Importance

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Abstract

A microphone/pickup system employing a digital signal throughout. There are a plurailty of digital microphone/pickup devices each comprising, a microphone/pickup element for sensing sound vibrations and for producing an analog electrical signal reflecting the sound vibrations at an output thereof. An analog to digital converter is directly connected to receive the analog electrical signal at an input thereof and produce a digital signal reflecting the sound vibrations at an output thereof, the output of the analog to digital converter being the output of the microphone/pickup device. Preferably, there is a support structure carrying each microphone/pickup element and its associated analog to digital converter in combination as well as a plurality of user devices disposed at a location removed from the support structure and operatively connected to receive and use the digital signal from respective ones of the digital microphone/pickup devices. Wireless RF broadcasting microphones and pickups are employed as are wireless transmission of the digital signals by light beam and through optic fiber cables. When wirelessly connecting a plurality of microphone/pickup devices to, for example, a mixer board, the microphone/pickup devices employ selectable RF carriers with the light beams and the mixer channels each have the ability to detect the light beams and select the carrier frequency to be associated therewith whereby the mixer channels can each select which microphone/pickup device it is to control. A microphone/pickup device including a volume control responsive to a return light signal from a mixer channel is also employed. Large systems are shown employing RF or IR transmission of the signals from the stage area to a remote mixer board location.

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First Claim