Abstract: Systems, devices and methods for analyzing music and other content are provided. In some embodiments, music libraries may be searched by using one or more songs, portions of songs or other segments of music as the search key. Other types of audio and video files may also be searched using similar devices and methods. In other embodiments, a musician or vocalist who sounds similar to another musician or vocalist may be identified. Similarity scores may be generated for music and/or other content that indicate the likelihood that they will be perceived as similar or dissimilar.

Abstract: An information processing device and method for prediction of a film's success-quotient is provided. The information processing device receives a film script for a film for production, identifies a plurality of scenes in the film script based on a textual analysis of the film script, and computes a first score for each scene of the film script based on genre information for plurality of scenes. The information processing device further identifies a list of characters in the film script, selects an actor for roleplay of each character of the list of characters and computes a second score that indicates a suitability of the selected actor for the roleplay. The second score is computed based on a machine learning model that is trained on datapoints of a historical film database. The information processing device predicts the success-quotient for the film based on the computed first score and the computed second score.

Abstract: A media system includes: media-playback device including: a media-output device that plays media content items; and a tempo control engine configured to: receive a selection of a desired tempo; and suggest additional media content associated with the desired tempo.

Abstract: Music data memory includes pieces of music within a group and other pieces of music outside the group. The next piece to be played is automatically determined by random table among pieces within the group. Favorite or newest piece is weighted to be more frequently played in the group. Piece in music data memory is automatically included into the group by random table. Newly downloaded piece into music data memory is included into the group by priority. Most frequently played piece is excluded from the group in place of newly included piece. Favorite or newest piece may be an exception of exclusion. Next piece is capable of being played in tempo similar to that of preceding piece by means of tempo-adjusted or piece replacement or repetition of the same piece for the purpose of continued baby cradling in synchronism with the same tempo of succeeding pieces.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses disclose various embodiments of time-domain signal generation. In one embodiment a method includes receiving an input waveform having a plurality of cycles with aspects of the input waveform being input and controllable by an end-user. A set of transform coefficients is calculated for at least some of the cycles using at least one hardware-based processor. A time-domain cycle is calculated for each set of transform coefficients. Other methods and apparatuses are disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and playing a sequence of media objects based on a mood gradient are also disclosed. A mood gradient is a sequence of items, in which each item is media object having known characteristics or a representative set of characteristics of a media object, that is created or used by a user for a specific purpose. Given a mood gradient, one or more new media objects are selected for each item in the mood gradient based on the characteristics associated with that item. In this way, a sequence of new media objects is created but the sequence exhibits a similar variation in media object characteristics. The mood gradient may be presented to a user or created via a display illustrating a three-dimensional space in which each dimension corresponds to a different characteristic. The mood gradient may be represented as a path through the three-dimensional space and icons representing media objects are located within the three-dimensional space based on their characteristics.

Abstract: A system and method for distributing playable content and for recommending playable content to a user where the recommendations are generated at a wide area network content server considering information extracted from one or more playback devices of the user by means of an intelligent agent resident on a processing device. The intelligent agent functions to scan the memory devices associated with the processing device and/or other devices in communication with the processing device for the purpose of determining what playable content is resident on the memory devices so scanned. Data related to the playable content uncovered during a scan is uploaded to the wide area network content server where the data is usable by a recommendation engine to make more informed recommendations for that user.

