Separate isolated and resonance samples for a virtual instrument

• US 9,805,702 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lane, Christopher C., van Dijk, Hage, Barrett, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon
• Application Number:
  US15/273,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20170330542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/08 by combining tones G10H1/14, G10H1/16 take precedence; chord G10H1/38
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/386 One-finger or one-key chord systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/201 Vibrato, i.e. rapid, repetitive and smooth variation of amplitude, pitch or timbre within a note or chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/225 Portamento, i.e. smooth continuously variable pitch-bend, without emphasis of each chromatic pitch during the pitch change, which only stops at the end of the pitch shift, as obtained, e.g. by a MIDI pitch wheel or trombone
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/265 Acoustic effect simulation, i.e. volume, spatial, resonance or reverberation effects added to a musical sound, usually by appropriate filtering or delays
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/381 Manual tempo setting or adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/106 using icons, e.g. selecting, moving or linking icons, on-screen symbols, screen regions or segments representing musical elements or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/075 Spint stringed, i.e. mimicking stringed instrument features, electrophonic aspects of acoustic stringed musical instruments without keyboard; MIDI-like control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/002 using a common processing for different operations or calculations, and a set of microinstructions (programme) to control the sequence thereof

Abstract

A virtual instrument can manage separate static and dynamic samples for various notes that can be played by the virtual instrument. In some cases, the static samples correspond to resonance sounds recorded for an instrument and are the same for every note. However, the dynamic samples may correspond to isolated sounds that are recorded for each variation of a note that can be played. In response to a user'"'"'s selection of a note on a user interface of the virtual instrument, the virtual instrument may determine a rule for layering the various static and dynamic samples for playback.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an isolated audio sample corresponding to a first recording of each respective isolated sound that corresponds to each variation of each musical note of a plurality of musical notes playable by an instrument;

receiving a resonance audio sample corresponding to a second recording of a resonance sound that is associated with the instrument for each musical note of the plurality of musical notes;

storing each respective isolated audio sample and each resonance audio sample;

receiving an input by a virtual instrument;

identifying a note to be played that corresponds to at least one of the plurality of musical notes playable by the instrument based at least in part on the received input;

identifying, based at least in part on the received input, a manner in which the note is to be played that corresponds to a variation of the note based at least in part on the received input;

determining, based at least in part on the identified manner in which the note is to be played, a rule for layering the isolated audio sample corresponding to the identified note and the resonance audio sample corresponding to the identified manner;

retrieving the isolated audio sample corresponding to the identified note and the resonance audio sample corresponding to the identified manner based at least in part on the determined rule; and

playing by outputting the isolated audio sample and the resonance audio sample according to the determined rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variation comprises a different pitch, a different loudness, a different plucking sound, or a different string sound of each musical note.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resonance sound comprises ambient noise produced by the instrument when each musical note is played.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first size of memory adequate to store each respective isolated audio sample and each resonance audio sample is smaller than a second size of memory adequate to store a set of recordings that comprise all variations of the plurality of musical notes playable by the instrument.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the manner in which the note is to be played is identified by an input technique corresponding to at least one of a sustain technique, an attack technique, a release technique, a strum technique, a pick technique, or a bow draw technique.

6. A system, comprising:

a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions;

a speaker; and

a processor in communication with the memory and the speaker, the processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to at least;

receive a plurality of isolated audio samples corresponding to recordings of variations of musical notes played by a first instrument and a plurality of resonance audio samples corresponding to recordings of the musical notes played by the first instrument;

store the plurality of isolated audio samples and the plurality of resonance audio samples in the memory;

receive an input at a user interface of a second instrument associated with the first instrument, the input identifying a note to be played by second instrument;

determine a rule for playing at least one of the isolated audio samples and at least one of the resonance audio samples based at least in part on the identified note to be played and a manner in which the note is to be played, the manner corresponding to at least one variation of the variations; and

play, by outputting on the speaker, the at least one isolated audio sample and the at least one resonance audio sample according to the determined rule.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of resonance audio samples exclude respective isolated audio samples.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second instrument comprises a virtual instrument configured to simulate the first instrument.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the input that identifies the note to be played by the virtual instrument is received at a user interface of a user device.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the rule configures the at least one resonance audio sample to be played for a time longer than the at least one isolated audio sample.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the rule for playing the at least one isolated audio sample and the at least one resonance audio sample is further based at least in part on a set of conditions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of conditions are configured to evaluate the variation of the note to be played based at least in part on the identified manner.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of isolated audio samples are recorded in a monophonic format.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of resonance audio samples are recorded in a stereophonic format.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:

receive a pitchbend request for the note being played;

bend a pitch of the at least one isolated audio sample based at least in part on the pitchbend request; and

maintain an original pitch of the at least one resonance audio sample being played.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of isolated audio samples corresponding to recordings of variations of musical notes played by a first instrument and a plurality of resonance audio samples corresponding to recordings of ambient noise recorded when the musical notes are played by the first instrument;

receiving a first input at a user interface of a second instrument, the first input identifying a note to be played by a virtual instrument associated with the first instrument;

playing, by outputting, at least one of the isolate audio samples and at least one of the resonance audio samples based at least in part on a first manner in which the first input is made, the first manner corresponding to a first variation of the variations of musical notes;

receiving a second input at the user interface of the second instrument, the second input identifying the note to be played by the virtual instrument;

playing, by outputting, the at least one of the isolated audio samples based at least in part on a second manner in which the second input is made, the second manner corresponding to a second variation of the variations of musical notes; and

determining whether to play any of the resonance audio samples based at least in part on whether a rule corresponding to the second manner is met.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of isolated audio samples are recorded at a different time than the plurality of resonance audio samples.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein a single resonance audio sample of the plurality of resonance audio samples is recorded for a set of musical notes that comprises each of the variations of musical notes.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the rule instructs the processor to play, by outputting, the at least one of the resonance audio samples if a first pitch of the note corresponding to the first input and a second pitch of the note corresponding to the second input are a same pitch and if a slide request or a noodling request are received at the user interface.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the rule configures the at least one resonance audio sample to be played for a time longer than the at least one isolated audio sample.