Patent ID: 7489978

Claim:
A digital mixer comprising: a mixing processor for performing a mixing process to mix audio signals fed from input channels and to feed the mixed audio signals to output channels; a panel having a plurality of controls manipulable to operate the mixing processor and a display provided for displaying a state of the mixing processor; a scene storage provided for storing a plurality of configuration patterns of the mixing processor as a plurality of scenes, each configuration pattern being composed of a plurality of data; a recall command section that issues a recall command for calling one of the plurality of the scenes stored in the scene storage; a main work memory that is provided for loading a configuration pattern, wherein the mixing processor performs the signal processing according to the configuration pattern loaded in the main work memory; a preview work memory that is provided for loading a configuration pattern for preview; a selector provided for selecting one of a preview mode and a non-preview mode; a non-preview controller being operative when the non-preview mode is selected by the selector for displaying the configuration pattern loaded in the main work memory on the display, setting positions of the controls on the panel based on the configuration pattern in the main work memory, and changing the configuration pattern loaded in the main work memory in response to manipulation of the controls, and further being responsive to the recall command issued by the recall command section for reading out a configuration pattern of the scene called in response to the recall command from the scene storage and writing the read configuration pattern into the main work memory; a preview controller being operative when the selected mode changes from the non-preview mode to the preview mode for copying the configuration pattern loaded in the main work memory to the preview work memory, and being operative when the preview mode is selected by the selector for displaying the configuration pattern loaded in the preview work memory on the display, setting positions of the controls on the panel based on the configuration pattern in the preview work memory, and changing the configuration pattern loaded in the preview work memory in response to manipulation of the controls, and further being responsive to the recall command issued by the recall command section for reading out a configuration pattern of the scene called in response to the recall command from the scene storage and writing the read configuration pattern into the preview work memory without changing a current active configuration pattern of the mixing process currently executed by the mixing processor; and a restoring section operative when the non-preview mode is again selected after the previous non-preview mode is once switched to the preview mode, for restoring again the configuration pattern on the display, which has been displayed under the previous non preview mode.