Abstract: A method and apparatus for decompressing a Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) signal representation is disclosed. The apparatus includes an input interface that receives an encoded directional signal and an encoded ambient signal and an audio decoder that perceptually decodes the encoded directional signal and encoded ambient signal to produce a decoded directional signal and a decoded ambient signal, respectively. The apparatus further includes an extractor for obtaining side information related to the directional signal and an inverse transformer for converting the decoded ambient signal from a spatial domain to an HOA domain representation of the ambient signal. The apparatus also includes a synthesizer for recomposing a Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) signal from the HOA domain representation of the ambient signal and the decoded directional signal. The side information includes a direction of the directional signal selected from a set of uniformly spaced directions.

Abstract: An apparatus with a base unit comprising a microphone array arranged to capture a plurality of local audio signals for producing a spatially encoded sound-field signal, and a remote microphone device with a microphone and an associated storage portion, wherein the remote microphone device is arranged to capture a remote audio signal associated with a sound source with the microphone and store said remote audio signal in the associated storage portion. The apparatus is further arranged to use the plurality of local audio signals to produce a spatially encoded sound-field signal with a plurality of components, determine a position of the remote microphone device, and generate a spatially encoded soundtrack using the spatially encoded sound-field signal and the stored remote audio signal in accordance with the determined position of the remote microphone device.

Abstract: Diffuse or spatially large audio objects may be identified for special processing. A decorrelation process may be performed on audio signals corresponding to the large audio objects to produce decorrelated large audio object audio signals. These decorrelated large audio object audio signals may be associated with object locations, which may be stationary or time-varying locations. For example, the decorrelated large audio object audio signals may be rendered to virtual or actual speaker locations. The output of such a rendering process may be input to a scene simplification process. The decorrelation, associating and/or scene simplification processes may be performed prior to a process of encoding the audio data.

Abstract: Encoding and decoding devices for encoding the channels of an audio system having at least four channels are disclosed. The decoding device has a first stereo decoding component which subjects a first pair of input channels to a first stereo decoding, and a second stereo decoding component which subjects a second pair of input channels to a second stereo decoding. The results of the first and second stereo decoding components are crosswise coupled to a third and a fourth stereo decoding component which each performs stereo decoding on one channel resulting from the first stereo decoding component, and one channel resulting from the second stereo decoding component.

Abstract: Ambisonics audio such as may be used for computer simulations such as computer games is improved by using multi-order optimizations that frame an optimization problem that minimizes a cost function across a subset of Ambisonics orders for a chosen Ambisonics order “N”. In a simple form, this cost function minimizes error across all orders (0<=n<=N), and additional weighting is applied to emphasize or de-emphasize particular orders. The cost functions and optimization criteria may be different for binaural and speaker outputs.

Abstract: Audio content coded for a reference speaker configuration is downmixed to downmix audio content coded for a specific speaker configuration. One or more gain adjustments are performed on individual portions of the downmix audio content coded for the specific speaker configuration. Loudness measurements are then performed on the individual portions of the downmix audio content. An audio signal that comprises the audio content coded for the reference speaker configuration and downmix loudness metadata is generated. The downmix loudness metadata is created based at least in part on the loudness measurements on the individual portions of the downmix audio content.

Abstract: A system for and a method of generating an audio image for use in rendering audio. The method comprises accessing an audio stream; accessing positional information, the positional information comprising a first position, a second position and a third position; and generating an audio image. In some embodiments, generating the audio image comprises generating, based on the audio stream, a first virtual wave front to be perceived by a listener as emanating from the first position; generating, based on the audio stream, a second virtual wave front to be perceived by the listener as emanating from the second position; and generating, based on the audio stream, a third virtual wave front to be perceived by the listener as emanating from the third position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for receiving data transmitted acoustically. The method includes receiving an acoustically transmitted signal encoding data; processing the received signal to minimise environmental interference within the received signal; and decoding the processed signal to extract the data. The data encoded within the signal using a sequence of tones. A method for encoding data for acoustic transmission is also disclosed. This method includes encoding data into an audio signal using a sequence of tones. The audio signal in this method is configured to minimise environmental interference. A system and software are also disclosed.

