Patent Application
20110063230
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of control and manipulation of a digital audio signal by a user manipulable touch sensitive control surface. The present invention is specifically applicable to user manipulation of digital audio signals by disc jockeys (DJs).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Scratch effects controllers for live disc jockey musical performances (DJing) have become a popular replacement by DJs for conventional turntable and phonographic LP records for producing a “scratch effect” or to generally manipulate the speed and direction of music.
The original “scratch effect” is a very specific sound produced when a DJ simultaneously performs two actions. The DJ rotationally manipulates a vinyl record on a phonographic turntable in a rapid forward and backward movement. While doing this, the DJ also modulates the sound from the turntable on a DJ audio mixer, by quickly moving the mixer's cross fader back and forth in a rhythmic fashion.
Scratch effects controllers 100 have been developed to simulate this user manipulation of a vinyl record on a phonographic turntable. Instead of a turntable, phonographic record, needle, and magnet cartridge, the scratch effect controller generally contains a user rotatable mechanical disc 101. This user rotatable disc can come in a variety of forms including a vinyl, metal, or plastic disc, or a jog wheel. The surface is capable of freely rotating either clockwise or counter clockwise. There is generally some type of optical encoder and optical sensor operationally attached to the user rotatable disc to detect speed, relative position, and direction of rotation. Some controllers try to more accurately simulate the functionality of a conventional phonographic turntable by having a rotatable platter under the user rotatable disc 102. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,690 to Segers and U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,249 to Huang. This platter is often driven by a motor in order to simulate the motion and feel of phonographic turntable platter. These arrangements tend to be bulky, heavy, expensive, and complex and therefore are not ideal for portable applications. In addition, the user rotatable disc is limited to rotary motion on the entire surface and can only be used for one function at a time. For example, the disc can be used to control a scratch effect, or jog and shuttle quickly through music passage, but not both at the same time.
DJ CD players 200 have incorporated similar functionality as the scratch effect controller. They typically have a rotatable jog wheel 201 that responds to circumferential motion by the user. As with the scratch effect controller, the user rotatable jog wheel is limited to rotary motion on the entire surface and can only be used for one function at a time. Because there is a mechanical rotating jog wheel or platter, DJ CD players 200 with a user rotatable surface tend to have complex mechanical arrangements and tend to be bulky, heavy, expensive, and not ideal for portable applications.
There have been attempts to solve the problem of portability. There are several DJ controllers that contain small lightweight mechanical or opto/mechanical rotary controls. These tend to be less accurate and more difficult to control, then the previously described controllers. They also suffer from the same limitation of allowing only one function at a time on the user manipulable disc.
Other attempts to solve the portability problem have included the use of a mouse with a personal computer and specialized software that creates a scratch effect from the mouse's motion. Creating a scratch effect with a mouse is not desirable because the act of grasping the mouse is cumbersome and hinders the DJ's performance. Alternately, a computer touch pad can be used in place of the mouse. The touch pad offers the advantage of potentially better control than the mouse but suffers several disadvantages: (1) only linear motion is possible, and (2) a standard touch pad can not provide direct visual feedback as to help the DJ refine their performance.
Rotary touch pads have been incorporated into portable audio devices 300. The typically have function switches 301 as well as a touch sensitive surface 302. The touch sensitive surface 302 responds to circumferential motion from the user. Because they tend to be small, performing an accurate scratch effect suitable for live performance by a professional DJ is not desirable. For this reason, devices have been created that externalize the critical performance control functionality. For example, see US 2007/0280489 to Roman.
Display technology has been incorporated into DJ platters. US 20070234889 to Rotolo de Moraes suggests the use of multiple sensor under the jog wheel control to provide discrete regions of functionality. In addition Rotolo de Moraes teaches visual feedback on a DJ control wheel through discrete LEDs mainly as a learning tool and to provide some type of scoring mechanism for competition. US 2007/0274181 to Yao teaches a way of providing visual feedback through the use of blinking lights on the platter surface.
However, none of the above mentioned devices solve the problem of portability, durability, and accuracy for creating scratch effects on a DJ control surface.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved control and display device for DJs that is portable, durable, and provides accurate and precise control of audio parameters including a scratch effect.
