Audio generation system manager

• US 20020143413A1
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schmidt, Brian L., Fay, Todor J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/00 Two-channel systems H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

An audio generation system includes a performance manager, which is an audio source manager, and an audio rendition manager to produce a rendition corresponding to an audio source. An application program provides the audio source manager and the audio rendition manager. The audio source manager receives audio content from an audio source, provides one or more audio content components that generate event instructions from the received audio content, and processes the event instructions to produce audio instructions that are provided to the audio rendition manager. The audio rendition manager provides processing components to process the audio instructions, including a synthesizer component that receives the audio instructions and generates audio sound wave data, and audio buffers that process the audio sound wave data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving audio content from one or more sources;

providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, each audio content component generating event instructions from the received audio content;

processing the event instructions to produce audio instructions;

providing one or more audio rendition managers, each audio rendition manager corresponding to an audio rendition; and

routing the audio instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers, wherein the audio rendition managers process the audio instructions to render the corresponding audio renditions.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component, the software component directing said generating the event instructions.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component, the software component performing said routing the audio instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a software component, wherein each audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the software component, the software component directing said generating the event instructions, and wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by the software component, the software component performing said routing the audio instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a performance manager that performs said providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, and performs said providing the one or more audio rendition managers.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a performance manager as a component object that performs said providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, and performs said providing the one or more audio rendition managers.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a performance manager as a component object, wherein each audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager, the performance manager directing said generating the event instructions, and wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager, the performance manager performing said routing the audio instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a performance manager that performs said receiving the audio content, providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, processing the event instructions, and routing the audio instructions.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a performance manager that performs said receiving the audio content, providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, processing the event instructions, providing the one or more audio rendition managers, and routing the audio instructions.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio content includes digital audio samples.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio content includes MIDI data.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each audio content component has one or more event instruction components that perform said generating the event instructions.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each audio content component has one or more event instruction components that perform said generating the event instructions, each event instruction component corresponding to part of the received audio content.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising each audio content component generating event instructions and routing the event instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers before said processing the event instructions.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a particular audio content component generating event instructions, said processing the event instructions to produce audio instructions, and routing the audio instructions resulting from the particular audio content component to the one or more audio rendition managers.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more audio rendition managers receive audio instructions originating as event instructions from one or more of the audio content components.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one audio rendition manager receives audio instructions originating as event instructions from one or more of the audio content components.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said providing an audio rendition manager comprises providing a synthesizer component, the method further comprising processing the audio instructions with the synthesizer component to render the corresponding audio rendition.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said providing an audio rendition manager comprises providing a synthesizer component and audio wave data consumers, the method further comprising processing the audio instructions with the synthesizer component to generate audio wave data, and routing the audio wave data to the audio wave data consumers.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said providing an audio rendition manager comprises:

providing a synthesizer component;

providing audio wave data consumers;

defining logical buses that each correspond to one of the audio wave data consumers;

the method further comprising;

processing the audio instructions with the synthesizer component to generate multiple streams of audio wave data;

assigning each of the multiple streams of audio wave data to one or more of the logical buses; and

routing audio wave data streams assigned to a particular logical bus to the audio wave data consumer corresponding to said particular logical bus.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said providing an audio rendition manager comprises:

providing a synthesizer component having multiple channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels to receive the audio instructions;

providing a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels;

providing audio wave data consumers;

defining logical buses that each correspond to one of the audio wave data consumers;

the method further comprising;

assigning the mapping channels to receive the audio instructions;

routing the audio instructions to a particular synthesizer channel in accordance with the mapping channel assignments;

processing the audio instructions with the synthesizer component to generate multiple streams of audio wave data;

assigning each of the multiple streams of audio wave data to one or more of the logical buses; and

routing audio wave data streams assigned to a particular logical bus to the audio wave data consumer corresponding to said particular logical bus.

22. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 1.

23. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 7.

24. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 20.

25. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 21.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the performance manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component.

28. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the performance manager is a component object, and wherein each audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager, the performance manager directing said generating the event instructions.

29. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component.

30. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the performance manager is a component object, and wherein each audio rendition manager is a programming object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager.

31. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the performance manager is a component object that performs said providing the one or more audio rendition managers, and wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager.

32. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the audio content includes digital audio samples.

33. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the audio content includes MIDI data.

34. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio content component has one or more event instruction components that perform said generating the event instructions.

35. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager, and wherein each audio content component has one or more event instruction components that are component objects having an interface that is callable by the audio content component, the one or more event instruction components performing said generating the event instructions.

36. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising each audio content component generating event instructions, and routing the event instructions to the one or more audio rendition managers before said processing the event instructions.

37. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising a particular audio content component generating event instructions, said processing the event instructions to produce audio instructions, and routing the audio instructions resulting from the particular audio content component to the one or more audio rendition managers.

38. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the one or more audio rendition managers receive audio instructions originating as event instructions from one or more of the audio content components.

39. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein one audio rendition manager receives audio instructions originating as event instructions from one or more of the audio content components.

40. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the synthesizer component is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component.

41. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object, and wherein the synthesizer component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the audio rendition manager providing the synthesizer component.

42. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the one or more audio wave data consumers are audio buffers provided as component objects, each audio buffer having an interface that is callable by a software component.

43. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio rendition manager is a component object, and wherein the one or more audio wave data consumers are audio buffers provided as component objects, each audio buffer having an interface that is callable by the audio rendition manager providing the audio buffer.

44. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein each audio rendition manager performs acts further comprising:

defining logical buses that each correspond to one of the audio wave data consumers;

assigning the audio wave data to one or more of the logical buses; and

routing the audio wave data assigned to a particular logical bus to the audio wave data consumer corresponding to said particular logical bus.

45. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein said providing a synthesizer component comprises providing the synthesizer component with multiple channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions, and wherein each audio rendition manager performs acts further comprising:

providing a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels;

assigning the mapping channels to receive the audio instructions;

routing the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels in accordance with the mapping channel assignments;

defining logical buses that each correspond to one of the audio wave data consumers;

assigning the audio wave data to one or more of the logical buses; and

routing the audio wave data assigned to a particular logical bus to the audio wave data consumer corresponding to said particular logical bus.

46. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 26.

47. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 31.

48. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing system to perform the method of claim 45.

50. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, further comprising a second audio rendition manager that corresponds to a second audio rendition, the second audio rendition manager configured to receive the audio instructions and process the audio instructions to render the corresponding second audio rendition.

51. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, further comprising a second audio rendition manager that corresponds to a second audio rendition, the second audio rendition manager configured to receive the audio instructions and process the audio instructions to render the corresponding second audio rendition, wherein the audio rendition and the second audio rendition are rendered together.

52. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the performance manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component.

53. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager is a component object having an interface that is callable by a software component.

54. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the performance manager is a component object, and wherein the audio content component is a component object having an interface that is callable by the performance manager.

55. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the performance manager is a component object, and wherein the audio rendition manager is a component object provided by the performance manager, the audio rendition manager having an interface that is callable by the performance manager.

56. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager comprises a synthesizer component configured to process the audio instructions to generate audio wave data.

57. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager comprises a synthesizer component configured to process the audio instructions to generate audio wave data, and one or more audio wave data consumers configured to process the audio wave data.

58. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager comprises:

a synthesizer component configured to processes the audio instructions to generate audio wave data;

one or more audio wave data consumers configured to process the audio wave data; and

a software component that defines logical buses corresponding respectively to the one or more audio wave data consumers, the software component configured to receive the audio wave data at the defined logical buses, and route audio wave data that is received at a particular logical bus to an audio wave data consumer corresponding to the particular logical bus.

59. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager comprises:

a synthesizer component having multiple channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels configured to process the audio instructions to generate audio wave data;

a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels, the mapping component configured to designate the synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions via the respective mapping channels;

one or more audio wave data consumers configured to process the audio wave data; and

a software component that defines logical buses corresponding respectively to the one or more audio wave data consumers, the software component configured to receive the audio wave data at the defined logical buses, and route audio wave data that is received at a particular logical bus to the audio wave data consumer corresponding to the particular logical bus.

