Methods and apparatus for representing audio data

• US 7,948,981 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Duddeck, Volker W., Classen, Holger, Duwenhorst, Sven, Wiegand, Stefan, Schnepel, Soenke
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; Dang T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaur; Pamit
• Application Number:
  US11/585,289
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 370/390, 370/484, 370/487
• US Class Current: 370/390
• 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 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 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

An audio storage architecture allows an audio management application to manipulate and recombine segments of a musical piece such that the resulting finished composition includes parts (segments) from the decomposed piece, typically a song, adjustable for length by selectively replicating particular parts and combining with other parts such that the finished composition provides a similar audio experience in the predetermined duration. The architecture defines the parts with part variations of independent length, identified as performing a function of starting, middle, (looping) or ending parts. Each of the parts provides a musical segment that is integratable with other parts in a seamless manner that avoids audible artifacts (e.g. “pops” and “crackles”) common with conventional mechanical switching and mixing. Each of the parts further includes attributes indicative of the manner in which the part may be ordered, whether the part may be replicated or “looped” and modifiers affecting melody and harmony of the rendered finished composition piece.

Claims

1. A method of storing audio information in a form adapted for rearrangement comprising:

identifying a musical score of audio information;

decomposing the score into a plurality of parts, each of the parts defining a segment of the score operable as a rearrangable element;

assigning a function to each of the parts, the function indicative of the order of the part as a rearrangable element, the parts responsive to a rearranger operable to recombine the parts in a particular order based on the function;

the parts having types denoting the functions of a start, middle and end, the middle parts resizable such that they are repeatable to provide a consistent rendered listening experience over a desired predetermined duration, the rearranged parts having a combined aggregate duration based on a user specified time, the assigned function defining a relation between each part of the plurality of parts, each part having a type, to indicate which part types may follow other part types in the particular order of the recombined sequence; and

identifying each part as resizable or not resizable, and storing an attribute indicative of resizability, the resizeability attribute indicating if the part is arrangeable in an iterative manner.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the parts further includes at least one part variation, each of the part variations having a different length, the part variations based on the part and operable to provide a similar audio output.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein decomposing further comprises computing, for each part, at least one track indicative of a subset of sources generating the audio information in the part.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

selecting, based on the function, a next part variation from the part variations, the next part variation having a corresponding function and corresponding duration such that the total duration of all the parts is substantially equal to an intended duration;

rearranging the parts by ordering and replicating the selected part variations to generate an aggregation of parts having a predetermined duration; and

iterating the selecting to add next part variations to the aggregation of parts.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein rearranging further comprises combining a plurality of the parts based on the length such that a total length of all the parts substantially equals a desired duration.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising recombining parts of a type middle and having a resizability attribute by aggregating the resizable parts for accommodating the predetermined duration.

6. A method of representing a score of audio information comprising:

identifying segments of the score adaptable as recombinable parts of audio information, each of the parts configured to follow other particular parts in a sequence of parts, the parts having types denoting the functions of a start, middle and end, the middle parts resizable such that they are repeatable to provide a consistent rendered listening experience over a desired predetermined duration;

determining, for each of the parts, the function indicative of an ordering of the parts in a recombined audio piece, the determined function defining a relation between each part of the plurality of parts, each part having a type, to indicate which part types may follow other part types in the particular order of the recombined sequence;

determining, for each of the parts, a type indicative of a relative location of each of the parts in a recombined audio piece;

identifying each part as resizable or not resizable, and storing an attribute indicative of resizability;

computing part variations of the parts, each of the part variations of a part having a different duration, the duration of the part variations adapted to compute a time duration of a recombined sequence of parts;

enumerating at least one track for each of the part variations, each track operable to render audio content; and

storing the parts and corresponding variations in a manner accessible to a rearranger configured to rearrange the part variations according to the desired predetermined duration.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying segments further comprises decomposing a musical score into parts based on the duration and the attributes of the parts, the attributes further defining renderable features of the audio contained in the part.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the attributes include modifiers to the audio contained in the part, the modifiers operable to selectively modify a subset of the tracks included in the part.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the parts are responsive to a graphical user interface (GUI) application, the GUI application further operable to rearrange the parts in an aggregation of parts, rearranging further comprising adding a next segment to a current aggregation of part variations, the next segment comprising a part variation, further including computing a part variation for the next segment by identifying a part variation having a corresponding function and corresponding length.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each part has at least one track operable to render audio content, each part having at least one clip adapted to contain audio information.