Abstract: Multichannel audio playback devices and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some examples, a first playback device is configured to receive a source stream of audio content comprising left, right and center input channels. In a first mode, the first playback device is configured to play back audio via a plurality of transducers based on the left, right, and center input channels. In a second mode, in which the first playback device is bonded to second and third playback devices, the first playback device is configured to (i) play back audio via the plurality of transducers based on at least the center input channel, (ii) cause audio to be played via the second playback device based on at least the right input channel, and (iii) cause audio to be played via the third playback device based on at least the left input channel.

Abstract: Provided is an acoustic signal encoding method capable of encoding an acoustic signal having a large number of channels at a sufficient bit rate. In this acoustic signal encoding method, the acoustic signal of a plurality of channels are encoded by executing encoding device. Firstly, the masking threshold corresponding to the spatial masking effect of hearing is calculated. Then, the amount of information for allocating the acoustic signal of the plurality of channels to each channel is determined by the calculated masking threshold. Then, the acoustic signal of the plurality of channels are encoded with the amount of information allocated to each. This makes it possible to encode the acoustic signal of the plurality of channels at a sufficient bit rate.

Abstract: Provided are a method for generating a haptic feedback signal, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The method includes: acquiring an initial haptic feedback signal; mapping an initial haptic feedback signal from a time domain to a frequency domain to obtain an initial spectrogram of the initial haptic feedback signal in the frequency domain; adjusting an amplitude value of a harmonic component of any frequency band in the initial spectrogram to obtain a target spectrogram; and mapping a signal corresponding to the target spectrogram from the frequency domain to the time domain to obtain a target haptic feedback signal. In the present application, a large number of haptic feedback signals with different haptic feedback effects may be obtained by adjusting the amplitude value of the harmonic component of any frequency band in the initial spectrogram, thereby effectively improving the richness of the haptic feedback signals.

Abstract: An apparatus configured to: determine at least one spatial audio parameter for providing spatial audio reproduction; determine at least one transport signal; determine at least one coherence parameter for at least two frequency bands, wherein a sound scene is configured to be reproduced based, at least partially, on the at least one transport signal, the at least one spatial audio parameter, and the at least one coherence parameter; and provide the at least one transport signal, the at least one spatial audio parameter, and the at least one coherence parameter for encoding.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for encoding an HOA signal representation (c(t)) of a sound field having an order of N and a number O=(N+1)2 of coefficient sequences to a mezzanine HOA signal representation (wMEZZ(t)). The present invention further relates to methods and apparatus for decoding a reconstructed HOA signal representation from the mezzanine HOA signal representation.

Abstract: A compensated deep neural network (compensated-DNN) is provided. A first vector having a set of components and a second vector having a set of corresponding components are received. A component of the first vector includes a first quantized value and a first compensation instruction, and a corresponding component of the second vector includes a second quantized value and a second compensation instruction. The first quantized value is multiplied with the second quantized value to compute a raw product value. The raw product value is compensated for a quantization error according to the first and second compensation instructions to produce a compensated product value. The compensated product value is added into an accumulated value for the dot product. The accumulated value is converted into an output vector of the dot product. The output vector includes an output quantized value and an output compensation instruction.

Abstract: A device includes a memory configured to store untransformed ambisonic coefficients at different time segments. The device includes one or more processors configured to obtain the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments, where the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments represent a soundfield at the different time segments. The one or more processors are configured to apply one adaptive network, based on a constraint that includes preservation of a spatial direction of one or more audio sources in the soundfield at the different time segments, to the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments to generate transformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments, wherein the transformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments represent a modified soundfield at the different time segments, that was modified based on the constraint.

