FI126465B

FI126465B - Method and device for ear monitoring

Info

Publication number: FI126465B
Application number: FI20135007A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Tommi Luostarinen
Original assignee: Tommi Luostarinen
Priority date: 2013-01-03
Filing date: 2013-01-03
Publication date: 2016-12-30
Also published as: WO2014106690A1; FI20135007A

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS OF IN EAR MONITORING TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates generally to monitoring audio signals to a group of artists when audio sources, i.e. the instruments used by the artists, generate those audio signals. In more detail, the invention relates to monitoring the audio signals through an earphone or a headhone, for example, during music training or a live performance.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Lester and Boley have published an article about latency in live monitoring; Lester, M. & Boley, J. (2007), "The Effects of Latency on Live Sound Monitoring", Audio Engineering Society. The article reveals certain requiments that should be taken into account in live monitoring systems. For example, when artists practice a piece of music the latency should not exceed 11.5 ms, otherwise the artists may loose tempo. This latency depends on multiple variables and one of these variables is a distance from a monitor to an artist. The monitor from which the artist obtains feedback about his performance is also termed a “stage monitor”. One or more stage monitors are turned towards the artists in order that they obtain the performance feedback. If the artists have a live performance, in addition to the stage monitors there are other loadspeakers or PA-sets (public address sets) which are turned towards the public. Instead of the stage monitors, the artists may use in ear monitoring (IEM), i.e. each artist wears an ear monitor. An earphone and a headphone are examples of the ear monitor, and two earphones can be consided as one type of headphone. Lester and Boley have detected that latency is even greater problem in the IEM than in the PA-monitoring. They have further detected that different types of artists have a different tolerance for latency. For example, persons who play a keyboard or drums have high tolerance for latency compared to persons who play an electric guitar or bass, and gitarists and bassists have moderate tolerance for latency compared to vocalists and saxophonists. According to statistical tests of Lester and Boley a vocalist, who wears an ear monitor, experiences that the quality of the monitoring is fair when the latency is at most 6.5 ms. In addition, according to their statistical tests a saxophonist wearing an ear monitor experiences that the quality of the monitoring is fair when the latency is at most 3 ms.

[0003] Lectrosonics (www.lectrosonics.com) produces an IEM system called Quadra which operates in the license-free ISM (industrial, scientific, and medical) band between 902-928 MHz. A Quadra system may comprise, for example, one M4 transmitter and four M4 receivers. Then four artists may mix and monitor their performance in the same time. An M4 transmitter has four jacks for analog inputs and two jacks for digital inputs. In four-channel mode it provides four frequency channels. An M4 receiver has also the four-channel mode and thus an artist can listen to four channels through headphone coupled with a wire to the M4 receiver. A configurable mixer placed on the top of the M4 receiver allows the artist to mix audio signals according to the needs of the artist. If the artist is a vocalist, he may use the MT receiver to select one or more (analog) audio signals and to mix, for example, an audio signal generated by his vocal microphone and an audio signal generated by a bass guitar. When the inputs of M4 transmitter are analog inputs the latency in a Quadra system is less than 1 ms. Alternatively, the inputs of the M4 transmitter are AES/EBU digital signals where “AES” refers to “Audio Engineering Society” and “EBU” refers to “European Broadcasting Union”. Then the latency is less than 1.8 ms, i.e. the latency is fair also with the digital inputs.

[0004] IEEE 802.11 is a standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs). The newest versions of this standard, starting from 802.1 lg, are suitable for realtime audio data in many use cases. GB2424155 describes an in ear monitoring system that utilizes 802.1 lg. When GB2424155 was filed a typical in ear monitoring system included one transmitter-receiver pair per each performing artists and each transmitter-receiver pair used a certain transmission channel. In more detail, a transmitter sent a particular mix of two or more audio signals to a receiver to be presented there. GB2424155 proposes digitising the audio signals in an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and then multiplexing them on to a common channel. Then only one transmitter is needed and each artist's receiver extracts from the common channel one audio signal or a particular mix of the audio signals and converts it in a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for the presentation. Because of the multiplexing each receiver must receive the all audio signals transmitted. The multiplexing saves the transmission capacity, but may incease the latency in the IEM system. Mixing of audio signals is performed before the transmission. In more detail, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are mixed to a sum signal in a mixing desk. Thus, the mixing desk in GB2424155 is an analog mixer.