Abstract: A beat analysis module is described for determining beat information associated with an audio item. The beat analysis module uses an Expectation-Maximization (EM) approach to determine an average beat period, where correlation is performed over diverse representations of the audio item. The beat analysis module can determine the beat information in a relative short period of time. As such, the beat analysis module can perform its analysis together with another application task (such as a game application task) without disrupting the real time performance of that application task. In one application, a user may select his or her own audio items to be used in conjunction with the application task.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence video analysis recommendation system and method is provided that allows video viewers to discover new videos and video producers to evaluate the potential success of a new project as well as to understand the perceptual factors beneath audience ratings. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of video in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of video, and then recommends pieces of video to a user depending upon their video preferences. An embodiment enables a user to evaluate a new video's similarity to videos already established as commercially valuable.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences. Once the song files have been analyzed and mapped, this system uses four layers, metaphorically equivalent to the human immune system, to provide music recommendation.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for relative pitch tracking of multiple arbitrary sounds. A probabilistic method for pitch tracking may be implemented as or in a pitch tracking module. A constant-Q transform of an input signal may be decomposed to estimate one or more kernel distributions and one or more impulse distributions. Each kernel distribution represents a spectrum of a particular source, and each impulse distribution represents a relative pitch track for a particular source. The decomposition of the constant-Q transform may be performed according to shift-invariant probabilistic latent component analysis, and may include applying an expectation maximization algorithm to estimate the kernel distributions and the impulse distributions. When decomposing, a prior, e.g. a sliding-Gaussian Dirichlet prior or an entropic prior, and/or a temporal continuity constraint may be imposed on each impulse distribution.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence video analysis recommendation system and method is provided that allows video viewers to discover new videos and video producers to evaluate the potential success of a new project as well as to understand the perceptual factors beneath audience ratings. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of video in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of video, and then recommends pieces of video to a user depending upon their video preferences. An embodiment enables a user to evaluate a new video's similarity to videos already established as commercially valuable.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences.

Abstract: A method of sound-object oriented analysis and of note-object oriented processing a polyphonic digitized sound recording present in the form of a time signal F(A, t) includes the following analytical and processing steps: portion-wise readouts of the time signal F(A, t) using a window function and overlapping windows; Fourier-transforming the readout signal into frequency space, in particular by applying a discrete Fourier transform; calculating an energy value E at each bin from the frequency amplitude resulting from the Fourier transformation, in particular by squaring the real and imaginary parts or forming energy values derived from them; generating a function F(t, f, E); identifying event objects; identifying event objects; identifying note objects; comparing the temporal occurrence of event objects and note objects and associating event objects to note objects in the case of plausible time occurrences; calculating spectral proportion factors for each note object.

Abstract: The apparatus for converting an information signal from a time to a variable spectral representation includes a means for windowing the information signal, a means for converting the windowed information signal to a spectral representation, and a means for weighting a set of information signal spectral coefficients with several sets of complex base function coefficients provided from a means for providing the sets of base function coefficients. The sets of base function coefficients are derived from base functions of various frequencies by windowing and transform, wherein several sets of base function coefficients are provided for one and the same base function for base functions of higher frequencies, wherein the windows for providing these sets are related to various time portions of the base function. The variable spectral representation exhibits variable bandwidth of the variable spectral coefficients, which are efficient and accurate to calculate and especially suited for music analysis purposes.

Abstract: Methods, system and/or computer program products for detection of a note include receiving an audio signal and generating a plurality of frequency domain representations of the audio signal over time. A time domain representation is generated from the plurality of frequency domain representations. A plurality of edges are detected in the time domain representation and the note is detected by selecting one of the plurality of edges as corresponding to the note based on characteristics of the time domain representation.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences.

Abstract: The component tone signal commonly shared by a plurality of keys does not turn to a release signal if one of the keys is released to stop a tone and also while tones of other keys are sustained; the on-data of each key of the keyboard is multiplied in multiplier by the amplitude data set by the draw-bar circuit with the multipliers, added with adder and sent to the sound source circuit; the sine waves of the same waveform and different cycles are generated according to the amplitude data, are synthesized with envelopes from envelope generator, and the added with adder; this envelope generator is disposed at every sound source circuit, that is, every one of the common component tone signals; the component tone signal/sine wave commonly shared by a plurality of keys does not turn to direct to a release state if one of the keys is operated to stop a tone, and also directs not to turn to a release state but to maintain a sustain state while tones of the other keys are sustained.

