Priority Or Preference Circuits Patents (Class 84/618)
  • Patent number: 11315532
    Abstract: A chord information extraction device includes a character group extractor, a determiner and a corrector. The character group extractor extracts a character group corresponding to chord information from score image data representing a music score. The determiner determines whether the character group extracted by the character group extractor follows a predetermined chord notation rule. In a case where the character group extracted by the character group extractor does not follow the chord notation rule, the corrector corrects the extracted character group to follow the chord notation rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9990912
    Abstract: An electronic device and a method for reproducing a sound in the electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a touchscreen displaying a keyboard having a plurality of keys and a plurality of sound source buttons corresponding respectively to a plurality of different sound sources, a processor connected electrically to the touchscreen, and a memory connected electrically to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that are executed to cause the processor to perform control such that when an input to at least one key among the plurality of keys is received, the sound source corresponding to at least one sound source button selected among the plurality of sound source buttons is reproduced as a sound corresponding to the received input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Min Kim, Min-Hee Lee, Yun-Jae Lee
  • Patent number: 9250612
    Abstract: An embodiment is a device including a control circuit, a time-to-digital converter circuit coupled having a first output coupled to a first input of the control circuit, and a gating circuit having a first input coupled to a first signal, a second input coupled to a second signal, and an output coupled to a first input of the time-to-digital converter circuit, an output of the control circuit coupled to a second input of the time-to-digital converter circuit and to a third input of the gating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mao-Hsuan Chou, Jinn-Yeh Chien
  • Patent number: 9159310
    Abstract: Systems, including methods and apparatus, for applying audio effects to a non-ambient signal, based at least in part on information received in an ambient audio signal. Exemplary effects that can be applied using the present teachings include generation of harmony notes, pitch-correction of melody notes, and tempo-based effects that rely on beat detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: The TC Group A/S
    Inventor: David Kenneth Hilderman
  • Patent number: 8669457
    Abstract: A system can receive and/or otherwise access information about items of content (e.g., audio tracks, video tracks, images and/or other items), information about a playlist to be generated, information about the past behavior of the target entity for the playlist and/or information about the past behavior of other entities. Examples of information about the items of content include genre, artist, album, time period, etc. Examples of information about a playlist include tempo curve, event type, playlist duration, etc. Based on all or a subset of the above-described information, the system automatically generates a playlist that identifies items of content. The playlist is presented to the target entity so that the target entity can acquire the playlist and/or the items of content identified in the playlist. In some embodiments, the target entity is also provided with an opportunity to edit the playlist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Erich Lawrence Ringewald, Sam Heyworth
  • Patent number: 8642872
    Abstract: Described is a technology by which a playback list comprising similar songs is automatically built based on automatically detected/generated song attributes, such as by extracting numeric features of each song. The attributes may be downloaded from a remote connection, and/or may be locally generated on the playback device. To build a playlist, a seed song's attributes may be compared against attributes of other songs to determine which other songs are similar to the seed song and thus included in the playlist. Another way to build a playlist is based on similarity of songs to a set of user provided-attributes, such as corresponding to moods or usage modes such as “resting” “reading” “jogging” or “driving” moods/modes. The playlist may be dynamically adjusted based on user interaction with the device, such as when a user skips a song, queues a song, or dequeues a song.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Lie Lu, Frank Torsten Bernd Seide, Gabriel White
  • Patent number: 8445768
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for mixing audio is presented. A plurality of tracks is displayed in a user interface, each track of the plurality of tracks including at least one audio clip. Each audio clip is designated as either a foreground clip or a background clip. The foreground clips are analyzed and loudness corrected. The background clips are analyzed and a distance value between the loudness corrected foreground clips and the background clips is defined. Keyframes are added to some of the audio clips, the keyframes providing a fade between levels of the background clips to take into account the loudness corrected foreground clips and a sequenced audio file is produced from the corrected foreground clips, the background clips and the keyframes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Holger Classen, Sven Duwenhorst
  • Patent number: 8410347
    Abstract: A music recommendation method and a music recommendation system are provided. The music recommendation method includes: selecting music files according to a theme of the message service and music, a mood of the music, a similarity between content of the message service and content of the music; and recommending selected music files to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung Eun Kim, Hyoung Gook Kim
  • Patent number: 8357848
    Abstract: Systems and methods for the automatic scoring of a vocal performance are provided. The systems and methods for providing feedback and scoring a vocal performance generally relate to receiving/processing a user's vocals, measuring the various performance qualities of the performance according stored evaluation policies and rendering a score according to stored scoring policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Inventors: Keith Michael Andrews, Jerald Perry, Christopher Hercules Claudatos
  • Patent number: 8319085
    Abstract: Specially designed for relating musical sounds to the conventional way of writing on a staff and vice versa, the controller is formed by a casing which is flat, cylindrical or some other shape, on which a staff is depicted, with, in the areas of the staff corresponding to each of the musical notes, sensors/push-buttons corresponding to natural, flat and sharp notes (or double sharp or double flat or natural sign, if present on the frame), as well as light indicators. The notes can thus be identified aurally when working on the device as if the music was written on a staff, while if a MIDI signal is connected to the control circuit it is possible to display, in real time, on said staff and via the light indicators, each of the notes of said melody, enabling quick and easy identification of said notes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Inventor: Jaime Iglesias Alvaro-Gracia
  • Patent number: 8294017
    Abstract: A method for creating a personalized musical file is presented, the method comprising receiving a birth date, determining angular distribution of planets on a birth sky based, at least in part, on the birth date, selecting a plurality of Names from Shem ha-Meforash based, at least in part, on the angular distribution of planets, associating vowels with at least some of the Names, generating a recorded musical portion for at least some of the Names, assembling at least some of the recorded musical portions in a musical file and recording the musical file. A method for creating a personalized mandala and a personalized mantra is also presented herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Yatsav Productions Inc.
    Inventor: Guy Veillet
  • Patent number: 8283548
    Abstract: Method for recognizing similarly recurring patterns of notes in a piece of music containing note sequences distributed among parallel channels, the method having the steps of: a) repeatedly segmenting each channel and, for each type of segmentation, determining segments which are similar to one another and storing the latter in lists of candidate patterns with the respective entities thereof; b) calculating an intrinsic similarity value for each list; c) calculating coincidence values for each list for each channel with respect to the lists for all other channels; and d) combining the intrinsic similarity and coincidence values for each list to form a total value for each list, and using the pattern candidates in the lists with the highest total value in each channel as recognized note patterns in the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Inventors: Stefan M. Oertl, Brigitte Rafael
  • Patent number: 8188357
    Abstract: In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface is provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Robbin, Steve Jobs, Timothy Wasko, Greg Christie, Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 8134061
    Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for avatars to musically interact with each other. In one representative embodiment, a server is configured to host a virtual environment and various client devices communicate with the server over an electronic network, with each such client device configured to interact within the virtual environment through a corresponding avatar. A first client device accepts commands from a first user and, in response, communicates corresponding information to the server causing a modification of any of a first set of user-customizable visual characteristics of a first avatar that represents the first user. Similarly, a second client device accepts commands from a second user and, in response, communicates corresponding information to the server causing a modification of any of a second set of user-customizable visual characteristics of a second avatar that represents the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Vergence Entertainment LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Feeney, Jeff E. Haas, Brent W. Barkley
  • Patent number: 8058545
    Abstract: A first control may be for setting a tempo upon which a performance position, which may be set with a second control, may be based. Circuitry may be selectively passing inputted musical tone signal. A processor may be configured for processing data for controlling an output signal of the circuitry based on the performance position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Yamada, Hiroya Kurio, Ryushi Matsutani
  • Patent number: 8035023
    Abstract: An entertainment system has a music storage system storing a plurality of music pieces, a playback system coupled with the music storage system, a navigation system providing current map information including a present location, wherein a current map has a plurality of zones each being assigned to one of a plurality of zone types, and a controller for controlling playback of selected music pieces, wherein the controller maintains a plurality of playlists, each having a plurality of music pieces and being assigned to at least one zone type. The controller receives information of a present location and a current zone type and selects an assigned playlist, wherein the navigation system further provides information about a distance and/or time to a next zone. The controller modifies the assigned playlist such that a transition to the next zone is timely synchronized with the ending of a music piece of the assigned playlist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Marcial Hernandez, Arne Stoschek, Jason Swager, Charles Lee
  • Patent number: 8030564
