EP0471814A1

EP0471814A1 - Multichannel device for digital recording and reproduction of audio signals

Info

Publication number: EP0471814A1
Application number: EP19910905116
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas M. Reussner; Michael T. Britting
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-03-13
Filing date: 1991-03-12
Publication date: 1992-02-26
Also published as: JPH04505984A; DE4008081A1; AU639769B2; DE9116857U1; CA2058303A1; AU7443191A; WO1991014317A1

Abstract

Un dispositif multicanal d'enregistrement et de reproduction numériques de signaux audio possède une pluralité d'entrées et de sorties numériques ou analogiques et une ou plusieurs mémoires numériques. Ce dispositif permet d'obtenir des possibilités illimitées dans le temps d'enregistrer et de reproduire avec un nombre de canaux illimités pour l'enregistrement et la reproduction, d'avoir accès à n'importe quel point de l'enregistrement instantanément, d'exécuter sans risque le réenregistrement et le montage, et de sélectionner librement la durée d'un fondu sonore. Pour cela, ce dispositif possède un circuit d'interface bidirectionnel pourvu d'entrées et de sorties qui est connecté, par l'intermédiaire d'un bus de système conduisant des groupes de données parallèles, à un ou plusieurs modules de mémoire montés en parallèle, un circuit de commande principal connecté au bus de système et au(x) module(s) de mémoire et pouvant être commandé par une unité de commande; chaque module de mémoire possède au moins une mémoire numérique avec un support d'information interchangeable et au moins une mémoire tampon de sorte que les signaux audio à mettre en mémoire sont gardés dans la mémoire tampon pour être traités ou pendant le changement du support d'information.A multichannel digital recording and reproducing device for audio signals has a plurality of digital or analog inputs and outputs and one or more digital memories. This device allows to obtain unlimited possibilities in time to record and reproduce with an unlimited number of channels for recording and reproduction, to have access to any point of the recording instantly, to safely re-record and edit, and freely select the duration of a fade-out. For this, this device has a bidirectional interface circuit provided with inputs and outputs which is connected, via a system bus leading parallel data groups, to one or more memory modules connected in parallel. , a main control circuit connected to the system bus and to the memory module (s) and capable of being controlled by a control unit; each memory module has at least one digital memory with an interchangeable information medium and at least one buffer memory so that the audio signals to be stored are kept in the buffer memory for processing or during the change of the medium information.

Description

Multi-channel device for digitally recording and reproducing audio signals

The invention relates to a multi-channel device for digitally recording and reproducing audio signals with a plurality of digital or analog inputs and outputs and with one or more digital memories.

In multi-channel recording technology for audio signals, tape machines exist in analog and digital technology for recording and reproducing audio signals with multiple digital or analog inputs and outputs and a fixed number of channels.

In addition to the limited, predetermined number of channels, these devices have a limited playing time. In addition, a time-consuming search is required to access a specific tape location, although the exact tape location is not always met with certainty. When dubbing tape points that have already been recorded (overdubbing), it is no longer possible to postpone the fade-in and fade-out times or change the fade-in time after the dubbing, so that valuable original recordings can be partially destroyed. When compiling individual music passages (editing), the mechanical cut is used, which destroys original recordings. The invention has for its object to provide unlimited recording and playback options for an unlimited number of channels for recording and playback, with instant access to any S parts of the recording, risk-free feasibility of overdubbing and editing and free choice of Duration of the crossfade.

In the device mentioned at the outset, it is provided according to the invention that a bidirectional interface circuit, which has inputs and outputs, via a group system bus carrying parallel data is connected to one or more memory modules connected in parallel, a main controller which can be controlled by means of an operating unit being coupled to the system bus and the memory module (s), and that each memory module has at least one digital memory with exchangeable memory medium and at least one digital buffer memory in this way has that the audio signals to be stored are kept ready for their processing or during the exchange of the storage medium in the buffer memory. An approximately filled medium can be exchanged for an empty medium without interrupting the recording, since the audio data arrive at the input of the buffer memory at a lower rate than can be written into the digital memory with exchangeable storage medium at the output of the buffer memory, so that the available recording time and, analogously in the reverse direction of data flow, the playback time is limited by the properties of the device

The main controller is expediently connected to the memory modules via a communication ring carrying control signals. It is also advisable to add a separate controller to each memory module, which independently initiates the functions of the memory module triggered by the main controller and monitors their execution

In an expedient embodiment of the invention, the number of channels required for the recording can be expanded as desired by adding a corresponding number of memory modules to the device, which are connected in parallel for the audio signals to the system bus and, moreover ^: controlled by the communication loop of the main control are. Each memory module can then be designed as an insert which can be inserted into a contact strip inside the device. It is understood that the contact bar with the system bus connected is.

It is recommended that the control unit has a remote control, the buttons of which have a mechanical stroke and are assigned to the functions recording, playback and stop, among other things.

Furthermore, it is advisable to add a display and a device for pointing to display elements of the display to the control unit, wherein the functions of the main control can be assigned to a location or a sequence on the display or a key sequence of the remote control in the control unit.

Exchangeable data media such as magneto-optical, optical or magnetic disk storage or tape cassette storage can be considered as archive storage

Appropriately, several parallel, bidirectional format converters are provided in the interface unit, which can read in and / or output various serial data formats with their own or externally specified clock rate at their inputs and, on the other hand, parallel data in groups with a uniform, internal data format on the system bus output and / or read from the system bus. The format converters are also expediently designed as inserts and can be plugged into a contact strip connected to the system bus.

Another advantage that is significant for studio technology results in the device with the features of claim 1 by the possibility of performing multi-track cuts with all available channels of the device without destroying the original recordings. It is also possible to repeat or record a fixed time interval without interruption. Time-shortened or stretched playback of recorded audio sounds while maintaining the original pitch is possible without a great deal of computing time, since the memory modules contain independent controllers which can carry out the necessary computing process parallel.

Interventions in the organization of the device can be carried out particularly easily when assemblies of the controller and assemblies of the interface circuit are designed as multiply programmable logic arrays, the main controller preferably programming the multiply programmable logic arrays each time the device is switched on.

A particularly high level of flexibility in the management, processing and transmission of the data within the device can be achieved if the controller and the main control circuit consist of a network of subcontrollers, the network connections between the individual subcontrollers having a uniform signal and data format and the Data exchange between the subcontrollers is serial.

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in the figure; for the rest, reference is made to preferred embodiments of the invention.

The device essentially consists of an interface unit 1, one or more memory modules 3, 30, a main controller 4 and an operating unit 6. A system bus 2 connects the interface unit to the memory modules via Merrfacωeitongen 32,34,36 3, 30.

The main controller 4 controls the data flows of the system bus 2 during the various functional sequences and is connected to the system bus 2 via a multiple line 38. It also controls the functional sequences of the memory modules 3, 30 and is connected to the memory modules 3, 30 in series via a communication ring 5 carrying control signals. The main controller 4 has a system subcontroller 27 and a master subcontroller 28, both of which are connected to the communication ring 5, but the system subcontroller is additionally connected to the system bus 2 via the multiple line 38.

The memory modules 3, 30 are constructed in the same way, so that the description of the memory module 3 suffices.

The memory module 3 consists of a controller 7 and one or more memory units, which are designated by 8 and each of which is connected to the controller 7 via a multiple line 42, 44, 46. In the example explained here, the storage units 8 are designed as two magnetic disk drives 24, 25 and a magneto-optical drive 26 with a removable disk as a data carrier 9. The storage modules 3, 30 are designed as inserts, each of which can be arranged in rows on a contact strip 29 of the system bus 2 and the communication ring 5 are housed.

The controller 7 consists of a symmetrical network of subcontrollers 18 ... 23. The network connections between the individual subcontrollers have a uniform signal and data format in accordance with the communication ring 5, with the data being exchanged serially. The I / O subcontroller 18 is connected to the system bus 2 via a multiple line 52. There are also network connections to the two RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 and the communication ring 5. Each of the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 contains a local buffer memory.

The RAM subcontroller 20 is connected to the SCSI subcontroller 23, which in turn is connected to the magnetic disk memory 25. The RAM subcontroller 19 is connected to the SCSI subcontroller 21, which in turn is connected to the magnetic disk memory 24. The SCSI subcontroller 22 is connected to both RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 and to the magneto-optical disk memory 26. All SCSI subcontrollers 21, 22, 23 are included in the communication ring 5.

The interface unit 1 houses bidirectional format converters 15, 16, 17 connected in parallel, each of which is connected to the system bus 2 via slots by means of the multiple lines 32, 34, 36. Each format converter 15, 16, 17 has input and / or output sockets 14 which allow the user to connect external signal sources and / or receivers to the device.

The control unit 6 is included in the communication ring 5 and has a personal computer 10 with a graphic display 12 and a remote control 11, both of which are connected to the communication ring 5 by means of a controller 13. The buttons on the remote control 11 have a mechanical stroke and are assigned, among other things, to the functions recording, playback and stop.

The personal computer with a graphic display graphically represents functional states, sequences and calls of the device and has a device for pointing to display elements of the display 12, which is designed here as a trackball 13. The function of the device in the operating state is described in detail below.

The interface unit 1 accommodates format converters 15 which can be combined in any way and which enable the device to be connected to devices customary in studio technology (mixing desks, tape machines, audio processors, etc.).

The serial data streams arriving at the inputs of the format converters 15, 16, 17 are read in with a selectable bit rate, and the bits that carry audio information and additional control bits are differentiated, ordered and supplied to the system bus 2 as parallel data words.

In the reverse direction of data flow, parallel data words are received by the format converters 15, 16, 17 via the system bus and the order of the bits that carry audio information and additional control bits are arranged in such a way that the resulting bit rate at the outputs of the format converters 15, 16, 17 transmitted data streams can be read and evaluated by the devices connected to the device.

The system bus 2 enables the device to be expanded at any time by additional inputs and outputs by the possibility of arranging the format converters 15, 16, 17 designed as inserts, which are connected to the system bus 2 by the multiple lines 32, 34, 36 and the contact strip 29.

The system bus 2 also enables the device to be expanded at any time by additional recording and playback capacity, both with regard to the audio channels provided and with regard to the recording time made available, by virtue of the ability to attach the memory modules 3 designed as inserts, which are connected to the system bus 2 by the Multiple line 52 and the contact strip 29 are connected. The system bus 2 transports audio data words between the format converters 15, 16, 17 themselves, between the format converters 15, 16, 17 and the memory modules 3 and vice versa, and between the memory modules 3 themselves.

The process of data transport on the system bus 2 is coordinated by the main control 4. In a periodically repeated sequence of data words, one position within this sequence corresponds to a specific audio channel. By specifying the position within the sequence, a channel number is assigned to each input or output of the format converters 15, 16, 17 and each channel of the memory modules 3. The main controller 4 can change the sequence and thus influences the channel assignment within the device. Simple reprogramming makes the otherwise very time-consuming rewiring of the connected devices superfluous.

The main controller 4 converts the functions of the device determined by the operator by means of the operating unit 6 into corresponding data flow sequences within the device.

For this purpose, the memory modules 3 and the control unit 6 are connected to the main controller 4 by a communication ring 5. The commands of the user entered on the operating unit 6 are forwarded to the main controller 4 by means of the communication ring 5, which converts these commands into control sequences and in turn forwards them to the memory modules 3 by means of the communication ring 5.

The memory modules 3 consist of an independently operating controller 7 and one or more memory units 8. The controller 7 can access all the memory units 8 belonging to the memory module 3 at the same time. Each controller 7 receives and sends parallel data words from the system bus 2 via the I / O subcontroller 18 received data words to the two RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 functioning as local buffer memories and at a later point in time stores them in one of the memory units 8 by means of the SCSI subcontrollers 21, 22, 23.

In the reverse data flow direction, the controller 7 retrieves the data words stored in the storage units 8 into the local buffer memory of the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 by means of the SCSI subcontrollers 21... 23 in order to use them later at the request of the main controller 4 by means of the Send I / O subcontrollers 18 to the system bus 2. The local buffer memories of the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 are designed such that data flows from or to the memory units 8 can take place simultaneously and always with the maximum data flow rate determined by the memory units 8.

The memory modules 3 are designed in accordance with the system bus 2 electrically, functionally and mechanically so that a row of the memory modules 3 in the device for the purpose of expansion with regard to the playing time and the number of channels provided to the device is possible at any time

Each memory module 3 is responsible for recording 8 audio channels each. For this purpose, the audio information received by the I / O subcontroller 18 and temporarily stored in the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 is initially stored temporarily in the magnetic disk memories 24, 25. This means that they are immediately available for playback. If the user wishes to listen to a specific passage after a recording has been made, the corresponding audio information is retrieved from the magnetic disk memories 24, 25 into the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 and by means of the I / O subcontroller 18, the system bus 2 and the format converter 15, 16, 17 made audible. The access times of the magnetic disk storage 24, 25 are so short that they are not perceptible to the user, ie he can directly access any point of a successful recording reach instantly.

In a parallel process running independently in the background, the audio data of a new recording temporarily stored in the magnetic disk memories 24, 25 are read out again, buffered by the RAM subcontrollers 19, 20 in order to be finally written to the data carrier 9 by means of the optical disk memory 26 . The recording of the device can thus be removed and can be archived. In addition, however, all the audio information is stored twice - on the one hand in the magnetic disk memories 24, 25, and on the other hand in the optical disk memory 26. When overdubbing, that is, an attempt to improve certain passages of a recording by re-recording this passage, the data of the new recording are initially only stored in the magnetic disk memories 24, 25, so the data of the passage to be improved remains unaffected in the optical disk memory 26. The data of the new recording as well as that of the recording to be improved are not changed until the user confirms that the new recording was successful. In order to judge whether the re-recording was successful, the cross-fades to the improved passage and back are simulated for the user. He can subsequently change the times and the duration of the cross-fades. If he rejects the new recording, the data of the passage to be improved is copied from the optical disk storage back into the magnetic disk storage and the new recording is thus reversed. If he confirms the new recording with the selected transitions as successful, the data of the new recording from the magnetic disk storage including the corresponding one Copies of transitions into the optical disk storage. As a result, overdubbing is completely risk-free by means of the disclosed device. When editing, i.e. putting together recordings in a new order desired by the user, the data of the recording also remain unaffected. It is only saved in which order and with which fade time the individual recordings are played back. The user can change the order and the fade time at any time or return to the version that has not yet been changed. This means that editing is completely risk-free.