Abstract: Methods, system and/or computer program products for detection of a note include receiving an audio signal and generating a plurality of frequency domain representations of the audio signal over time. A time domain representation is generated from the plurality of frequency domain representations. A plurality of edges are detected in the time domain representation and the note is detected by selecting one of the plurality of edges as corresponding to the note based on characteristics of the time domain representation.

Abstract: Methods, system and/or computer program products for detection of a note include receiving an audio signal and generating a plurality of frequency domain representations of the audio signal over time. A time domain representation is generated from the plurality of frequency domain representations. A plurality of edges are detected in the time domain representation and the note is detected by selecting one of the plurality of edges as corresponding to the note based on characteristics of the time domain representation.

Abstract: A device for digitally producing signals representative of sounds having a sonority simulating that of an instrument with keyboard and strings that are linked to a sounding board of the instrument, these sounds each corresponding to a note of the instrument. The device produces at least one signal representative of a keyboard and stringed instrument sound on the basis of at least one trigger signal and parameters, termed physical parameters. The physical parameters include at least one parameter, the so-called sounding-board parameter, characteristic of a sounding board of a keyboard and stringed instrument to be simulated. Furthermore, the physical parameters according to the invention comprise at least one parameter, termed the string(s) parameter, characteristic of at least one string of the keyboard and stringed instrument to be simulated. The device includes elements (9, 10, 11, 33) for inputting at least one physical parameter.

Abstract: Systems (100 or 300) and methods (400 or 500) are provided for selecting a post-compression waveform from a post-compression waveform table (106) and supplying it to a synthesis engine (108). The post-compression waveform is based upon a set of post-compression coefficients determined by generating a frequency-domain representation of a periodic signal, the representation including at least one pre-compression frequency-domain sample (204), and performing a threshold-based compression of the pre-compression frequency-domain samples. Systems and methods also include indexing and storing (502) post-compression coefficients in a post-compression coefficient table (102), generating (506) a post-compression waveform based upon the set of post-compression coefficients, and placing (508) the post-compression waveform in the table prior to the selecting (510).

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences. An embodiment enables a user to evaluate a new song's similarity to songs already established as commercially valuable.

Abstract: A touch curve memory 110 stores therein a touch curve formed by velocity values corresponding to touch data generated by a keyboard device 20. A correction coefficient generator 10 generates a correction coefficient composed of a ratio of one of the velocity values stored in the touch curve memory corresponding to one of the touch data generated by the keyboard device, in a maximum touch memory mode switched by a mode switch 21 (SW1), to a maximum value of the velocity values in the touch curve memory. A corrector 10 multiplies the correction coefficient generated by the correction coefficient generator by the respective velocity values stored in the touch curve memory, and then generates a touch curve formed by new velocity values. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a touch control apparatus and a touch control method which can obtain a touch curve, from which a touch response suitable for a user can be obtained, easily and in a short time.

Abstract: Methods for identifying the harmonic content of a single signal contained within a more complex signal and subsequently processing or separating signals contained within a complex mixture of signals into their constituent parts. Also, a single signal may be selectively separated or removed from the more complex audio signal. Furthermore, it may be desired to affect or modify the volume, clarity, timbre, color, feel, understandability (e.g. vowel and consonant sounds), the punch or clarity of the attack phase of a note or of a sequence (sometimes rhythmic) of individual notes or sounds in a complex combination of sounds of differing frequencies, volumes, and time sequence patterns. Multiple methods are described herein to allow the identification of signals within an audio signal that contains multiple or mixed signals, such as an audio signal containing a mixture of several musical instruments and/or voices.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for determining an optimal piano hammer felt voicing technique for voicing an unvoiced tone in a piano so as to achieve a predetermined standard of tonal quality associated with a given voiced tone using a computer program. The method comprises a) creating a library comprising at least two records wherein each record comprises a transfer function and a voicing technique wherein said transfer function mathematically expresses the effect upon tonal quality of said voicing technique; b) determining the harmonic profile for each of said unvoiced and voiced tones; c) identifying the record in said library that contains the transfer function that is most similar to the voiced transfer function that would be calculated from the harmonic profiles of said unvoiced and voiced tones; and d) disclosing the voicing technique that is contained in said identified record.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence song/music recommendation system and method is provided that allows music shoppers to discover new music. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of music in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of music, and then recommends pieces of music to a user depending upon their music preferences. An embodiment enables a user to evaluate a new song's similarity to songs already established as commercially valuable.

