Hysteresis waveshaping

• US 7,309,828 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon
• Application Number:
  US10/702,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20040099127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 84/622
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/521 Hall effect transducers or similar magnetic field sensing semiconductor devices, e.g. for string vibration sensing or key movement sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/095 Spint zither, i.e. mimicking any neckless stringed instrument in which the strings do not extend beyond the sounding board
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/101 Spint koto, i.e. mimicking any traditional asian-style plucked zither with movable bridges
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/115 Spint sitar, i.e. mimicking any long-necked plucked string instrument with a large number of additional non-playable sympathetic resonating strings or an additional gourd-like resonating chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/145 Spint guitar keyboard, i.e. mimicking a combination of a guitar-like instrument, with or without strings, and a piano-like keyboard, e.g. with white and black keys arranged like on a piano
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/271 Spint gong, i.e. mimicking circular flat, nippled or bowl-shaped metallic percussion instruments G10H2230/321 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/18 using a string, e.g. electric guitar mechanical features G10D1/085
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/26 : using electric feedback
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/10 : Feedback

Abstract

This invention provides a signal processing and signal synthesis technique from a family of signal processing and signal synthesis techniques designed to readily interwork or be used individually in creating new forms of rich musical timbres. Synthetic hysteresis waveshaping is used to create naturally appealing dynamic spectral variations from an input signal of varying amplitude and waveshape. Waveshaping curves, waveshaping parameters, hysteresis characteristics and hysteresis parameters may be recalled from stored program control or modulated in real-time by arbitrary control signals, including those derived from the original input signal. The invention may be used individually or in conjunction with other signal processing and signal synthesis techniques in creating new forms of rich musical timbres. The invention may also be used in spatially-distributed timbre construction.

Claims

1. A system for enriching the timbre of audio signals, said system comprising:

a processor adapted to process an incoming audio signal comprising a signal attribute that is measurable over time, wherein said incoming audio signal is processed by measuring said signal attribute to produce an internal hysteretic control signal, wherein said measuring of said signal attribute is performed according to one of a selectable plurality of control signal generation algorithms;

a waveshaper adapted to generate an outgoing waveshaped audio signal by mapping said incoming audio signal to a particular outgoing waveshaped audio signal, wherein said mapping is controlled by said internal hysteretic control signal; and

an interface providing said outgoing waveshaped audio signal to an external audio system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mapping of said incoming audio signal to said particular outgoing waveshaped audio signal is additionally controlled by an incoming mapping control signal.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said incoming mapping control signal comprises a signal of MIDI format.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mapping is one of a plurality of mappings, wherein each mapping of said plurality of mappings provides for the generation of a corresponding plurality of different outgoing waveshaped audio signals.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein at least one mapping of said plurality of mappings comprises a nonlinear characteristic.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein an incoming hysteresis control signal is used to select a particular control signal generation algorithm from said plurality of control signal generation algorithms.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said incoming hysteresis control signal comprises a signal of MIDI format.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system provides one signal processing layer of a multi-layered signal processing system.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system is incorporated into a spatially-distributed timbral realization system.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mapping of said incoming audio signal to said particular outgoing waveshaped audio signal is additionally controlled by an incoming mapping control signal.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein said incoming mapping control signal comprises a signal of MIDI format.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mapping is one of a plurality of mappings, wherein each mapping of said plurality of mappings provides for the generation of a corresponding plurality of different outgoing waveshaped audio signals.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one mapping of said plurality of mappings comprises a nonlinear characteristic.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein an incoming hysteresis control signal is used to select a particular control signal generation algorithm from said plurality of control signal generation algorithms.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said incoming hysteresis control signal comprises a signal of MIDI format.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is implemented within one signal processing layer of a multi-layered signal processing system.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is implemented within a spatially-distributed timbral realization system.

10. A method for enriching the timbre of audio signals, said method comprising:

receiving an incoming audio signal comprising a signal attribute, wherein said signal attribute is measurable over time;

processing said incoming audio signal by measuring said signal attribute to produce an internal hysteretic control signal, wherein said measuring of said signal attribute is performed according to one of a selectable plurality of control signal generation algorithms;

generating an outgoing waveshaped audio signal by mapping said incoming audio signal to a particular outgoing waveshaped audio signal, wherein said mapping is controlled by said internal hysteretic control signal; and

providing said outgoing waveshaped audio signal to an external audio system.