Patent ID: 7912564

Claim:
A digital mixing system comprising: a pair of physically separated identical consoles being connected to each other and each console having a display and a plurality of operation devices wherein an operation device is for transmitting a control signal in response to an operation of the operation device by an operator; and an engine having input channels more than the plurality of operation devices of a console and output channels for mixing audio signals fed from the input channels in response to the control signal and feeding the mixed audio signals to the output channels, wherein the plurality of operation devices of both consoles is used to control the input channels, wherein an operation conducted on the operation device of one of the consoles by the operator is reflected in the other console and an operation conducted on the operation device of said other console by the operator is reflected in said one console, wherein the engine has a connection to the pair of the consoles such that the engine can receive the control signal from the respective console through the connection upon the operation of the operation device in the respective console, and wherein the engine operates to receive control signals from said one console and said other console for mixing the audio signals and to have the input channels controlled by operation of the plurality of operation devices of said one console and said other console by the operator, and wherein the engine operates, when none of the console suffers from a malfunction, to control one half of the input channels by operation of the plurality of operation devices of said one console by the operator, and to control the other half of the input channels by operation of the plurality of operation devices of said other console by the operator, and wherein the engine operates when said one console suffers from a malfunction for switching to said other console so as to receive therefrom control signals and to have all of the input channels controlled solely by operation of the plurality of operation devices of said other console by the operator while switching target of the control between said one half and said other half of the input channels, thereby continuing the mixing of the audio signals, and wherein the engine operates when said other console suffers from a malfunction for switching to said one console so as to receive therefrom control signals and to have all of the input channels controlled solely by operation of the plurality of operation devices of said one console by the operator while switching target of the control between said one half and said other half of the input channels, thereby continuing the mixing of the audio signals.