Methods and Systems for an Object-Oriented Arrangement of Musical Ideas

• US 20140208922A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inmusic Brands Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inmusic Brands Incorporated
• Inventors: Adnitt, Timothy Jay, Knelangen, Wolfram, O'Donnell, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• 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 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/101 Music Composition or musical creation; Tools or processes therefor
• 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 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/106 using icons, e.g. selecting, moving or linking icons, on-screen symbols, screen regions or segments representing musical elements or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/116 for graphical editing of sound parameters or waveforms, e.g. by graphical interactive control of timbre, partials or envelope non-graphical waveform editing G10H2250/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/121 for graphical editing of a musical score, staff or tablature mere score display G10H2220/015; score transcription G10H2210/086
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/066 MPEG audio-visual compression file formats, e.g. MPEG-4 for coding of audio-visual objects MP3 G10H2240/061
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/325 Synchronizing two or more audio tracks or files according to musical features or musical timings synchronised lyrics, e.g. for karaoke G10H2220/011
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/641 : Waveform sampler, i.e. music samplers; Sampled music loop processing, wherein a loop is a sample of a performance that has been edited to repeat seamlessly without clicks or artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 : Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 : on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 : Insert-editing

Abstract

An electronic device and a method for playing a plurality of audio objects is provided. The method includes displaying the plurality of audio objects on a display, each audio object being displayed at a location having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the location of each audio object is changeable by a user.

Claims

1. A method for playing a plurality of audio objects, the method comprising:

displaying the plurality of audio objects on a display, each audio object being displayed at a location having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the location of each audio object is changeable by a user;

responsive to a first playback command, playing each of the plurality of audio objects, wherein each audio object starts playing after a delay corresponding to the location of the audio object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the delay after which the audio object starts playing is proportional to the horizontal component of the audio object'"'"'s location, and wherein at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having different horizontal components.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects corresponds to an audio clip associated with a musical instrument, and at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having the same vertical component, and correspond to audio clips associated with different musical instruments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects is selectable by the user, the method further comprising:

responsive to a second playback command, simultaneously starting playback of one or more audio objects selected by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising delaying the simultaneous start until a point in time corresponding to a beginning of a new time segment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of a second object of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object so as to make the first object adjacent to the second object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from an edge between two other objects of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object and at least one of the two other objects so as to put the first object between and adjacent to the two other objects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording an audio input;

identifying a starting time at which the audio input exceeds a predefined sound level threshold;

storing the recorded audio input, wherein the stored audio input comprises the audio input recorded before the starting time; and

creating a new audio object associated with the stored audio input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon detecting a request to combine a first object and a second object, assigning the first object and the second object to a new group of objects, wherein each of the first and the second objects comprises either one of the plurality of audio objects or a previously created group of objects comprising two or more of the plurality of audio objects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the request to combine comprises determining that the location of the first object was changed and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of the second object.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method comprising:

displaying the plurality of audio objects on a display, each audio object being displayed at a location having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the location of each audio object is changeable by a user;

responsive to a first playback command, playing each of the plurality of audio objects, wherein each audio object starts playing after a delay corresponding to the location of the audio object.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the delay after which the audio object starts playing is proportional to the horizontal component of the audio object'"'"'s location, and wherein at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having different horizontal components.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects corresponds to an audio clip associated with a musical instrument, and wherein at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having the same vertical component, and correspond to audio clips associated with different musical instruments.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects is selectable by the user, and wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to a second playback command, simultaneously starting playback of one or more audio objects selected by the user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises delaying the simultaneous start until a point in time corresponding to a beginning of a new time segment.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of a second object of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object so as to make the first object adjacent to the second object.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from an edge between two other objects of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object and at least one of the two other objects so as to put the first object between and adjacent to the two other objects.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

recording an audio input;

identifying a starting time at which the audio input exceeds a predefined sound level threshold;

storing the recorded audio input, wherein the stored audio input comprises the audio input recorded before the starting time; and

creating a new audio object associated with the stored audio input.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

upon detecting a request to combine a first object and a second object, assigning the first object and the second object to a new group of objects, wherein each of the first and the second objects comprises either one of the plurality of audio objects or a previously created group of objects comprising two or more of the plurality of audio objects.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein detecting the request to combine comprises determining that the location of the first object was changed and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of the second object.

21. An electronic device comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

display the plurality of audio objects on a display, each audio object being displayed at a location having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the location of each audio object is changeable by a user;

responsive to a first playback command, play each of the plurality of audio objects, wherein each audio object starts playing after a delay corresponding to the location of the audio object.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the delay after which the audio object starts playing is proportional to the horizontal component of the audio object'"'"'s location, and wherein at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having different horizontal components.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects corresponds to an audio clip associated with a musical instrument, and wherein at least two of the plurality of audio objects are displayed at locations having the same vertical component, and correspond to audio clips associated with different musical instruments.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of audio objects is selectable by the user, and the processor is further configured to:

responsive to a second playback command, simultaneously start playback of one or more audio objects selected by the user.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to delay the simultaneous start until a point in time corresponding to a beginning of a new time segment.

26. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of a second object of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object so as to make the first object adjacent to the second object.

27. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

upon determining that the location of a first object of the plurality of the audio objects has been changed, and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from an edge between two other objects of the plurality of the audio objects, adjusting the location of the first object and at least one of the two other objects so as to put the first object between and adjacent to the two other objects.

28. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

record an audio input;

identify a starting time at which the audio input exceeds a predefined sound level threshold;

store the recorded audio input, wherein the stored audio input comprises the audio input recorded before the starting time; and

create a new audio object associated with the stored audio input.

29. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

upon detecting a request to combine a first object and a second object, assign the first object and the second object to a new group of objects, wherein each of the first and the second objects comprises either one of the plurality of audio objects or a previously created group of objects comprising two or more of the plurality of audio objects.

30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein detecting the request to combine comprises determining that the location of the first object was changed and that the changed location is within a predefined distance from the location of the second object.