Apparatus, systems, and methods for music generation

• US 10,102,836 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mintz, Jonathan, Brosius, Eric J., Burrowes, Paul, Fitzgerald, Michael, Rigopulos, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): WARREN, DAVID S
• Application Number:
  US15/386,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20170186411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 84609
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/04 Card games combined with other games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00123 Board games concerning music
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00126 using audio equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2011/0072 Indicating values other than scores, e.g. handicap, initial settings, coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00119 Board games concerning music, theatre, cinema, or art
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 1/00 Means for the representation of music
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0555 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/105 Composing aid, e.g. for supporting creation, edition or modification of a piece of music
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/125 Medley, i.e. linking parts of different musical pieces in one single piece, e.g. sound collage, DJ mix
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/151 using templates, i.e. incomplete musical sections, as a basis for composing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/381 Manual tempo setting or adjustment tempo setting by interpretation of conducting movements G10H2220/206
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/565 Manual designation or selection of a tonality
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 : Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/425 : Radio control, i.e. input or control device involving a radio frequency signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 : Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system, and method that allow non-musicians to compose and perform a musical composition. Although some existing electronic devices can provide a virtual environment to compose and play musical sound digitally, manipulating such a virtual environment can be difficult and may require specific software expertise, as well as knowledge of music theory. The present disclosure provides a platform that facilitates the creation of a musical composition without such software expertise or knowledge of music theory. The platform models a musical composition as a simultaneous playback of one or more musical contents. The platform allows players to control or modify one or more of the plurality of musical contents to generate or synthesize a musical composition.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to run a computer program stored in memory, wherein the computer program is operable to cause the processor to;

identify a first object and at least one additional object placed on a music mix layout,

retrieve, from a non-transitory memory device, a first musical container associated with the first object, wherein the first musical container comprises first musical content, and at least one additional musical container, each of the at least one additional musical container associated with one of the at least one additional object, wherein each of the at least one additional musical container comprises musical content, and

generate a musical composition that plays musical sounds associated with the first musical content at the same time as musical sounds associated with the musical content of each of the at least one additional musical container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the music mix layout comprises a physical music mix layout, and the apparatus further comprises an interface coupled to a sensor system, wherein the computer program is operable to cause the processor to receive, from the sensor system, via the interface, detection information indicating presence of the first object and the at least one additional object on the music mix layout.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first object and the at least one additional object each comprise a passive radio element, and the sensor system comprises a radio signal detection system.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the radio signal detection system is configured to determine presence of the first object and the at least one additional object based, in part, on radio signals returned by the passive radio element of the first object and the passive radio element of the at least one additional object.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first object and the at least one additional object each comprise a physical card.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the music mix layout comprises a virtual music mix layout.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first musical content of the first object comprises predetermined melody samples.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program is operable to cause the processor to determine a musical attribute associated with the at least one additional object, and to modify the musical composition based in part on the musical attribute.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the musical attribute comprises a tempo, and the computer program is operable to modify the musical composition by time-stretching the musical composition.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the musical attribute comprises a key, and the computer program is operable to modify the musical composition by transposing the musical composition.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program is operable to cause the processor to repeat the musical sounds associated with the first musical content and to repeat the musical sounds associated with the musical content of each of the at least one additional musical container to repeat the musical composition.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program is further operable to cause the processor to:

determine first one or more musical attribute values corresponding to first one or more musical attributes associated with the first object; and

determine additional one or more musical attribute values corresponding to additional one or more musical attributes associated with each of the at least one additional object,

wherein the musical composition is generated based in part on the first one or more musical attribute values and at least one of the additional one or more musical attribute values of the at least one additional musical container corresponding to musical attributes that are different from the first one or more musical attributes.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the additional one or more musical attribute values of the at least one additional musical container corresponding to musical attributes that are the same as the first one or more musical attributes are ignored during the generation of the musical composition.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first one or more musical attributes and the additional one or more musical attributes associated with each of the at least one additional musical container comprise at least one of a type of musical content, a beat type, a bassline type, a melody, a sample type, an exclusive sample type, a genre, a meter, a measure of music, a tempo, a speed, a rhythm, a pitch, a harmony, a key, a mode, chord progression, a feel, a form, a verse, a chorus, or a bridge.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first one or more musical attribute values and the additional one or more musical attribute values of each of the at least one additional musical container are received from a user via a controller.

16. A method comprising:

identifying, by a music synthesis module, a first object and at least one additional object placed on a music mix layout,

retrieving, from a non-transitory memory device in communication with the music synthesis module, a first musical container associated with the first object, wherein the first musical container comprises first musical content, and at least one additional musical container, each of the at least one additional musical container associated with one of the at least one additional object, wherein each of the at least one additional musical container comprises musical content, and

generating, by the music synthesis module, a musical composition that plays musical sounds associated with the first musical content at the same time as musical sounds associated with the musical content of each of the at least one additional musical container.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the music mix layout comprises a physical music mix layout, and the method further comprises receiving, from a sensor system in communication with the music synthesis module, detection information indicating presence of the first object and the at least one additional object on the physical music mix layout.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first object and the at least one additional object each comprise a passive radio element, and the sensor system comprises a radio signal detection system.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a musical attribute associated with the at least one additional object, and modifying the musical composition based in part on the musical attribute.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining first one or more musical attribute values corresponding to first one or more musical attributes associated with the first object; and

determining additional one or more musical attribute values corresponding to additional one or more musical attributes associated with each of the at least one additional object,

wherein the musical composition is generated based in part on the first one or more musical attribute values and at least one of the additional one or more musical attribute values of the at least one additional musical container corresponding to musical attributes that are different from the first one or more musical attributes.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein the instructions are operable to cause a processor to:

identify a first object and at least one additional object placed on a music mix layout,

retrieve, from a non-transitory memory device in communication with the processor, a first musical container associated with the first object, wherein the musical container comprises first musical content, and at least one additional musical container, each of the at least one additional musical container associated with one of the at least one additional object, wherein each of the at least one additional musical container comprises musical content, and

generate a musical composition that plays musical sounds associated with the first musical content at the same time as musical sounds associated with the musical content of each of the at least one additional musical container.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the music mix layout comprises a physical music mix layout, and the instructions are further operable to cause the processor to receive, from a sensor system in communication with the processor, detection information indicating presence of the first object and the at least one additional object on the physical music mix layout.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the processor to determine a musical attribute associated with the at least one additional object, and modify the musical composition based in part on the musical attribute.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the processor to:

determine first one or more musical attribute values corresponding to first one or more musical attributes associated with the first object; and

determine additional one or more musical attribute values corresponding to additional one or more musical attributes associated with each of the at least one additional object,

wherein the musical composition is generated based in part on the first one or more musical attribute values and at least one of the additional one or more musical attribute values of the at least one additional musical container corresponding to musical attributes that are different from the first one or more musical attributes.