Desktop Microphone Sidetone Mixing for Low-Latency Wireless Headsets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless headphones and headsets face challenges in providing sidetone with low latency, leading to choral effects that interfere with speech patterns, as existing systems often have transmission delays that exceed acceptable thresholds.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a microphone with a mixing circuit and a wireless transmitter that combines audio signals with sidetone and transmits them to a headset with low-latency radios, reducing transmission time to less than 10 milliseconds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless transmission is used to connect microphone and headset, then ease of operation is improved, but transmission latency increases causing choral effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the audio transmission path into two independent wireless channels: one for the sidetone signal (microphone to headset) and another for the media audio signal (computer to headset). This segmentation allows each channel to be optimized independently, with the sidetone channel using low-latency protocols to minimize delay and prevent choral effects, while the media audio channel can use higher-latency protocols without affecting speech quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If professional-grade equipment is used to achieve low latency, then transmission precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a software intermediary layer that processes and manages the audio signals. This software intermediary handles the mixing of sidetone and media audio, manages the wireless transmission protocols, and coordinates the timing to ensure low latency. By using software-based control rather than requiring complex hardware modifications, the system achieves professional-grade transmission precision while keeping device complexity and cost at consumer-friendly levels.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided for processing audio. The system includes a headset having an audio output and a wireless receiver; and a microphone having a first audio input, a second audio input, a mixing circuit, and a wireless transmitter, the first audio input configured to receive a first audio signal and provide the first audio signal to the mixing circuit, the second audio input configured to receive a second audio signal and provide the second audio signal to the mixing circuit, the mixing circuit configured to mix the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a mixed signal, and the wireless transmitter configured to transmit the mixed signal to the wireless receiver with low latency.