This and other objects are attained in the present disclosure by a DJ control device that provides a substantially circumferentially shaped multi-function touch pad control device where the outer portion of the touch pad responds to circumferential motion and the center of the touch pad responds to linear motion. The circumferential shape and response to circumferential motion on the outer edge of the touch pad provides the user with an interface that is analogous to a rotating platter. Integrating response to linear motion in the central portion of the touchpad surface provides for an unprecedented degree of control and flexibility not normally available to the DJ on a compact control device.
In one embodiment, the user can create a scratch effect with an up and down linear motion in the central portion of the touch pad device. At the same time, the DJ can create either a scratch effect or jog/shuttle effect on the outer portion of touch pad with a back and forth circumferential motion.
In another embodiment, the user can obtain direct real-time visual feedback of their performance from display elements, typically LEDs, or an LCD display mounted below the plane of the touch pad. These display elements can be mounted directly under the touch pad, in the case of a translucent touch pad device, mounted to the side of the touch pad, or a combination of the two. The display elements are capable of displaying both circumferential motion and linear motion.
In another embodiment, mode or assignment switches can be used to change the functionality of the touch pad device. For example, a “Vinyl” mode switch closely analogous to the features and functions a DJ performs on a turntable platter. The outer portion of the touch pad surface can simulate a jog, shuttle or a coarse scratch effect depending on the type of circumferential motion provided by the user. The central portion however, responds to linear motion back and forth motion as a scratch effect, an effect unavailable on a rotating platter device. A second example, the “Trigger” mode switch gives the ability to use the touch pad device to load and select song tracks. The outer portion of the touch pad device, responding to circumferential motion, can be used to scroll through the song tracks quickly. This is useful if there are a large number of song tracks. The central portion of the touch pad device, responding to linear motion, can be used to slowly scroll through and select song tracks.
In still another embodiment, the touch pad device may be further configured so that portions of the outer circumferential portion can be segmented to provide an area circumferentially shaped on the outer edge and partially parallel to the linearly responsive central portion of the touch pad on the inner edge. That portion of the outer circumferential surface could respond to both linear and circumferential motion. In this embodiment, mode select switches can be used to control functionality such as “Vinyl” mode and “Trigger” mode in substantially the same manner as previous described. It can also allow for additional control modes that require multiple linear controls. For example, equalization typically requires three controls, one from bass, mid range, and treble.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views.
Other controls included in this embodiment of DJ controller 400 are mode select switches 401-406, general purpose linear touch sensitive controls 407 and corresponding display 408, trigger selectors 409, and transport selectors 411-414. The mode select switches 401-406 determine what audio parameters the DJ controller 400 will control. In this embodiment six sets of audio parameters may be controlled these are: FX 401, LOOP 402, VINYL 403, EQ 404, TRIGGER 405, and DECK 406. Other modes of operation and control are possible in addition to those described in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the mode select switches are standard tact switches. However, other means to select mode of operation are possible, this including any equivalent standard electronic selection apparatus. This includes but is not limited to standard momentary push switches, membrane switches, reed switches, and capacitive touch pad switches. The general-purpose linear touch sensitive controls 407 in this embodiment are used to control sound level or gain, and pitch. Other functionality may be assigned to the general-purpose linear touch sensitive controls 407. Each general-purpose linear touch sensitive control 407 has a corresponding display element 408 that gives the user feedback as to the current control level. This corresponding display element 408 in this embodiment is a column of LEDs but may also be an equivalent display including but not limited to LCD, oLED or vacuum florescent or plasma. The trigger selectors 409 trigger specific actions based on which mode select switch 401-406 is actuated. The transport selectors 411-414 simulate the functionality of a transport control on an DJ audio playback unit. In this embodiment, the transport controls include PLAY 411, CUE 412, SYNC 413, and TAP 414.
In the present embodiment, the central portion 522 has four sides. The top and bottom are arced segments that are substantially concentric with the outer edge of the circumferential portion 521. The left and right sides are substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel the bases of the arced segments. The circumferential portion 521 and central portion 522 are formed from two custom shaped capacitive touch pads with no gap between the two in order to form a continuous surface.
