Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a spatially extended sound source having a defined position and geometry in a space includes an interface for receiving a listener position; a projector for calculating a projection of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional hull associated with the spatially extended sound source onto a projection plane using the listener position, information on the geometry of the spatially extended sound source, and information on the position of the spatially extended sound source; a sound position calculator for calculating positions of at least two sound sources for the spatially extended sound source using the projection plane; and a renderer for rendering the at least two sound sources at the positions to obtain a reproduction of the spatially extended sound source having two or more output signals, wherein the renderer is configured to use different sound signals for the different positions.

Abstract: There are disclosed apparatus and methods for encoding and decoding of acoustic environment. In accordance with an example, there is provided an apparatus for decoding an acoustic environment, the acoustic environment including at least one audio source and at least one audio object, the at least one audio object being represented by a structural-acoustic data which links positional data of polygons with acoustic properties of acoustic materials, wherein the positional data includes, for each polygon, the position of the vertexes, the apparatus comprising: a bitstream reader for reading, from the bitstream, an encoded version of structural-acoustic data and at least one audio stream to be rendered as generated by the at least one audio source in the acoustic environment; an audio source decoding block to decode the at least one an audio stream representing the at least one audio source; a structural-acoustic data decoding block to decode the structural-acoustic data.

Abstract: An apparatus for decomposing an audio signal into a background component signal and a foreground component signal, has: a block generator for generating a time sequence of blocks of audio signal values; an audio signal analyzer for determining a characteristic of a current block of the audio signal and for determining a variability of the characteristic within a group of blocks having at least two blocks of the sequence of blocks; and a separator for separating the current block into a background portion and a foreground portion wherein the separator is configured to determine a separation threshold based on the variability and to separate the current block into the background component signal and the foreground component signal, when the characteristic of the current block is in a predetermined relation to the separation threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating an enhanced sound field description has: a sound field generator for generating at least two sound field layer descriptions indicating sound fields with respect to at least one reference location; and a meta data generator for generating meta data relating to spatial information of the sound fields, wherein the sound field descriptions and the meta data constitute the enhanced sound field description. The meta data can be a geometrical information for each layer such as a representative distance to the reference location.

Abstract: A decorrelator includes a plurality of delay units, wherein each delay unit is configured for receiving a part of a frequency representation being based on an audio signal, wherein each delay unit is configured for delaying the received part to provide a delayed part. The decorrelator includes an envelope shaper configured for receiving and combining signals being based on the delayed parts of the frequency representation. The envelope shaper receives the frequency representation of the audio signal and is configured for adjusting an energy of the delayed parts in respect of the frequency representation of the audio signal. The envelope shaper is configured for providing a combined shaped frequency representation. Transient signal portions are handled by an adapted operation of the decorrelator.

Abstract: An audio scene encoder for encoding an audio scene, the audio scene having at least two component signals, has: a core encoder for core encoding the at least two component signals, wherein the core encoder is configured to generate a first encoded representation for a first portion of the at least two component signals, and to generate a second encoded representation for a second portion of the at least two component signals, a spatial analyzer for analyzing the audio scene to derive one or more spatial parameters or one or more spatial parameter sets for the second portion; and an output interface for forming the encoded audio scene signal, the encoded audio scene signal having the first encoded representation, the second encoded representation, and the one or more spatial parameters or one or more spatial parameter sets for the second portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding directional audio coding parameters including diffuseness parameters and direction parameters includes: a parameter calculator for calculating the diffuseness parameters with a first time or frequency resolution and for calculating the direction parameters with a second time or frequency resolution; and a quantizer and encoder processor for generating a quantized and encoded representation of the diffuseness parameters and the direction parameters.

Abstract: A more efficient rendering of audio objects, which allows 3D panning, is achieved by performing the panning into two stages, namely at least one horizontal in-layer panning leading to a first virtual (speaker) position and a second virtual or real (speaker) position, which is vertically offset, and another panning vertically between the two positions. Although acting in such a manner seems to increase the computational complexity, this staged processing increases, in fact, the stability of the rendering and the location of the intended virtual position. Moreover, the staged processing, enables to perform, according to an embodiment, the panning by use of amplitude panning gains only, i.e. phase processing is not necessary, thereby rendering the computational complexity low. Even further, the rendering is flexible with respect to applicability to a variety of loudspeaker setups.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding directional audio coding parameters including diffuseness parameters and direction parameters includes: a parameter calculator for calculating the diffuseness parameters with a first time or frequency resolution and for calculating the direction parameters with a second time or frequency resolution; and a quantizer and encoder processor for generating a quantized and encoded representation of the diffuseness parameters and the direction parameters.

Abstract: An audio scene encoder for encoding an audio scene, the audio scene having at least two component signals, has: a core encoder for core encoding the at least two component signals, wherein the core encoder is configured to generate a first encoded representation for a first portion of the at least two component signals, and to generate a second encoded representation for a second portion of the at least two component signals, a spatial analyzer for analyzing the audio scene to derive one or more spatial parameters or one or more spatial parameter sets for the second portion; and an output interface for forming the encoded audio scene signal, the encoded audio scene signal having the first encoded representation, the second encoded representation, and the one or more spatial parameters or one or more spatial parameter sets for the second portion.