Abstract: A device may receive, from a user device associated with a user and located at a location, a request to access a service, and may provide, based on the request, an authorization request to an authentication system. The device may receive an authorization code from the authentication system, and may request an access token from an authorization system. The device may receive the access token, and may request user information from the authorization system. The device may receive the user information, a first confidence score, and a second confidence score, and may perform a geofence analysis of the location to generate a third confidence score. The device may determine whether the request is genuine or fraudulent based on the user information, the first confidence score, the second confidence score, and the third confidence score, and may approve or deny the request based on whether the request is genuine or fraudulent.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising means configured to: generate spatial audio signal directional metadata parameters for a block of time-frequencies; generate encoded spatial audio signal directional metadata parameters (108) for a block of time-frequencies based on a first quantization resolution (203); compare a number of bits used for the encoded spatial audio signal directional parameters (108) for the block of time-frequencies based on the first quantization resolution against a determined number of bits; output or store the encoded spatial audio signal directional metadata parameters for a block of time-frequencies (108) based on a first quantization resolution when the number of bits used for the encoded spatial audio signal directional parameters for the block of time-frequencies (108) based on the first quantization resolution is less than a determined number of bits (217); generate encoded spatial audio signal directional metadata parameters (108) for the block of time-frequencies based on a second quantizati

Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting crossover frequencies for 2.1 speaker systems integrated into electronic displays are described. In an embodiment, an electronic display may include: a left speaker coupled to a left side of an enclosure, a right speaker coupled to a right side of the enclosure, and a subwoofer coupled to the left or right side of the enclosure. In another embodiment, a method may include: determining a position of an asymmetric subwoofer integrated into a display, and selecting a crossover frequency between the asymmetric subwoofer and a set of stereo speakers integrated into the display based, at least in part, upon the position.

Abstract: An audio encoding and decoding method and a related apparatus are provided. The audio encoding method includes: determining a channel combination scheme for a current frame; when the channel combination scheme for the current frame is different from a channel combination scheme for a previous frame, performing segmented time-domain downmix processing on left and right channel signals in the current frame based on the channel combination scheme for the current frame and the channel combination scheme for the previous frame, to obtain a primary channel signal and a secondary channel signal in the current frame; and encoding the obtained primary channel signal and secondary channel signal in the current frame.

Abstract: An audio decoding method includes obtaining an encoded bitstream; performing bitstream demultiplexing on the encoded bitstream, to obtain a high frequency band parameter of a current frame of an audio signal, wherein the high frequency band parameter indicates a location, a quantity, and an amplitude or energy of a tone component comprised in a high frequency band signal of the current frame; obtaining a reconstructed high frequency band signal of the current frame based on the high frequency band parameter; and obtaining an audio output signal of the current frame based on the reconstructed high frequency band signal of the current frame.

Abstract: This application discloses a downmixed signal calculation method and apparatus. The method includes: when a current frame or a previous frame of the current frame of a stereo signal is not a switching frame and a residual signal in the current frame or the previous frame does not need to be encoded, obtaining a second downmixed signal in the current frame and a downmix compensation factor of the current frame, correcting the second downmixed signal in the current frame based on the downmix compensation factor of the current frame, to obtain the first downmixed signal in the current frame and determining the first downmixed signal in the current frame as a downmixed signal in the current frame in a preset frequency band.

Abstract: Higher Order Ambisonics represents three-dimensional sound independent of a specific loudspeaker set-up. However, transmission of an HOA representation results in a very high bit rate. Therefore compression with a fixed number of channels is used, in which directional and ambient signal components are processed differently. For coding, portions of the original HOA representation are predicted from the directional signal components. This prediction provides side information which is required for a corresponding decoding. By using some additional specific purpose bits, a known side information coding processing is improved in that the required number of bits for coding that side information is reduced on average.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a sound field description from an input signal having at least two channels has: an input signal analyzer for obtaining direction data and diffuseness data from the input signal; an estimator for estimating a first energy- or amplitude-related measure for an omnidirectional component derived from the input signal and for estimating a second energy- or amplitude-related measure for a directional component derived from the input signal, and a sound component generator for generating sound field components of the sound field, wherein the sound component generator is configured to perform an energy compensation of the directional component using the first energy- or amplitude-related measure, the second energy- or amplitude-related measure, the direction data and the diffuseness data.