[0005] EP1774825 describes another in ear monitoring system in which the mixing of audio signals is performed before the transmission. In more detail, the audio signals generated by instruments of artists are converted to digital so that this conversion results in at least a first audio data for a first audio signal and a second audio data for a second audio signal. Then the first audio data and the second audio data are mixed in a mixing console resulting in sum data. When comparing a number of bits in the sum data and the total number of bits in the first audio data and in the second audio data, the sum data includes fewer bits. Therefore, the transmission capacity is saved when, instead of the first audio data and the second audio data, the sum data is transmitted to receivers. For example, a WLAN with 802.1 lb standard can be used in the transmission. Then in the receiver end, i.e. in a handheld device, the sum data is converted into analog signal and the analog signal is played for an artist in the IEM. EP1774825 mentions that the artist may control the mixing either by talking to a person who is in responsibility of the mixing or by using a digital control wire.

SUMMARY

[0006] Latency between a generated audio signal and a played audio signal should be short. In other words, when assuming that a first artist and a second artist are playing music together, the first artist should hear as soon as possible an audio signal generated by his instrument and an audio signal generated by an instrument of the second artist. In an in ear monitoring system the latency includes data transmission latency and computation latency in the transmitter end and in the receiver end, thus the latency can also be termed “total latency”. One advantage of the invention is that is enables low latency and relatively high quality of audio signals in the in ear monitoring system. The high quality of the audio signals is at least partly achieved by adding packet identifiers to packets to be transmitted. A packet identifier is, for example, an ascending number starting from 0 and ending to FFFFFFFF. Generally speaking, each packet identifier is unique and discloses a packet’s order among the packets to be transmitted.

[0007] In one embodiment an audio signal is first converted in an analog-to-digital converter into audio data and the audio data is mixed in a mixer with at least one other audio data to sum data. Then the sum data is transmitted according to a connectionless transmission protocol to a user equipment used by the first artist. The connectionless protocol reduces the latency in the data transmission, because resending of lost data is not requested (as in Transmission Control Protocol). Further, in order to reduce this latency even more, the sum data is transmitted on a channel that can be recerved for only the transmission of the sum data. In other words, during the transmission the channel can be allocated to a user equipment of the first artist.

[0008] In one embodiment inputs of the mixer are digital signals. Then the analog-to-digital conversion is performed in some other device than in the mixer. In the future some music instruments may generate digital signals, thus any conversion is not necessarily needed. In order to reduce the amount of bytes to be sent to the user equipment the monitor mixer may omit from the sum data values that exceeds certain thresholds.

[0009] The user equipment may be a general-purpose user equipment, such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, or a personal digital assistant. The user equipment may function as a receiver of the sum data and, if required, a conventional earphone of the user equipment can be utilized as an ear monitor. The user equipment may also function as a remote controller of the mixer. In more detail, an artist selects with the user quipment which audio signals the mixer mixes and then transmits, as the sum data, to the artist’s user equipment.

[0010] In addition, the audio data and sum data can be stored in the memory so that the artist can listen to the data later on, for example, when he practices the same piece of music at his home.

[0011] The present invention includes the following aspects and embodiments. A method of ear monitoring, wherein an ear monitor is coupled with a user equipment, the method comprising the following to be performed in a mixer coupled with a multichannel transmitter: mixing according to a mixing command a first audio data and a second audio data resulting in sum data, wherein the first audio data is from a a first audio source and the second audio data is from a second audio source; packeting the sum data in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into a packet; and transmitting the packet through a channel of the multichannel transmitter to the user equipment, wherein the packeting comprises adding a packet identifier to the packet, the packet identifier disclosing a transmission order of the packet among packets to be transmitted to the user equipment.

In one embodiment of the method, the sum data is transmitted at least twice to the user equipment, and packets carrying the same sum data have the same packet identifier.

In one embodiment, the method comprises reserving the channel of the multichannel transmitter only for the user equipment to decrease latency in the ear monitoring; and reserving at least one other channel of the multichannel transmitter for at least one other user equipment.

In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the mixer.

In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause apparatus to perform at least the following: packeting sum data in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into a packet, wherein a first audio data from a first audio source and a second audio data from a second audio source are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data; and transmitting the packet through a channel of a multichannel transmitter coupled with the apparatus, wherein the packeting of the sum data comprises adding a packet identifier to the packet, the packet identifier disclosing a transmission order of the packet among other packets to be transmitted to the user equipment.

