Real-time Pseudo-Democratic Mixing of Live Performance Audio

Real-time Pseudo-Democratic Mixing of Live Performance Audio

In a normal live sound environment, the audio mixing is performed by a mix engineer sitting in the FOH (Front of House) location behind a mixing desk. If that person makes a substantial error in the mix (e.g., instruments too loud/soft relative to each other, overall level too hot or low, etc.), the audience may witness an excellent performance, but perceive it as poor. Some possible reasons for this include: local mixer unfamiliar with the performer(s), their music, or their genre of music, accidental muting of channels and sub-mixes, mix engineer is hearing aged or damaged, mix engineer preference for extreme settings, etc.

A fix for this problem is to allow the audience to participate in the mix by "phoning in" the mix adjustments they think should be made. This invention makes this possible, and consists of these ingredients:

• A mixing desk with both manual (sliders/knobs) and digital (MIDI, etc.) control

• A mix computer connected to the mixing desk via MIDI, etc., and connected to a wireless network

• A mixing application for each of the various smart devices carried by members of the audience

The mixing application is made aware of the specific mix parameters by downloading the concert profile from an online source, after logging in as a registered user and/or paying to participate. That action also makes the mix computer aware of the particular smart device as a legitimate mix participan...