Volume control for audio signals
First Claim
1. A motion picture soundtrack reproduction system, the system having a center front soundtrack channel and a plurality of other soundtrack channels, comprisinga controller having a volume control for adjusting the gain of all the channels, the volume control having a range of settings from a minimum to a maximum, the controller having a first output for controlling the gain of the center front channel and a second output for controlling the gain of the other channels in response to settings of the volume control, the gain of the center front channel having a first relationship to the volume control settings and the gain of the other channels having a second relationship to the volume control settings, the relationships being such that for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the gain of the center front channel (1) remains substantially constant while the gain of the other channels decreases as the setting decreases, or (2) decreases snore gradually than the gain of the other channels as the setting decreases.
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Abstract
A motion picture soundtrack reproduction system has a center front soundtrack channel and a plurality of other soundtrack channels. A volume control adjusts the gain of all the channels. The volume control has a range of settings from a minimum to a maximum, the gain of the center front channel having substantially a first relationship to the volume control settings and the gain of the other channels having substantially a second relationship to the volume control settings, the relationships being such that for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the gain of the center front channel remains substantially constant while the gain of the other channels decreases as the setting decreases or decreases more gradually than the gain of the other channels as the setting decreases.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A motion picture soundtrack reproduction system, the system having a center front soundtrack channel and a plurality of other soundtrack channels, comprising
a controller having a volume control for adjusting the gain of all the channels, the volume control having a range of settings from a minimum to a maximum, the controller having a first output for controlling the gain of the center front channel and a second output for controlling the gain of the other channels in response to settings of the volume control, the gain of the center front channel having a first relationship to the volume control settings and the gain of the other channels having a second relationship to the volume control settings, the relationships being such that for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the gain of the center front channel (1) remains substantially constant while the gain of the other channels decreases as the setting decreases, or (2) decreases snore gradually than the gain of the other channels as the setting decreases.
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2. A motion picture soundtrack reproduction system, comprising
a center front soundtrack channel and a plurality of other soundtrack channels, each of said channels having adjustable gain and one or more loudspeakers, and a controller having a volume control for adjusting the gain of all the channels, the volume control having a range of settings from a minimum to a maximum, the controller having a first output for controlling the gain of the center front channel and a second output for controlling the gain of the other channels in response to settings of the volume control the gain of the center front channel having a first relationship to the volume control settings and the gain of the other channels having a second relationship to the volume control settings, the relationships being such that for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the gain of the center front channel (1) remains substantially constant while the gain of the other channels decreases as the setting decreases or (2) decreases more gradually than the gain of the other channels as the setting decreases.
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10. A method for volume control of audio signals, comprising:
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reducing a setting of a volume control in response to a first element of an audio signal, the setting ranging from a minimum to a maximum; in response to the reducing, adjusting a gain of a first channel of a second element of the audio signal and a gain of a second channel of the second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the adjusting both decreases loudness and increases a contribution of the first channel to the loudness of a reproduced second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a second setting the adjusting decreases the gain of the first channel in a substantially same manner as the gain of the second channel is decreased as the setting of the volume control is reduced; feeding an audio signal of the first channel to a first output; feeding an audio signal of the second channel to a second output; wherein the first element of the audio signal and the second element of the audio signal are different elements within the audio signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for volume control of audio signals, comprising:
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a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that reduces a setting of a volume control in response to a first element of an audio signal, the setting ranging from a minimum to a maximum; a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that, in response to the reducing, adjusts a gain of a first channel of a second element of the audio signal and a gain of a second channel of the second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the adjusting both decreases loudness and increases a contribution of the first channel to the loudness of a reproduced second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a second setting the adjusting decreases the gain of the first channel in a substantially same manner as the gain of the second channel is decreased as the setting of the volume control is reduced; a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that feeds an audio signal of the first channel to a first output; a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware that feeds an audio signal of the second channel to a second output; wherein the first element of the audio signal and the second element of the audio signal are different elements within the audio signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A non-transitory computer readable medium, storing software instructions for volume control of audio signals, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of the steps of:
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reducing a setting of a volume control in response to a first element of an audio signal, the setting ranging from a minimum to a maximum, in response to the reducing, adjusting a gain of a first channel of a second element of the audio signal and a gain of a second channel of the second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a first setting the adjusting both decreases loudness and increases a contribution of the first channel to the loudness of a reproduced second element of the audio signal, for a range of volume control settings less than a second setting the adjusting decreases the gain of the first channel in a substantially same manner as the gain of the second channel is decreased as the setting of the volume control is reduced; feeding an audio signal of the first channel to a first output; feeding an audio signal of the second channel to a second output; wherein the first element of the audio signal and the second element of the audio signal are different elements within the audio signal. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification