Virtual musical instruments with user selectable and controllable mapping of position input to sound output

• US 6,388,183 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2001
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chip Leh
• Original Assignee: LEH Labs LLC
• Inventors: Leh, Stephen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US09/851,269
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 846/45, 846/44, 846/70, 847/42
• US Class Current: 84/645
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/401 Microtonal scale; i.e. continuous scale of pitches, also interval-free input devices, e.g. continuous keyboards for violin, singing voice or trombone synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/321 Garment sensors, i.e. musical control means with trigger surfaces or joint angle sensors, worn as a garment by the player, e.g. bracelet, intelligent clothing vital parameter sensing G10H2220/371; wearable interfaces in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/411 Light beams key actuation detection using light G10H2220/305
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format

Abstract

A method, and corresponding computer system, for mapping user positional data to output data based on user selection and customization input. The method includes displaying a number of mapping routine identifiers to a user through a user interface. User selection input is received indicating a user selection of one of the mapping routine identifiers and a mapping routine corresponding to the selected identifier is retrieved and executed. User position data is received (e.g., MIDI data from a MIDI hardware controller) and the user position data is processed with the selected mapping routine to map the user position data to output data. The output data is then transmitted via an interface such as a MIDI interface to an output device to create an output (such as a synthesizer connected to speakers).

Claims

1. A method of mapping user positional data to output data based on user selection and customization input, comprising:

displaying a plurality of mapping routine identifiers to a user through a user interface;

receiving user selection input indicating a user selection of one of the mapping routine identifiers;

executing a mapping routine corresponding to the user selected mapping routine identifier;

receiving user position data from a gestural interface having a performance area with a detection range;

displaying a listing of customizable output parameters for the mapping routine corresponding to the user selected mapping routine identifier and receiving user customization input for at least one of the displayed customizable output parameters, wherein the customizable output parameters include dimensions of the detection range; and

processing the user position data with the executing mapping routine to map the user position data to output data, wherein the processing is performed utilizing the customizable output parameters modified by the user customization input.

2. The mapping method of claim 1, wherein the customizable output parameters include a listing of musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) files which can be mapped in the processing.

3. The mapping method of claim 1, wherein the output data includes musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data and the customizable output parameters include at least one of MIDI note numbers, MIDI program numbers, MIDI velocity numbers, MIDI channel information, MIDI controller data, and MIDI pitch bend information.

4. The mapping method of claim 1, wherein the user position data includes MIDI data including user position coordinates of one or more transmitters relative to a performance area and wherein the processing includes comparing the user position coordinates with a predefined position range in the mapping routine and if determined within the position range, mapping the user coordinate to a predefined output value.

5. The mapping method of claim 1, wherein the output data is configured to be used by a synthesizer and the mapping routine identifiers correspond to a like number of musical approaches, the musical approaches being selected from the group consisting of a one instrument approach, a two instrument approach, a four instrument approach, a conductor approach, a conductor with a sample trigger approach, a blues organ approach, a range of motion blues organ approach, a microtonal instrument approach, and a talking drums approach, wherein each of the musical approaches functions differently in the processing to map the user position to create a unique ones of the output data.

6. A virtual musical instrument method for mapping positional data from a hardware controller to output data useful by an output device in creating an output, comprising:

loading and executing a mapping routine;

requesting user input for customization of output parameters used by the mapping routine;

receiving the requested user input;

customizing the mapping routine based on the received user input;

receiving positional data including transmitter coordinates from the hardware controller, wherein the transmitter coordinates include a first set of coordinates for a first transmitter and a second set of coordinates for a second transmitter;

with the mapping routine, mapping the received positional data to output data including musical instrument digital interface (MIDI), wherein the mapping routine is adapted to perform the mapping to map the first set of coordinates differently than the second set of coordinates; and

transmitting an output signal comprising the output data to the output device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the customizing includes establishing a size of a gestural range used by a receiver connected to the hardware controller in sensing the positional data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the output parameters are selected from the group consisting of mapped MIDI file, MIDI note numbers, MIDI program numbers, MIDI velocity numbers, MIDI channel information, MIDI controller data, and MIDI pitch bend information.

9. The method of claim 6, further including prior to the loading and executing, displaying a plurality of mapping routine identifiers to a user through a user interface and receiving user selection input indicating a user selection of one of the mapping routine identifiers, wherein the loaded and executed mapping routine corresponds to the user selected mapping routine identifier.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the customizing of the mapping routines affects the mapping routine separately for the first and the second transmitters.

11. A computer-implemented system for mapping user positional information to output data useful for creating an output, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of mapping routines;

a user interface for displaying identifiers for each of the mapping routines to a user of the system and for displaying customizable output parameters for the mapping routines;

an input device for receiving user input indicating the selection of one the mapping routine identifiers and receiving user customization input for one of the displayed customizable output parameters; and

a digital processor for retrieving one of the mapping routines corresponding to the selected mapping routine identifier, for processing the user positional information based on the retrieved mapping routine and utilizing the customizable output parameters to map the user positional information to output data, and to create an output signal including at least a portion of the output data, wherein the user positional information is collected from a gestural interface having a performance area with a detection range and wherein the customizable output parameters include dimensions of the detection range.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the output data includes MIDI data and further including an audio synthesizer for receiving and processing the output signal to create the output.

13. A computer readable medium for mapping user position data to output data based on a user selectable and customizable mapping routine comprising:

first computer code devices configured to cause a computer to create a user interface to display a plurality of mapping routine identifiers to a user;

second computer code devices configured to cause a computer to receive user selection input indicating a user selection of one of the mapping routine identifiers;

third computer code devices configured to cause a computer to execute a mapping routine corresponding to the user selected mapping routine identifier;

fourth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to process user position data with the executing mapping routine to map the user position data to output data, wherein the user position data is collected from a gestural interface having a performance area with a detection range; and

fifth computer code devices to cause a computer to manipulate the user interface to display a set of customizable output parameters for the executing mapping routine and to receive user customization input for at least one of the customizable output parameters, wherein the customizable output parameters include dimensions of the detection range and wherein the third computer code devices function to execute the mapping routine using the received user customization input.

14. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the user position data includes musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data and the output data includes MIDI data differing from the MIDI data of the user position data.

15. A method of mapping user positional data to output data based on user selection and customization input, comprising:

displaying a plurality of mapping routine identifiers to a user through a user interface;

receiving user selection input indicating a user selection of one of the mapping routine identifiers;

executing a mapping routine corresponding to the user selected mapping routine identifier;

receiving user position data; and

processing the user position data with the executing mapping routine to map the user position data to output data;

wherein the output data is configured to be used by a synthesizer and the mapping routine identifiers correspond to a like number of musical approaches, the musical approaches being selected from the group consisting of a one instrument approach, a two instrument approach, a four instrument approach, a conductor approach, a conductor with a sample trigger approach, a blues organ approach, a range of motion blues organ approach, a microtonal instrument approach, and a talking drums approach and wherein the processing is performed differently for each of the musical approaches to map the user position to create a unique set of the output data.

16. A virtual musical instrument method for mapping positional data from a hardware controller to output data useful by an output device in creating an output, comprising:

loading and executing a mapping routine;

requesting user input for customization of output parameters used by the mapping routine;

receiving the requested user input;

customizing the mapping routine based on the received user input, wherein the customizing includes establishing a size of a gestural range used by a receiver connected to the hardware controller in sensing the positional data;

receiving positional data including transmitter coordinates from the hardware controller;

mapping the received positional data to output data including musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data; and

transmitting an output signal comprising the output data to the output device.