In one embodiment of the apparatus, the sum data is transmitted at least twice to the user equipment, and packets carrying the same sum data have the same packet identifier.

In one embodiment, the apparatus is caused to perform: reserving the channel of the multichannel transmitter only for the user equipment to decrease latency in the ear monitoring; and reserving at least one other channel of the multichannel transmitter for at least one other user equipment.

In one embodiment, the apparatus is caused to perform: receiving the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the apparatus.

In one aspect of the invention, a user equipment comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the user equipment to perform at least the following: receiving in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol a packet through a channel of a multichannel transmitter, the packet carrying sum data, wherein a first audio data from a first audio source and a second audio data from a second audio source are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data, wherein the receiving comprises reading a packet identifier from the packet, the packet identifier disclosing a transmission order of the packet among other packets to be transmitted to the user equipment.

In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: determining on the basis of the packet identifier at least one of the following piece of information: whether any packet is missing, or whether the packet carrying the sum data is received in a correct order.

In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: reading a check sum from the packet; and determining on the basis of the check sum whether the packet has correct content.

In one embodiment, the sum data is received at least twice in the user equipment.

In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: deciding whether to play content of the packet in an ear monitor coupled with the user equipment.

In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: sending the mixing command.

In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: storing the sum data into the at least one memory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] For a more complete understanding of examples and embodiments of the invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: [0013] FIGURE 1 shows an example of use of the invention; [0014] FIGURE 2 shows a method for monitoring audio signals through an ear monitor; [0015] FIGURE 3 shows a monitoring mixer or a correspondent apparatus; [0016] FIGURE 4 shows a user equipment in accordance with the invention.

DET ATT /ED DESCR1PTON OF THE INVENTION

[0017] It is appreciated that the following embodiments are exemplary.

Furthermore, although the specification may in various places refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiments), reference is not necessariy made to the same embodiment(s), or the feature in question does not apply to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0018] FIGURE 1 shows an example in which two artists, a vocalist and a guitarist, utilize the invention. The vocalist represents in this example a first user and the guitarist represents a second user. The first user uses an ear monitor 101 which is connected with a wire to a user equipment 102. The second user uses another ear monitor 103 connected with a wire to another a user equipment 104. The wires can be replaced with radio connections but it would probably increase the total latency. A first user has a microphone, i.e. the microphone is a first audio source 105. The guitarist has an electric guitar which is a second audio source 106. The first audio source 105 is connected with a cable 107 to a mixer 108. The cable 107 includes a XLR male connector and the mixer 108 includes a XLR female connector. The second audio source 106 is connected with a cable 109 to a mixer 108. The cable 109 includes a phone male connector and the mixer 108 includes a phone female connector. The phone male connector is, for example, a V4 in 2-conductor phone connector. In one embodiment the mixer 108 is a monitoring mixer. Alternatively the mixer 108 is a multipurpose mixer which can be used for mixing music for audience and/or for mixing music for the artists. The mixer 108 includes a multichannel transmitter but the multichannel transmitter could also be a separate device.

[0019] In one embodiment of the mixer 108 it includes four antenna pairs for transmitting and receiving data. One antenna pair 110 of the mixer 108 is reserverd for transmitting sum data 111 to the first user user equipment 102. Another antenna pair 112 of the mixer 108 is reserverd for transmitting another sum data 113 to the second user equipment 103. The sum data 111 and the sum data 113 may have different contents because the users, i.e. the vocalist and the guitarist, may make their own mixings through their user equipments 102, 104. Each mixing includes a selection of one or more audio sources for sum data.

[0020] FIGURE 2 shows a method for monitoring audio signals through an ear monitor 101, wherein the ear monitor is coupled with a user equipment 102. The method comprises the following to be performed in a mixer 108 coupled with a multichannel transmitter 104: mixing 201 according to a mixing command a first audio data and a second audio data resulting in sum data, wherein the first audio data is from a a first audio source 105 and the second audio data is from a second audio source 106; packeting 202 the sum data in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into at least one packet; and transmitting 203 the at least one packet through a channel of the multichannel transmitter to the user equipment 102.

