I am happy to announce that a patent I applied for back in 2011 was issued on December 10, 2013. The patent is called Midi Learn Mode. The idea behind the patent allows smaller recording studios or home recording studios to automate all their midi equipment automatically with one application. It creates virtual GUI controls for their equipment whether it be mixers, recorders, sound modules, samplers, preamps, etc. and allows the controls to be automated and sequenced as a recorder. Most of the multi-billion dollar music equipment market cannot afford to equip their products with motorized faders. The software midi drivers that are on the market are usually proprietary and do not automate all the equipment controls available from their midi interfaces. It leaves a musicians and engineers with partial automation solutions and lots of various apps to control their studio. The patent also allows virtual GUI mixers to be created from midi files. Any controls found in the files will be created as a fader, pan, switch, etc. Midi controls can also be created that are not found in a midi song by forcing their creation.

I have been writing an application in Visual Basic and C# starting all the way back in 2000 which practically demonstrates the idea. Here are a couple video clips of the app and the idea that I made for the patent examiner:

this one demos midi learn mode with a midi device…

this one demos midi learn mode with a midi song…

Note: The demos seem to run better if you save them to your hard drive with “Save as” and run them locally.

The app also allows the user to create ‘instruments’ such as a Tascam 2488 hard drive recorder which has all the controls for that recorder. Multiple instruments can be made into ‘instrument stacks’ which allows automation of all the equipment in a studio. These instruments for various music equipment will be loaded by myself or others into a user library on my web site which will allow new users to simply download the instrument for whatever equipment they currently have.

I plan to try to sell the patent and the app if possible and if not I plan to go retail with the app. Please let me know if you have any contacts in the industry who might be interested in knowing more. There are additional claims we recently filed that are outstanding which will enhance and strengthen the original patent (CHANNEL-MAPPED MIDI LEARN MODE). It would be impossible to detail the hours and years of endless work that went into this patent and app but suffice it to say that my wife has been extremely patient for which I am forever grateful.

Mark