US-12620954-B2 - Pressure-controlled audio ducking circuit

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for a togglable audio ducking device preferably with a mechanically triggered pressure-sensitive floor pad that detects pressure when a user's body weight is in the proximity of the microphone. The mechanically triggered pressure-sensitive floor pad may allow the user to effectively reduce ambient noise bleed into microphones without muting the microphone (i.e. audio ducking). In other embodiments, the togglable audio ducking device may be operated using a magnetic switch attached to a microphone stand, which is triggered when the microphone stand rotates in a particular direction to a certain degree.

Inventors

• Andrew Becker

Assignees

• Andrew Becker

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240304

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A togglable audio ducking device, comprising: an audio circuit; a power circuit; an audio ducking switch; and an audio ducking circuit configured to reduce a level of an audio signal into the audio circuit, wherein the audio circuit, the power circuit, the audio ducking switch, and the audio ducking circuit are in togglable electronic communication, and wherein the audio ducking switch has a first position which allows for electronic communication between the audio circuit and the power circuit, and a second position which prevents the electronic communication between the audio circuit and the power circuit.
2. 2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising an optimized power source, wherein the optimized power source is in electronic communication with the audio circuit, the power circuit, the audio ducking switch, and the audio ducking circuit.
3. 3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the audio circuit comprises an audio input, an audio output, a power connection port, an interfacing connection, and at least one solid-state array.
4. 4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the audio ducking circuit comprises at least one solid-state array, a capacitor, and a resistor.
5. 5 . The device of claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of solid-state relays, wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to adjust a level of a gain reduction of the audio signal based on switching a current path and an audio path from the audio input to the plurality of solid-state relays.
6. 6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of solid-state relays is configured to provide a parallel resistance between the audio ducking switch and the audio output to provide the level of the gain reduction relative to a cumulate resistance of the audio circuit.
7. 7 . The device of claim 4 , further comprising a single solid-state relay, wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to adjust a level of a gain reduction of the audio signal based on one or more resistance pathways.
8. 8 . The device of claim 4 , further comprising a network of switchable resistors, wherein the network of switchable resistors is configured to create one or more pathways of the audio signal from the audio ducking switch to the audio output to provide one or more use-selectable gain reduction levels of the audio signal.
9. 9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the network of switchable resistors includes at least two or more resistors with varying resistances.
10. 10 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising an indicator light, wherein the indicator light is configured to turn on in response to the audio ducking switch being activated.
11. 11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the audio ducking switch is a pressure-sensitive switch.
12. 12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the power circuit comprises a DC protection circuit, a DC ripple protection circuit, a plurality of status LEDs, a pressure-sensitive pad, and a hold capacitor, wherein the hold capacitor is configured to provide for extended togglable bypass of the audio ducking switch, disallowing audio communication across the audio ducking circuit.
13. 13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the pressure-sensitive pad comprises a connection cable, a first conductive layer, a first non-conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a second non-conductive layer, and a third non-conductive layer, wherein the third non-conductive layer is configured to have at least one perforation, wherein the first conductive layer has at least one protrusion which interfaces with the at least one perforation, and wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to provide for the togglable electronic communication of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
14. 14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are configured to provide togglable electronic communication therebetween upon application of pressure to the pressure-sensitive pad.
15. 15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the audio ducking switch is a magnetic switch.
16. 16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the power circuit comprises a DC protection circuit, a DC ripple protection circuit, a plurality of status LEDs, a magnetic sensor, and a hold capacitor, wherein the hold capacitor is configured to provide for extended togglable bypass of the magnetic switch, disallowing electronic communication across the audio ducking circuit.
17. 17 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the magnetic switch comprises a magnetic sensor and a magnet trigger, wherein the magnetic sensor includes a metallic reed arm connected to at least two conductive leads.
