Touch screen interface for audio signal processing in an electronic musical-effects unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12230237-B2
Application number	US-201816963351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 19, 2018
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A guitar multi-effects pedalboard is provided. The pedalboard has one or more footswitches, an electronic display, and a memory storing guitar-effect presets for processing an inputted guitar signal when the processing is triggered by pressing a footswitch. The presets include signal chains with two or more guitar-effect pedal simulators that simulate two or more guitar-effect pedals. The pedalboard also has one or more processors coupled to the electronic display and the memory. The processors are configured to process an inputted guitar signal when the processing is triggered by pressing a footswitch. The processors are also configured to display, on the electronic display, an image of the signal chains, which includes an image of pedals and an image of existing simulated connections between pedals. Signal routing in the signal chain may be changed by touching the image of a pedal and dragging the image to a destination position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-effects apparatus, comprising:
one or more switches;
an electronic display:
a memory storing one or more effect presets for processing an inputted audio signal by changing a status of at least one of the switches, wherein each effect preset defines one or more signal processing chains and is initiated by a switch of the one or more switches;
one or more processors coupled to the electronic display and the memory, the one or more processors configured to:
process the inputted audio signal when the processing is initiated by at least one of the one or more switches by:
processing a first portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a first preset of the one or more effect presets, when a switch associated with the first preset is selected;
simultaneously processing a second portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a second preset of the one or more effect presets, when a switch associated with the second preset is selected; and
outputting both the processed first portion and the processed second portion simultaneously;

display, when the processing is initiated, on the electronic display:
an image of at least one of the signal processing chains, wherein the image of the at least one of the signal processing chains comprises visual representations of one or more audio effects in the at least one of the signal processing chains and any connections therebetween.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a visual representation of the one or more audio effects in the at least one of the signal processing chains contains sufficient detail to visually discern at least one audio effect from other audio effects in the image.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electronic display is a touchscreen display.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein signal routing designations between multiple audio effects in the at least one of the signal processing chains are made through the touchscreen display.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein signal routing designations between multiple audio effects in the at least one of the signal processing chains is made through the touchscreen display by dragging a visual representation of an audio effect from an initial position in the at least one of the signal processing chains to a destination position in the at least one of the signal processing chains.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein signal routing in the at least one of the signal processing chains is changed by touching a display of at least one image of a connection point on the touchscreen display.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein signal routing in the at least one of the signal processing chains is changed by creating a simulated connection between a simulated starting connection point and a simulated destination connection point by touching a display of an image of the simulated starting connection point and by touching a display of an image of the simulated destination connection point on the touchscreen display.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the touching of the display of the image of the simulated starting connection point and the touching of the display of the image of the simulated destination connection point is a continuous touch of the touchscreen display.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by at least one processor to facilitate displaying a user interface on a multi-effects apparatus according to a method, the method comprising:
storing one or more effect presets for processing an inputted audio signal, wherein each effect preset defines one or more signal processing chains and is initiated by a switch of one or more switches;
processing an inputted audio signal when the processing is initiated by at least one of the switches by:
processing a first portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a first preset of the one or more effect presets, when a switch associated with the first preset is selected;
simultaneously processing a second portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a second preset of the one or more effect presets, when a switch associated with the second preset is selected; and
outputting both the processed first portion and the processed second portion simultaneously;

displaying, when the processing is initiated, on an electronic display: an image of at least one signal processing chain associated with the at least one of the switches, wherein the image of the at least one signal processing chain comprises visual representations of one or more audio effects in the at least one signal processing chain and any connections therebetween.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein a visual representation of the one or more audio effects in the at least one signal processing chain contains sufficient detail to visually discern at least one audio effect from other audio effects in the image.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the electronic display a touchscreen display.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein signal routing designations between multiple audio effects in the at least one signal processing chain is made through the touchscreen display.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein signal routing designations between multiple audio effects in the at least one signal processing chain is made through the touchscreen display by dragging a visual representation of an audio effect from an initial position in the at least one signal processing chain to a destination position in the at least one signal processing chain.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein signal routing in the at least one signal processing chain is changed by touching a display of at least one image a connection point on the touchscreen display.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein signal routing in the at least one signal processing chain is changed by creating a simulated connection between a simulated starting connection point and a simulated destination connection point by touching a display of an image of the simulated starting connection point and by touching a display of an image of the simulated destination connection point on the touchscreen display.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the touching of the display of the image of the simulated starting connection point and the touching of the display of the image of the simulated destination connection point is a continuous touch of the touchscreen display.

17. A system comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to display a user interface on a guitar multi-effects pedalboard according to a method, the method comprising:
storing one or more effect presets for processing an inputted audio signal, wherein each effect preset defines one or more signal processing chains and is initiated by a footswitch of one or more footswitches;
processing an inputted guitar signal when the processing is initiated through at least one of one or more footswitches by:
processing a first portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a first preset of the one or more effect presets, when a footswitch associated with the first preset is selected;
simultaneously processing a second portion of the inputted audio signal based on parameters of a second preset of the one or

Assignees

• Souppa John Alex
• Skorupski Walter P
• Odonnell John E
• Inmusic Brands Inc

Inventors

• Souppa John Alex
• Skorupski Walter P
• O'Donnell John E
• Meacham Grant R

Classifications

• G10H2220/096

  using a touch screen · CPC title

• G10H2210/155

  Musical effects · CPC title

• G10H3/186

  Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings (filtering G10H1/12) · CPC title

• G10H1/342

  for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played (electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18) · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title