Patent ID: 7006642

Claim:
An audio mixing system for use in performance venues, the audio mixing system comprising: one or more audio control apparatuses for generating control instructions to control audio signals; one or more audio processing apparatuses for mixing and processing the audio signals based on the control instructions, the one or more audio control apparatuses and the one or more audio processing apparatuses physically separable from each other; and a plurality of transmission paths configured in a loop for connecting the one or more audio control apparatuses and the one or more audio processing apparatuses, the plurality of transmission paths including a transmitting path and a receiving path for communicating the control instructions and audio signals through the loop in a single direction; wherein each audio control apparatus comprises a first clock detector for detecting a disconnection between the receiving path and the audio control apparatus, and a first message generator for transmitting a disconnection message to other audio control apparatuses and audio processing apparatuses over the transmitting path when a disconnection of the receiving path has been detected by the first clock detector.