Abstract: Apparatus for encoding a plurality of audio objects, having: an object parameter calculator configured for calculating, for one or more frequency bins of a plurality of frequency bins related to a time frame, parameter data for at least two relevant audio objects, wherein a number of the at least two relevant audio objects is lower than a total number of the plurality of audio objects, and an output interface for outputting an encoded audio signal having information on the parameter data for the at least two relevant audio objects for the one or more frequency bins.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a description of a combined audio scene, includes: an input interface for receiving a first description of a first scene in a first format and a second description of a second scene in a second format, wherein the second format is different from the first format; a format converter for converting the first description into a common format and for converting the second description into the common format, when the second format is different from the common format; and a format combiner for combining the first description in the common format and the second description in the common format to obtain the combined audio scene.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding a plurality of audio objects and related metadata indicating direction information on the plurality of audio objects has: a downmixer for downmixing the plurality of audio objects to obtain one or more transport channels; a transport channel encoder for encoding one or more transport channels to obtain one or more encoded transport channels; and an output interface for outputting an encoded audio signal comprising the one or more encoded transport channels, wherein the downmixer is configured to downmix the plurality of audio objects in response to the direction information on the plurality of audio objects.

Abstract: An audio processor for providing loudspeaker signals on the basis of input signals, like channel signals and/or object signals, obtains an information about the position of a listener and an information about the position of a plurality of loudspeakers, or sound transducers. The audio processor selects one or more loudspeakers for a rendering of the objects and/or of the channel objects and/or of the adapted signals, derived from the input signals. The selection depends on the information about the position of the listener and about the positions of the loudspeakers and takes into consideration the information about one or more acoustic obstacles. The audio signal processor renders the objects/channel objects/adapted signals derived from the input signals, in dependence on the information about the position of the listener and about positions of the loudspeakers, in order to obtain the loudspeaker signals, such that a rendered sound follows a listener.

Abstract: What is described is an apparatus for post-processing an audio signal, having: a time-spectrum-converter for converting the audio signal into a spectral representation having a sequence of spectral frames; a prediction analyzer for calculating prediction filter data for a prediction over frequency within a spectral frame; a shaping filter controlled by the prediction filter data for shaping the spectral frame to enhance a transient portion within the spectral frame; and a spectrum-time-converter for converting a sequence of spectral frames having a shaped spectral frame into a time domain.

Abstract: An apparatus for synthesizing a spatially extended sound source includes: a spatial information interface for receiving a spatial range indication indicating a limited spatial range for the spatially extended sound source within a maximum spatial range; a cue information provider for providing one or more cue information items in response to the limited spatial range; and an audio processor for processing an audio signal representing the spatially extended sound source using the one or more cue information items.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a spatially extended sound source having a defined position or orientation and geometry in a space has an interface for receiving a listener position. The apparatus having a projector for calculating a projection of a two- or three-dimensional hull associated with the sound source onto a projection plane using the listener position, information on the geometry of the sound source, and on the position of the sound source; a sound position calculator for calculating positions of at least two sound sources for the spatially extended sound source using the projection plane; and a renderer for rendering the at least two sound sources at the positions to obtain a reproduction of the sound source having two or more output signals, configured to use different sound signals for the different positions.

Abstract: An audio processor for providing loudspeaker signals on the basis of input signals, like channel signals and/or object signals, obtains an information about the position of a listener and an information about the position of a plurality of loudspeakers, or sound transducers. The audio processor selects one or more loudspeakers for a rendering of the objects and/or of the channel objects and/or of the adapted signals, derived from the input signals. The selection depends on the information about the position of the listener and about the positions of the loudspeakers and takes into consideration the information about one or more acoustic obstacles. The audio signal processor renders the objects/channel objects/adapted signals derived from the input signals, in dependence on the information about the position of the listener and about positions of the loudspeakers, in order to obtain the loudspeaker signals, such that a rendered sound follows a listener.

Abstract: Apparatus for post-processing an audio signal, including: a converter for converting the audio signal into a time-frequency representation; a transient location estimator for estimating a location in time of a transient portion using the audio signal or the time-frequency representation; and a signal manipulator for manipulating the time-frequency representation, wherein the signal manipulator is configured to reduce or eliminate a pre-echo in the time-frequency representation at a location in time before the transient location or to perform a shaping of the time-frequency representation at the transient location to amplify an attack of the transient portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a description of a combined audio scene, includes: an input interface for receiving a first description of a first scene in a first format and a second description of a second scene in a second format, wherein the second format is different from the first format; a format converter for converting the first description into a common format and for converting the second description into the common format, when the second format is different from the common format; and a format combiner for combining the first description in the common format and the second description in the common format to obtain the combined audio scene.