Abstract: A method for performing DRC on a HOA signal comprises transforming the HOA signal to the spatial domain, analyzing the transformed HOA signal, and obtaining, from results of said analyzing, gain factors that are usable for dynamic compression. The gain factors can be transmitted together with the HOA signal. When applying the DRC, the HOA signal is transformed to the spatial domain, the gain factors are extracted and multiplied with the transformed HOA signal in the spatial domain, wherein a gain compensated transformed HOA signal is obtained. The gain compensated transformed HOA signal is transformed back into the HOA domain, wherein a gain compensated HOA signal is obtained. The DRC may be applied in the QMF-filter bank domain.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a sensor to sense real world information; a digitizer coupled to the sensor to digitize the real world information into digitized information; a signal processor coupled to the digitizer to process the digitized information into a spectrogram; a neural engine coupled to the signal processor, the neural engine comprising an autoencoder to compress the spectrogram into a compressed spectrogram; and a wireless circuit coupled to the neural engine to send the compressed spectrogram to a remote destination, to enable the remote destination to process the compressed spectrogram.

Abstract: A schematic block diagram of an audio encoder for encoding a multichannel audio signal is shown. The audio encoder includes a linear prediction domain encoder, a frequency domain encoder, and a controller for switching between the linear prediction domain encoder and the frequency domain encoder. The controller is configured such that a portion of the multichannel signal is represented either by an encoded frame of the linear prediction domain encoder or by an encoded frame of the frequency domain encoder. The linear prediction domain encoder includes a downmixer for downmixing the multichannel signal to obtain a downmixed signal. The linear prediction domain encoder further includes a linear prediction domain core encoder for encoding the downmix signal and furthermore, the linear prediction domain encoder includes a first joint multichannel encoder for generating first multichannel information from the multichannel signal.

Abstract: Diffuse or spatially large audio objects may be identified for special processing. A decorrelation process may be performed on audio signals corresponding to the large audio objects to produce decorrelated large audio object audio signals. These decorrelated large audio object audio signals may be associated with object locations, which may be stationary or time-varying locations. For example, the decorrelated large audio object audio signals may be rendered to virtual or actual speaker locations. The output of such a rendering process may be input to a scene simplification process. The decorrelation, associating and/or scene simplification processes may be performed prior to a process of encoding the audio data.

Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an encoded multichannel signal of a current frame to obtain three or more current audio output channels is provided. A multichannel processor is adapted to select two decoded channels from three or more decoded channels depending on first multichannel parameters. Moreover, the multichannel processor is adapted to generate a first group of two or more processed channels based on the selected channels. A noise filling module is adapted to identify for at least one of the selected channels, one or more frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, and to generate a mixing channel using, depending on side information, a proper subset of three or more previous audio output channels that have been decoded, and to fill the spectral lines of frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, with noise generated using spectral lines of the mixing channel.

Abstract: A first device obtains, from the array, several audio signals and processes the audio signals to produce a speech signal and one or more ambient signals. The first device processes the ambient signals to produce a sound-object sonic descriptor that has metadata describing a sound object within an acoustic environment. The first device transmits, over a communication data link, the speech signal and the descriptor to a second electronic device that is configured to spatially reproduce the sound object using the descriptor mixed with the speech signal, to produce several mixed signals to drive several speakers.

Abstract: A method for compressing a HOA signal being an input HOA representation with input time frames (C(k)) of HOA coefficient sequences comprises spatial HOA encoding of the input time frames and subsequent perceptual encoding and source encoding. Each input time frame is decomposed (802) into a frame of predominant sound signals (XPS(k?1)) and a frame of an ambient HOA component ({tilde over (C)}AMB(k?1)). The ambient HOA component ({tilde over (C)}AMB(k?1)) comprises, in a layered mode, first HOA coefficient sequences of the input HOA representation (cn(k?1)) in lower positions and second HOA coefficient sequences (cAMB,n(k?1)) in remaining higher positions. The second HOA coefficient sequences are part of an HOA representation of a residual between the input HOA representation and the HOA representation of the predominant sound signals.

