Audio Interface Function Matrices for Low-Latency Signal Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Professional recording studios face challenges in providing custom monitor mixes to multiple musicians without introducing significant audio latency, which is exacerbated by the use of general-purpose operating systems and the need for additional hardware like mixers, leading to increased cost and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses an audio interface with processors and function matrices to distribute audio signals from multiple inputs to multiple outputs, allowing for user-defined custom mixes without additional hardware, by processing user input signals through a transforming stack of function matrices to update and propagate gain factors, reducing latency and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple musicians require custom monitor mixes on their headphones, then the ability to provide separate mixes is improved, but audio latency increases due to processing in the general-purpose operating system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio processing system into a general-purpose computing platform and a dedicated real-time audio processing unit. The dedicated unit handles time-critical audio signal processing and distribution separately from the general-purpose OS, allowing custom mixes to be provided to multiple musicians while maintaining low latency through hardware-level processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dedicated real-time audio processing unit as an intermediary between the general-purpose computer and the audio output devices. This intermediary handles the time-critical audio processing tasks, isolating them from the general-purpose OS scheduling delays and providing low-latency custom monitor mixes to multiple musicians simultaneously.
2Reliability
If additional hardware like mixers is used to provide separate mixes, then the quality of audio distribution is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the audio interface card universally capable of providing custom monitor mixes to multiple musicians simultaneously. The single audio interface includes multiple headphone outputs and processing channels, eliminating the need for separate mixers or additional hardware while maintaining professional audio distribution quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of multiple separate devices (computer, mixer, multiple audio interfaces) into a single integrated audio interface card. This consolidation provides separate custom mixes to multiple musicians while reducing hardware complexity and cost by eliminating the need for external mixers and multiple audio interfaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional components like switches and rotary controls are added to the audio interface, then the functionality for custom mixes is improved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical controls (switches, rotary controls, potentiometers) with software-based control interfaces. The audio interface card provides comprehensive mixing functionality through digital signal processing and software applications, eliminating the need for expensive mechanical components while maintaining full adaptability for custom monitor mixes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements mixing functionality through software parameters and digital signal processing rather than physical hardware controls. Users can adjust mix parameters, gain levels, and routing configurations through software interfaces, providing the same adaptability as mechanical controls without the associated manufacturing costs and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Distributing audio signals from a plurality of audio inputs to a plurality of outputs in response to a user-defined distribution is shown. The user-defined distribution is processed by a layered stack of function matrices, each layer including a two-dimensional array of function nodes. Node functions in a layer are updated in response to user-input signals to implement functionality such as signal masking and signal routing. The user-defined distribution is transformed by processing it through the layered stack to define a transformed distribution. The layered stack facilitates comprehensive mixing facilities on low cost signal processing hardware. The transforming layers include a virtual bus-applying layer to reduce the dimensions of the transformed distribution, minimizing the cost of hardware further.