[0021] Because the mixer 108 prosesses the first audio data from a a first audio source 105 and the second audio data from a second audio source 106, the user equipment 102 just need to play the sum data processed by the mixer 108. The mixer 108 is assumed to have so high processing capacity that the (total) latency in the monitoring is low enough also for a vocalist (or a saxophonist). When using the method of FIG. 2 the mixing command specifies, for example, from which audio datas the sum data is mixed. Each user of the method may have own sum data, i.e. there may be various sum datas. Each different sum data is transmitted on a different channel of the multichannel transmitter. Thus, the sum datas are not multiplexed because the multiplexing would slow down the transmission speed. The high transmission speed provided by the method shortens the latency. Also the use of the connectionless transmission protocol, such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol), shortens the latency.

[0022] In one embodiment of the method, another channel of the multichannel transmitter 104 is reserved for a transmission of other sum data. The other sum data is transmitted on this other channel of the multichannel transmitter 104, for example, to the second user equipment 104 used by the second user.

[0023] In one embodiment the mixing 201 comprises omitting from the sum data 111, 113 a value that exceeds a threshold defining low tones. In addition or alternatively, the mixing comprises omitting from the sum data values that exceeds a threshold defining high tones. Therefore, the sum datas 111, 113 may have different content even if they are processed from the same audio datas, such as the first audio data from a a first audio source 105 and the second audio data from a second audio source 106.

[0024] In one embodiment, the packeting 202 comprises adding a packet identifier to the at least one packet. When each of the packets (transmitted from the multichannel transmitter) includes the packet identifier, the user equipment 102 is able to reorganize the packets, if some of the packets have received in a wrong order.

[0025] In one embodiment, the packeting 202 comprises: calculating a check sum for the sum data; and adding the check sum to the at least one packet. When a packet includes the check sum, the user equipment 102 can check whether the sum data 111 receided with the packet is valid. If the sum data is not valid, the sum data included in the packet will be discarded. In one embodiment a default audio data is played instead of the discarded sum data. The default audio data is formed so that it is difficult to detect, i.e. it should not irritate the artist.

[0026] As generally known, a packet may be lost or its content may be corrupted. In one embodiment the (same) sum data is transmitted at least twice to the user equipment 102 to increase a probability that the sum data is successfully received at the user equipment 102. When the same data 111 is sent at least twice, there is a need for a certain time limit and a timer which is set on when a packet is lost or its content is corrupted. If the timer exceeds the certain time limit the packet is deemed to be irrevocably lost.

[0027] A large packet size inevitably increases the latency. In one embodiment the packeting 202 is performed using a packet size less than 256 kB because the small packet size is reasonable from a point of view of the latency.

[0028] In one embodiment the method further comprises a step of receiving the mixing command through a user interface of the mixer 108. In another embodiment the method further comprises a step of receiving the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the mixer 108. Then the user interface can be omitted from the mixer 108. The receiver may be a part of the multichannel transmitter coupled with the mixer 108. When the mixer 108 is able to receive the mixing command through the receiver, the user equipment 102 can be used as a remote controller of the mixer 108. The user equipment 102 may be a smart phone equipped with a large touch screen through which the user may form the mixing command for the mixer 108.

[0029] FIGURE 3 shows a monitoring mixer or a correspondent apparatus. This apparatus 301 (or 108) comprises at least one processor 302 and at least one memory 303 including computer program code 304. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause apparatus to perform at least the following: packeting sum data 305 (or 111) in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into at least one packet, wherein a first audio data from a first audio source 105 and a second audio data from a second audio source 106 are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data; and transmitting the at least one packet through a channel of a multichannel transmitter coupled with the apparatus, wherein the channel can be reserved for a transmission of the sum data.

[0030] The apparatus 301 (or 108) is adapted to perform at least some part of method of FIG. 2. Thus, in one embodiment of the apparatus 301 the packeting of the sum data 305 comprises adding a packet identifier to the at least one packet. In one embodiment the packeting comprises calculating a check sum for the sum data and adding the check sum to the at least one packet. In on embodiment the sum data is transmitted at least twice on the first channel. In one embodiment the apparatus receives the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the apparatus. In one embodiment the apparatus 301 stores the sum data into the at least one memory. Then the user may listen later on the sum data in order practice his music skills. The apparatus 301 may include, for example, a USB port to restore the sum data into such a portable memory that can be connected to the USB port.

[0031] FIGURE 4 shows a user equipment 401 (or 102) in accordance with the invention. The user equipment comprises at least one processor 402 and at least one memory 403 including computer program code 404. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the user equipment to perform at least the following: receiving in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol at least one packet through a channel that can be reserved for a transmission of sum data 305 (or 111), wherein a first audio data from a first audio source 105 and a second audio data from a second audio source 106 are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data, and the sum data is packetized into the at least one packet.