    Abstract: A content selecting and recommending method includes a step of generating a log table using information sent as a log from each of a plurality of users' terminals, each user's state being classified into one of a plurality of state patterns, the log table including information indicating a correspondence between each of the state patterns and a piece of content played back in the case of the state pattern; and a step of receiving a content recommendation request which is sent from a requesting user's terminal and includes a state detection signal generated as a result of detection of the requesting user's state, selecting a piece of content, from the log table, appropriate for the requesting user's state indicated, and sending a recommendation of the selected piece of content to the requesting user's terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Komori, Yoichiro Sako
  • Patent number: 8026437
    Abstract: When the on-on time between Note 1 and Note 2 is shorter than the double stop judgment time JT, as shown in FIG. 3A, the mode is changed from Unison 1 to Unison 2. When note-on information of Note 1 is inputted at time t1, the parts 1-4 are assigned to Note 1, and simultaneously start sound generation at pitch n1, as shown in FIG. 3B. Next, when note-on information of Note 2 at pitch n2 lower than Note 1 is inputted at time t2, the mode is switched to Unison 2. Part 1 (with the timbre being trumpet) and Part 2 (with the timbre being clarinet) which are higher in the pitch order are assigned to Note 1, and continue generating the musical sound at pitch n1 of Note 1, and Part 3 (with the timbre being alto saxophone) and Part 4 (with the timbre being trombone) which are lower in the pitch order are assigned to Note 2, stop the sound generation at pitch n1, and start sound generation at pitch n2 of Note 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Ikuo Tanaka, Yoshinori Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 8017852
    Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a music content includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring data of a music content, a second acquisition unit for acquiring attribute information, a reproducing unit for reproducing, into an audio reproduction output, the music content data acquired by the first acquisition unit, a detecting unit for detecting bio-information of a listener listening to the audio reproduction output, and a setting unit for setting a next reproduction music content candidate based on the acquired bio-information of the listener and the attribute information acquired by the second acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kosei Yamashita, Yasushi Miyajima, Motoyuki Takai, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai
  • Patent number: 8008568
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium for analyzing chord progressions more accurately. A featuring quantity extraction unit 41 extracts respectively a probability of given chords appearing simultaneously, a probability of transition from a given chord to another chord, if the given chord appeared, and a probability of transition of a given chord originating from another chord, if the given chord appeared, from chord progressions of musical compositions by analyzing waveforms of said musical compositions. A chord similarity calculation unit 42 calculates the similarities between the chord progressions of musical compositions and the user-input chord progressions based on those extracted these possibilities. A musical composition retrieving unit 43 retrieves musical composition chord progressions similar to the user-input chord progression based on the calculated similarities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8003875
    Abstract: A playback apparatus is provided that includes an operation plane, a detection unit to detect which of contact relationship including first contact relationship, second contact relationship with a higher degree of contact than the first contact relationship and third contact relationship with a higher degree of contact than the second contact relationship the operation plane and an operation object have, a creation unit to create a list screen of content data for selecting content data based on movement of the operation object with respect to the operation plane in the first contact relationship, a playback unit to play back content data, and a playback control unit to cause the playback unit to play back content data selected on the list screen when becoming the second contact relationship from the first contact relationship if contact relationship becomes the third contact relationship from the second contact relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: QiHong Wang, Akiko Terayama, Takaomi Kimura, Ryo Mukaiyama
  • Patent number: 7919706
    Abstract: A music retrieval system which take an input melody as the query. In one embodiment, changes or differences in the distribution of energy across the frequency spectrum over time are used to find breakpoints in the input melody in order to separate it into distinct notes. In another embodiment the breakpoints are identified based on changes in pitch over time. A confidence level is preferably associated with each breakpoint and/or note extracted from the input melody. The confidence level is based on one or more of: changes in pitch, absolute values of a spectral energy distribution indicator, relative values of the spectral energy distribution indicator, and the energy level of the input melody. The process of matching the input melody with songs in the music database is based on minimizing a cost computation that takes into account errors in the insertion and deletion of notes, and penalizes these errors in accordance with the confidence levels of the breakpoints and/or notes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Perception Digital Technology (BVI) Limited
    Inventors: Chi-ying Tsui, Bertram Shi, Chi Wai Yung
  • Patent number: 7816599