In
As discussed previously, each of the mode select switches 401-406 determine what audio parameters will be controlled by DJ controller 400. In addition, selection of a mode of operation by a mode select switch 401-406 can change the responsiveness of each portion and sub-portion of the touch sensitive surface 600. For example, selecting the VINYL mode select switch 403 places the DJ controller 400 in turntable simulation mode. In this mode the internal processor 1000 controls positional based audio parameters such as jog, shuttling, or scrubbing through play position as well as the well-known DJ “scratch effect”. In VINYL mode, all sub-portions 602-604 act as a single circumferential portion and in this embodiment is disposed to only respond to circumferential motion as illustrated by user imparted motion 622-625. The central portion 601 is disposed to respond to only vertical linear motion. A fast vertical back and forth motion imparted by the user in the central portion 601 is used in VINYL mode to impart a “scratch effect”.
Selecting either the FX mode select switch 401 or EQ mode select switch 404 will configure the touch pad as in
Visual indicators 610, 611, and 612 are active in both FX mode and EQ mode in the present embodiment, while visual indicator 430 is inactive. Visual indicator 610 is disposed to indicate vertical linear motion imparted by the user in portion 603. Visual indicator 611 is disposed to indicate vertical linear motion imparted by the user in central portion 601. Visual indicator 612 is used to indicate vertical linear motion imparted by the user in sub-portion 605. In EQ mode, in the present embodiment, sub-portions 603, 605, and the central portion 601 are each used to control a single equalizer band, low, high, and mid frequencies respectively. In FX mode, in the present embodiment, sub-portions 603, 605, and the central portion 601 are each used to control a different effects parameter.
In LOOP mode, in the present embodiment, sub-portions 803, 804, 806, 807 and central portion 801 act like trigger switches. The internal processor 1000 will interpret any touch in sub-portions 803, 804, 806, 807 and central portion 801 as a switch triggering action. The user will typically tap on one of sub-portions 803,804, 806, and 807 or central portion 801 in order to actuate a specific audio looping event, for example tapping 824 on sub-portion 803. All motions, for example 822 or 820 will be ignored and interpreted as a single actuating event. The internal processor 1000 will ignore any user input from sub-portions 802 and 805.
In LOOP mode, in the present invention, the visual indicators 610, 611, and 612 only light a single LED to indicate which portion or sub-portion was tapped. For example, user tapping of sub-portion 803 at location 824 will cause LED 811 to illuminate.
Referring to
The processor receives input from mode switches 401-406 through signal 1002. In the present embodiment, only one mode switch 401-406 may be selected at a time. Those skilled in the art will recognize many ways connect switch signals 1002 to an internal processor 1000. Based on what modes switch 410-406 is selected, the internal processor 1000 will either accept or ignore input and types of input, i.e. tapping, circumferential motion, or linear motion, from the central portion 601 and each of the circumferential sub-portions 602-605. Depending on the mode of operation selected by mode switches 401-406, the internal processor 1000 will format the data received from the touch sensitive surface 600 as a series of commands. In the present embodiment, the data is formatted into MIDI data. MIDI data is used because it is a standard command protocol for music equipment and can be readily recognized and used by external music software 1010 residing on a personal computer 900. Other types of command protocol are possible including proprietary data protocol that can be translated to MIDI or other standard data format via middleware software within a personal computer 900. The series of commands are transmitted 1003 to digital communications protocol device 1004. In the present invention, this is a USB controller. The USB controller will format the data according to USB communication protocol. Other digital communications protocols are possible, for example, IEEE-1394 (FireWire), Ethernet, wireless 802.11, wireless 802.15, or wireless BlueTooth. In the case of FireWire, the digital communications protocol device would actually be two devices: a IEEE-1394 PHY driver and LINK layer controller. Those skilled in the art will recognize that digital communications protocol device 1004 can be combined with the internal processor 1000 into a single device.
The digital communications protocol device 1004 transmits standard computer communications protocol 901 to a personal computer 900. In the present embodiment, the standard communications protocol would be USB transmitted through a USB cable. The personal computer 900 receives the standard computer communications protocol typically through a software driver that resides below the operating system. The software driver communicates to the operating system. The operating system, in turn communicates to computer application software 1010. The computer application software interprets the commands that were originally generated by the processor 1000 internal to the DJ controller 400 and in turn manipulates or modulates a digital audio stream 1009 within the computer 1010.
Within the DJ controller 400, the internal processor 1000 drives LED arrays 1007. In the present embodiment, this is done through processor ports 1006. The processor 1000 may either drive the LEDs directly based on user manipulation of touch sensitive surface 600 or indirectly from commands received back from the computer 900.
Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.
