Digital Mixer Channel Strip Grouping for Efficient Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital mixers inefficiently use channel strips when handling correlated channels, requiring burdensome manual assignment and limiting control to only concurrent parameters, leading to inefficient use of channel strips.
Innovation Solution
A digital mixer with a channel definition setting portion, channel strip selecting portion, and processing channel selecting portion that allows automatic assignment of channels to strips based on definitions, enabling efficient control of channel parameters through shared and individual operating elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If one channel is assigned to each channel strip, then each channel can be controlled individually, but the number of channel strips required increases, leading to inefficient use of channel strips and increased device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Each channel strip is designed to handle multiple functions: it can control a single channel individually or multiple correlated channels simultaneously. The channel strip becomes a universal control unit that adapts its function based on the channel assignment mode, eliminating the need for separate control mechanisms for individual and grouped channels.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple correlated channels (such as stereo pairs or surround channels) are merged into a single channel strip assignment. When channels are assigned in groups, their control parameters are combined and managed together through one channel strip, reducing the total number of strips needed while maintaining individual parameter controllability through the group control mechanism.
2Device complexity
If multiple channels are assigned to a DCA strip, then channel strip usage becomes more efficient, but the manipulation becomes burdensome and troublesome requiring manual selection of all channels
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automatic assignment of channels to channel strips based on predefined correlation relationships (such as stereo pairs or surround channel groups). This preliminary action eliminates the need for users to manually select and assign each channel individually, as the assignment is automatically configured based on the correlated channel relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel assignment system serves itself by automatically identifying and grouping correlated channels based on predefined rules and relationships. The system autonomously configures which channels should be assigned together to the same channel strip without requiring user intervention, making the assignment process self-service and eliminating manual manipulation burden.
3Device complexity
If channels are assigned to DCA strip for group control, then efficient use of channel strips is achieved, but control is limited to only concurrent parameters affecting all assigned channels
Solution Approach 1:
The channel strip control system implements local quality by allowing different parameter control modes within the same channel strip. While group control provides concurrent adjustment for correlated parameters, individual parameter control remains available for specific channels within the group. This creates a differentiated control structure where the same physical interface adapts its control characteristics based on the specific parameter and channel being adjusted.
Data Source
AI summary
On a digital mixer, each channel is given a channel definition defining whether the channel is to be used individually or to be used as a group along with a certain channel. When a channel strip to which a user desires to assign and a channel which the user desires to assign are selected, it is determined whether the selected channel is a channel to be used individually or to be used as a group. When it is determined that the selected channel is to be used as a group, channels belonging to the group are assigned to the selected channel strip so that the user can concurrently control respective channels' values of a parameter by use of an operating element provided on the selected channel strip.