Systems and methods for portable audio synthesis

• US 7,928,310 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medialab Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Media Lab Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Georges, Alain, Damevski, Voislav, Blair, Peter M., Laffitte, Christian, Wenzinger, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/541,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20080156178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,702 Days
• Field of Search: 846/09, 846/34, 846/45
• US Class Current: 84/645
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/365 the accompaniment information being stored on a host computer and transmitted to a reproducing terminal by means of a network, e.g. public telephone lines
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/145 Composing rules, e.g. harmonic or musical rules, for use in automatic composition; Rule generation algorithms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/151 using templates, i.e. incomplete musical sections, as a basis for composing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/101 for graphical creation, edition or control of musical data or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/315 for joystick-like proportional control of musical input; Videogame input devices used for musical input or control, e.g. gamepad, joysticks joysticks per se G06F3/033, G05G9/047, A63F13/20
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/071 Wave, i.e. Waveform Audio File Format, coding, e.g. uncompressed PCM audio according to the RIFF bitstream format method
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/091 Info, i.e. juxtaposition of unrelated auxiliary information or commercial messages with or between music files metadata G10H2240/075
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/145 Sound library, i.e. involving the specific use of a musical database as a sound bank or wavetable; indexing, interfacing, protocols or processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/165 Memory card, i.e. removable module or card for storing music data for an electrophonic musical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/241 Telephone transmission, i.e. using twisted pair telephone lines or any type of telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/211 Random number generators, pseudorandom generators, classes of functions therefor musical processes using white noise or nonwhite noise generators G10H2250/295; noise formant generator G10H2250/495; magnetic or electromagnetic noise shielding G10H2220/565
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/595 ADPCM [adaptive differential pulse code modulation]

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and playing music are provided, particularly systems and methods employing a top-down process, where the user is provided with a musical composition that may be modified and interacted with and played and/or stored (for later play). The system preferably is provided in a handheld form factor, and a graphical display is provided to display status information, graphical representations of musical lanes or components which preferably vary in shape as musical parameters and the like are changed for particular instruments or musical components such as a microphone input or audio samples. An interactive auto-composition process preferably is utilized that employs musical rules and preferably a pseudo random number generator, which may also incorporate randomness introduced by timing of user input or the like, the user may then quickly begin creating desirable music in accordance with one or a variety of musical styles, with the user modifying the auto-composed (or previously created) musical composition, either for a real time performance and/or for storing and subsequent playback.

Claims

1. A method of performing audio synthesis in a portable environment, wherein source sample data is processed by a processing unit to generate synthesized audio samples, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an interpolation function wherein source monaural sample data is accessed and interpolated to generate one or more interpolated monaural samples based on the source monaural sample data;

providing a filter function wherein at least one of the interpolated monaural samples is filtered to generate a filtered interpolated monaural sample;

providing a gain function wherein the filtered interpolated monaural sample is processed to generate at least a left and a right sample;

wherein the left and the right sample together may subsequently be processed to create a stereophonic field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interpolation function comprises a processing loop separate from the filter function or gain function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter function comprises a low pass filter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain function raises the amplitude of the left and the right sample with differing gain values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain function further generates additional channels of sound to create a multi-channel surround sound field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain function generates at least one sample using an estimated difference value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the gain function is comprised of an aggregated set of equations comprising a gained channel modifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a fixed-point processor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a general purpose processor.

10. A method of performing MIDI-based synthesis in a portable environment, wherein a MIDI synthesis function is called to process MIDI events by accessing a reduced-footprint soundbank to generate audio output, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a DLS-compatible soundbank comprised of two levels for a first desired sound, wherein a first level is associated with a first sample comprised of the initial sound of impact, and a second level is associated with at least a second sample comprised of a looping period of a stable waveform;

providing parameter data associated with the DLS-compatible soundbank relating the first sample to the first desired sound and to a plurality of additional sounds; and

wherein the DLS-compatible soundbank and associated parameter data occupy a smaller footprint than otherwise would be occupied if the first sample were not related to the additional plurality of additional sounds.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first sample and the second sample begin to sound at the same point in time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the parameter data is comprised of filter, envelope, or low frequency oscillator effect parameters.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

generating a music data file at a first node;

transmitting the music data file from the first node to at least one second node;

receiving the music data file at the second node;

extracting musical definition data from the music data file at the second node, wherein the musical definition data provides information regarding a data structure and data for musical parameters in accordance with the data structure;

processing the musical definition data, wherein music is generated at the second node in accordance with the data structure, the musical parameters, and the MIDI synthesis function;

playing the generated music at the second node;

generating a modified music data file at the second node; and

transmitting the modified music data file to the first node, wherein modified music is generated at the first node based on the modified music data file.