[0032] As mentioned in the above, a packet may include a packet identifier. In one embodiment the user equipment 401 performs reading the packet identifier from the at least one packet; and determining on the basis of the packet identifier at least one of the following piece of information: whether any packet carrying the sum data is missing, or whether a packet carrying the sum data is received in a correct order.

[0033] In addition or alternatively, the packet may include a check sum. In one embodiment the user equipment 401 performs: reading a check sum from the at least one packet and determining on the basis of the check sum whether a packet carrying the sum data has correct content. The same sum data may be transmitted to user equipment multiple times to increase propability that the data is received at least once. In one embodiment the sum data is received at least twice in the user equipment 401.

[0034] The user equipment 401 may include a certain time limit and a timer which is set on, if a packet is lost or its content is corrupted. If the timer exceeds the certain time limit and the packet is not correctly received, the packet is deemed to be irrevocably lost. Then one option is to discard sum data. Another option is to play the default audio data. The following two embodiments relate to these options.

[0035] In one embodiment, the user equipment 401 is caused to perform: deciding whether to play content of a packet carrying the sum data in an ear monitor coupled with the user equipment. This decision is made, for example, when a packet is deemed to be obsolete, i.e. the packet is not received at all or it is received too late. In one embodiment the content of the packet is deemed to be obsolete, if there are a predetermined number of packets between the packet and the previously received packet. This can be detected on the basis of packet identifiers. For example, if the packet carries a packet identifier 1 and the previously received packet carries a packet indenfier 5, there are three packets (packet 2, packet 3, and packet 4) between the packet and the previously received packet. If the predetermined number is three, the condition is met and the packet is deemed to obsolete. In one embodiment, the user equipment is caused to perform: skipping the packet which is deemed to be obsolete.

[0036] In one embodiment the user equipment 401 is caused to perform: playing alternative content in the ear monitor when deciding not to play the content of the packet. In one embodiment the user equipment plays alternative content in the ear monitor when the user equipment has made the decision not to play the content of the packet. In one embodiment, the alternative content is obtained from a previously received packet. Thus, the basic options are: either to play the content of the previously received packet to the user or to play the default audio data to the user. The default audio data is selected so that it irritates the artists as less as possible.

[0037] In one embodiment the user equipment 401 stores the sum data into the at least one memory. Then the user can listen again the sum data, for example, at his home.

[0038] In one embodiment the user equipment 401 sends the mixing command.

This feature enables that the user can use the user equipment as a remote controller of the mixer, thus he does not need to walk to the mixer to form the mixing command.

[0039] The invention may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The hardware may be, for example, a mixer, a monitoring mixer, a laptor or another computer, a user equipment, a chip, or some other apparatus which includes or is coupled to at least memory and at least one processor. The application logic or software or is stored in the at least on memory, for example, in a RAM (random access memory) and/or in a hard disc. All or a portion of the exemplary embodiments can be implemented using one or more general purpose processors, micro-controllers, and the like, programmed according to the teachings of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. Appropriate software can be made by programmers of ordinary skill based on the teachings of the exemplary embodiments. In addition, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented by the preparation of application-specific integrated circuits or by interconnecting circuits, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the electrical art(s).

