Intelligent audio mixing among media playback and at least one other non-playback application
First Claim
1. A method for intelligently combining audio effects generated in accordance with a game process with audio from a media player on a portable computing device, the method comprising:
- receiving audio from the media player;
receiving a plurality of sound effects from the game process, wherein the sound effects are generated in response to game-playing actions of a user of the portable computing device;
for each of the plurality of sound effects, receiving sound effect configuration information indicating chain or loop specifications for the corresponding sound effect;
determining if there are enough active audio channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the audio from the media player simultaneously;
modifying the audio from the media player at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information; and
when there are not enough active audio channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the audio from the media player simultaneously, mixing selected ones of the plurality of sound effects with the modified audio from the media player based on pre-established priorities and based on the sound effect configuration information.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In operation of an electronics device, audio based on asynchronous events, such as game playing, is intelligently combined with audio output nominally generated in a predictive manner, such as resulting from media playback. For example, an overall audio output signal for the electronic device may be generated such that, for at least one of audio channels corresponding to predictive manner processing, the generated audio output for that channel included into the overall audio output signal is based at least in part on configuration information associated with a processed audio output signal for at least one of the audio channels corresponding to asynchronous events based processing. Thus, for example, the game audio processing may control how audio effects from the game are combined with audio effects from media playback.
18 Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A method for intelligently combining audio effects generated in accordance with a game process with audio from a media player on a portable computing device, the method comprising:
-
receiving audio from the media player; receiving a plurality of sound effects from the game process, wherein the sound effects are generated in response to game-playing actions of a user of the portable computing device; for each of the plurality of sound effects, receiving sound effect configuration information indicating chain or loop specifications for the corresponding sound effect; determining if there are enough active audio channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the audio from the media player simultaneously; modifying the audio from the media player at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information; and when there are not enough active audio channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the audio from the media player simultaneously, mixing selected ones of the plurality of sound effects with the modified audio from the media player based on pre-established priorities and based on the sound effect configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A portable media device comprising:
-
a game process arranged to generate sound effects when the game process is operating; a media player configured to play music with or without the game process operating; and an effects and media playback combiner configured to output media from the media player to an output device without modification when the game process is not operating, and to receive the sound effects generated by the game process and mix the sound effects received from the game process with the media from the media player when the game process is operating, wherein the mixing includes examining sound effect configuration information received from the game process, wherein the sound effect configuration information include chain or loop specifications and format and amount of the sound effects, and wherein the sound effect configuration information is used to modify the media from the portable media player before the media is mixed with the sound effects generated by the game process. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. An effects and media playback combiner comprising:
-
means for receiving media from the media player; means for receiving a plurality of sound effects from the game process, wherein the sound effects are generated in response to game-playing actions of a user of the portable computing device; means for, for each of the plurality of sound effects, receiving sound effect configuration information indicating chain or loop specifications for the corresponding sound effect; means for modifying the media received from the media player at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information; means for determining if there are enough active channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the media simultaneously; and means for, when there are not enough active channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the media simultaneously, mixing selected ones of the plurality of sound effects with the media based on pre-established priorities and based on the sound effect configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A portable media device comprising:
-
an output device having n channels of output; an effects and media playback combiner; a media player controlled by a user to play selected media items according to an order indicated by the user and send the played selected media items to the effects and media playback combiner, a game process configured to generate sound effects in response to game actions undertaken by a user within the game process and to send the generated sound effects with corresponding sound effect configuration information to the effects and media playback combiner; and wherein the effects and media playback combiner is configured to, upon receipt of the generated sound effects and corresponding sound effect configuration information from the game process and the played selected media items from the media player, modify the played selected media items at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information wherein the modified played media items and the sound effects are mixed in a manner that allows the user to hear both the modified played media items and the generated sound effects simultaneously, wherein the mixing includes determining how many of the n channels of output are available and eliminating certain sound effects from being played according to a least recently used standard if there are not enough channels of output available to play all of the generated sound effects and the modified played media simultaneously. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A computer readable medium for storing in non-transitory tangible form computer instructions executable by a processor for intelligently combining sound effects from a game process with media from a media player on a portable computing device, the method performed at an effects and media playback combiner distinct from the game process and the media player, the computer readable medium comprising:
-
computer code for receiving media from the media player; computer code for receiving a plurality of sound effects from the game process, wherein the sound effects are generated in response to game-playing actions of a user of the portable computing device; computer code for, for each of the plurality of sound effects, receiving sound effect configuration information indicating chain or loop specifications for the corresponding sound effect; computer code for modifying the audio at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information; computer code for determining if there are enough active channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the media simultaneously; and computer code for, when there are not enough active channels to play the plurality of sound effects and the media simultaneously, mixing selected ones of the plurality of sound effects with the media based on pre-established priorities and based on the sound effect configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. A method for intelligently combining audio effects generated in accordance with a game process with audio from a media player by a portable computing device, the method comprising:
-
receiving audio from the media player; receiving a plurality of sound effects from the game process generated in response to game-playing actions of a user of the portable computing device; receiving sound effect configuration information from the game process for at least one of the plurality of sound effects; modifying the audio from the media player at least in part in accordance with the sound effect configuration information; and mixing the modified audio and the at least one sound effect having the sound effect configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification