Control surface with a touchscreen for editing surround sound

• US 7,698,009 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US11/262,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• 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 over time during playback of a sound movement causes the touchscreen to provide a signal indicative of the position over time;

an input to provide, to the display, position information of the sound movement during playback of the sound movement;

wherein the display displays the received position information during the playback of the sound movement;

an input device manipulable by an operator and providing a signal indicative of a position of the input device during playback of the sound movement, wherein the display further displays the position of the input device during playback of the sound movement; and

an output to send to storage the signal indicative of the position information of the sound movement from one of the object on the touchscreen and the position of the input device, during playback of the sound movement;

wherein the input receives, during playback of the sound movement, the position information based on at least one of the position of the object on the touchscreen, the position of the input device and recorded position information, wherein the input can be switched to receive the position information from the input device only if the position of the input device is close to current position information.

3. The control surface of claim 1, wherein the signal from the touchscreen further comprises an indication from an operator of a desired position to which the sound is to be moved during playback of the sound movement.

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 over time during playback of a sound movement causes the touchscreen to provide a signal indicative of the position over time;

an input to provide, to the display, position information of the sound movement during playback of the sound movement;

wherein the display displays the received position information during playback of the sound movement;

an input device manipulable by an operator and providing a signal indicative of a position of the input device during playback of the sound movement, wherein the display further displays the position of the input device during playback of the sound movement; and

an output to send to storage the signal indicative of the position information of the sound movement from one of the object on the touchscreen and the position of the input device, during playback of the sound movement; and

wherein the input receives, during playback of the sound movement, the position information based on at least one of the position of the object on the touchscreen, the position of the input device and recorded position information.

4. The control surface of claim 2, wherein the signal from the touchscreen further comprises an indication from an operator of a desired position to which the sound is to be moved during playback of the sound movement.

5. The control surface of claim 2, wherein the input is switched to receive the position information from the input device if the position of the input device is sufficiently close to current position information.