System and method for an IP mixing console with unlimited number of audio signals

Abstract

The present invention provides an IP mixing console system and method that are not limited by the number of audio signals. The system includes a mixing control panel, a mixing console control module, an audio input module, an audio mixing module, and an audio output module. When the system starts up, the mixing console control module queries all audio signals in the target network and notifies the audio input module to subscribe to the signals. After receiving the notification, the audio input module subscribes to all audio signals in the network from the switch and sends the received data packets to the mixing module. The user's mixing operation is responded to through the mixing control panel, and the instruction is sent to the control module for parsing. Subsequently, the control module notifies the mixing module to perform mixing processing on the corresponding audio channels. The finally processed audio data is output through the audio output module. The design of the present invention realizes being not limited by the number of input audio signals, thereby enhancing the scalability and flexibility of the mixing console system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of broadcasting and audio production, and particularly to a system and method for an IP mixing console that is not limited by the number of audio signals. Background Art

[0002] Traditional broadcast and media production environments typically rely on dedicated SDI (Serial Digital Interface) infrastructure, which performs well in terms of reliability and signal quality but has limitations in terms of flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. With the improvement of video resolution (such as 4K and 8K) and the maturity of IP (Internet Protocol) technology, the media industry has begun to seek a more flexible, more economical solution that can utilize existing IT infrastructure. The SMPTE ST 2110 standard suite is a set of standards developed by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) in the United States, aiming to define a new real-time media transmission framework based on IP networks for the professional broadcast and media industry. The development of this set of standards began in 2016, and its main goal is to address the limitations of traditional SDI-based video and audio signal transmission systems. The introduction of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard marks a major shift in the broadcast television industry from traditional SDI infrastructure to IP-based media transmission. This shift not only improves the efficiency and flexibility of media production but also reduces operating costs and promotes the digital transformation of the media industry.

[0003] Traditional analog signal-based mixing consoles are a core device in the field of professional broadcast and audio production, used for real-time switching and mixing between multiple audio sources. Analog signal-based mixing consoles have the following defects: (1) The number of audio signal inputs is limited. The number of physical interfaces for audio signal inputs is fixed, and one physical interface corresponds to one audio signal, which cannot meet application scenarios with more audio signal sources; (2) Scalability is limited. The device relies on physical connections, which means that increasing input or output capabilities requires more cables and devices, leading to increased wiring complexity and cost; (3) Flexibility is relatively low. The configuration and effects of analog mixing consoles are usually fixed and hardware-based, making it difficult to make immediate changes or save presets. Once the signal path or effect is set, it is relatively troublesome to modify. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a system and method for an IP mixing console that is not limited by the number of audio signals, which can overcome the limitations of traditional analog signal-based mixing consoles.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0006] A system of an IP mixer that is not limited by the number of audio signals, including: a mixing control panel, a mixer control module, a mixer audio input module, a mixer audio mixing module, and a mixer audio output module;

[0007] The mixer control module is used to query all audio signals in the target network at startup and notify the mixer audio input module to subscribe to audio signals; the mixer audio input module is used to subscribe to all audio signals in the target network from a preset switch after receiving the notification from the mixer control module and send the received audio data packets to the mixer mixing module; the mixing control panel is used to respond to the user's mixing operation and send the responded mixing instruction to the mixer control module; the mixer control module is used to parse the mixing instruction and notify the mixer mixing module to perform audio mixing on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels; the mixer audio mixing module is used to perform audio mixing calculations and output the mixed audio data packets through the mixer audio output module.

[0008] A method of an IP mixer that is not limited by the number of audio signals, applied to the above system, the method includes:

[0009] When the mixer control module starts up, obtain the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels in the target network, and push the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels to the mixer audio input module;

[0010] When the mixer audio input module receives the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels pushed by the mixer control module, send a subscription instruction to a preset switch to subscribe to the audio signals of all audio channels. After receiving the subscription instruction, the switch forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer audio input module, and the mixer audio input module forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer mixing module again;

[0011] Receive the user's mixing operation on the mixing control panel to send a mixing instruction for controlling the audio channel number and volume value of the corresponding audio channel to the mixer control module;

[0012] After the mixer control module receives the mixing instruction sent by the mixing control panel, notify the mixer mixing module to perform audio mixing calculations on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels;

[0013] After the audio mixing calculation and processing are completed in the mixing module of the mixing console, the audio output module of the mixing console is notified to perform audio output on the audio data packet after the mixing process.

