Optimized volume adjustment

• US 9,423,944 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Eppolito, Aaron M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien
• Application Number:
  US13/226,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/02 Manually-operated control H03G3/001 and H03G3/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

A method for adjusting the sound volume of media clips using volume adjuster lines is provided. The volume adjuster lines are individually set for each clip based on the intrinsic, or absolute, volume values of the clip. In some embodiments, the volume adjuster lines are set for each clip based on the peak value or a calculated loudness equivalent of the clip. A user can move the volume adjuster line to set the absolute sound level of a clip. The volume adjuster lines can be hidden in some embodiments. In these embodiments, dragging on any portion of a clip is treated as dragging on the volume adjuster line. Some embodiments provide a deformable volume adjuster line, or curve. In these embodiments, a single audio clip can have several different volume adjuster lines for different sections of the clip where the volume adjuster line for each section is individually adjustable.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program executable by at least one processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying sound levels of an audio clip as a function of time in a graphical user interface (GUI);

displaying a volume adjuster graph having at least a first adjustable segment for adjusting an audio property of the audio clip, the first adjustable segment displayed at a volume level that is based on a first intrinsic sound level of the audio clip;

receiving a selection of a particular section of the audio clip, the selection identifying a particular range of the audio clip;

based on the identified particular range, identifying a second intrinsic sound level of audio content of the selected particular section and a third intrinsic sound level of audio content of a non-selected section of the audio clip; and

updating the first adjustable segment of the volume adjuster graph by displaying second and third adjustable segments that correspond to the selected and non-selected sections of the audio clip, wherein a display of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on the identified intrinsic sound level of the corresponding section of the audio clip.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the volume adjuster graph segment for each section is automatically displayed after the selection of the section of the audio clip is received.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the volume adjuster graph segment for each section is automatically displayed after a command for displaying the volume adjuster graph segments is received through the GUI.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of the volume adjuster graph segment of a section is based on a peak value of the section.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for defining smoothing transitional segments between the displayed second and third adjustable segments.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the set of instructions for defining smoothing transitional segments comprises sets of instructions for:

displaying a set of selectable handles on the volume adjuster graph;

receiving movements of one or more of the selectable handles; and

changing at least one transitional segment based on the received movements of the handles.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving an adjustment to the second adjustable segment of the volume adjuster graph corresponding to the selected section of the audio clip; and

changing a sound level of the selected section of the audio clip corresponding to the second adjustable segment for which the adjustment is received without changing a sound level of any other sections of the audio clip.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving an adjustment of the second adjustable segment corresponding to the selected section of the audio clip;

changing a sound level of the selected section of the audio clip;

adjusting the third adjustable segment corresponding to the non-selected section of the audio clip based on the received adjustment of the second adjustable segment; and

changing a sound level of the non-selected section of the audio clip.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

determining that a maximum point of a particular section has reached a maximum allowable level for the audio clip;

preventing an increase of the volume of the particular section while the maximum point of the particular section is at the maximum allowable level for the audio clip; and

increasing, based on the received adjustment, the volume of any section where a maximum point in the section has not reached the maximum allowable level for the audio clip.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on a root mean square (RMS) value of the corresponding section.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on a calculated loudness of the corresponding section of the audio clip.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second and third adjustable segments are displayed at different intrinsic sound levels.

13. A method comprising:

displaying, on an electronic display, sound levels of an audio clip as a function of time in a graphical user interface (GUI);

displaying a volume adjuster graph having at least a first adjustable segment for adjusting an audio property of the audio clip, the first adjustable segment displayed at a volume level that is based on a first intrinsic sound level of the audio clip;

receiving a selection of a particular section of the audio clip, the selection identifying a particular range of the audio clip;

identifying a second intrinsic sound level of audio content of the selected particular section and a third intrinsic sound level of audio content of a non-selected section of the audio clip based on the identified particular range; and

updating, on the electronic display, the first adjustable segment of the volume adjuster graph by displaying second and third adjustable segments that correspond to the selected and non-selected sections of the audio clip, wherein a display of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on the identified intrinsic sound level of the corresponding section of the audio clip.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the volume adjuster graph segment for each section is automatically displayed after the selection of the section of the audio clip is received.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the volume adjuster graph segment for each section is automatically displayed after a command for displaying the volume adjuster graph segments is received through the GUI.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on a peak value of the section.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising defining smoothing transitional segments between the displayed second and third adjustable segments.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein defining smooth transitional segments comprise:

displaying a set of selectable handles on the volume adjuster graph;

receiving movements of one or more of the selectable handles; and

changing at least one transitional segment based on the received movements of the handles.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving an adjustment to the second adjustable segment of the volume adjuster graph segment corresponding to the selected section of the audio clip; and

changing a sound level of the selected section of the audio clip corresponding to the second adjustable segment for which the adjustment is received without changing a sound level of any other sections of the audio clip.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving an adjustment of the second adjustable segment corresponding to the selected section of the audio clip;

changing a sound level of the selected section of the audio clip;

adjusting the third adjustable segment corresponding to the non-selected section of the audio clip based on the received adjustment of the second adjustable segment; and

changing a sound level of the non-selected section of the audio clip.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

determining that a maximum point of a particular section has reached a maximum allowable level for the audio clip;

preventing an increase of the volume of the particular section while the maximum point of the particular section is at the maximum allowable level for the audio clip; and

increasing, based on the received adjustment, the volume of any section where a maximum point in the section has not reached the maximum allowable level for the audio clip.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on a root mean square (RMS) value of the corresponding section.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the identified intrinsic sound level of each volume adjuster graph segment is based on a calculated loudness of the corresponding section of the audio clip.