Method and apparatus for generating audio information

• US 9,886,166 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2012
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozcan, Koray
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US13/730,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,865 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to facilitate the review of audio files, such as in conjunction with the selection of one or more audio files. In the context of a method, one or more audio characteristics are determined for each of one or more audio files. The method may also include causing a visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented for selection. The method may also include providing for at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective audio files to be displayed based on the determined one or more audio characteristics with the presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, with a processor, one or more audio characteristics of each of one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics are a determined objective value of a resulting hearing perception of basic qualities of sound, wherein determining the one or more audio characteristics comprises analyzing the one or more audio files themselves without requiring an audible playing of the one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics that are determined are dependent upon a type of executable application with which the one or more audio files are designed to be executed such that different types of audio characteristics are determined for different types of executable applications;

associating the one or more audio characteristics with the respective one or more audio files by causing the one or more audio characteristics to be stored as data within or associated with the one or more audio files;

causing a visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented for selection; and

providing for at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed based on the determined one or more audio characteristics with presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented comprises causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list associated with an application, and wherein providing at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed comprises providing the at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed in association with the list of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list comprises ordering the list of the one or more audio files based upon at least one of:

the determined one or more audio characteristics;

a type of application;

or

an input provided by the user.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one visual element comprises a plurality of visual elements representative of an audio characteristic of a respective audio file.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying an audio file following presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files and the at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the one or more audio files.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining one or more audio characteristics comprises determining at least one of timbre, loudness, duration, location, pitch, tempo, melody, harmony, texture, bandwidth, frequency content, channel numbers, spatial audio effects, roughness, sharpness, reverberation time, early decay time, coloration or dynamic range of each of the one or more audio files.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining one or more audio characteristics comprises determining one or more audio characteristics of one or more audio files based upon a comparison of at least one of:

one or more frequencies or amplitudes of the respective audio file;

one or more predetermined reference values;

or

a reference audio file.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a selection of an audio file; and

causing a different audio file to be selected in response to a change in a noise floor.

9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a selection of an audio file;

identifying at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected; and

adjusting an audio setting in conjunction with playing of a different audio file based upon the at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected.

10. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

determine one or more audio characteristics of each of one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics are a determined objective value of a resulting hearing perception of basic qualities of sound, wherein determining the one or more audio characteristics comprises analyzing the one or more audio files themselves without requiring an audible playing of the one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics that are determined are dependent upon a type of executable application with which the one or more audio files are designed to be executed such that different types of audio characteristics are determined for different types of executable applications;

associate the one or more audio characteristics with the respective one or more audio files by causing the one or more audio characteristics to be stored as data within or associated with the one or more audio files;

cause a visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented for selection; and

provide for at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed based on the determined one or more audio characteristics with presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented by causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list associated with an application, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed by providing the at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed in association with the list of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to cause the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list by ordering the list of the one or more audio files based upon at least one of:

the determined one or more audio characteristics;

a type of application;

or

an input provided by the user.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one visual element comprises a plurality of visual elements representative of an audio characteristic of a respective audio file.

14. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to identify an audio file following presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files and the at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the one or more audio files.

15. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein determining one or more audio characteristics comprises determining at least one of timbre, loudness, duration, location, pitch, tempo, melody, harmony, texture, bandwidth, frequency content, channel numbers, spatial audio effects, roughness, sharpness, reverberation time, early decay time, coloration or dynamic range of each of the one or more audio files.

16. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine one or more audio characteristics by determining one or more audio characteristics of one or more audio files based upon a comparison of at least one of:

one or more frequencies or amplitudes of the respective audio file;

one or more predetermined reference values;

or

a reference audio file.

17. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one

memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive a selection of an audio file; and

cause a different audio file to be selected in response to a change in a noise floor.

18. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive a selection of an audio file;

identify at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected; and

adjust an audio setting in conjunction with playing of a different audio file based upon the at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected.

19. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for:

determining one or more audio characteristics of each of one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics are a determined objective value of a resulting hearing perception of basic qualities of sound, wherein determining the one or more audio characteristics comprises analyzing the one or more audio files themselves without requiring an audible playing of the one or more audio files, wherein the one or more audio characteristics that are determined are dependent upon a type of executable application with which the one or more audio files are designed to be executed such that different types of audio characteristics are determined for different types of executable applications;

associating the one or more audio characteristics with the respective one or more audio files;

causing a visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented for selection by causing the one or more audio characteristics to be stored as data within or associated with the one or more audio files; and

providing for at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed based on the determined one or more audio characteristics with presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the program code instructions for causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented comprise program code instructions for causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list associated with an application, and wherein the program code instructions for providing at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed comprise program code instructions for providing the at least one visual element representative of at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the respective one or more audio files to be displayed in association with the list of the visual representation of the one or more audio files.

21. A computer program product according to claim 20 wherein the program code instructions for causing the visual representation of the one or more audio files to be presented in a list comprise program code instructions for ordering the list of the one or more audio files based upon at least one of:

the determined one or more audio characteristics;

a type of application;

or

an input provided by the user.

22. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the at least one visual element comprises a plurality of visual elements representative of an audio characteristic of a respective audio file.

23. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for identifying an audio file following presentation of the visual representation of the one or more audio files and the at least one of the one or more audio characteristics of the one or more audio files.

24. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein determining one or more audio characteristics comprises determining at least one of timbre, loudness, duration, location, pitch, tempo, melody, harmony, texture, bandwidth, frequency content, channel numbers, spatial audio effects, roughness, sharpness, reverberation time, early decay time, coloration or dynamic range of each of the one or more audio files.

25. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the computer-executable program code portions comprise program code instructions for:

receiving a selection of an audio file; and

causing a different audio file to be selected in response to a change in a noise floor.

26. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for:

receiving a selection of an audio file;

identifying at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected; and

adjusting an audio setting in conjunction with playing of a different audio file based upon the at least one audio characteristic associated with the audio file that was selected.