[0014] Preferably, after notifying the audio output module of the mixing console to perform audio output on the audio data packet after the mixing process, it further includes:

[0015] The audio output module of the mixing console is used to send the audio data packet after the mixing process to the target network in the way of UDP multicast.

[0016] Preferably, the UDP multicast address and port number of the audio signals of all audio channels in the target network are obtained through the NMOS IS-04 protocol.

[0017] Preferably, the audio channel number and volume value of the corresponding audio channel are sent to the mixing console control module through the TCP protocol.

[0018] Preferably, the steps of audio mixing calculation include:

[0019] Circularly read the current audio signal Y and volume X in the audio data packets of all corresponding audio channels;

[0020] For each audio channel with a volume X greater than 0, execute Z = Y * X; Z represents the processed audio signal value. By multiplying the original audio signal Y by the volume X, the intensity or loudness of the audio signal can be adjusted.

[0021] Add up the Z values of all audio channels with a volume X greater than 0, and then divide the result obtained by adding by the number of audio channels with a volume X greater than 0 to get Average_Z; Average_Z is the output audio signal in the audio data packet after audio mixing.

[0022] Preferably, the value range of the volume X is 0 to 1.

[0023] Preferably, the current audio signal Y is a 24-bit signed integer, and its value range is -8388608 to 8388607.

[0024] According to the specific embodiments provided by the present invention, the following technical effects are disclosed by the present invention:

[0025] The present invention provides a system and method for an IP mixing console that is not limited by the number of audio signals. The system includes: a mixing control panel, a mixing console control module, a mixing console audio input module, a mixing console audio mixing module, and a mixing console audio output module; the mixing console control module is configured to query all audio signals in the target network during startup and notify the mixing console audio input module to subscribe to the audio signals; the mixing console audio input module is configured to subscribe to all audio signals in the target network from a preset switch after receiving the notification from the mixing console control module, and send the received audio data packets to the mixing console mixing module; the mixing control panel is configured to respond to the user's mixing operation and send the responded mixing instruction to the mixing console control module; the mixing console control module is configured to parse the mixing instruction and notify the mixing console mixing module to perform audio mixing on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels; the mixing console mixing module is configured to perform audio mixing calculation and output the mixed audio data packets through the mixing console audio output module. The present invention can achieve an IP mixing function that is not limited by the number of input audio signals, making the mixing console system have stronger scalability and flexibility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the following described drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the system structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the system signal transmission provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Flowchart of the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the technical route provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Description of the reference numerals:

[0032] 1 - Mixing control panel; 2 - Mixing console control module; 3 - Mixing console audio input module; 4 - Mixing console audio mixing module; 5 - Mixing console audio output module, 6 - Switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0033] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0034] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a system and method for an IP mixing console that is not limited by the number of audio signals, which can realize the IP mixing function without being restricted by the number of audio signal inputs, making the mixing console system have stronger scalability and flexibility.

[0035] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] Figure 1 For the schematic diagram of the system structure provided by the embodiments of the present invention, as Figure 1 shown, the present invention provides a system for an IP mixing console that is not limited by the number of audio signals, including: a mixing control panel 1, a mixing console control module 2, a mixing console audio input module 3, a mixing console audio mixing module 4, and a mixing console audio output module 5;

[0037] The mixing console control module 2 is used to query all audio signals in the target network during startup and notify the mixing console audio input module 3 to subscribe to audio signals; the mixing console audio input module 3 is used to subscribe to all audio signals in the target network from a preset switch 6 after receiving the notification from the mixing console control module 2 and send the received audio data packets to the mixing console mixing module; the mixing control panel 1 is used to respond to the user's mixing operation and send the responded mixing instruction to the mixing console control module 2; the mixing console control module 2 is used to parse the mixing instruction and notify the mixing console mixing module to perform audio mixing on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels; the mixing console mixing module is used to perform audio mixing calculation and output the audio data packets after mixing processing through the mixing console audio output module 5.

[0038] Specifically, as Figure 2As shown, when the mixer control module 2 starts, it queries all audio signals in the network, notifies the mixer audio input module 3 to subscribe to the audio signals, and after receiving the notification, the mixer audio input module 3 subscribes to all audio signals in the network from the network switch 6, and then sends the received audio signals to the mixer mixing module. The mixing control panel 1 responds to the user's mixing operation, sends the mixing instruction to the mixer control module 2, the mixer control module 2 parses the mixing instruction, and then notifies the mixer mixing module to perform audio mixing on the audio signals whose current volume value is not 0. After the mixer mixing module completes the audio mixing, it outputs the audio signals through the mixer audio output module 5.

[0039] Optionally, as Figure 3 shown, this embodiment also provides a method for an IP mixer without limiting the number of audio signals, which is applied to the above system. The method includes:

[0040] Step 100: When the mixer control module starts, obtain the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels in the target network, and push the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels to the mixer audio input module;

[0041] Step 200: After the mixer audio input module receives the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all audio channels pushed by the mixer control module, send a subscription instruction to a preset switch to subscribe to the audio signals of all audio channels. After receiving the subscription instruction, the switch forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer audio input module, and the mixer audio input module forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer mixing module again;

[0042] Step 300: Receive the user's mixing operation on the mixing control panel to send the mixing instruction for controlling the audio channel number and volume value of the corresponding audio channel to the mixer control module;

[0043] Step 400: After the mixer control module receives the mixing instruction sent by the mixing control panel, notify the mixer mixing module to perform audio mixing calculation on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels;

[0044] Step 500: After the mixer mixing module completes the audio mixing calculation process, notify the mixer audio output module to perform audio output on the mixed audio data packets.

[0045] Further, as Figure 4 shown, the method for an IP mixer without limiting the number of audio signals in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0046] ①When the mixer control module starts, it obtains the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all channels in the network through the NMOS IS-04 protocol, and notifies the mixer audio input module to process them;

[0047] ②After the mixer audio input module receives the UDP multicast addresses and port numbers of the audio signals of all channels pushed by the mixer control module, it subscribes to the audio signals of all channels from the switch. After receiving the subscription information, the switch starts to forward the audio data packets of the corresponding channels to the mixer audio input module;

[0048] ③When the user performs mixing operations on the mixing control panel, the mixing control panel sends the volume values of the audio channels to the mixer control module through the TCP protocol;

[0049] ④After the mixer control module receives the audio channel numbers and volume values sent by the mixing control panel, it notifies the mixer mixing module to process them;

[0050] ⑤After the mixer mixing module completes the audio mixing calculation process, it notifies the mixer audio output module to perform audio output;

[0051] ⑥The mixer audio output module sends the mixed audio data to the network through UDP multicast;

[0052] The algorithm for the audio mixing calculation in step ⑤ is specifically as follows:

[0053] I. Loop to read the current audio signal Y and volume X of all audio channels;

[0054] II. For each channel with a volume X greater than 0, execute Z = Y * X;

[0055] III. Add up the Z values of all channels with a volume X greater than 0, and then divide by the number of audio channels with a volume X greater than 0 to obtain Average_Z;

[0056] IV. Average_Z is the output audio signal after audio mixing;

[0057] Specifically, the value range of the volume X is from 0 to 1, where 0 represents the lowest volume and 1 represents the highest volume. The audio signal Y is a 24-bit signed integer, and its value range is from -8388608 to 8388607.

[0058] Furthermore, in step ①, UDP (User Datagram Protocol) multicast is a communication method that allows one or more senders (multicast sources) to send a single data packet to a group of receivers (multicast group) without establishing separate connections between each receiver. The UDP multicast address is within the range of special IPv4 addresses and is specifically used for multicast communication, ranging from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. The multicast port number is used to identify a specific application or service at the receiving end. In an IP video switcher system with an unlimited number of video signals, each video signal will be bound to a UDP multicast address and port number.

[0059] Furthermore, in step ①, the NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) protocol is a set of open specifications proposed by AMWA (Advanced Media Workflow Association) for the management and control of professional media workflows on IP (Internet Protocol) networks. The IS-04 protocol is one of a set of standards developed by AMWA (Advanced Media Workflow Association) to promote interoperability between media devices based on IP networks. NMOS IS-04 focuses on device discovery and registration, and its full name is "Node Discovery & Registration". The NMOS IS-04 protocol provides a mechanism that allows media devices to self-announce and register their functions and presence on the network, enabling the control layer software to discover, control, and manage these devices. This greatly simplifies the deployment and management of network media workflows and reduces the need for manual configuration.

[0060] Specifically, in step ③, the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) protocol is a key protocol in the Internet Protocol Suite (commonly known as TCP / IP) and is mainly used to provide reliable, connection-oriented data transfer services in an unreliable interconnected network. TCP is located in the transport layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model and works together with IP (Internet Protocol) to form the basis of modern Internet data communication.

