Audio signal dynamic equalization processing control

• US 8,976,979 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crockett, Brett G., Seefeldt, Alan J., Link, Brian D., Couling, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMID, AMMAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/300,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20120063614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 381/98, 381/74, 381/103, 381/58, 381/59, 381/93, 381/28, 381/108, 381/104, 381/119, 333/28, 37940601-40609, 704/226
• US Class Current: 381/98
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10555 wherein the frequency, the amplitude, or other characteristics of the audio signal is taken into account
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10564 frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands

Abstract

Apparatuses for and methods of carrying out dynamic equalization processing of an audio signal, and apparatuses for and methods of controlling such equalization processing of the audio signal to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of an audio signal to more closely match a user specified target time-invariant perceived audio signal spectrum while preserving the original dynamic range of the audio signal. The dynamic equalization is according to a user-defined spectral profile specified by a control interface that allows a user to define, create, modify and/or apply the user-defined spectral profile.

Claims

1. A method of operating an audio signal processing apparatus to process an audio signal, the method comprising:

presenting a control interface to the user, the control interface including one or more control elements configured to accept a user input including user input that defines respective one or more values for at least some of a set of one or more blending parameters, the set of one or more blending parameters determining a user-defined dynamic equalization (DEQ) spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles;

determining from or accepting from the output of the control interface the user-defined dynamic equalization (DEQ) spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles, the blending based on the set of one or more blending parameters, wherein each DEQ spectral profile comprises a set of measures for each band of a perceptually spaced set of frequency bands; and

processing an audio signal according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile to generate a processed audio signal, the processing including determining a spectral measure that is modified to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match a time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

wherein determining the time-varying spectrum comprises determining the specific loudness for the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands;

wherein the processing includes perceptual domain dynamic equalization (PDEQ) to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match the time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

and wherein the blending is of a plurality of stored DEQ preset spectral profiles in the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the control interface further includes at least one control element for selecting or otherwise defining one or more of the plurality of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the blending is of one or more pairs of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles, and wherein the control interface includes a control element for setting one or more blending parameters to determine the respective relative amounts of blending of respective one or more pairs of the selected DEQ preset spectral profiles to form the user-defined DEQ spectral profile.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the blending of each pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles is a linear combination of the pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the blending of each pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles is a nonlinear combination of the pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more control elements include:

one or more virtual or actual slider controls, or one or more virtual or actual rotary controls.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the control interface includes a two dimensional control element configured to accept a user indication of a location on a control surface of the two-dimensional control element, and wherein the indicated location defines respective relative amounts of blending of a respective DEQ preset spectral profile to form the user-defined DEQ spectral profile.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user defined DEQ spectral profile is based on a selected DEQ preset spectral profile specific to a pre-defined reproduction configuration and/or a pre-defined reproduction environment.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising automatically selecting the specific selected DEQ preset spectral profile according to the reproduction configuration and/or a reproduction environment.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the control interface includes a display element for displaying a selection and an integrated element that includes a control element for adjusting, and a control element for indicating.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the control interface has a plurality of modes, including a selection mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to choose a particular pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profile of a plurality of pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profiles, and the control element for indicating is used to indicate applying the particular pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profile.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the modes include a control mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to control the amount of DEQ to apply, and the control element for indicating is used to change modes.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the modes include a save mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to select a storage location to store a particular DEQ preset spectral profile as one of the pre-defined spectral profiles, and wherein the control element for indicating is used both to change modes and to save the particular DEQ preset spectral profiles as one of the pre-defined spectral profiles at the selected storage location.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configured with instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a media processing apparatus cause carrying out a method comprising:

presenting a control interface to the user, the control interface including one or more control elements configured to accept a user input including user input that defines respective one or more values for at least some of a set of one or more blending parameters, the set of one or more blending parameters determining a user-defined dynamic equalization (DEQ) spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles;

determining from or accepting from the control interface a user-defined dynamic equalization (DEQ) spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles, the blending based on the set of one or more blending parameters, wherein each DEQ spectral profile comprises a set of measures for each band of a perceptually spaced set of frequency bands; and

processing an audio signal according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile to generate a processed audio signal, the processing including determining a spectral measure that is modified to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match a time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

wherein determining the time-varying spectrum comprises determining the specific loudness for the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands;

wherein the processing includes perceptual domain dynamic equalization (PDEQ) to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match the time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

and wherein the blending is of a plurality of stored DEQ preset spectral profiles in the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands.

15. A media processing apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a control interface coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, the control interface including one or more control elements configured to accept a user input;

a storage subsystem coupled to at least one of the one or more processors and containing code that when executed cause at least one of the one or more processors to;

accept from a user via the control interface input that defines respective one or more values for at least some of a set of one or more blending parameters, the set of one or more blending parameters determining a user-defined dynamic equalization (DEQ) spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles;

determine from or accept from the output of the control interface the user-defined DEQ spectral profile based on a blending of two or more selected DEQ preset spectral profiles, the blending based on the set of one or more blending parameters, wherein each DEQ spectral profile comprises a set of measures for each band of a perceptually spaced set of frequency bands; and

process an audio signal according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile to generate a processed audio signal, the processing including determining a spectral measure that is modified to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match a time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

wherein determining the time-varying spectrum comprises determining the specific loudness for the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands;

wherein the processing includes perceptual domain dynamic equalization to dynamically adjust the time-varying spectrum of the audio signal to more closely match the time invariant spectral profile according to the user-defined DEQ spectral profile,

and wherein the blending is of a plurality of stored DEQ preset spectral profiles in the perceptually spaced set of frequency bands.

16. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the control interface further includes at least one control element for selecting or otherwise defining one or more of the plurality of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

17. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the blending is of one or more pairs of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles, and wherein the control interface includes a control element for setting one or more blending parameters to determine the respective relative amounts of blending of respective one or more pairs of the selected DEQ preset spectral profiles to form the user-defined DEQ spectral profile.

18. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the blending of each pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles is a linear combination of the pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

19. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the blending of each pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles is a nonlinear combination of the pair of selected DEQ preset spectral profiles.

20. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more control elements include one or more virtual or actual slider controls, or one or more virtual or actual rotary controls.

21. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the control interface includes a two dimensional control element configured to accept a user indication of a location on a control surface of the two-dimensional control element, and wherein the indicated location defines respective relative amounts of blending of a respective DEQ preset spectral profiles to form the user-defined DEQ spectral profile.

22. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the user defined DEQ spectral profile is based on a selected DEQ preset spectral profile specific to a pre-defined reproduction configuration and/or a pre-defined reproduction environment.

23. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 22, further comprising automatically selecting the specific selected DEQ preset spectral profile according to the reproduction configuration and/or a reproduction environment.

24. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the control interface includes a display element for displaying a selection and an integrated element that includes a control element for adjusting, and a control element for indicating.

25. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein the control interface has a plurality of modes, including a selection mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to choose a particular pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profile of a plurality of pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profiles, and the control element for indicating is used to indicate applying the particular pre-defined DEQ preset spectral profile.

26. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein the modes include a control mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to control the amount of DEQ to apply, and the control element for indicating is used to change modes.

27. A media processing apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein the modes include a save mode wherein the control element for adjusting is used to select a storage location to store a particular DEQ preset spectral profiles as one of the pre-defined spectral profiles, and wherein the control element for indicating is used both to change modes and to save the particular DEQ preset spectral profiles as one of the pre-defined spectral profiles at the selected storage location.