[0040] The exemplary embodiments of the invention can include software for controlling the components of the exemplary embodiments, for driving the components of the exemplary embodiments, and for enabling the components of the exemplary embodiments to interact with a user. Such software can include, but is not limited to, device drivers, firmware, operating systems, development tools, applications software, and the like. While the invention has been described in connection with a number of exemplary embodiments, and implementations, the invention is not so limited, but rather covers various modifications, and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of prospective claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1. A method of ear monitoring, wherein an ear monitor (101) is coupled with a user equipment (102), the method comprising the following to be performed in a mixer (103) coupled with a multichannel transmitter (104): mixing (201) according to a mixing command a first audio data and a second audio data resulting in sum data, wherein the first audio data is from a a first audio source (105) and the second audio data is from a second audio source (106); packeting (202) the sum data in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into a packet; and transmitting (203) the packet through a channel of the multichannel transmitter to the user equipment (102), characterized in that the packeting (202) comprises adding a packet identifier to the packet, wherein the packet identifier discloses a transmission order of the packet among packets to be transmitted to the user equipment (102).
2. The method according to claim 1,characterized in that the sum data is transmitted at least twice to the user equipment, and packets carrying the same sum data have the same packet identifier.
3. The method according to claim 1,characterized in that the method comprises reserving the channel of the multichannel transmitter only for the user equipment (102) to decrease latency in the ear monitoring; and reserving at least one other channel of the multichannel transmitter for at least one other user equipment.
4. The method according to claim 1,characterized in that the method comprises receiving the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the mixer.
5. An apparatus (301), comprising: at least one processor (302); and at least one memory (303) including computer program code (304), the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause apparatus to perform at least the following: packeting sum data (305) in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol into a packet, wherein a first audio data from a first audio source (105) and a second audio data from a second audio source (106) are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data; and transmitting the packet through a channel of a multichannel transmitter coupled with the apparatus, characterized in that the packeting of the sum data comprises adding a packet identifier to the packet, wherein the packet identifier discloses a transmission order of the packet among other packets to be transmitted to the user equipment (102).
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the sum data is transmitted at least twice to the user equipment, and packets carrying the same sum data have the same packet identifier.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the apparatus is caused to perform: reserving the channel of the multichannel transmitter only for the user equipment (102) to decrease latency in the ear monitoring; and reserving at least one other channel of the multichannel transmitter for at least one other user equipment.
8. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the apparatus is caused to perform: receiving the mixing command through a receiver coupled with the apparatus.
9. A user equipment (401), comprising: at least one processor (402); and at least one memory (403) including computer program code (404), the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the user equipment to perform at least the following: receiving in accordance with a connectionless transmission protocol a packet through a channel of a multichannel transmitter, the packet carrying sum data (305), wherein a first audio data from a first audio source (105) and a second audio data from a second audio source (106) are mixed according to a mixing command resulting in the sum data, characterized in that the receiving comprises reading a packet identifier from the packet, wherein the packet identifier discloses a transmission order of the packet among other packets to be transmitted to the user equipment (102).
10. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the user equipment is caused to perform: determining on the basis of the packet identifier at least one of the following piece of information: whether any packet is missing, or whether the packet carrying the sum data is received in a correct order.
11. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the user equipment is caused to perform: reading a check sum from the packet; and determining on the basis of the check sum whether the packet has correct content.
12. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the sum data is received at least twice in the user equipment.
13. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the user equipment is caused to perform: deciding whether to play content of the packet in an ear monitor (101) coupled with the user equipment.
14. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the user equipment is caused to perform: sending the mixing command.
15. The user equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the user equipment is caused to perform: storing the sum data into the at least one memory.
1. Korvamonitoroinnin menetelmä, missä korva-monitori (101) liitetään käyttäjälaitteeseen (102), 5 joka menetelmä käsittää sen, että seuraavat suoritetaan mikserissä (103), joka on liitetty monikanavalä-hettimeen (104): miksataan (201) miksauskäskyn mukaisesti ensimmäinen äänidata ja toinen äänidata, minkä tuloksena 10 on summadata, missä ensimmäinen äänidata on ensimmäisestä äänilähteestä (105) ja toinen äänidata on toisesta äänilähteestä (106); paketoidaan (202) summadata yhteydettömän siirtoprotokollan mukaisesti paketiksi; ja 15 lähetetään (203) paketti monikanavalähettimen kanavan kautta käyttäjälaitteelle (102), tunnettu siitä, että paketointi (202) käsittää: lisätään pakettitunniste pakettiin, missä pa-20 kettitunniste ilmaisee paketin lähetysjärjestyksen käyttäjälaitteelle (102) lähetettävien pakettien joukossa.
2. Patenttivaatimuksen 1 mukainen menetelmä, tunnettu siitä, että summadata lähetetään ainakin 25 kahdesti käyttäjälaitteelle, ja samaa summadataa kul jettavilla paketeilla on sama pakettitunniste.
3. Patenttivaatimuksen 1 mukainen menetelmä, tunnettu siitä, että menetelmä käsittää: varataan monikanavalähettimen kanava vain 30 käyttäjälaitteelle (102) latenssin vähentämiseksi kor- vamonitoroinnissa; ja varataan ainakin yksi toinen monikanavalähettimen kanava ainakin yhdelle toiselle käyttäjälaitteelle .
4. Patenttivaatimuksen 1 mukainen menetelmä, tunnettu siitä, että menetelmä käsittää: vastaanotetaan miksauskäsky mikseriin liitetyn vastaanottimen kautta.
5. Laite (301), joka käsittää: ainakin yhden prosessorin (302); ja 5 ainakin yhden muistin (303) , johon kuuluu tietokoneohjelmakoodia (304), jotka ainakin yksi muisti ja tietokoneohjel-makoodi on järjestetty ainakin yhden prosessorin kanssa aiheuttamaan sen, että laite suorittaa ainakin seulo raavan: paketoidaan (305) summadata yhteydettömän siirtoprotokollan mukaisesti paketiksi, missä ensim mäinen äänidata ensimmäisestä äänilähteestä (105) ja toinen äänidata toisesta äänilähteestä (106) on mik-15 sattu miksauskäskyn mukaisesti, minkä tuloksena on summadata; ja lähetetään paketti laitteeseen liitetyn moni-kanavalähettimen kanavan kautta, tunnettu siitä, että summadatan pake-20 tointi käsittää: lisätään pakettitunniste pakettiin, missä pa-kettitunniste ilmaisee paketin lähetysjärjestyksen käyttäjälaitteelle (102) lähetettävien muiden pakettien joukossa.
6. Patenttivaatimuksen 5 mukainen laite, tunnettu siitä, että summadata lähetetään ainakin kahdesti käyttäjälaitteelle, ja samaa summadataa kuljettavilla paketeilla on sama pakettitunniste.
7. Patenttivaatimuksen 5 mukainen laite, 30 tunnettu siitä, että laite aiheutetaan suorittamaan : varataan monikanavalähettimen kanava vain käyttäjälaitteelle (102) latenssin vähentämiseksi kor-vamonitoroinnissa; ja 35 varataan ainakin yksi toinen monikanavalähet timen kanava ainakin yhdelle toiselle käyttäjälaitteelle .
8. Patenttivaatimuksen 5 mukainen laite, tunnettu siitä, että laite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: vastaanotetaan miksauskäsky laitteeseen lii-5 tetyn vastaanottimen kautta.
9. Käyttäjälaite (401), joka käsittää: ainakin yhden prosessorin (402); ja ainakin yhden muistin (403) , johon kuuluu tietokoneohjelmakoodia (404), 10 jotka ainakin yksi muisti ja tietokoneohjel- makoodi on järjestetty ainakin yhden prosessorin kanssa aiheuttamaan sen, että käyttäjälaite suorittaa ainakin seuraavan: vastaanotetaan yhteydettömän siirtoprotokol-15 lan mukaisesti paketti monikanavalähettimen kanavan kautta, joka paketti kuljettaa summadataa (305), missä ensimmäinen äänidata ensimmäisestä äänilähteestä (105) ja toinen äänidata toisesta äänilähteestä (106) on miksattu miksauskäskyn mukaisesti, minkä tuloksena on 20 summadata, tunnettu siitä, että vastaanottaminen käsittää: luetaan pakettitunniste paketista, missä pa-kettitunniste ilmaisee paketin lähetysjärjestyksen 25 käyttäjälaitteelle (102) lähetettävien muiden pakettien joukossa.
10. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä-laite, tunnettu siitä, että käyttäjälaite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: 30 määritetään pakettitunnisteen perusteella ai nakin yksi seuraavista tiedoista: puuttuuko mikään paketti, tai vastaanotetaanko summadataa kuljettava paketti oikeassa järjestyksessä.
11. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä-35 laite, tunnettu siitä, että käyttäjälaite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: luetaan tarkistussumma paketista; ja määritetään tarkistussumman perusteella, onko paketilla oikea sisältö.
12. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä- laite, tunnettu siitä, että summadata vastaanote- 5 taan ainakin kahdesti käyttäjälaitteeseen.
13. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä- laite, tunnettu siitä, että käyttäjälaite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: päätetään, toistetaanko paketin sisältö käyt- 10 täjälaitteeseen liitetyssä korvamonitorissa (101).
14. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä- laite, tunnettu siitä, että käyttäjälaite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: lähetetään miksauskäsky.
15. Patenttivaatimuksen 9 mukainen käyttäjä- laite, tunnettu siitä, että käyttäjälaite aiheutetaan suorittamaan: tallennetaan summadata ainakin yhteen muis tiin . 20