60. An audio generation system as recited in claim 49, wherein the audio rendition manager is a component object configured to provided processing components to process the audio instructions, the audio rendition manager having processing components comprising:

a synthesizer component object having multiple channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels configured to process the audio instructions to generate audio wave data;

a mapping component object having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels, the mapping component object configured to designate the synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions via the respective mapping channels;

one or more audio buffer component objects configured to process the audio wave data; and

a multi-bus component object that defines logical buses corresponding respectively to the one or more audio buffer component objects, the multi-bus component object configured to receive the audio wave data at the defined logical buses, and route audio wave data that is received at a particular logical bus to the audio buffer component object corresponding to the particular logical bus.

26. A method, comprising:

providing a performance manager that performs acts comprising;

receiving audio content from one or more sources;

providing an audio content component for each source of audio content, each audio content component generating event instructions from the received audio content;

processing the event instructions to produce audio instructions;

providing one or more audio rendition managers, each audio rendition manager corresponding to an audio rendition, and each audio rendition manager performing acts comprising;

providing a synthesizer component that receives the audio instructions and generates audio wave data;

providing one or more audio wave data consumers that process the audio wave data; and

routing the audio wave data to render the corresponding audio renditions.

49. An audio generation system, comprising:

a performance manager having an audio content component that generates event instructions from audio content received from one or more sources, the performance manager configured to process the event instructions to produce audio instructions; and

an audio rendition manager that corresponds to an audio rendition, the audio rendition manager configured to receive the audio instructions and process the audio instructions to render the corresponding audio rendition.

61. An audio rendition manager, comprising:

a synthesizer component having one or more channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels configured to receive audio instructions and produce one or more streams of audio wave data from the received audio instructions; and

a plurality of audio buffers that receive one or more of the streams of audio wave data.

62. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising a second synthesizer component having one or more channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels configured to receive the audio instructions and produce the one or more streams of audio wave data from the received audio instructions.

63. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising a mapping component configured to receive the audio instructions from one or more sources and route the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels in accordance with audio instruction channel designations.

64. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising:

a second synthesizer component having one or more channel groups, each channel group having a plurality of synthesizer channels configured to receive the audio instructions and produce the one or more streams of audio wave data from the received audio instructions; and

a mapping component configured to receive the audio instructions from one or more sources and route the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels in the synthesizer component and in the second synthesizer component.

65. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels, the mapping component configured to receive the audio instructions from one or more sources, designate the synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions via the respective mapping channels, and route the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels.

66. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising a multi-bus component that defines logical buses corresponding respectively to the plurality of audio buffers, the multi-bus component configured to receive the one or more streams of audio wave data at the defined logical buses and route one or more of the streams of audio wave data received at a particular logical bus to the audio buffer corresponding to the particular logical bus.

67. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising:

a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels, the mapping component configured to receive the audio instructions from one or more sources, designate the synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions via the respective mapping channels, and route the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels; and

a multi-bus component that defines logical buses corresponding respectively to the plurality of audio buffers, the multi-bus component configured to receive the one or more streams of audio wave data at the defined logical buses and route one or more of the streams of audio wave data received at a particular logical bus to the audio buffer corresponding to the particular logical bus.

68. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising a performance manager that receives audio content from one or more sources, the performance manager configured to instantiate an audio content component for each source of audio content, each audio content component generating event instructions from the received audio content, and wherein the performance manager is configured process the event instructions to produce the audio instructions.

69. An audio rendition manager as recited in claim 61, further comprising:

a performance manager that receives audio content from one or more sources, the performance manager configured to instantiate an audio content component for each source of audio content, each audio content component generating event instructions from the received audio content, and wherein the performance manager is configured process the event instructions to produce the audio instructions; and

a mapping component having mapping channels corresponding to the plurality of synthesizer channels, the mapping component configured to receive the audio instructions from the performance manager, designate the synthesizer channels that receive the audio instructions via the respective mapping channels, and route the audio instructions to the synthesizer channels.