Audio authoring and compositing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10269387-B2
Application number	US-201615283133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an audio authoring method that provide a set authoring tools for specifying rules for combining sections of a first song to generate a second song. The set of authoring tools allow an array of cells to be arranged in first and second directions, and allow each body section to be associated with one set of cells that are arranged in the first direction and another set of cells that are arranged in the second direction. At each cell that belongs to one set of cells arranged in the first direction for a first body section and another set of cells arranged in the second direction for a second body section, the set of tools also allow the user to specify whether the second body section is allowed to follow the first body section. Some embodiments provide a method for compositing audio. The method receives (1) several song sections, and (2) for each particular song section, a priority value and a set of succession rules that identify a set of song sections that cannot follow the particular song section. Based on the priority values, the method adds the song sections to the first song until a desired first-song duration is reached without exceeding the duration or until all song sections have been examined for adding to the first song. The method then analyzes a sequence of song sections in the first song to remove any song section that violates a succession rule.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for automatically compositing a first song, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of song sections,
receiving, for each particular song section of the plurality of song sections, a priority value and a set of succession rules that identify a set of song sections from the plurality of song sections that cannot follow the particular song section, wherein the priority value indicates a desirability of including the particular song section in the first song in relation to other song sections;
adding the song sections together based on the priority values to form combined song sections that have a length that approximates and does not exceed a desired first-song duration; and
in an iterative process until the length of the combined song sections approximates and does not exceed the desired first-song duration and no succession rules are violated:
analyzing a sequence of song sections in the combined song sections to determine violations of the set of succession rules;
removing a lower priority song section from each pair of neighboring song sections that violate a succession rule of the set of succession rules, wherein the first song comprises the remaining combined song sections; and
adding one or more additional song sections to the sequence of song sections that do not violate the set of succession rules.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-inserting a removed lower-priority song section into the sequence of song sections at a different position that does not violate the set of succession rules.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
adding at least one end section to the first song after all other song sections; and
in response to a determination that the length of the combined song sections does not exceed or equal the desired first song duration after addition of the at least one end section, adding an introductory section to the first song prior to all other song sections.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying any song section that is divisible into smaller sections based on an identifier that indicates divisible song sections received with the plurality of song sections;
based on the priority values, adding identified smaller song sections to the combined song sections until the desired first-song duration is reached without exceeding the desired first-song duration, or until all identified smaller song sections have been examined for adding to the combined song sections.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
after adding the identified smaller song sections, analyzing the sequence of song sections to remove any song section that violates a succession rule.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of song sections are body sections, and wherein the desired first-song duration is a first desired duration, the method further comprising:
receiving a second desired duration; and
generating the first desired duration by subtracting a duration for a predetermined end section from the second desired duration.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
adding at least one end section to the first song as a section after all body sections of the first song; and
in response to a determination that the first song does not exceed the second duration after addition of the at least one end section, adding an introductory section to the first song prior to all of the body sections of the first song.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the song sections comprises adding transitions between at least one newly added song section and a previously added song section.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of song sections are all sections of a complete second song, and wherein the first song is distinct from the second song.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein for at least one specific song section, the set of succession rules does not identify any song section that cannot follow the at least one specific song section.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of a computing device composites a first song, the program comprising sets of instructions for:
receiving a plurality of song sections;
receiving, for each particular song section of the plurality of song sections, a priority value and a set of succession rules that identify a set of song sections from the plurality of song sections that cannot follow the particular song section, wherein the priority value indicates a desirability of including the particular song section in the first song in relation to other song sections;
adding the song sections together based on the priority values to form combined song sections that have a length that approximates and does not exceed a desired first-song duration; and
in an iterative process until the length of the combined song sections approximates and does not exceed the desired first-song duration and no succession rules are violated:
analyzing a sequence of song sections in the combined song sections to determine violations of the set of succession rules;
removing a lower priority song section from each pair of neighboring song sections that violate a succession rule of the set of succession rules, wherein the first song comprises the remaining combined song sections; and
adding one or more additional song sections to the sequence of song sections that do not violate the set of succession rules.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for re-inserting a removed lower-priority song section into the sequence of song sections at a different position that does not violate the set of succession rules.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for:
adding at least one end section to the first song after all other song sections; and
in response to a determination that the length of the combined song sections does not exceed or equal the desired first song duration after addition of the at least one end section, adding an introductory section to the first song prior to all other song sections.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:
identifying any song section that is divisible into smaller sections based on an identifier that indicates divisible song sections received with the plurality of song sections; and
based on the priority values, adding identified smaller song sections to the combined song sections until the desired first-song duration is reached without exceeding the desired first-song duration, or until all identified smaller song sections have been examined for adding to the combined song sections.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for analyzing, after adding the identified smaller song sections, the sequence of song sections to remove any song section that violates a succession rule.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of song sections are body sections, wherein the desired first-song duration is a first desired duration, and wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:
receiving a second desired duration; and
generating the first desired duration by subtracting a duration for a predetermined end section from the second desired duration.

17. The non-transitory machine

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Richardson Conner Stuart
• Eppolito Aaron M
• Smith Zachary H
• Conry David

Classifications

• G06F16/487

  using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location · CPC title

• G06F17/30017

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04N21/8549

  Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer {(retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739)} · CPC title

• G10H2220/091

  Graphical user interface [GUI] specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. interactive musical displays, musical instrument icons or menus; Details of user interactions therewith · CPC title

• G06F17/30056

  Physics · mapped topic