Spatially ducking audio produced through a beamforming loudspeaker array

An audio system comprising

• a plurality of speaker drivers;
• a processor;
• and
• memory having instructions stored therein which when executed by the processor causes the audio processor to
• receive program audio of a piece of sound program content;
• drive the plurality of speaker drivers using the program audio to produce a first beam pattern that contains a first portion of the program audio and a second beam pattern that contains a second portion of the program audio;
• receive an alert message associated with alert audio;
• and
• in response to receiving the alert message
• while the second portion of the program audio is being used to drive the plurality of speaker drivers to produce the second beam pattern, move the first portion of the program audio that is in the first beam pattern into the second beam pattern so that the second beam pattern transitions from i) containing the second portion to containing the second portion combined with the first portion, and
• drive two or more of the plurality of speaker drivers to output the alert audio in the first beam pattern.

An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein that when executed by a processor of an audio system

• receive program audio of a piece of sound program content;
• drive a plurality of speaker drivers using the program audio to produce a first beam pattern that contains a first portion of the program audio and a second beam pattern that contains a second portion of the program audio;
• receive an alert message associated with alert audio;
• and
• in response to receiving the alert message
• while the second portion of the program audio is being used to drive the plurality of speaker drivers to produce the second beam pattern, move the first portion of the program audio that is in the first beam pattern into the second beam pattern so that the second beam pattern transitions from i) containing the second portion to containing the second portion combined with the first portion, and
• drive two or more of the plurality of speaker drivers to output the alert audio in the first beam pattern.