Composite audio waveforms with precision alignment guides

• US 20060150072A1
• Filed: 01/04/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Salvucci, Keith D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel

Abstract

A technique for aligning a plurality of media clips is provided. One or more intra-clip points of interest (POIs) are identified in at least a first media clip. When aligning a first point in the first media clip with a second point in a second media clip, the first point may be snapped to the second point, wherein at least one of the first point and second point is an intra-clip POI. When a snap occurs, at least one of a visual or audible indication is generated, such as a “pop” sound, a snap line, or automatically aligning the first point with the second point when the first point is within a specified number of pixels of the second point. Techniques for representing multiple channels of an audio clip as a single waveform and caching waveforms are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,

cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of;

generating a first visual representation of a first media clip;

generating a second visual representation of a second media clip;

receiving input that moves one of the first visual representation and the second visual representation relative to the other of the first visual representation and the second visual representation;

while receiving said input, automatically generating at least one of (a) a visual indication or (b) an audible indication, in response to a first point of the first visual representation becoming approximately aligned with a second point of the second visual representation;

wherein at least one of the first point and the second point identifies an inter-clip point of interest (POI).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an intra-clip POI of a media clip corresponds to at least one of the following:

the beginning of silence within a media clip, the end of silence within a media clip, and peaks of audio intensity within a media clip.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first point of the first visual representation is an intra-clip POI of the first media clip and the second point of the second visual representation is either an edge of the second visual representation or an intra-clip POI of the second media clip.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the visual representations includes an audio waveform.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein becoming approximately aligned includes the first point of the first visual representation arriving within a number of pixels of the second point of the second visual representation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indication includes at least one of a line generated at the intra-clip POI, and automatically aligning the first point of the first visual representation with the second point of the second visual representation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the color of the generated line is a different color than the colors of objects immediately around the generated line.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating a third visual representation of a third media clip;

loading the third visual representation; and

in response to loading the third media clip, automatically aligning a third point in the third visual representation with the first point of the first visual representation, wherein the first point is an intra-clip POI.

9. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,

cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of;

generating a digital image representing an audio clip waveform;

durably storing the digital image to a persistent storage;

in response receiving input that requires regenerating a display of the audio clip waveform, reading the digital image from the persistent storage instead of generating a new image representing the audio clip waveform, and displaying the digital image via a user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving input to perform at least one of resizing and cropping of the digital image; and

resizing or cropping the digital image based on the input.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital image is generated during a first session of an application used to generate the digital image, and wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

in response to receiving input, exiting the software wherein all processes associated with the software are terminated;

in response to receiving input, initiating a second session of the software;

receiving input to load the audio waveform;

reading the digital image, that represents the audio clip waveform, from the persistent storage; and

displaying the digital image via the user interface.

12. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors,

cause the one or more processors to perform the step of;

generating a single audio waveform based on a plurality of audio channels within an audio clip;

wherein the single audio waveform reflects a combined characteristic based on audio information from each of the plurality of audio channels; and

generating a depiction of the audio clip based on the single audio waveform.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the single audio waveform depicts the audio intensity of the audio clip over time.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the single audio waveform is generated by coalescing two or more audio channels of the plurality of audio channels into one audio channel.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the single audio waveform is decimated using a sinc function.