21. The method of claim 6 wherein the function defines a relation between the parts to indicate which part types may follow other part types in the particular order of the recombined sequence.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the part types denote the functions of a start, middle and end, and that the middle parts are resizable such that they are repeatable to provide a consistent rendered listening experience over the desired predetermined duration.

11. An audio editing device operable to perform an audio executing application for storing audio information in a form adapted for rearrangement comprising:

a decomposer operable to identifying a musical score of audio information and further operable to decomposing the score into a plurality of parts, each of the parts defining a segment of the score operable as a rearrangable element;

the parts having types defining the functions of a start, middle and end, the middle parts resizable such that they are repeatable to provide a consistent rendered listening experience over a desired predetermined duration;

the defined function defining a relation between each part of the plurality of parts, each part having a type, to indicate which part types may follow other part types in the particular order of the recombined sequence; and

a part discriminator operable to recognize a function to each of the parts, the function indicative of the order of the part as a rearrangable element, the parts responsive to the rearranger to recombine the parts in a particular order based on the function, the combined parts having a total aggregate duration based on a user specified time, the part discriminator further configured for identifying each part as resizable or not resizable, and for storing an attribute indicative of resizability.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein each of the parts further includes at least one part variation, each of the part variations having an independent length, the part variations based on the part and operable to provide a similar audio output, the decomposer is further operable to compute, for each part, at least one track indicative of a subset of sources generating the audio information in the part.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the rearranger is further operable to:

select, based on the function, a next part variation from the part variations, the next part variation having a corresponding function and corresponding duration such that the total duration of all the parts is substantially equal to an intended duration;

rearrange the parts by ordering and replicating the selected part variations to generate an aggregation of parts having a predetermined duration; and

iterate the step of selecting to add next part variations to the aggregation of parts.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the rearranger further comprises a recombiner operable to combine a plurality of the parts based on the length such that a total length of all the parts substantially equals a desired duration.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein the decomposer is operable to

identifying segments of the score adaptable as recombinable parts of audio information, each of the parts operable to follow other particular parts in a sequence of parts;

determine, for each of the parts, a function indicative of an ordering of the parts in a recombined audio piece; and

store the parts and corresponding variations in a manner accessible to a rearranger operable to rearrange the part variations according to the desired predetermined duration.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the decomposer is further operable to decompose a musical score into parts based on the duration and attributes of the parts, the attributes further defining renderable features of the audio contained in the part.

17. The device of claim 16 further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the parts responsive to the GUI, the GUI further operable to rearrange the parts in an aggregation of parts, rearranging further comprising adding a next segment to a current aggregation of part variations, the next segment comprising a part variation, further including computing a part variation for the next segment by identifying a part variation having a corresponding function and corresponding length.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein each part has at least one track operable to render audio content, each part having at least one clip adapted to contain audio information.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a data structure for use in storing a musical score as audio data, the data structure containing:

a plurality of bins, each bin representing a segment of the musical score adaptable as recombinable parts of audio information, each of the parts operable to follow other particular parts in a sequence of parts;

the parts having types denoting the functions of a start, middle and end, the middle parts resizable such that they are repeatable to provide a consistent rendered listening experience over a desired predetermined duration;

the assigned function defining a relation between each part of a plurality of parts, each part having a type, to indicate which part types may follow other part types in the particular order of the recombined sequence;

for each of the bins, a function indicative of an ordering of the parts in a recombined audio piece;

for each of the bins, a type indicative of a relative location of each of the parts in a recombined audio piece, the type identifying each part as resizable or not resizable, and stored in an attribute indicative of resizability;

for each of the bins, at least one part variation of the part, each of the part variations of a part having a different duration, the duration of the part variations adapted to for computing an aggregate time duration of a recombined sequence of parts;

for each of the part variations, at least one track, each track operable to render audio content; and

the bins responsive to an audio application operable to combine the part variations based on the function and duration to generate a recombined sequence having a predetermined timelength, the function indicative of the ordering of the combined part variations.

20. The data structure of claim 19 wherein the bins are adapted for storing the parts and corresponding part variations in a manner accessible to a rearranger operable to rearrange the part variations according to a desired predetermined duration.