    Abstract: Either a tone generation priority mode or a quality priority mode can be set. If the currently-set mode is the tone generation priority mode when a connecting tone is to be generated for connecting between two successive notes, the joint-portion waveform data is selected for synthesis of the tone, stored head-portion waveform data and tail-portion waveform data are selected, and at least one of a pitch and amplitude of at least one of the head-portion waveform data and tail-portion waveform data is processed so as to provide a smoothly-varying connecting tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Akazawa
  • Patent number: 7786369
    Abstract: A system for playing music is provided. The system includes: a mood categorizer categorizing a mood of a music file; a similar music search module searching for similar music having a mood similar to music which a user desires by referring to the categorized mood; a highlight detector detecting a highlight section of the music file; and a theme categorizer categorizing a theme of the music file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ki Wan Eom, Hyoung Gook Kim
  • Patent number: 7754956
    Abstract: A programmable system for integrating signals in a musical instrument including a programmable device that is configured to create re-callable scenes, where the scenes are representations of audio signals generated by signal devices. The programmable system also includes a plurality of input/output modules to couple the signal devices and the musical instrument to the programmable device. Also included in the programmable system is a memory to store the scenes and a switch to change the combination of audio signals that go in and out of the signal path of the musical instrument by switching scenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Force Ten International LLC
    Inventors: Paul R. Gain, Gregory V. Vance
  • Patent number: 7750228
    Abstract: For at least one music piece, a storage section stores tone data of each of a plurality of fragments segmented from the music piece and stores a first descriptor indicative of a musical character of each of the fragments in association with the fragment. Descriptor generation section receives input data based on operation by a user and generates a second descriptor, indicative of a musical character, on the basis of the received input data. Determination section determines similarity between the second descriptor and the first descriptor of each of the fragments. Selection section selects the tone data of at least one fragment on the basis of a result of the similarity determination by the determination section. On the basis of the tone data of the selected at least one fragment, a data generation section generates tone data to be outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Fujishima, Jordi Bonada, Maarten De Boer
  • Patent number: 7745718
    Abstract: A bibliographic-information impression word is generated from a bibliographic information segment about selected one of music pieces. An acoustic feature quantity of an audio signal representing the selected music piece is calculated. A feature-quantity impression word is generated from the calculated acoustic feature quantity. A degree of conformity between the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word is determined. Both the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word are selected as final impression words when the determined conformity degree is greater than a predetermined threshold value. One is selected from the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word as a final impression word when the determined conformity degree is not greater than the predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Makino, Ichiro Shishido
  • Patent number: 7737354
    Abstract: A “Concatenative Synthesizer” applies concatenative synthesis to create a musical output from a database of musical notes and an input musical score (such as a MIDI score or other computer readable musical score format). In various embodiments, the musical output is either a music score, or an analog or digital audio file. This musical output is constructed by evaluating the database of musical notes to identify sets of candidate notes for each note of the input musical score. An “optimal path” through candidate notes is identified by minimizing an overall cost function through the candidate notes relative to the input musical score. The musical output is then constructed by concatenating the selected candidate notes. In further embodiments, the database of musical notes is generated from any desired musical genre, performer, performance, or instrument. Furthermore, notes in the database may be modified to better fit notes of the input musical score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Sumit Basu, Ian Simon, David Salesin, Maneesh Agrawala, Adil Sherwani, Chad Gibson
  • Patent number: 7728216
    Abstract: A method for controlling a plurality of light sources. Control signals corresponding to notes of a music file are generated to enable selected ones of a plurality of receptacles to be powered. The plurality of receptacles comprises a first plurality of receptacles and a second plurality of receptacles, and the first plurality of receptacles are powered more frequently than the second plurality of receptacles. The plurality of receptacles is adapted to supply power to the plurality of light sources. A pleasing twinkling effect can be created even if light sources are not coupled to one of the plurality of receptacles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Mr. Christmas Incorporated
    Inventors: Terry Hermanson, Huang Meng-Suen
  • Patent number: 7709724
    Abstract: Plural key switches are arranged in two dimensions along X- and Y-coordinate axes, and an X-coordinate position of each of the key switches is associated with tone generation timing while a Y-coordinate position of each of the key switches is associated with a tone pitch. Storage section stores a music piece data set that includes tone generating data having data of tone pitches and tone generation timing associated with the key switches. In a repeat-section setting mode, a repeat-section setting section causes the plural key switches to function as setting operators and sets a repeat section of the music piece data set on the basis of the X-coordinate position of any operated one of the key switches. In reproduction of the stored music piece data set, a reproduction section repetitively reproduces the tone generating data of the music piece data set which are included in the set repeat section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Nishibori, Toshio Iwai
