Multiple distant musician audio loop recording apparatus and listening method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9852216-B2
Application number	US-201414511856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus comprising a first audio looping device is provided. The first audio looping device is electrically coupled to a computing device. The first audio looping device is programmed to receive a first audio signal from a musical instrument and to store the first audio signal. The first audio looping device is further programmed to playback the stored first audio signal as a first audio loop a number of times and to transmit the first audio loop to a second audio looping device via the first computing device. The first audio looping device is further programmed to receive a second audio loop from the second audio looping device via the computing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first audio looping device being electrically coupled to a computing device, the first audio looping device being programmed to:
receive a first audio signal from a musical instrument;
playback the first audio signal;
generate a first audio loop with the first audio signal during the playback of the first audio signal;
provide a first timestamp corresponding to a point in time in which the first audio loop is generated;
transmit the first audio loop to a second audio looping device via the computing device;
receive a second audio loop from the second audio looping device via the computing device;
receive a second timestamp corresponding to a point in time in which the second audio loop is generated;
compare the first timestamp to the second timestamp; and
overwrite the first audio loop with the second audio loop in response to the second timestamp indicating that the second audio loop has been generated after the first audio loop.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first audio looping device is further programmed to playback the first audio loop and the second audio loop simultaneously.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first audio looping device is further programmed to generate a first loop length, a first loop type, and a first tempo for the first audio loop.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first audio looping device is further programmed to transmit the first loop length, the first loop type, and the first tempo for the first audio loop to the second audio looping device via the computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first audio looping device is further programmed to receive a second loop length, a second loop type, and a second tempo for the second audio loop.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first loop length is an overall length of time of the first audio loop.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first loop type is one of a fade out type in which the first audio loop is arranged to fade away at an end of the first audio loop, an instantaneous stop type in which the first audio loop stops playback thereof at a beginning of a next first audio loop, and an immediate stop loop in which the first audio loop stops playing immediately.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first tempo is a number of beats per measure.

9. A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that is programmed to enable communication between a first audio looping device that plays back a first audio loop a first number of times and a second audio looping device that plays back a second audio loop a second number of times, the computer-program product comprising instructions to:
receive the first audio loop from the first audio looping device;
transmit the first audio loop to the second audio looping device to generate the second audio loop;
receive the second audio loop from the second audio looping device; generate a notification to alert a user of the first audio looping device that the second audio loop from the second audio looping device has been received;
receive a second timestamp corresponding to a point in time in which the second audio loop is generated; and
overwrite the first audio loop with the second audio loop in response to the second timestamp indicating that the second audio loop has been generated after the first audio loop.

10. The computer-program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions to download the second audio loop on the first audio looping device.

11. The computer-program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions to enable a user to playback the second audio loop at a computing device.

12. The computer-program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions to enable a user to delete the second audio loop at a computing device.

13. The computer-program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions to establish a file share arrangement between musicians to enable transmission of the first audio loop from the first audio looping device to the second audio looping device and to enable transmission of the second audio loop from the second audio looping device to the first audio looping device.

14. The computer-program product of claim 9 further comprising instructions to communicate with a server for transmitting the first audio loop to the second audio looping device.

15. The computer-program product of claim 14 further comprising instructions to communicate with the server for transmitting the second audio loop to the first audio looping device.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a first audio looping device being electrically coupled to a computing device, the first audio looping device being programmed to:
receive a first audio signal from a musical instrument;
playback the first audio signal;
generate a first audio loop with the first audio signal during the playback;
provide a first timestamp corresponding to a point in time in which the first audio loop is generated;
transmit the first audio loop to a second audio looping device via the computing device; and
receive a second audio loop from the second audio looping device via the computing device, the second audio loop including a second audio signal that is played back a second number of times;
receive a second timestamp corresponding to a point in time in which the second audio loop is generated;
compare the first timestamp to the second timestamp; and
overwrite the first audio loop with the second audio loop in response to the second timestamp indicating that the second audio loop has been generated after the first audio loop.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first audio looping device is further configured to transmit the first timestamp to the second audio looping device via the computing device.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first audio looping device is further configured to transmit the first timestamp to the second audio looping device via the computing device.

Assignees

• Harman Int Ind

Inventors

• Belcher Christopher M
• Pennock James D

Classifications

• G06F16/60 Primary

  of audio data · CPC title

• G10H1/361 Primary

  Recording/reproducing of accompaniment for use with an external source, e.g. karaoke systems · CPC title

• G10H1/36

  Accompaniment arrangements · CPC title

• G06F17/3074 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G10H1/363

  using optical disks, e.g. CD, CD-ROM, to store accompaniment information in digital form · CPC title