Abstract: A method for measuring the similarity between the beat spectra of two or more audio works. A distance formula is used to measure the similarity by rhythm and tempo between shortened beat spectra B1(L) and B2(L). The result is a vector which measures the similarity of rhythm and tempo. A distance formula is used to measure the rhythmic similarity between the scaled beat spectra B1(L) and B2(L). The result is a measure of rhythmically similar music regardless of the tempo. The method can be used in a wide variety of applications, including concatenating music with similar tempos, automatic music sequencing, classification of music into genres, search for music with similar rhythmic structures, search for music with similar rhythmic and tempo structures, and ranking music according to a similarity measure.

Abstract: There are provided a power line spectrum extractor for extracting power line spectra of a waveform to be processed; a level interpolation controller for performing level interpolation control on the power line spectra at every unit of a certain frequency, which is not higher than half a sampling frequency; and a cepstrum analyzer for performing Fast Fourier Transformation on the power spectra subjected to the level interpolation control and performing Inverse Fast Fourier Transformation on values found by performing level setting with a specified coefficient.

Abstract: Arbitrary input sounds are analyzed and the coefficients of a low-dimensional representation, such as LPC or MFCC, are determined as a measure of the timbre of the sounds. The coefficients can be employed in different ways to control output events, such as the generation of synthesized sounds. In one approach, the individual coefficients are mapped to the control parameters of a sound synthesizer, to enable highly complex output sounds to be generated in response to simple input sounds. In another approach, pattern recognition techniques are employed with respect to the coefficients, to classify the input sounds. Each classification is mapped to a control parameter, to cause different events to occur in response to the respective input sounds. In one example, the sounds of different musical instruments are generated in dependence upon the classification of the input sounds. These analysis techniques have low latency, and thereby allow events to be controlled without perceptible delay.

Abstract: An improved method for forming a timbre sample (Q sample) is described. A first Q sample is extracted. A fixed length of the first Q sample is extracted to form a first QL. A portion of the first Q sample other than the first QL is treated as a first pre-waveform. A last portion of the first pre-waveform is extracted and is processed with the second Q sample by a first COS modulation so as to obtain a second QL, which is connected to the first pre-waveform to form a second Q sample. A first period waveform of the second QL and a last portion of the first pre-waveform are processed by a second COS modulation to form a single period QL. Repeating the single period QL forms a third QL. Connecting the third QL to the first pre-waveform forms a third Q sample. The second QL is transformed by a digital Fourier transformation, and its high frequency modes are removed. The transformed second QL is inversely transformed back by an inverse digital Fourier transformation to form a fourth QL.

Abstract: A method for automatically adjusting the parameters of a synthesizer includes generating a first synthesized signal based on an initial set of synthesizer parameters, comparing the first synthesized signal to an input sound signal, and generating a control signal for adjusting a subset of parameters of the synthesizer to minimize the differences between the first synthesized signal and the input sound signal. These steps may be iteratively performed for a predetermined number of additional subsets of synthesizer parameters, until a final output of the synthesizer is obtained which represents an optimization of the synthesis of the input sound signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a tone (e.g. for music) without use of a waveform memory and using a feedback loop. The feedback loop includes a waveform generator which calculates, in real time, a parabolic approximation to a sine wave. The feedback loop includes a delay phase differencer to eliminate hunting. The output waveform from the feedback loop is provided to a sine function generator which approximates a sine value using a third order polynomial, to provide the output tone.

Abstract: A digital sampling instrument for multi-channel interpolatative playback of digital audio data stored in a waveform memory provides improved interpolation of musical sounds by use of a cache memory. The present invention includes a plurality of interpolator circuits utilizing a single waveform memory where each of the interpolator circuits produces a unique bus request signal which is responsive to a unique bus acknowledge signal to determine which of the interpolator circuits has control of the waveform memory at any given waveform memory cycle.

