Electro-acoustic audio reverberation device and method

• US 8,837,745 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolivegreen Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ecolivegreen Corp.
• Inventors: Bryan, Leonard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US13/182,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 381 61- 64, 381/56, 381/58, 381/98, 381/92, 381/66, 381/84, 381/85, 846/15, 846/22, 846/30, 847/01, 847/07, 84/26, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/63
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0091 Means for obtaining special acoustic effects combined with modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/285 Electromechanical effectors therefor, i.e. using springs or similar electromechanical audio delay units
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/08 Arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound modifying acoustic properties to change reverberation time G10K11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/16 Automatic control

Abstract

Disclosed is an audio reverberation apparatus. The audio reverberation apparatus interacts with or may include a mechanical or acoustic reverberation element. An audio signal is pitch transposing upward and applied to the mechanical or acoustic reverberation element. The resulting audio reverberant signal retrieved from the mechanical or acoustic reverberation element is pitch-transposed downward by the same factor as the upward pitch transposing. This results in the mechanical or acoustic reverberation element requiring smaller dimensions in comparison to a mechanical or acoustic reverberation element where a non-pitch-transposed audio signal is applied.

Claims

1. An apparatus used for processing audio signals into and out of an acoustic reverberation element, comprising:

a processor configured to upwardly pitch transpose an audio signal by a factor, resulting in pitch-transposed audio signal;

means for applying the pitch-transposed audio signal to the acoustic reverberation element;

means for receiving a resultant reverberant signal from the acoustic reverberation element; and

the processor configured to downwardly pitch transposing the reverberant signal by the factor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein means for applying the resultant pitch-transposed audio signal and means for receiving the resultant reverberant signal includes wireless communication.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein means for applying the resultant pitch-transposed audio signal and means for receiving the resultant reverberant signal includes a digital computer protocol.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an enclosure; and

within the enclosure includes the processor, means for receiving a resultant reverberant signal from the acoustic reverberation element, and means for downwardly pitch transposing the reverberant signal by the factor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including the acoustic reverberation element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a plate reverb.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a spring reverb.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a reverb chamber.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an enclosure; and

within the enclosure includes the reverberation element, the processor, means for receiving a resultant reverberant signal from the acoustic reverberation element, and means for downwardly pitch transposing the reverberant signal by the factor.

10. An apparatus used for processing audio signals into and out of an acoustic reverberation element, comprising:

a processor configured to separate an audio signal into portions and upwardly pitch transposing the audio signal by a factor, resulting in a plurality of pitch-transposed portions;

means for applying the plurality of pitch-transposed portion to the acoustic reverberation element;

means for receiving a plurality of resultant reverberant portions from the acoustic reverberation element; and

the processor configured to temporally arrange successive reverberant portions, and downwardly pitch transposing temporally arranged reverberant portions by the factor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein means for applying the resultant pitch-transposed audio signal and means for receiving the plurality of resultant reverberant portions includes wireless communication.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein means for applying the resultant pitch-transposed audio signal and means for receiving the plurality of resultant reverberant portions includes a digital computer protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a plate reverb.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a spring reverb.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the acoustic reverberation element is a reverb chamber.

16. A non-transitory software program product in which a software code is stored, said software code realizing the following when executed by a processing device:

upwardly pitch transposing by a factor an audio signal;

applying a resultant pitch-transposed audio signal to an acoustic reverberation element;

receiving a resultant reverberant signal from the acoustic reverberation element; and

downwardly pitch transposing the reverberant signal by the factor.

17. A non-transitory software program product in which a software code is stored, said software code realizing the following when executed by a processing device:

separating an audio signal into portions and upwardly pitch transposing the audio signal by a factor, resulting in a plurality of pitch-transposed portions;

applying the plurality of pitch-transposed portions to an acoustic reverberation element;

receiving a plurality of resultant reverberant portion from the acoustic reverberation element; and

temporally arranging successive reverberant portions, and downwardly pitch transposing temporally arranged reverberant portions by the factor.

18. A method for processing audio signals into and out of an acoustic reverberation element, comprising:

upwardly pitch transposing an audio signal by a factor;

applying a resultant pitch-transposed audio signal to the acoustic reverberation element;

receiving a resultant reverberant signal from the acoustic reverberation element; and

downwardly pitch transposing the reverberant signal by the factor.

19. A method for processing audio signals into and out of an acoustic reverberation element, comprising:

separating an audio signal into portions and upwardly pitch transposing the audio signal by a factor, resulting in a plurality of pitch-transposed portions;

applying the plurality of pitch-transposed portions to the acoustic reverberation element;

receiving a plurality of resultant reverberant portion from the acoustic reverberation element; and

temporally arranging successive reverberant portions, and downwardly pitch transposing temporally arranged reverberant portions by the factor.