Method and apparatus for sound and music mixing on a network

• US 20020091455A1
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cybermusicmix.Com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cybermusicmix.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,191,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/36 Accompaniment arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/325 Synchronizing two or more audio tracks or files according to musical features or musical timings synchronised lyrics, e.g. for karaoke G10H2220/011

Abstract

The website hosted by the server is a collection of separately recorded musical tracks with the music containing a minimum of at least one musical instrument or vocal. Users may record additional tracks of music to add to a primary track. There is one primary track and up to six accompaniment or comptracks. The server allows the client to add one or more tracks to any other tracks for a given song title within the database. Separate tracks then selected by the client and mixed in the mixer into a single sound recording which is then communicated over the server across the internet to the client so the client may hear the finished or composite mixed musical work. If the mixed or composite composition is not to the liking of the user, then different tracks may be selected or rerecorded mixed in sample again. If a mixed musical work meets the satisfaction of the user, the user is then able to download it through the client into a sound file, which can then be replayed by the user as often as desired or recorded onto a CD or other storage medium. Thus the invention provides a means whereby musicians, who may never actually physically meet or even communicate with each other, will be able to collaborate with each other on musical projects without restrictions as to global location or involvement in complicated transactional negotiations which must be repeated with every possible combination.

PLAY-SYNC allows the user to synchronize a downloaded track from database 20 with a currently selected offline track stored in recorder 18 for play to see how the two tracks sound together. REC-SYNC allows an offline track as it is being recorded by recorder 18 to be synchronized with a downloaded track from database 20 to put the two tracks sound together.

Claims

1. An apparatus for delivering a user-selected plurality of mixed data files over a distributed network comprising:

a server coupled to said distributed network;

a client coupled to said distributed network;

a database for storing said plurality of data files communicating with said server;

a mixer communicating with said database and server for mixing selected ones of said plurality of data files together; and

a recorder communicating with said client for recording a user-created data track, said client transferring said user-created data file to said server and hence to said database.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said server transfers a user-selected mixed data file to said client comprised of at least two data files selected by a user from said database.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said client replays said mixed data file.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said client stores said mixed data file.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data files processed by said server, client, database, mixer and recorder process comprise audio data files.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said audio data files processed by said server, client, database, mixer and recorder process comprise music data files.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said music data files processed by said server, client, database, mixer and recorder process comprise wav files.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said server and client compress data files communicated with said network and uncompress files received from said network.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said data files processed by said server, client, database, mixer and recorder process further comprise associated text data files.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said data files processed by said server, client, database, mixer and recorder process further comprise associated picture data files.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said data files stored on said database include data fields for categories and subcategories of data files.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said categories and subcategories of data files comprise categories and subcategories of music styles.

13. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said data files stored on said database are characterized as a primary track data file or an accompaniment track data file.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said mixer mixes into a single data file one primary track data file with at least one accompaniment track data file.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said mixer mixes a plurality of accompaniment track data files with said primary track data files.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least one of said primary track data file or said accompaniment track data file is user created.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein mixing selected ones of said plurality of data files together mixes at least two data files selected by a user from said database.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising replaying said mixed data file by said client.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising storing said mixed data file in said client.

21. The method of claim 17 where transferring said user-created data file from client to said server, mixing selected ones of said plurality of data files together and transferring said mixed plurality of data files from said server to said client comprise transferring a user-created audio data file from said client to said server, wherein said database has a plurality of audio files stored therein, mixing selected ones of said plurality of audio data files together, and transferring said mixed plurality of audio data files from said server to said client.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein transferring a user-created audio data file from said client to said server, mixing selected ones of said plurality of audio data files together, and transferring said mixed plurality of audio data files from said server to said client comprise transferring a user-created music data file from said client to said server, mixing selected ones of said plurality of music data files together, and transferring said mixed plurality of music data files from said server to said client.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein transferring a user-created music data file from said client to said server, mixing selected ones of said plurality of music data files together, and transferring said mixed plurality of music data files from said server to said client comprise transferring a user-created wav data file from said client to said server, mixing selected ones of said plurality of wav data files together, and transferring said mixed plurality of wav data files from said server to said client.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising compressing said data files communicated with said network and uncompressing data files received from said network.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

creating a text file associated with a user-created data file on a client;

transferring said associated text file from said client to a server on said distributed network and to a database communicated with said server;

said database having stored thereon a plurality of data files each with a text files associated therewith; and

transferring said mixed plurality of data files from said server to said client via said distributed network with associated text files corresponding to each data file which has been mixed together.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

creating a picture file associated with a user-created data file on a client;

transferring said associated picture file from said client to a server on said distributed network and to a database communicated with said server;

said database having stored thereon a plurality of data files each with a picture files associated therewith; and

transferring said mixed plurality of data files from said server to said client via said distributed network with associated picture files corresponding to each data file which has been mixed together.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein transferring said user-created data file from said client to a server on said distributed network and to a database communicated with said server comprise transferring said user-created data files with fields for categories and subcategories of data files.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein transferring said user-created data files with fields comprise transferring said user-created data files with fields for categories and subcategories of music styles.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein transferring a user-created music data file from said client to said server comprises transferring said music data files as a primary track data file or an accompaniment track data file.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising mixing into a single data file one primary track data file with at least one accompaniment track data file.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising mixing a plurality of accompaniment track data files with said primary track data files.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein recording a user-created data file on a client records at least one of said primary track data files or said accompaniment track data files.

17. A method for delivering a user-selected plurality of mixed data files over a distributed network comprising:

recording a user-created data file on a client;

transferring said user-created data file from said client to a server on said distributed network and to a database communicated with said server;

said database having stored thereon a plurality of data files;

mixing selected ones of said plurality of data files together according to user selection; and

transferring said mixed plurality of data files from said server to said client via said distributed network.