Method and system for analysing sound
AssigneeX-System Limited
InventorsNigel Osborne, Robert Ashcroft, Paul Robertson, Peter Kingsley
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and system for analysing audio (eg. music) tracks. A predictive model of the neuro-physiological functioning and response to sounds by one or more of the human lower cortical, limbic and subcortical regions in the brain is described. Sounds are analysed so that appropriate sounds can be selected and played to a listener in order to stimulate and/or manipulate neuro-physiological arousal in that listener. The method and system are particularly applicable to applications harnessing a biofeedback resource.
Claims20
A method of therapy on a human subject, the method including analysing audio tracks for playback to the human subject according to a preselected desired arousal state of the human subject, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) accessing a set of stored individual audio tracks operable for selection for playback;
- (ii) analysing the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, turbulence and inharmonicity, to produce analysis results, in which values of rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, inharmonicity and turbulence, of the individual audio tracks, are automatically determined using signal processing techniques, and further comprising the step of combining the values of rhythmicity, inharmonicity I and turbulence to yield a predicted value of excitement or arousal of the human subject, wherein for each track, turbulence T equals dH/dt * P, where H is harmonicity, P is the energy present during peaks of volume of the track, and t is time, and where I=C/10−H, and C is the linear harmonic cost;
- (iii) predicting a neuro-physiological response to the individual audio tracks according to a neuro-physiological model of the functioning and response of one or more of the human lower cortical, limbic and subcortical regions in the brain to sounds, including using the analysis results from analysing the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, turbulence and inharmonicity, including using the predicted value of excitement or arousal of the human subject;
- (iv) receiving the selected desired arousal state of the human subject;
- (v) selecting audio tracks according to the predicted neuro-physiological response to the individual music tracks, and according to the selected desired arousal state of the human subject, and
- (vi) playing the selected audio tracks to the human subject.
A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product executable to perform a method of therapy on a human subject, the method including analysing audio tracks for playback to the human subject according to a preselected desired arousal state of the human subject, the computer program product executable to:
- (i) access a set of stored individual audio tracks operable for selection for playback;
- (ii) analyze the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, turbulence and inharmonicity, to produce analysis results, in which values of rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, inharmonicity and turbulence, of the individual audio tracks, are automatically determined using signal processing techniques, and the values of rhythmicity, inharmonicity I and turbulence are combined to yield a predicted value of excitement or arousal of the human subject, wherein for each track, turbulence T equals dH/dt * P, where H is harmonicity, P is the energy present during peaks of volume of the track, and t is time, and where I=C/10−H, and C is linear harmonic cost;
- (iii) predict a neuro-physiological response to the individual audio tracks according to a neuro-physiological model of the functioning and response of one or more of the human lower cortical, limbic and subcortical regions in the brain to sounds, including using the analysis results from analysing the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, turbulence and inharmonicity, including using the predicted value of excitement or arousal of the human subject;
- (iv) receive the selected desired arousal state of the human subject;
- (v) select audio tracks according to the predicted neuro-physiological response to the individual music tracks, and according to the selected desired arousal state of the human subject, and
- (vi) play the selected audio tracks to the human subject.
A computing device, adapted to manipulate the arousal of a human subject by using a method of therapy on the human subject, the device adapted to analyse audio tracks for playback to the human subject according to a preselected desired arousal state of the human subject, such that the device is configured to:
- (i) access a set of stored individual audio tracks operable for selection for playback;
- (ii) analyze the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, turbulence and inharmonicity, to produce analysis results, in which values of rhythmicity, linear harmonic cost, inharmonicity and turbulence, of the individual audio tracks, are automatically determined using signal processing techniques, and the or arousal of the human values of rhythmicity, inharmonicity I and turbulence are combined to yield a predicted value of excitement subject, wherein for each track, turbulence T equals dH/dt * P, where H is harmonicity, P is the energy present during peaks of volume of the track, and t is time, and where I=C/10−H, and C is linear harmonic cost;
- (iii) predict a neuro-physiological response to the individual audio tracks according to a neuro-physiological model of the functioning and response of one or more of the human lower cortical, limbic and subcortical regions in the brain to sounds, including using the analysis results from analysing the individual audio tracks for their rhythmicity, turbulence and inharmonicity, including using the predicted value of excitement or arousal of the human subject;
- (iv) receive the selected desired arousal state of the human subject;
- (v) select audio tracks according to the predicted neuro-physiological response to the individual music tracks, and according to the selected desired arousal state of the human subject, and
- (vi) play the selected audio tracks to the human subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.