Abstract: In a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production, with the visual production occurring on a display surface, a method of increasing the perceived reality of the audio stream of the production, the method comprising the steps of: (a) locating a series of speakers along a periphery of the viewing audience; (b) panning an audio stream between the series of speakers so as to provide for the sense of an audio sound moving along the side of the viewing audience. In preferred embodiments, the output of one of the speakers is delayed relative to another speaker.

Abstract: An authoring system and authoring method to assigning a real geo-spatial position to sensory-effect data representing virtual sensations, including a virtual sound sensation. The system includes an author interface for displaying a representation of a real geo-space, means for accepting the sensory-effect data, and means for an author to assign the virtual sensory effect data to a location within the displayed representation corresponding to a real location within the geo-space, such that a user has the sensation of the virtual sound coming from the location assigned for the sensory-effect data.

Abstract: A method of producing an approximation sequence to a series of sample values, the method comprising the steps of (a) determining a first set having candidate partial sequences as members, each member comprising a plurality of elements; (b) selecting the first n elements of one of the members of the first set as a next output element for said approximation sequence; n a positive integer; (c) forming a second set having descendent candidate partial sequences as members from said first set; (d) applying a fitness filtering process to said second set to rank its members according to fitness for representing at least a corresponding portion of the series of input samples; (e) selecting at least some of the members of the second set to form a third set; and repeating steps (a) to (e) so as to produce said approximation sequence, wherein the third set of step (e) functions as the first set of the subsequent step (a).

Abstract: A method of simulating a spatial sound environment to a listener over headphones is disclosed comprising inputting a series of sound signals having spatial components; determining a current orientation of the headphones around the listener; determining a mapping function from a series of spatially static virtual speakers placed around the listener to each ear of the listener; utilising the current orientation to determine a current panning of the sound signals to the series of virtual speakers so as to produce a panned sound input signal for each of the virtual speakers; utilising the mapping function to map the panned sound input signal to each ear of the listener, and combining the mapped panned sound input signals to produce a left and right output signal for the headphones.

Abstract: A method of processing a series of input audio signals representing a series of virtual audio sound sources placed at predetermined positions around a listener to produce a reduced set of audio output signals for playback over speaker devices placed around a listener, the method comprising the steps of: (a) for each of the input audio signals and for each of the audio output signals: (i) convolving the input audio signals with an initial head portion of a corresponding impulse response mapping substantially the initial sound and early reflections for an impulse response of a corresponding virtual audio source to a corresponding speaker device so as to form a series of initial responses; (b) for each of the input audio signals and for each of the audio output signals: (i) forming a combined mix from the audio input signals; and (ii) forming a combined convolution tail from the tails of the corresponding impulse responses; (iii) convolving the combined mix with the combined convolution tail to form a combined t

Abstract: A method for creating a multichannel audio signal that provides the impression of spatial sound is disclosed, the method comprising providing an expected multichannel audio output signal having spatialised soundfield components; perturbing the spatial components; and utilising the perturbed spatial components to determine the multichannel audio signal. The perturbations can be substantially in accordance with the expected head movements of listeners of the audio signal and can be derived from a group of listeners to the audio signal. The expected head movements also preferable include an added substantially random movement.

Abstract: A method for the creation of acoustic impulse responses for utilization in rendering to an array of speakers comprising the steps of measuring a room response function; extracting a series of discrete time arrivals from the measured room response function so as to have a reverberant residual response function; separately rendering the extracted series and the reverberant residual response function to the array of speakers to form a discrete response and a residual response; combining the discrete response and the residual response to form an acoustic impulse response for the array of speakers.

Abstract: A method of creating a compressed audio output signal from a series of input audio signals is disclosed and claimed. In one embodiment, the method may include, for each of the input audio signals a) precomputing a transform corresponding to the desired compression format of the output audio signal. This may be followed by b) precomputing ancillary information relating to the compression of the transformed input audio. Next, the method may include c) mixing together the transformed input signals in the transform domain to produce an output transform domain signal. The method may then include d) algorithmically combining together the precomputed ancillary information to determine a suitable decompression strategy. Lastly, the method may include e) outputting compressed audio data comprising the output transform domain signal and the combined ancillary information.

Abstract: A method is provided for increasing the quality of audio reproduction of a binaural rendering in a passenger environment having a number of seats, each seat having an audio system including a headphone jack for interconnection with a headphone device. The method comprising the steps of: playing predetermined audio tones over the audio system, and interconnecting a testing system to the headphone jack of the seats to monitor the signal received by the headphone jack to determine the audio quality of reproduction of the seat. The invention extends to an audio monitoring device, an audio monitoring system, and a storage medium carrying said audio tones.

Abstract: A convolution method and apparatus of time domain convolving an input signal with a second signal is disclosed comprising the steps of; dividing the second signal into a series of segments; determining a magnitude envelope for each of the segments; scaling the signal values within each segments relative to the envelope to produce corresponding segment scaled signal values; multiplying the segment scaled values by a corresponding input signal value to produce corresponding segment output values; scaling the segment output values by a segment scale factor to produce corresponding scaled segment outputs; and adding the scaled segment output to produce a time domain output.

Abstract: An audio system for providing an immersive audio experience, said system comprising: a recording system including a system for recording spatialised audio information at an event location; a broadcasting system for broadcasting said spatialised audio information to multiple users located away from said event location; and a plurality of rendering systems for rendering said broadcast spatialised audio information in a manner so as to create an apparent event location audio environment around each listener, wherein said spatialisation is maintained in the presence of movement of a listener's head.

Abstract: A system for providing a listener with an augmented audio reality in a geographical environment said system comprising a position locating system for determining a current position and orientation of a listener in.

Abstract: A sigma delta modulator is disclosed and claimed. In one embodiment, the sigma delta modulator may comprise input means for inputting an input signal stream; summing means interconnect to the input means for adding a feedback signal stream to the input signal to produce an altered input signal stream; low pass filtering means interconnected to the summing means for low pass filtering the altered input signal stream to produce a low pass filtered signal stream; bit stuffing means for adding predetermined values in predetermined positions in the low pass filtered signal stream to form a bit stuffed low pass filtered stream; and a quantizer for quantizing the bit stuff low pass filtered signal to produce an output signal stream, the output signal stream also being fed back to the summing means so as to form the feedback signal stream.

Abstract: A convolution method and apparatus of time domain convolving an input signal with a second signal is disclosed comprising the steps of; dividing the second signal into a series of segments; determining a magnitude envelope for each of the segments; scaling the signal values within each segments relative to the envelope to produce corresponding segment scaled signal values; multiplying the segment scaled values by a corresponding input signal value to produce corresponding segment output values; scaling the segment output values by a segment scale factor to produce corresponding scaled segment outputs; and adding the scaled segment output to produce a time domain output.

Abstract: In a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production, with the visual production occurring on a display surface, a method of increasing the perceived reality of the audio stream of the production, the method comprising the steps of: (a) locating a series of speakers along a periphery of the viewing audience; (b) panning an audio stream between the series of speakers so as to provide for the sense of an audio sound moving along the side of the viewing audience. In preferred embodiments, the output of one of the speakers is delayed relative to another speaker.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for recreating spatially natural soundfields in a variety of listening environments is disclosed. The apparatus includes a speaker cabinet that contains multiple drivers each driven so as to effect an overall radiation pattern that mimics the soundfield pattern described by a B-format signal vector. This apparatus allows natural or synthetic soundfields to be played back from a relatively small mechanical speaker structure, providing the benefits of multichannel sound without a cumbersome arrangement of individual speaker cabinets.