Control surface with a touchscreen for editing surround sound

• US 20070100482A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Cotey, Stan, Dysart, Aidan, Kashiwa, Gannon
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

A control surface for an audio processing system that performs surround sound panning includes a touchscreen in combination with one or more other input devices. The touchscreen displays the position and movement of sound according to inputs from the various input devices or from recorded control information. An operator can input position information through the touchscreen or through one or more other input devices. The control surface may include two complete, separate panning sections. Each panning section may include the touchscreen, input devices, and switches. The touchscreen may also provide switches that change function based on the state of the other switches in the panning section. The separate panning sections can be linked together, for example to process stereo tracks. An “autoglide” operation enables an operator to move the location of a sound along a fixed path between a start location and a destination location over a time period set by the operator.

Claims

1. A control surface for facilitating surround sound editing, comprising:

a display with a touchscreen for displaying information, whereby contact by an object with the touchscreen at a position on the touchscreen causes the touchscreen to provide a signal indicative of the position;

means for receiving position information of sound that varies over time and for causing the display to display the position information over time;

output means for sending position information to be recorded; and

wherein the means for receiving position information selects information from one of the touchscreen and the recorded position information.

2. A control surface for facilitating surround sound editing, comprising:

a display with a touchscreen for displaying information, whereby contact by an object with the touchscreen at a position on the touchscreen causes the touchscreen to provide a signal indicative of the position;

means for receiving position information of sound that varies over time and for causing the display to display the position information over time;

an input device manipulable by an operator and providing a signal indicative of position information; and

output means for sending position information to be recorded; and

wherein the means for receiving position information selects information from one of the touchscreen, the input device and the recorded position information.

3. A method for implementing an automatic movement of surround sound positions based on user input, comprising:

setting a time preference indicative of a time period over which a movement in sound is to be made;

initiating playback of recorded sound movements, such that during playback a sound is at an initial position at any given point in time;

during the playback, receiving an indication from an operator of a desired position to which the sound is to be moved, at an input time;

interpolating between the initial position of the sound at the input time and desired position of the sound over the time period indicated by the set time preference; and

during the playback, moving the sound over the time period from the initial position and the desired position.