In order to enable continuous recordings of any length of time, the data medium 9 can also be changed while the recording is in progress. For this purpose, the magnetic disk stores 24, 25 act as intermediate buffers with first-in-first-out characteristics. The audio data are written directly to the optical disk memory 26 until the data carrier 9 is full. It can now be exchanged for an empty one. The audio data arriving during the change are now temporarily stored on the magnetic disk memories 24, 25 in order then to be written onto the new data carrier 9 in the correct chronological order. Within a given time period, fewer audio data arrive at the input of the intermediate buffer formed by the magnetic disk memories 24, 25 than are written to the magneto-optical disk memory 26 at the output. As a result, after a change of the data carrier 9, the intermediate buffer is empty again within a sufficient time and the audio data can be written directly onto the optical disk memory 26 until the new data carrier 9 is full the next time.

This means that you can repeat the change of a full disk 9 for an empty one as often as you want. The data recorded on the data carriers 9 combine seamlessly to record any length of time.

Claims

Expectations

1. Multi-channel device for digitally recording and reproducing audio signals with a plurality of digital or analog inputs and outputs and with one or more digital memories, characterized in that a bidirectional interface unit (1) which has the inputs and outputs (14), A system bus (2) carrying a group of parallel data is connected to one or more memory modules (3) connected in parallel, a main controller (4) which can be controlled by means of an operating unit (6) having the system bus (2) and the memory module (s) (3 ) and that each memory module (3) has at least one digital memory (26) with exchangeable storage medium (9) and at least one digital buffer memory (24, 25) in such a way that the audio signals to be stored are used for processing or during the exchange of the storage medium (9) can be kept in the buffer memory (24, 25).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the main control (4) with the memory modules (3) via a control signal carrying communication ring (5) is connected

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the memory modules (3) each have their own controller (7) and each have their own storage units (8), the storage units (8) having at least one disk drive and / or a drive a replaceable data carrier and at least one digital FTFO memory (24, 25), the controller (7) being controlled by control signals which arrive via a communication ring (5) from the main controller (4) in its functional sequences and the storage units (3) being independent controlled from each other.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the memory modules (3) are designed as inserts, which are accommodated in a row in a contact strip (37), the contact strip (37) being connected to the system bus (2) and Both the memory modules (3) and the contact strip (37) are accommodated in a housing (31) in a row.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main control circuit (4) controls the data flows of the system bus (2) and the communication ring (5).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating unit (6) has a remote control (11) with a display (12) and a device (13) for pointing to display elements of the display (12), the keys of the remote control ( 11) have a mechanical stroke and are assigned, among other things, to the functions recording, playback, stop, and wherein the display (12) graphically represents functional states, sequences and calls of the device and the functions of the main control (6) in the operating unit (6). 4) are assigned to a location on the display (12) or a key sequence of the remote control (11), and functions of the main control circuit (4) can be triggered by means of the device (13) for pointing to display elements of the display (12).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the memory modules (3) contain magneto-optical or optical disk storage or streamer drives.

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bidirectional I-interface unit (l) has slots for a plurality of bidirectional format converters connected in parallel (15), the bidirectional format converter (15) having different serial data formats with its own externally predetermined clock rate Read inputs and / or output them at their outputs and the bidirectional format converters (15) output parallel data in groups with a uniform internal data format on the system bus (2) and / or read them in from the system bus (2).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bidirectional interface unit (1) with one or more digital inputs and outputs, the system bus (2), at least one memory module (3) and the main controller (4) and one Control unit (6) are housed in a housing with brackets (31).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the format converters (15, 16, 17) are designed as plug-in modules, each of which is accommodated in a contact strip (29), the contact strip (29) being connected to the system bus (2 ) is connected and both the format converter (15, 16, 17) and the contact strip (29) are housed in a housing (31) with brackets.

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that modules of the controller (7) and modules of the interface circuit (1) are designed as multi-programmable logic arrays, the main control circuit (4), preferably each time the device is switched on, the multi-programmable Logic arrays programmed.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the controller (7) and the main control port (4) from a network of subcontrollers (18 ... 23, 27, 28) have a uniform signal and data format and the data exchange between the subcontrollers (18 ... 23, 27, 28) is serial.