Touchscreen Control Surface for Surround Sound Panning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current control surfaces for surround sound panning in audio processing systems lack an efficient and intuitive mechanism for defining and automating the motion of sound fields over time, particularly in sound-for-picture applications, where precise control of sound positioning is required.
Innovation Solution
A control surface incorporating a touchscreen with a color liquid crystal display, combined with a joystick and rotary encoder, enables operators to input and display sound position and movement, featuring an autoglide operation that interpolates between initial and desired sound positions over a set time period, allowing for smooth and timed sound panning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional control devices (joysticks, faders, encoders) are used for surround sound panning, then the control mechanism is well-established and reliable, but the interface is complex and lacks intuitiveness for defining sound field motion over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical control devices (joysticks, faders, encoders) with a touchscreen interface that accepts capacitive input. This substitution provides a more intuitive graphical interface for defining sound field positions and motion over time, while maintaining the underlying mechanical or digital control mechanisms for actual signal manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the control interface by displaying sound field positions across multiple frames or time points on the touchscreen. This allows operators to define and visualize sound motion over time in a two-dimensional spatial representation, making it easier to control dynamic panning operations compared to traditional single-moment controls.
2Productivity
If automation recording is used to capture control states over time, then the editing process is streamlined, but modifying recorded automation requires complex touch-sensitive control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the touchscreen to create visual copies or representations of the recorded automation data, displaying it as a waveform or sequence of positions on the screen. Operators can then directly manipulate these visual representations by touching or dragging elements on the display, simplifying the modification process compared to traditional methods that require interpreting physical control device positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchscreen serves multiple functions: it displays the recorded automation data, allows direct manipulation of that data through touch gestures, and provides visual feedback during playback. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would traditionally require separate display and control devices into a single universal interface.
3Measurement precision
If motorized devices are used that move during playback of recorded automation, then the control surface provides dynamic feedback, but the devices lack precision for defining exact sound positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows operators to pre-define exact sound positions by touching specific locations on the touchscreen display before playback begins. These positions are recorded and stored as precise target points, ensuring measurement precision is established in advance rather than relying solely on real-time motorized device positioning during playback.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the precision and efficiency of surround sound panning by allowing operators to easily define and automate sound motion, improving the editing process in audio compositions by providing a user-friendly interface for complex sound movements, such as those required in film soundtracks.
Implementation Method 1
The capacitive material is activated by a finger tip or other capacitive instrument, including but not limited to an active stylus
Data Source
AI summary
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.