GB2153131A - Music laboratories - Google Patents

Abstract

A music laboratory has a number of pupil stations, each with an electronic keyboard (11) and a set of headphones (16), and a central instructor station where the playing of individual pupils can be listened to and recorded, and from which live instructions and recorded material can be passed to the pupils. The central station has a control unit (18) with a single multicore cable connection (28) to a respective adaptor (15) associated with each keyboard. One switch (26) on the control unit channels a selected keyboard output (14) to means (20) by which the instructor can listen and/or record. Other switches (25) on the control unit either cause a pupil to hear only what he is playing in both headphones or enable live instructions from a microphone (22) or recorded material from a tape unit (21) to be channelled to one headphone while the pupil's own performance is channelled to the other. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to music laboratories This invention relates to music laboratories.

Up to now these have generally been adaptations of language laboratory facilities. They have a number of pupil stations, each with a keyboard connected to a common control unit in charge of an instructor. Each pupil is equipped with a pair of headphones and can receive instructions, pieces of music to accompany on their own keyboard, or the result of their own performance. The mode of operation is selected by the instructor at the control unit. Such systems have hitherto involved an extremely complex network of wires and cables leading from the keyboards to the control unit, It is the aim of the present invention to simplify this and to enable a teacher to monitor live performances on electronic keyboards without any interference between keyboards.

According to the present invention there is provided a music laboratory comprising a plurality of keyboards, each with a phono signal output and an audio signal output, a pair of headphones for each keyboard, a control unit with first switch means for selecting any one of the keyboards and second switch means, one for each keyboard, for determining one or other modes of operation of the associated headphones, means for inserting recorded material or live instructions into the control unit, and an adaptor associated with each keyboard, each adaptor providing connections between the associated first and second outputs, the associated headphones and the control unit, the arrangement being such that, when a keyboard is selected by the first switch means, its phono signal output is available at an output of the control unit for recording and, irrespective of the state of the first switch means, the second switch means in one mode causes the audio output to be fed to both the associated headphones and, in the other mode, causes the audio output to be fed to one associated headphone and the output of the means for inserting recorded material or live instructions to the other associated headphone.

Thus, each pupil will hear what he is playing, at least in one ear, and in the other he may instead hear a piecefor accompanying or remarks from the instructor at the control unit.

Each adaptor will conveniently be coupled to the control unit by a single multicore cable.

A first core will be for the audio signal from the keyboard, a second core will be for the phono signal from the keyboard, a third core will be for the audio signal to return to the adaptor, the control unit providing a direct and permanent connection to the first core, and a fourth core will be for the return of the audio signal or the feeding of the inserted material or live instructions to the adaptor according to the mode of the second switch means.

The means for inserting the recorded material or live instructions conveniently comprises an amplifier unit with one input for a tape or cassette recorder and another input for a microphone. There will be a single output and a switch by which the instructor selects whether it is the recorded material or live instructions that are passed to the control unit and thence to selected keyboard stations. This amplifier unit will preferably also have an output for monitoring means, such as a pair of headphones, so that the instructor can listen to the recorded material input which the pupils at the keyboards will be hearing.

The phono signal selected by the first switch means may be fed to an amplifier and recording device so that the pupil's effort may be played back later for analysis with the instructor, or even as a piece to accompany with further playing.

For a better understanding of the invention one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagram of a music laboratory, and Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of a control unit of that laboratory.

There are six keyboards 11 (only one of which is shown) each of which can accommodate one or two pupils. The keyboard shown has the suffix A while the others, when referred to, will be identified by 11 and the suffixes B,C,D,E, and F. There are other associated components and when they have to be distinguished they also will have corresponding suffixes.

Such teaching keyboards are known. They each have a considerable number of controls in area 1 2 by which various rhythms and tones can be keyed in, but this is of no immediate concern to the invention. There are two outputs 1 3 and 14, one output 1 3 providing an audio signal which can activate headphones or a loudspeaker, and the other output 14 providing a high impedance audio signal suitable for connection to an amplifier unit, referred to in this specification as the phono signal.These outputs are connected to an associated adaptor 1 5 into which two pairs of stereo headphones 1 6 can be plugged and which has a five-pin DIN socket 1 7. It is not necessary to use the two pairs of headphones; only one need be employed or there could be a simpler adaptor with provision for just one pair. The adaptors are provided to cater for various makes of keyboards 11, which do not have standard output sockets. Thus the equipment can be the same for all keyboards except for the provision of two suitable jack plugs on the leads to the outputs 1 3 and 1 4.

Smaller keyboards with only a headphone output can be accommodated by linking the phono and audio signal together in the adaptor.

The other principal components are a control unit 18, a microphone amplifier 19, an amplifying-recording-monitoring unit 20, a cassette tape or disc unit 21 for playing selected pieces of recorded music or other material, a microphone 22 and a set of monitor headphones 23, these being inter-connected by various cables and sockets as described below.