18. 18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the magnetic switch is connected to the audio ducking circuit, wherein the magnetic switch is attached to a microphone stand.
19. 19 . The device of claim 18 , wherein the two conductive leads are configured to come into contact in response to a first rotation of the microphone stand with the magnetic switch connected to the audio ducking circuit, and wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to be deactivated in response to the two conductive leads coming into contact.
20. 20 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the two conductive leads are configured to pull away from each other in response to a second rotation of the microphone stand with the magnetic switch connected to the audio ducking circuit, and wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to be activated in response to the two conductive leads being pulled away from each other.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/US2024/01838, filed on Mar. 4, 2024, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/488,285, filed on Mar. 3, 2023, entitled “Pressure-Controlled Audio Ducking Circuit”, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND Microphones capture sound waves in the air and turn them into electrical signals. To replicate the original audio, the electrical signals can be sent from the microphone's output to a mixer or audio interface for recording, amplification, and/or distribution to speakers. In live sound applications, unwanted sound waves can often be captured and amplified when users move away from the microphone's diaphragm, which exposes the microphone to ambient sound sources in the room. Such an occurrence is also known as microphone “bleed.” An existing solution to this problem is known as a “noise gate” which systematically determines when levels have dropped below a certain threshold and subsequently reduces the microphone output level by a set range. A limitation with noise gates is that levels must return to a point higher than the cut-off threshold for the microphone to operate at full volume. This processing time can adversely produce an abrupt reintroduction of sound, cutting off the initial milliseconds of the intended sound capture. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure provides for a togglable audio ducking device preferably with a mechanically triggered pressure-sensitive floor pad that detects pressure when a user's body weight is placed on the pressure-sensitive floor pad. The mechanically triggered pressure-sensitive floor pad may allow the user to effectively reduce ambient noise bleed into microphones without muting the microphone (i.e. audio ducking). In other embodiments, the togglable audio ducking device may be operated using a magnetic switch attached to a microphone stand, which is triggered when the user rotates the microphone stand to a certain degree in a particular direction. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a togglable audio ducking device comprises: an audio circuit, a power circuit, an audio ducking switch, and an audio ducking circuit configured to reduce a level of an audio signal into the audio circuit, wherein the audio circuit, the power circuit, the audio ducking switch, and the audio ducking circuit are in togglable electronic communication, and wherein the audio ducking switch has a first position which allows for electronic communication between the audio circuit and the power circuit, and a second position which prevents the electronic communication between the audio circuit and the power circuit. In some examples, the device further comprises an optimized power source, wherein the optimized power source is in electronic communication with the audio circuit, the power circuit, the audio ducking switch, and the audio ducking circuit. In some examples, the audio circuit comprises an audio input, an audio output, a power connection port, an interfacing connection, and at least one solid-state array. In some examples, the audio ducking circuit comprises at least one solid-state array, a capacitor, and a resistor. In some examples, the device further comprises a plurality of solid-state relays, wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to adjust a level of a gain reduction of the audio signal based on switching a current path and an audio path from the audio input to one or more of the plurality of solid-state relays. In some examples, the device further comprises a single solid-state relay, wherein the audio ducking circuit is configured to adjust a level of a gain reduction of the audio signal based on one or more resistance pathways. In some examples, the plurality of solid-state relays is configured to provide a parallel resistance between the audio ducking switch and the audio output to provide the level of the gain reduction relative to a cumulate resistance of the audio circuit. In some examples, the device further comprises a network of switchable resistors, wherein the network of switchable resistors is configured to create one or more pathways of the audio signal from the audio ducking switch to the audio output to provide one or more use-selectable gain reduction levels of the audio signal. In some examples, the network of switchable resistors includes at least two or more resistors with varying resistances. In some examples, the device further comprises an indicator light, wherein the indicator light is configured to turn on in response to the audio ducking switch being activated. In some examples, the audio ducking switch is a pressure-sensitive switch. In some examples, the power circuit comprises a DC protection circuit, a DC ripple protection circuit, a plurality of status LEDs, a pressure-sensitive pad, and a hold capacitor, where t