  • Patent number: 7692088
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a waveform synthesizer apparatus that synthesizes a waveform of a musical sound based on musical performance event information. In particular, a music synthesizer includes an overlap detector that detects whether a first and second musical sound overlap, and a sound length meter that determines a sound length of the first musical sound. If the first and second musical sounds overlap, the synthesizer instantly terminates synthesizing of the first sound and starts synthesizing the second sound, provided the length of the first sound does not exceed a predetermined length. If the first and second sounds do not overlap, synthesis of the first sound is terminated, and the synthesis of the second sound is initiated, if it is determined that the length of rest between the two sounds does not exceed a predetermined length, and that the first sound does not exceed a predetermined length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Umeyama, Eiji Akazawa
  • Patent number: 7642444
    Abstract: For each of a plurality of music pieces, a storage device stores respective tone data of a plurality of fragments of the music piece and respective musical character values of the fragments. Similarity determination section calculates a similarity index value indicative of a degree of similarity between the character values of each of the fragments of a main music piece and the character values of each individual fragment of a plurality of sub music pieces. Each of the similarity index values calculated for the fragments of each of the sub music pieces can be adjusted in accordance with a user's control. Processing section processes the tone data of each of the fragments of the main music piece on the basis of the tone data of any one of the fragments of the sub music pieces of which the similarity index value indicates sufficient similarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Fujishima, Jordi Bonada, Maarten De Boer, Sebastian Streich, Bee Suan Ong
  • Patent number: 7619156
    Abstract: A system and method for correction of finger positions for an electronic musical instrument. By adding a correction step in the direction of a nearest grid value, the system can perform correction in a manner that allows for gradual position correction while maintaining a vibrato or glissando shape that is similar to vibrato or glissando shape of the actual finger positions over time. The system and method may be used for pitch correction for a continuous-pitch electronic musical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Inventor: Lippold Haken
  • Patent number: 7612280
    Abstract: A digital music player includes an audio file selector that selects a subsequent audio file to play from a collection of audio files based upon a desired relationship between an audio characteristic of a current audio file and an audio characteristic of the subsequent audio file. The audio selector digitally analyzes the audio files to determine their audio characteristics. A weighting procedure then assigns weights to the audio files in the collection based upon their audio characteristics and their relationship to the audio characteristics of the current audio file. A random selector then pseudo randomly selects the subsequent audio files from a weighted list of the files. The desired relationship can be a specified correspondence between a key or tempo of the current audio file and a key or tempo of the subsequent audio file. The audio selector is preferably implemented through a software macro which is downloaded into an existing digital music player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventor: Andrew J. Schneider
  • Patent number: 7544881
    Abstract: A bibliographic-information impression word is generated from a bibliographic information segment about selected one of music pieces. An acoustic feature quantity of an audio signal representing the selected music piece is calculated. A feature-quantity impression word is generated from the calculated acoustic feature quantity. A degree of conformity between the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word is determined. Both the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word are selected as final impression words when the determined conformity degree is greater than a predetermined threshold value. One is selected from the bibliographic-information impression word and the feature-quantity impression word as a final impression word when the determined conformity degree is not greater than the predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Makino, Ichiro Shishido
  • Patent number: 7541534
    Abstract: An audio management application includes a recombiner and aggregation rules to manipulate and recombine segments of a musical piece such that the resulting finished composition includes parts (segments) from the decomposed piece, typically a song, adjustable for length by selectively replicating particular parts and combining with other parts such that the finished composition provides a similar audio experience in the predetermined duration. The architecture defines the parts with part variations of independent length, identified as performing a function of starting, middle, (looping) or ending parts. Each of the parts provides a musical segment that is integratable with other parts in a seamless manner that avoids audible artifacts (e.g. “pops” and “crackles”) common with conventional mechanical switching and mixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Soenke Schnepel, Stefan Wiegand, Sven Duwenhorst, Volker W Duddeck, Holger Classen
  • Patent number: 7521625
    Abstract: In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface are provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Robbin, Steve Jobs, Timothy Wasko, Greg Christie, Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 7511214