The control unit 1 8 has six sockets 24A,24B,24C,24D,24E and 24F associated with the respective keyboards 11 A, 11 B, 11 C, 11 D, 11 E and 11 F. Each socket is of the 5-pin DIN type, these five pins being referenced 1 ,2,3,4, and 5 (see Figure 2). The unit 1 8 also has a set of toggle switches 25A, 25B,25C,25D,25E and 25F associated respectively with these sockets, a six-position selector switch 26 and a five-pin DIN type input and output socket 27 (whose pins 2 and 4 are redundant). In each DIN socket 24 the pin 1 receives the phono signal from the associated keyboard 11 via its adaptor 1 5, and this is connected to one of the selectable poles of the swtich 26.If the latter's wiper is turned to that pole, then the phono signal is transmitted to the pin 5 of socket 27. The pins 2 of the sockets 24 are all earthed with the respective cable screens to the chassis.

Each pin 4 receives the audio signal from the associated keyboard 11 via its adaptor 1 5 and this goes to one of the selectable poles of the related toggle switch 25. The pins 3 and 5 are associated with the headphones 1 6 for the respective keyboard, the pin 5 being permanently connected through a resistor to the pin 4 while the pin 3 is connected through a similar resistor to the common pole of the associated toggle switch. The other selectable poles of the switches 25 are connected in common to the pin 1 of the socket 27.

The control unit 1 8 is coupled to the adaptors 1 5 by a set of leads 28, each being a 4core screened cable with 5-pin DIN plugs at each end which mate with the sockets 1 7 and 24.

The connection of the pins 4 and 5 in the sockets 24 of the control unit could be transferred to the adaptor, saving on a return line.

However, as the audio signal has to go to the control unit for the selection effected by the switches 25, it is convenient, particularly for test purposes, to have the channels for both ear pieces running from the control unit.

The amplifier 1 9 has inputs from the microphone 22 and from the tape or other recording device 21, and a switch 30 selects which input is passed on to the control unit via line 31. The line connects to the pin 1 in the socket 27. There is a volume control 32 governing the amount of amplification, and the headphones 23 plug into a monitor output socket for the controller to listen to the tape signal.

The unit 20 may comprise several components, the purpose of which is to enable the instructor to listen to a selected pupil's performance and/or to record it. Thus there will generallly be an amplifier, a tape recorder and headphones or even a loudspeaker.

To describe the operation it will be assumed that the selector switch 26 is in the position shown, associated with the keyboard 11 A and socket 24A. This means that the phono output from the keyboard 1 1A will be fed to the unit 20 where after amplification the instructor may record it, or listen to it, or both. The phono outputs of the other keyboards are isolated, and cannot be recorded or listened to at the same time. However, there are two options open for each keyboard depending on the position of the switches 25. In the position of the switch 25A, the pin 4, which receives the audio output of the keyboard 11A is coupled to both pins 3 and 5, and so this audio output is fed back to both headphones 16A. The pupil will therefore hear only what he is playing.However, in the position of the switch 25B, while the pin 4 maintains its permanent connection to the pin 5 in the socket 24B, the pin 3 is coupled to the audio input pin 1 of the socket 27, and will therefore be receiving the output of the amplifier 1 9. Thus, one of the headphones 1 6E will have what the pupil at the keyboard 11 B is actually playing, while the other one will transmit either a pre-recorded piece of music from the unit 21 (which may be a playback of a piece recorded via unit 20), or instructions from the microphone 22. The instructor will be listening to one selected pupil through the unit 20, and by use of the appropriate switch 25 individual instructions and comments can be transmitted to that pupil alone, without affecting the others. If the selector switch 26 were moved to position B then the pupil would still hear the combination, but his effort could be recorded at the same time. He would not know that this was being done.

It will be appreciated that, in addition to individual tuition, on a rota basis selected by the instructor, each pupil will be able to play at his own speed and with his own style, without interference from any other pupil.

Each keyboard will have its own power supply (not shown).

Claims (8)

1. A music laboratory comprising a plurality of keyboards, each with a phono signal output and an audio signal output, a pair of headphones for each keyboard, a control unit with first switch means for selecting any one of the keyboards and second switch means one for each keyboard, for determining one or other modes of operation of the associated headphones, means for inserting recorded material or live instructions into the control unit, and an adaptor associated with each keyboard, each adaptor providing connections between the associated first and second outputs, the associated headphones and the control unit, the arrangement being such that, when a keyboard is selected by the first switch means, its phono signal output is available at an output of the control unit for recording and, irrespective of the state of the first switch means, the second switch means in one mode causes the audio output to be fed to both the associated headphones and, in the other mode, causes the audio output to be fed to one associated headphone and the output of the means for inserting recorded material or live instructions to the other associated headphone.

2. A music laboratory as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each adaptor is coupled to the control unit by a single multicore cable.

3. A music laboratory as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a first core of said cable is for the audio signal from the keyboard, a second core is for the phono signal from the keyboard, a third core is for the audio signal to return to the adaptor, the control unit providing a direct and permanent connection to the first core, and a fourth core is for the return of the audio signal or the feeding of the inserted material or live material to the adaptor according to the mode of the second switch means.

4. A music laboratory as claimed in Claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the means for inserting recorded material or live instructions comprises an amplifier unit with one input for recorded material and another input for a microphone, and a selective output so that only recorded material or live instructions are passed to the control unit.

5. A music laboratory as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the amplifier unit has an output for means for monitoring the recorded material input.

6. A music laboratory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising means for recording the phono signal output selected by the first switch means.

7. A music laboratory as claimed in any preceding claim, with the modification of keyboards having only a single output, wherein this is arranged to serve as both audio and phono outputs from the adaptors.

8. A music laboratory substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.