Methods and apparatuses for audio mixing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9351069-B1
Application number	US-201313927636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

An example system may include a first mixer module configured to receive a latency-tolerant audio signal, buffer the latency-tolerant audio signal for a first duration, and process the latency-tolerant audio signal. The system may also include a second mixer module configured to receive the processed latency-tolerant audio signal from the first mixer module. The second mixer may also be configured to receive a latency-sensitive audio signal, where the latency-sensitive audio signal is shorter in duration than the latency-tolerant audio signal, and where the latency-sensitive audio signal corresponds to a user input. The second mixer may also be configured to buffer the latency-sensitive audio signal for a second duration, where the second duration is shorter than the first duration. The second mixer may also be configured to process the latency-sensitive audio signal, and combine the processed latency-tolerant audio signal and the processed latency-sensitive audio signal to create a combined signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
a memory module;
a first mixer module configured to:
receive a latency-tolerant audio signal; and
buffer the latency-tolerant audio signal for a first duration; and

a second mixer module configured to:
receive the latency-tolerant audio signal from the first mixer module;
receive a latency-sensitive audio signal, wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal has a duration less than the latency-tolerant signal, and wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal is provided in response to a received input;
buffer the latency-sensitive audio signal for a second duration, wherein the second duration is shorter in time than the first duration;

and
combine the latency-tolerant audio signal and the latency-sensitive audio signal to create a combined signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second mixer module is further configured to:
output the combined signal to the memory module and/or a speaker.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an adaptation module via which the latency-tolerant audio signal is conveyed from the first mixer module to the second mixer module, wherein the adaptation module is configured to alter a sample rate of the latency-tolerant audio signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first mixer module is configured to cycle between a first idle state and a first active state, wherein the first mixer module is configured to buffer the latency-tolerant audio signal while the first mixer module is in the first idle state, and wherein the first mixer module is configured to process the buffered latency-tolerant audio signal while the first mixer module is in the first active state; and
the second mixer module is configured to cycle between a second idle state and a second active state, wherein the second mixer module is configured to buffer the latency-sensitive audio signal while the second mixer module is in the second idle state, and wherein the second mixer module is configured to process the buffered latency-sensitive audio signal while the second mixer module is in the second active state.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first mixer module is configured to cycle, at intervals having average duration T 1 , between a first idle state and a first active state; and
the second mixer module is configured to cycle, at intervals having average duration T 2 , between second idle state and second active state, wherein T 1 is a finite amount of time, T 2 is a finite amount of time, and T 1 is greater than T 2 .

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first mixer module is configured to process audio signals having a first sample rate;
the second mixer module is configured to process audio signals having a second sample rate; and
the first sample rate is different than the second sample rate.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first mixer module is further configured to process the latency-tolerant audio signal so as to modify one or more characteristics of the latency-tolerant audio signal, and wherein processing the latency-tolerant audio signal utilizes a first load, wherein processing the latency-sensitive audio signal utilizes a second load, and wherein the first load is greater than the second load.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first mixer module is further configured to process the latency-tolerant audio signal so as to modify one or more characteristics of the latency-tolerant audio signal, and wherein processing the latency-tolerant audio signal comprises one or more of:
sample rate conversion, filtering, and addition of audio effects.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first mixer module is further configured to process the latency-tolerant audio signal so as to modify one or more characteristics of the latency-tolerant audio signal, and wherein processing the latency-sensitive audio signal comprises volume control.

10. A method comprising:
receiving a latency-tolerant audio signal into a first mixer module;
buffering the latency-tolerant audio signal for a first duration;
receiving the latency-tolerant audio signal into a second mixer module;
receiving a latency-sensitive audio signal into the second mixer module, wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal has a duration less than the latency-tolerant signal, and wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal is provided in response to a received input;
buffering the latency-sensitive audio signal for a second duration, wherein the second duration is shorter in time than the first duration;
and
combining the latency-tolerant audio signal and the latency-sensitive audio signal to create a combined signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
outputting the combined signal to a memory module and/or a speaker.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the first mixer module is configured to cycle between a first idle state and a first active state, wherein the first mixer module is configured to buffer the latency-tolerant audio signal while the first mixer module is in the first idle state, and wherein the first mixer module is configured to process the buffered latency-tolerant audio signal while the first mixer module is in the first active state; and
the second mixer module is configured to cycle between a second idle state and a second active state, wherein the second mixer module is configured to buffer the latency-sensitive audio signal while the second mixer module is in the second idle state, and wherein the second mixer module is configured to process the buffered latency-sensitive audio signal while the second mixer module is in the second active state.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the first mixer module is configured to cycle, at intervals having average duration T 1 , between a first idle state and a first active state; and
the second mixer module is configured to cycle, at intervals having average duration T 2 , between second idle state and second active state, wherein T 1 is a finite amount of time, T 2 is a finite amount of time, and T 1 is greater than T 2 .

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises processing the latency-tolerant audio signal so as to modify one or more characteristics of the latency-tolerant audio signal, and wherein processing the latency-tolerant audio signal comprises one or more of:
sample rate conversion, filtering, and addition of audio effects.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises processing the latency-tolerant audio signal so as to modify one or more characteristics of the latency-tolerant audio signal, and wherein processing the latency-sensitive audio signal comprises volume control.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to carry out functions comprising:
receiving a latency-tolerant audio signal into a first mixer module;
buffering the latency-tolerant audio signal for a first duration;
receiving the latency-tolerant audio signal into a second mixer module;
receiving a latency-sensitive audio signal into the second mixer module, wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal has a duration less than the latency-tolerant signal, and wherein the latency-sensitive audio signal is provided in response to a received input;
buffering the latency-sensitive audio signal for a second duration, wherein the second duration is shorter in time than the first duration;
and
combining the latency-tolerant audio signal and the latency-sensitive aud

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Kasten Glenn
• Trivi Jean-Michel Roland
• Laurent Eric

Classifications

• H04H60/04

  Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios · CPC title

• H04R3/00 Primary

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• G11B2020/10546

  specifically adapted for audio data · CPC title

• H04S2400/13

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems · CPC title

• H04S3/008

  in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02) · CPC title