    Abstract: A CPU 21 sequentially changes over plural music pieces and reproduces the same by a program processing. Upon the changeover of the music piece, the volume of the tone signal that is being generated at each tone generating channel in a tone generating circuit 14 is gradually decreased, whereby the tone signal is finally faded out. The volume decreasing speed in this case is such that the higher the priority order of the performance data is, the slower the speed is. The generation of a tone signal based upon performance data of next music piece data is assigned one after another from a tone generating channel wherein a fade-out has been completed. The volume of the assigned tone signal is controlled so as to gradually increased, whereby the tone signal is faded in. In this case, the assignment of the generation of the tone signal based upon the performance data of the next music piece is made earlier, as the order of priority of the performance data is higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tadahiko Ikeya, Nobuhiro Nambu
  • Patent number: 7468481
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of displaying directories differently based on attributes of files included therein. The present method examines a directory structure and the attributes of data files recorded on a recording medium, generates a mark for visually differentiating directories including at least one file of a pre-specified attribute, based on the examined attribute information, and displays a generated mark with the examined directory structure information. Owing to the present invention, a user can recognize directories including at least one file having a desired attribute at a glance, therefore, reproduction, selection, or copy for a file having a desirable attribute can be conducted very quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hwan Kim
  • Patent number: 7450971
    Abstract: A CPU 10 operates in response to an instruction for starting reproduction of a melody to read out tone color data and tempo data included in selected musical composition data from a RAM 11 or a ROM 12, and transfer the readout data to a musical tone-generating section 15. The CPU 10 then reads out starting position information written in a performance starting point register 36, reads out note data included in the musical composition data from a position indicated by the starting position information from the RAM 11 or the ROM 12, and transfers the readout note data to the musical tone-generating section 15. The musical tone-generating section 15 generates a melody from the transferred note data based on the transferred tone color data and tempo data. As a result, the melody can be listened to from an arbitrary starting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Ichiro Futohashi
  • Patent number: 7420115
    Abstract: In an access controller provided for a musical sound signal generating system, a signal generating section operates when a readout of wave data of one block stored in a working memory is completed in a sound channel, for supplying a next waveform request signal to a CPU, which requests a next block of the wave data for the sound channel. First and second buffer memories are connected between a recording medium and the working memory respectively through first and second buses which are independent from each other. A first transmitting section operates when receiving block specifying information from the CPU, which specifies a block to be read next from the recording medium, for transmitting the wave data of the specified block to either of the first or second buffer memory while reading the specified block of the wave data from the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuichi Kawamoto, Masahiro Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20080148924
    Abstract: A music retrieval system which take an input melody as the query. In one embodiment, changes or differences in the distribution of energy across the frequency spectrum over time are used to find breakpoints in the input melody in order to separate it into distinct notes. In another embodiment the breakpoints are identified based on changes in pitch over time. A confidence level is preferably associated with each breakpoint and/or note extracted from the input melody. The confidence level is based on one or more of: changes in pitch, absolute values of a spectral energy distribution indicator, relative values of the spectral energy distribution indicator, and the energy level of the input melody. The process of matching the input melody with songs in the music database is based on minimizing a cost computation that takes into account errors in the insertion and deletion of notes, and penalizes these errors in accordance with the confidence levels of the breakpoints and/or notes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: PERCEPTION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY (BVI) LIMITED
    Inventors: Chi-Ying Tsui, Bertram Shi, Chi Wai Yung
  • Publication number: 20080115658
    Abstract: For each of a plurality of music pieces, a storage device stores respective tone data of a plurality of fragments of the music piece and respective musical character values of the fragments. Similarity determination section calculates a similarity index value indicative of a degree of similarity between the character values of each of the fragments of a main music piece and the character values of each individual fragment of a plurality of sub music pieces. Each of the similarity index values calculated for the fragments of each of the sub music pieces can be adjusted in accordance with a user's control. Processing section processes the tone data of each of the fragments of the main music piece on the basis of the tone data of any one of the fragments of the sub music pieces of which the similarity index value indicates sufficient similarity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Fujishima, Jordi Bonada, Maarten De Boer, Sebastian Streich, Bee Suan Ong
  • Patent number: 7326847
