Systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and playing musical compositions

• US 6,958,441 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medialab Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Medialab Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Georges, Alain, Laurent, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US10/324,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20040089132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 84609-614, 84600-604, 846/45
• US Class Current: 84/645
• 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 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/145 Composing rules, e.g. harmonic or musical rules, for use in automatic composition; Rule generation algorithms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/151 using templates, i.e. incomplete musical sections, as a basis for composing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/101 for graphical creation, edition or control of musical data or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/315 for joystick-like proportional control of musical input; Videogame input devices used for musical input or control, e.g. gamepad, joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/071 Wave, i.e. Waveform Audio File Format, coding, e.g. uncompressed PCM audio according to the RIFF bitstream format method
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/145 Sound library, i.e. involving the specific use of a musical database as a sound bank or wavetable; indexing, interfacing, protocols or processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/165 Memory card, i.e. removable module or card for storing music data for an electrophonic musical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/241 Telephone transmission, i.e. using twisted pair telephone lines or any type of telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/211 Random number generators, pseudorandom generators, classes of functions therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/595 ADPCM [adaptive differential pulse code modulation]

Abstract

A method of playing music using a computing system in which MIDI events are synchronized with samples is disclosed. A sequence of MIDI events is provided. At least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, and the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource. Audio stream events are processed, and one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, and the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource; the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank. A first MIDI event is provided that is configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event. The audio stream event is rhythmically synchronized with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event. The first MIDI event may be an NRPN MIDI command. The audio sample data may be decoded before the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, and as a first step the audio sample data may be encoded in a compressed audio format. The digital signal processing resource may consist of a first section associated with the MIDI events and a second section associated with the audio stream data. The audio stream data may be preloaded using a second MIDI event associated with an earlier point in time in the music than the first MIDI event. The second MIDI event may be processed in response to user input.

Claims

1. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MIDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event; and

rhythmically synchronizing the audio stream event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event;

wherein the first MIDI event comprises an NRPN MIDI command.

2. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MIDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event; and

rhythmically synchronizing the audio stream event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event;

wherein the audio stream data is processed using a second MIDI event associated with an earlier point in time in the music than the first MIDI event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second MIDI event is processed in response to user input.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second MIDI event comprises an NRPN MIDI command.

5. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MIDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event;

rhythmically synchronizing the audio stream event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event; and

providing a third MIDI event associated with at least one sound effect to be applied to the audio sample data associated with a particular audio stream event;

wherein the third MIDI event comprises an NRPN MIDI command.

6. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event; and

rhythmically synchronizing the audio stream event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event;

wherein at least one of the audio stream events is processed in response to one or more user inputs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user input is temporally quantized.

8. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MIDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event and rhythmically synchronizing the audio stream event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event;

wherein displayed graphics corresponding to the sequence of MIDI events are customizable by a user.

9. A method of playing music using a computing system comprised of:

providing a sequence of MIDI events, wherein at least one of the MIDI events includes delta time parameter data, wherein the MIDI events are provided to a digital signal processing resource;

processing audio stream events, wherein one or more of the audio stream events has associated therewith audio sample data, wherein the audio sample data is provided to the digital signal processing resource, wherein the audio sample data is not provided from a MIDI sound bank;

providing a first MIDI event configured to include delta time parameter data associated with the intended playback timing of at least one audio stream event;

rhythmically synchronizing the audio steam event with the sequence of MIDI events using the first MIDI event; and

processing at least one of the MIDI events in accordance with at least one music generation algorithm, wherein the music generation algorithm is comprised in part by at least one music rule.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displayed graphics corresponding to the sequence of MIDI events are customizable by the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio sample data are saved to a memory location.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a series of the MIDI events is saved to a memory location.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio sample data are provided from a flash memory resource location.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the audio stream events is processed in response to user input.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the user input is temporally quantized.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio sample data are provided to the digital signal processing resource in response to user input.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital signal processing resource comprises a hardware digital signal processor.