Dynamic equalizing

Abstract

An automatic dynamic equalization circuit has a potentiometer having a tap shunted by an active resonator circuit including a capacitor shunted by an active circuit presenting a high Q inductive reactance that is resonant at substantially 50 Hz and provides essentially no boost in the middle range of frequencies above 150 Hz with roll-off below about 45 Hz.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at 200 Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal.  
     
     
       2. The improvement in accordance with claim  1 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  wherein said means comprises a tapped potentiometer shunted by a resonant circuit having a resonance in the bass frequency range significantly below 150 Hz.  
     
     
       3. The improvement in accordance with claim  2  wherein said resonant circuit is characterized by high Q and comprises a capacitor shunted by an active circuit presenting an inductive reactance. 
     
     
       4. The improvement in accordance with claim  3  and further comprising, 
       a second potentiometer ganged with said first-mentioned potentiometer and associated with a second channel.  
     
     
       5. The improvement in accordance with claim  2  and further comprising, 
       a second tap on said potentiometer shunted by an active resonant circuit.  
     
     
       6. The improvement in accordance with claim  1 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       wherein said means comprises,  
       input potentiometer means ganged with output potentiometer means,  
       means for differentially combining a signal corresponding to the signal on the arm of said input potentiometer means with a signal corresponding to that on the arm of said output potentiometer means to provide an output signal with loudness compensation,  
       and bandpass filter means intercoupling said input potentiometer arm and said output potentiometer means for selectively transmitting a band of spectral components centered substantially at least as low as 70 Hz and below said middle range of frequencies.  
     
     
       7. The improvement in accordance with claim  6  and further comprising a second of said input potentiometer means ganged with said first input potentiometer means and said output potentiometer means, 
       and second means for differentially combining the signal corresponding to that on said output potentiometer arm with a signal corresponding to the signal on the arm of said second input potentiometer means.  
     
     
       8. The improvement in accordance with claim  6  wherein said potentiometer means are characterized by tapers and comprise means for establishing the attenuation imparted by said output potentiometer means reduced for 10 db attenuation introduced by said input potentiometer means from a predetermined reference level to result in an increase of substantially 5 db at the output of said means for differentially combining at said bandpass filter center frequency relative to the midfrequency output thereat. 
     
     
       9. The improvement in accordance with claim  1 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  wherein said means for imparting includes means for rolling off the frequency response below a predetermined bass frequency below 70 Hz.  
     
     
       10. The improvement in accordance with claim  9  wherein said means comprises a tapped potentiometer shunted by a resonant circuit having a resonance in the bass frequency range significantly below 150 Hz. 
     
     
       11. The improvement in accordance with claim  1  wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice. 
     
     
       12. The improvement in accordance with claim  11  wherein said means for varying the boost provides negligible boost above 100 Hz for volume control attenuations of less than 20 db. 
     
     
       13. The improvement of claim  11  wherein said means for varying the boost provides negligible boost above 200 Hz for volume control attenuations between 20 and 40 db. 
     
     
       14. The improvement in accordance with claim  11 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       
         wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice, 
       
       wherein the magnitude of the slope of the equalization contour is greater than 12 db/octave for at least some of the lower volume control settings.  
     
     
       15. The improvement in accordance with claim  11 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       
         wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice, 
       
       wherein said means for varying comprises circuit means characterized by complex poles which move closer to the imaginary axis as the volume control setting is decreased.  
     
     
       16. The improvement in accordance with claim  11 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       
         wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice, 
       
       and further comprising means for establishing roll off of the frequency response below a predetermined low bass frequency significantly below 100 Hz.  
     
     
       17. The improvement in accordance with claim  16  wherein the slope of said roll off increases as the volume control setting is decreased. 
     
     
       18. The improvement in accordance with claim  11 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       
         wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice, 
       
       and further comprising fixed equalization circuit means coacting therewith for providing a predetermined desired frequency response at the maximum setting of said volume control.  
     
     
       19. The improvement in accordance with claim  11 In automatic dynamic equalization circuitry having a manually operated variable resistance gain control and means for varying the bass boost in amplitude imparted to spectral components at bass frequencies relative to the amplitude of spectral components at midband frequencies as a function of the manually controlled gain imparted to an audio signal being processed for reproduction as audible sound at midband frequencies, the improvement comprising, 
       
         means including said gain control for imparting negligible boost to voice formant spectral components at frequencies in the middle range of frequencies beginning at  200  Hz for different manually controlled gains imparted to said audio signal as determined by the manual setting of said gain control while significantly changing said bass boost in the bass frequency region therebelow as a function of said gains so that at low listening reproduced sound levels of said audio signal, reproduced bass spectral components are perceived by listeners without degrading reproduced voices when characterized by said audio signal,  
       
       
         wherein said means for varying the boost comprises a volume control and is characterized by a frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting for boosting low frequencies as the volume control setting is decreased while maintaining substantially uniform frequency response for all format frequencies of the human voice;  
       
         the improvement  characterized by a family of dynamic equalization curves centered about a frequency of peak amplitude with the amplitude response at the latter frequency decreasing in the range of approximately 80% to 40% of the overall attenuation introduced by the volume control setting over a volume control attenuation range of the order of 15 db.  
     
     
       20. The improvement according to claim  9  wherein the function for significantly changing said bass boost changes said base boost in a smooth and continuous manner. 
     
     
       21. The improvement according to claim  20  wherein the means for imparting comprises a potentiometer for the manual setting of said gain control. 
     
     
       22. The improvement according to claim  21  wherein the potentiometer produces an analog output. 
     
     
       23. The improvement according to claim  21  further comprising an active resonant circuit connected directly to the potentiometer. 
     
     
       24. The improvement according to claim  23  wherein the active resonant circuit is comprised of analog circuitry. 
     
     
       25. The improvement according to claim  9  wherein the gain control produces a frequency response characteristic at different manually controlled gains is other than directly related to the Fletcher- Munson curves.   
     
     
       26. The improvement according to claim  25  wherein the the gain control produces different frequency response characteristics for at least three different manually controlled gain settings. 
     
     
       27. The improvement according to claim  26  wherein the gain control produces maximum bass boost at manually controlled gains below  70  dB SPL. 
     
     
       28. The improvement according to claim  16  wherein the frequency response dependent upon the volume control setting is other than directly related to the Fletcher- Munson curves.