Abstract: A single signal processor performs a pitch process which produces musical sound waveform data having a frequency corresponding to received pitch data, a filtering process for filtering the generated musical sound waveform data, and an amplitude process which controls the amplitude of a musical sound generated on the basis of the filtered musical sound waveform data in order to produce a musical sound. It simultaneously performs outputting the produced musical sound waveform data to a plurality of output terminals and an effect process which imparts an effect to the musical sound data. The signal processor outputs at least one of musical sound waveform data to which the effect is imparted and musical sound waveform data to which no effects are imparted, using at least one of an external and an internal effect circuit to thereby impart a variety of effects to the resulting musical sound.

Abstract: A technique for digitally processing a counterpart of a musical sound first transforms a set of time-domain samples of the sound into frequency-domain counterparts and then gradually coerces the frequency-domain counterparts into integer multiples of a fundamental frequency of the sound.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for the dynamic control of a MIDI synthesizer filter. A digital filter controlled by a plurality of filter coefficients is preferably coupled to the output of an excitation signal source within a MIDI synthesizer. The excitation signal source is typically controlled by a MIDI data file comprising a sequential series of program control commands and matching note on and note off commands. A plurality of filter coefficient factors are stored in memory and periodically accessed in response to variations in the program control commands and matching note on and note off commands. The selected filter coefficient factors are then utilized to calculate appropriate filter coefficients so that the center frequency and filter Q of the digital filter may be dynamically and optimally controlled.

Abstract: A digital sampling instrument for multi-channel interpolative playback of digital audio data stored in a waveform memory provides improved interpolation of musical sounds by using seven or eight surrounding points. The present invention may be efficiently implemented in a single VLSI circuit of low cost. The present invention allows a high channel count, providing many musical notes which can be played simultaneously, allowing them to be conveniently enveloped and mixed for performance in mono or stereo. The present invention allows timbral changes to the notes being played providing a musician with musical responsiveness. Also, the present invention accesses a waveform memory in an enhanced manner to allow improved performance parity between computational units and memory. Also, the present invention includes techniques which dramatically reduce the amount of memory required to store the musical waveforms while still maintaining adequate bandwidth and fidelity in the output.

Abstract: A tone visualizing apparatus for visualizing an inputted audio signal to thereby display an image corresponding to this audio signal includes at least a detector, image display (such as a CRT display unit) and display controller. The detector detects characteristics of the audio signal such as envelope, chord, spectrum signal components, number of zero-cross points and energy of the audio signal. The image display displays an image based on given image information which can be generated from a video tape recorder (VTR), a video disk unit or an image memory constituted by a semiconductor memory. The display controller controls the image display so that a display parameter of the image will be controlled based on the detected characteristics of the audio signal. For example, the display parameter can be set as size, brightness or colors of the image. Thus, the image is controlled so that the impression of the image will be matched with that of the audio tone.

Abstract: A method of scaling a harmonic coefficient is employed, and envelope smaller in number than the number of harmonic orders are produced. One of the envelope is selected for each harmonic order and output as a scaling value. This enables the production of a musical tone imitative of a desired one, decreases the number of envelope generators needed, and permits simplification of the entire system configuration and signal processing.

Abstract: A parameter generation circuit sequentially generates different tone forming parameters by timewise changing them in a predetermined sequence. A sequence control circuit performs a control so as to repeat the sequential generation of the different tone forming parameters in the parameter generation circuit. The sequentially generated tone forming parameters are applied to a tone forming circuit in which a tone signal having tone color characteristics based on these tone forming parameters is formed. The tone color characteristics of the tone signal formed undergo timewise change due to the timewise change in the tone forming parameters. By repeating the sequential generation sequence of the tone forming parameters, an adequate tone color variation can be realized notwithstanding that a relatively small number of tone forming parameters may be used.