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| Joined: | Nov 7th, 2007 |
| Location: | Alabama USA |
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Please scroll down and download the pdf. Then read my explanation below:
The acoustic microphone is for the contact on the physical (our) side, which I will call the interviewer, to be recorded. The noise gate just after the mic will only allow the spoken words of the interviewer through to the mixer. When the interviewer is not speaking, the noise gate will close, isolating the mic from the mixer so as not to allow undesired sounds from the local environment into the audio system.
The mixer is an 8 channel audio mixer of recording studio quality. Its outputs will feed the headphones, recorders (one analog, one Digital Audio Tape), and audio power amplifier to loudspeakers. The mixer is also fed to the computer for signal analysis, and vocal regeneration.
The Spirit side of Mark VI is the Vocal Synthesizer fed through a parametric equalizer, to shape the voice to sound "real". The output of the para-EQ is sent into the audio modulator input of a radio frequency (RF) generator. The output of the composite RF will be sent to an antenna located inside a Faraday cage. This is where the actual interface, or impingment of Spirit is assumed to take place, but is unknown at the present.
Inside the Faraday cage is another antenna. That antenna is fed into a radio receiver that is tuned to the RF generator's frequency. The receiver detects the RF; strips the RF out of the composite; and leaves only the audio from the Spirit. That audio from the receiver is fed into another noise gate. The purpose of this noise gate is to prevent unwanted 'drone' (the background buzz that is heard from Mark IV) when the Spirit is not speaking. It works that same way the noise gate controlling the acoustic mic does. The output of the noise gate is fed into the mixer, which blends the interviewer and Spirit together into the recorders.
Finally, the recorders are fed back into the mixer for audio playback.
Not shown on the diagram are some "test" settings. One test will be to test the Faraday cage for integrity so that no energy from the physical world can enter into it; and no energy from within the cage can escape. I'll explain that one later.
Further refinements in the working are a digital memory for frequencies that have been found to work well with particular Spirits. Once many solid contacts have been made, the frequencies will be logged and placed into the memory for instant re-selection by the interviewer. Maybe we'll call it Select-A-Spirit. Or something....
Now, I welcome all comments and questions!
Blessings!
Jeff
Attachment: Spiricom Mark VI.pdf (Downloaded 1478 times)
Last edited on Nov 20th, 2007 04:46 PM by Jeff