Preventing Subtractive Track Separation

• US 20120063617A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramos, Aurelio R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/119
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00826 wherein a spoiler signal is added to degrade the signal quality
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10555 wherein the frequency, the amplitude, or other characteristics of the audio signal is taken into account

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for preventing extraction of original audio tracks from a song. The techniques are executed on a game platform and involve providing a first and second audio track representing parts of a musical composition, mixing the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track, generating an audio modification data comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers, and then modifying, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification data to provide a modified mixed audio track, such that subtracting the second audio track from the modified mixed audio track produces a third audio track with an audibly detectable deviation from the first audio track.

Claims

1. A method for preventing filtering of original audio tracks from a song executed on a computerized game platform comprising:

providing a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

providing a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

mixing the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track;

generating an audio modification data comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers; and

modifying, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification data to provide a modified mixed audio track, such that, subtracting the second audio track from the modified mixed audio track produces a third audio track with an audibly detectable deviation from the first audio track.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second audio track is randomized during a subsequent playback based on second audio modification data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the audio modification data further comprises determining the substantially random audio modifiers by setting the substantially random audio modifiers to a first value for a first random time interval and setting the substantially random audio modifiers to a second value for a second random time interval.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first random time interval and the second random time interval are between 1 and 2 seconds.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein modifying the mixed audio track by the substantially random audio modifiers changes pitch of the mixed audio track and the first value produces a positive 1.666 percent change in pitch and the second value produces a negative 1.666 percent change in pitch.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the mixed audio track comprises speeding up the mixed audio track or slowing down the mixed audio track based on the substantially random audio modifiers.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising playing the output track.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the substantially random audio modifiers alter the mixed audio track such that the modification changes pitch of the mixed audio track.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first audio track and the second audio track are guitar tracks, bass tracks, vocal tracks, drum tracks, other musical instrument tracks or any combination thereof.

10. A method executed on a game platform comprising:

providing a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

providing a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

generating an audio modification track comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers;

mixing the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track; and

modifying, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification track.

11. A method executed on a game platform comprising:

providing a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

providing a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

mixing the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track;

generating an audio modification track comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers; and

modifying, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification track.

12. A method executed on a game platform comprising:

providing a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

providing a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

generating an audio modification track comprising a first series of substantially random audio modifiers;

modifying, before playback, the first audio track based on the audio modification track;

modifying, before playback, the second audio track based on the audio modification track; and

mixing the modified first audio track and the modified second audio track to provide a mixed audio track for playback.

13. A method for preventing filtering of original audio tracks from a song executed on a computerized game platform comprising:

providing a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

providing a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

generating an audio modification track comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers;

mixing the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track; and

modifying, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification track to provide a modified mixed audio track, such that, subtracting the second audio track from the modified mixed audio track produces a third audio track with an audibly detectable deviation from the first audio track.

14. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, for preventing filtering of original audio tracks from a song, the computer program product including executable instruction operable to cause a game platform to:

provide two or more original audio tracks;

mix the two or more original audio tracks to provide a mixed audio track;

generate an audio modification track comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers; and

modify, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification track to provide a modified mixed audio track, such that, subtracting the second audio track from the modified mixed audio track produces a third audio track with an audibly detectable deviation from the first audio track.

15. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, for preventing filtering of original audio tracks from a song, the computer program product including executable instruction operable to cause a game platform to:

provide a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

provide a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

generate an audio modification track comprising a first series of substantially random audio modifiers;

modify, before playback, the first audio track based on the audio modification track;

modify, before playback, the second audio track based on the audio modification track; and

mix the modified first audio track and the modified second audio track to provide a mixed audio track for playback.

16. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, for preventing filtering of original audio tracks from a song, the computer program product including executable instruction operable to cause a game platform to:

provide a first audio track representing a part of a musical composition;

provide a second audio track representing at least one part of a musical composition, the at least one part being different than the part represented by the first track;

generate an audio modification track comprising a series of substantially random audio modifiers;

mix the first audio track and the second audio track to provide a mixed audio track; and

modify, before playback, the mixed audio track based on the audio modification track to provide a modified mixed audio track, such that, subtracting the second audio track from the modified mixed audio track produces a third audio track with an audibly detectable deviation from the first audio track.