Abstract: A spectrum encoding method includes selecting an important spectral component in band units for a normalized spectrum and encoding information of the selected important spectral component for a band, based on a number, a position, a magnitude and a sign thereof. A spectrum decoding method includes obtaining from a bitstream, information about an important spectral component for a band of an encoded spectrum and decoding the obtained information of the important spectral component, based on a number, a position, a magnitude and a sign of the important spectral component.

Abstract: The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals, which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme.

Abstract: A device includes a memory configured to store untransformed ambisonic coefficients at different time segments. The device also includes one or more processors configured to obtain the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments, where the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments represent a soundfield at the different time segments. The one or more processors are also configured to apply one adaptive network, based on a constraint, to the untransformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments to generate transformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments, wherein the transformed ambisonic coefficients at the different time segments represent a modified soundfield at the different time segments, that was modified based on the constraint.

Abstract: The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals, which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme.

Abstract: The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals, which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme.

Abstract: The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals, which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme.

Abstract: The present technology relates to an encoding device and method, a decoding device and method, and a program, which are adapted to be capable of improving convenience. The decoding device is provided with: a decoding unit that decodes audio data including an object audio, the audio data being included in an encoded bit stream, and reads metadata of the object audio from an area in which arbitrary data of the encoded bit stream can be stored; and an output unit that outputs the decoded audio data on the basis of the metadata. The present technology can be applied to the decoding device.

Abstract: An audio output apparatus is disclosed. The audio output apparatus that outputs a multi-channel audio signal through a plurality of speakers disposed at different locations, the audio output apparatus includes an input interface, and a processor configured to, based on the multi-channel audio signal input through the inputter being received, obtain scene information on a type of audio included in the multi-channel audio signal and sound image angle information about an angle formed by sound image of the type of audio included in the multi-channel audio signal based on a virtual user, and generate an output signal to be output through the plurality of speakers from the multi-channel audio signal based on the obtained scene information and sound image angle information, wherein the type of audio includes at least one of sound effect, shouting sound, music, and voice, and a number of the plurality of speakers is equal to or greater than a number of channels of the multi-channel audio signal.

Abstract: An audio system includes an equatorial acoustic sensor array (EASA) that may be coupled to an object. The audio system is configured to detect, via the EASA, signals corresponding to a portion of a sound field in a local area. The detected signals are converted into a plurality of corresponding abstract representations that describe the portion of the sound field. Effects of scattering of the object are removed from the abstract representations to create adjusted abstract representations. A set of spherical harmonic (SH) coefficients is determined using the adjusted abstract representations. The set of SH coefficients describe an entirety of the sound field. And the set of SH coefficients and head related transfer functions of a user are used for binaural rendering of the reconstructed sound field to the user.

Abstract: Audio content coded for a reference speaker configuration is downmixed to downmix audio content coded for a specific speaker configuration. One or more gain adjustments are performed on individual portions of the downmix audio content coded for the specific speaker configuration. Loudness measurements are then performed on the individual portions of the downmix audio content. An audio signal that comprises the audio content coded for the reference speaker configuration and downmix loudness metadata is generated. The downmix loudness metadata is created based at least in part on the loudness measurements on the individual portions of the downmix audio content.

Abstract: In a stereo encoding method, a channel combination encoding solution of a current frame is first obtained, and then a quantized channel combination ratio factor of the current frame and an encoding index of the quantized channel combination ratio factor are obtained based on the obtained channel combination encoding solution, so that an obtained primary channel signal and secondary channel signal of the current frame meet a characteristic of the current frame.

Abstract: The invention refers to audio encoders, audio decoders, and audio encoding methods and audio decoding methods. In some examples, the invention refers to improved stereo coding. An encoder provides an encoded representation of an audio signal. The encoder applies a spectral whitening to a separate-channel representation of the input audio signal, to obtain a whitened separate-channel representation of the signal. The audio encoder applies a spectral whitening to a mid-side representation of the signal, to obtain a whitened mid-side representation of the signal. The audio encoder decides whether to encode the whitened separate-channel representation of the signal, to obtain the encoded representation of the signal, or to encode the whitened mid-side representation of the signal, to obtain the encoded representation of the signal.

