, and further including a first circuit providing circuitry for the user interface controls and display components of the front panel;

the second PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the first PCB and the second PCB, and further including a backplane connector, connectors for the front panel jacks, and a second circuit configured to process audio signals received from the functional block jacks, default input jacks, and deliver processed audio signals to the output jacks; and

the third PCB is positioned between and electrically connected to the second PCB and the rear panel and further including connectors for the rear panel functional block jacks; and

a cabinet including;

a cabinet housing having a front opening, a rear opening, a unit volume, and a cabling volume, wherein the unit volume is adjacent to the front opening, the cabling volume is adjacent to the rear opening, and the unit volume and the cabling volume are adjacent to one another and the volumes are defined inside the cabinet housing by a plurality of mounting flanges;

a backplane rail mounted inside the cabinet housing and inside the unit volume having a plurality of backplane connectors spaced uniformly across the backplane rail, wherein each audio processing unit is plugged into a backplane connector;

cabling providing electronic signal interconnection between the audio processing units, wherein the cabling is contained within the cabling volume and adjustable through the rear opening of the cabinet housing;

a power supply mounted within the cabinet housing which includes an electric power connection to the audio processing units inside the cabinet and receives a power cable from the exterior of the cabinet thereby providing power to the audio processing units inside the cabinet housing; and

wherein two or more audio processing units, are contained within the unit volume and the distance between the front panel and rear panel corresponds to the distance between the front opening and the cabling volume of the cabinet housing, and the audio processing units are secured to the mounting flanges.

18. The audio processing system of claim 17, wherein the display components of the front panel comprise:

an LED oscilloscope which while active fluctuates between two colors where the LED oscilloscope glows a single color at peak voltages and gradually fades through a combination of the two colors at other voltages between peaks.

19. The audio processing system of claim 17, wherein the user interface controls and labeling of the front panel further comprises:

a color coding scheme applied ere each of a number of functional groups are provided unique color, the functional groups including;

control and pitch voltages;

low frequency modulation sources;

audio filter down functions;

audio gain and mixing functions;

audio sources and oscillators; and

harmonic content functions.

20. The audio processing system of claim 19, wherein the user interface controls and labeling further comprises:

printed text is black-on-white;

outputs are differentiated from inputs with white-on-black printing;

a frame is printed around a perimeter of the front panel in the color corresponding with the functional group of the audio processing unit;

rounded rectangles printed around related user interface controls; and

a block diagram representation of the function and signal flow of the audio processing unit, including all inputs and outputs.