[0061] Optionally, the UDP multicast (one-to-many) in step ⑥ is a communication method that sends data packets to multiple receivers simultaneously in a network, and is particularly suitable for application scenarios such as real-time media streams, web conferencing, online games, and other scenarios that require sending data to a group of clients. Multicast is different from unicast (one-to-one) and broadcast (one-to-all) communication methods. It allows one or more senders to send data packets to a specific multicast address, which represents a group of interested receivers, rather than just a single destination or the entire network.

[0062] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0063] (1) Unlimited number of audio signals: An IP-based mixer can receive and process any audio stream from the network, and there is theoretically no limit to the number of signals. This means that the system can be easily expanded to accommodate more audio sources without being restricted by the number of physical interfaces.

[0064] (2) High scalability: The IP architecture allows new inputs or outputs to be easily added by simply adding the corresponding devices to the network without the need to add additional physical lines. This not only simplifies the wiring but also reduces costs.

[0065] (3) Flexibility and remote access: An IP-based mixer is not restricted by physical location and can be remotely accessed and controlled, enabling the device to be deployed at different locations and centrally managed through the network. This is very beneficial for large venues or scenarios that require remote operation.

[0066] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner. The key point of each embodiment is to illustrate the differences from other embodiments. For the same or similar parts among the embodiments, reference can be made to each other.

[0067] In this article, specific examples are used to elaborate on the principles and implementation manners of the present invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manners and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for an IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals, characterized in that: A system applied to an IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals, the system comprising: a mixing control panel, a mixing console control module, a mixing console audio input module, a mixing console audio mixing module and a mixing console audio output module; the mixing console control module is used to query all audio signals in a target network at startup, and notify the mixing console audio input module to subscribe to audio signals; the mixing console audio input module is used to subscribe to all audio signals in the target network to a preset switch after receiving a notification from the mixing console control module, and send the received audio data packets to the mixing console mixing module; the mixing control panel is used to respond to the user's tuning operation, and send the responded tuning instruction to the mixing console control module; the mixing console control module is used to parse the tuning instruction, and notify the mixing console mixing module to perform audio mixing on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels; the mixing console mixing module is used to perform audio mixing calculations, and output the mixed audio data packets through the mixing console audio output module; The method comprises: When the mixer control module is started, the UDP multicast address and port number of the audio signals of all audio channels in the target network are obtained, and the UDP multicast address and port number of the audio signals of all audio channels are pushed to the mixer audio input module; When the mixer audio input module receives the UDP multicast address and port number of the audio signals of all audio channels pushed by the mixer control module, it sends a subscription instruction to the preset switch to subscribe to the audio signals of all audio channels. After receiving the subscription instruction, the switch forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer audio input module, and forwards the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels to the mixer mixing module again through the mixer audio input module; Receiving a user's tuning operation on the tuning control panel, and sending a tuning instruction for controlling the audio channel number and volume value of the corresponding audio channel to the mixer control module; After the mixer control module receives the tuning command sent by the tuning control panel, it notifies the mixer mixing module to perform audio mixing calculation on the audio data packets of the corresponding audio channels; After the audio mixing module of the audio mixer completes the audio mixing calculation processing, the audio output module of the audio mixer is notified to output the audio data packet after the mixing processing; The steps of audio mixing calculation include: Loop through the audio data packets of all corresponding audio channels to read the current audio signal Y and volume X; For each audio channel whose volume X is greater than 0, Z=Y*X is executed; Z represents the value of the processed audio signal; The Z values ​​of all audio channels whose volume X is greater than 0 are added, and then the result of the addition is divided by the number of audio channels whose volume X is greater than 0 to obtain Average_Z; Average_Z is the output audio signal in the audio data packet after audio mixing.

2. The method of IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals according to claim 1, characterized in that: After notifying the audio output module of the mixer to output the audio data packet after the mixing process, it also includes: The audio output module of the mixer is used to send the mixed audio data packets to the target network through UDP multicast.

3. The method of IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals according to claim 1, characterized in that: The UDP multicast address and port number of the audio signals of all audio channels in the target network are obtained through the NMOS IS-04 protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of audio signals of an IP mixer is unlimited. The audio channel number and volume value of the corresponding audio channel are sent to the mixer control module through the TCP protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 for an IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals, characterized in that: The value range of the volume X is 0-1.

6. The method of claim 1 for an IP mixer with unlimited number of audio signals, characterized in that: The current audio signal Y is a 24-bit signed integer with a value range of -8388608 to 8388607.

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