Abstract: A display apparatus and a method for processing audio are provided, the display apparatus includes a circuit board provided with a hybrid circuit, a filter circuit and a speaker; the hybrid circuit is configured to receive an original audio signal and superpose a first sub-signal of the original audio signal on a second sub-signal of the original audio signal to obtain a hybrid audio signal; the first sub-signal includes at least one channel of audio signal, the second sub-signal includes at least two channels of audio signal; the filter circuit is configured to filter the hybrid audio signal according to a frequency characteristic of the first sub-signal and the second sub-signal to obtain a restored original audio signal; and the speaker, connected with the filter circuit, is configured to output the restored original audio signal.

Abstract: A system for producing an encoded digital audio recording has an audio encoder that encodes a digital audio recording having a number of audio channels or audio objects. An equalization (EQ) value generator produces a sequence of EQ values which define EQ filtering that is to be applied when decoding the encoded digital audio recording, wherein the EQ filtering is to be applied to a group of one or more of the audio channels or audio objects of the recording independent of any downmix. A bitstream multiplexer combines the encoded digital audio recording with the sequence of EQ values, the latter as metadata associated with the encoded digital audio recording. Other embodiments are also described including a system for decoding the encoded audio recording.

Abstract: The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals, which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme.

Abstract: Higher Order Ambisonics represents three-dimensional sound independent of a specific loudspeaker set-up. However, transmission of an HOA representation results in a very high bit rate. Therefore compression with a fixed number of channels is used, in which directional and ambient signal components are processed differently. For coding, portions of the original HOA representation are predicted from the directional signal components. This prediction provides side information which is required for a corresponding decoding. By using some additional specific purpose bits, a known side information coding processing is improved in that the required number of bits for coding that side information is reduced on average.

Abstract: An audio signal processor for providing ambient signal channels on the basis of an input audio signal, is configured to extract an ambient signal on the basis of the input audio signal. The signal processor is configured to distribute the ambient signal to a plurality of ambient signal channels in dependence on positions or directions of sound sources within the input audio signal, wherein a number of ambient signal channels is larger than a number of channels of the input audio signal.

Abstract: A method for processing a sound signal including synchronously acquiring an input sound signal Sinput by means of at least two omnidirectional microphones, encoding the input sound signal Sentréeinput in a sound data D format of the ambisonics type of order R, R being a natural number greater than or equal to one, the encoding step including a directivity optimisation sub-step carried out by means of filters of the Finite Impulse Response filter type. Each of the signals acquired by the microphones is filtered during the directivity optimisation sub-step by a FIR filter, then subtracted from an unfiltered version of each of the other signals in order to obtain N enhanced signals. The present invention also relates to a system for processing the sound signal.

Abstract: A multi-channel decorrelator for providing a plurality of decorrelated signals on the basis of a plurality of decorrelator input signals is configured to premix a first set of N decorrelator input signals into a second set of K decorrelator input signals, wherein K<N. The multi-channel decorrelator is configured to provide a first set of K? decorrelator output signals on the basis of the second set of K decorrelator input signals. The multi-channel decorrelator is further configured to upmix the first set of K? decorrelator output signals into a second set of N? decorrelator output signals, wherein N?>K?. The multi-channel decorrelator can be used in a multi-channel audio decoder. A multi-channel audio encoder provides complexity control information for the multi-channel decorrelator.

Abstract: Higher Order Ambisonics represents three-dimensional sound independent of a specific loudspeaker set-up. However, transmission of an HOA representation results in a very high bit rate. Therefore compression with a fixed number of channels is used, in which directional and ambient signal components are processed differently. For coding, portions of the original HOA representation are predicted from the directional signal components. This prediction provides side information which is required for a corresponding decoding. By using some additional specific purpose bits, a known side information coding processing is improved in that the required number of bits for coding that side information is reduced on average.