    Abstract: Methods and systems of dynamic channel allocation. The provided methods and systems can be employed in a music synthesis system comprising a synthesizer. Audio instructions from sources, such as MIDI players, are received. Available channels provided by the synthesizer are sought for channel allocation. The searched available channels are assigned to the audio instructions for music synthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Mediatek Incorporation
    Inventor: Yu-cheng Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7285712
    Abstract: A method of dynamically determining a maximum polyphony number is used in an electronic device, which has S tone generators. First, an operation mode of the electronic device is detected. Next, a residual computing power of the electronic device is obtained according to the operation mode. Then, a maximum polyphony number is determined according to a constant computing power, which is required to synthesize a polyphony, and the residual computing power. Next, the states of T tone generators of the S tone generators are set to be an ON state according to the maximum polyphony number, wherein T is a positive integer and is smaller than or equal to S.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: MediaTek Incorporation
    Inventors: Yu-Cheng Hsieh, Ti-Wen Yuan
  • Patent number: 7069058
    Abstract: There is provided a musical composition-reproducing device and a musical composition-reproducing method that make it possible to make the most of many sounding channels and are capable of imparting an effect to musical tones without providing a special effect circuit. Musical composition data read from a musical composition data file FL is read out as data of a track 1 comprised of 4 channels, and is also copied and read out as data of a track 2, a track 3 and a track 4. Delay times of delaying means D1 to D3 and attenuations of attenuating means G1 to G3 are determined as being values t1 to t3 and g1 to g3, respectively, in accordance with effect parameter information. A sequencer SQ reproduces three effect sounding sequence data in the tracks 2 to 4, which is delayed by the delay times t1 to t3 and attenuated by the attenuations g1 to g3, as an effect sound providing a reverberation to musical tones reproduced based on the sequence data in the track 1 by using 12 channels among 16 channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Kawashima
  • Patent number: 7045700
    Abstract: A method and corresponding equipment by which a synthesizer/MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) device (10) is able to optimally perform a MIDI file (11) taking into account not the polyphony required by the MIDI file (11) as in SP-MIDI (scalable polyphony MIDI), but taking into account instead extended scalable polyphony (XSP) data 12b including the maximum number of instantaneous voices required by the MIDI file and the categories in which they occur for different channel masking, and also taking into account the architecture of the synthesizer/MIDI device (10) in terms of a voice complexity coefficient table (12b) indicating the relative complexity (corresponding to a resource requirement) for voices in each category. The result is a total voice requirement table 12c-1 indicating typically less masking than would be required for the same synthesizer/MIDI device to play the MIDI file according to SP-MIDI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Matti S. Hämäläinen, Timo Kosonen
  • Patent number: 7039477
    Abstract: From a storage device storing waveform sample data sampled at a given sampling rate, the waveform sample data are read out asynchronously with the given sampling rate and temporarily stored in an input buffer. The thus-stored waveform sample data are read out from the input buffer and converted to an inner sampling rate selected from among a plurality of predetermined inner sampling rates. Predetermined arithmetic processing is performed on the waveform sample data converted to the selected inner sampling rate. Then, the waveform sample data having undergone the predetermined arithmetic processing are converted to a predetermined output sampling rate and written into an output buffer. The thus-written waveform sample data are then sequentially read out at an sampling frequency corresponding to the output sampling rate, to thereby generate tone data in accordance with the output sampling frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Kamiya, Satoshi Tominaga
  • Patent number: 6972362
    Abstract: An electronic sound generation device is adapted to start arithmetic processing with a start signal. When the arithmetic processing is not completed in a period between two sampling signals of a constant period, a start signal for starting next arithmetic processing signal for the next period is output after the completion of the on-going arithmetic processing. The electronic sound generation device is also adapted to hold resultant data of arithmetic processing, which is output in synchronism with the sampling signal. An address for designating waveform data in a waveform memory is calculated upon the address arithmetic parameters received from a digital signal processor (DSP) having a sum-of-products arithmetic circuit. Using fractional parts of the addresses, the data read out from the waveform memory are interpolated, and supplied to the DSP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Nakamura
  • Patent number: RE44309
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of displaying directories differently based on attributes of files included therein. The present method examines a directory structure and the attributes of data files recorded on a recording medium, generates a mark for visually differentiating directories including at least one file of a pre-specified attribute, based on the examined attribute information, and displays a generated mark with the examined directory structure information. Owing to the present invention, a user can recognize directories including at least one file having a desired attribute at a glance, therefore, reproduction, selection, or copy for a file having a desirable attribute can be conducted very quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hwan Kim