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US 12,694,863 B2Granted
Modifying an audio signal to incorporate a natural-sounding intonation
AssigneeAuthenticVoice Inc.
InventorsNils B. Lahr, Michael Walter Zirinsky
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Abstract
Techniques for modifying intonations in audio files are disclosed. A first audio waveform and a second audio waveform are accessed. A first intonation in the first audio waveform is identified, and a second intonation in the second audio waveform is identified. The first and second intonations correspond to the same unit of pronunciation. The first intonation is modified until it sufficiently matches the second intonation.
Claims19
A method for dynamically modifying intonations in a first audio waveform to match intonations that are detected in a second audio waveform, said method comprising:
- accessing a first audio waveform representing output from a text-to-speech generator operating on a source of text, wherein the text-to-speech generator is configured to generate the first audio waveform based on a source of text and a set of parameters comprising a rate characteristic, a pitch characteristic, a volume characteristic, and a break characteristic;
- accessing a second audio waveform representing a recording of a human reading the source of text;
- identifying a first set of intonations embodied within the first audio waveform, the first set of intonations being enunciated for syllables within the source of text;
- identifying a second set of intonations embodied within the second waveform, the second set of intonations being enunciated for the same syllables;
- for each respective syllable in said syllables, detecting a corresponding matching pair of intonations, wherein said corresponding matching pair of intonations includes an intonation from the first set of intonations for said each respective syllable and an intonation from the second set of intonations for said each respective syllable;
- and
- for each respective syllable in said syllables, modifying, using a frequency-domain transformation or programmatically generated markup commands, said each respective syllable's corresponding matching pair of intonations by causing that matching pair's intonation from the first set of intonations to match, within a predefined threshold, that matching pair's intonation from the second set of intonations, and wherein said modifying includes adjusting one or more of the set of parameters comprising the rate characteristic, the pitch characteristic, the volume characteristic, and the break characteristic.
4 more elements
A computer system that dynamically modifies intonations in a first audio waveform to match intonations that are detected in a second audio waveform, said computer system comprising:
- a processor system;
- and
- a storage system comprising instructions that are executable by the processor system to cause the computer system to:
- access a first audio waveform representing output from a text-to-speech generator operating on a source of text, wherein the text-to-speech generator is configured to generate the first audio waveform based on a source of text and a set of parameters comprising a rate characteristic, a pitch characteristic, a volume characteristic, and a break characteristic;
- access a second audio waveform;
- identify a first intonation embodied within the first audio waveform, the first intonation being associated with a unit of pronunciation included in the first audio waveform;
- identify a second intonation embodied within the second waveform, wherein the second intonation is associated with the same unit of pronunciation, which is also included in the second audio waveform;
- and
- modify, using a frequency-domain transformation or programmatically generated markup commands, the first audio waveform by modifying the first intonation of the first audio waveform until the first intonation matches, in accordance with a pre-defined tolerance, the second intonation from the second audio waveform, and wherein said modifying includes adjusting one or more of the set of parameters comprising the rate characteristic, the pitch characteristic, the volume characteristic, and the break characteristic.
6 more elements
A method for dynamically modifying intonations in a first audio waveform to match intonations that are detected in a second audio waveform, said method comprising:
- accessing a first audio waveform representing output from a text-to-speech generator operating on a source of text, wherein the text-to-speech generator is configured to generate the first audio waveform based on a source of text and a set of parameters comprising a rate characteristic, a pitch characteristic, a volume characteristic, and a break characteristic;
- accessing a second audio waveform;
- identifying a first intonation embodied within the first audio waveform, the first intonation being associated with a unit of pronunciation included in the first audio waveform;
- identifying a second intonation embodied within the second waveform, wherein the second intonation is associated with the same unit of pronunciation, which is also included in the second audio waveform;
- and
- modifying, using a frequency-domain transformation or programmatically generated markup commands, the first audio waveform by modifying the first intonation of the first audio waveform until the first intonation matches, in accordance with a pre-defined tolerance, the second intonation from the second audio waveform, and wherein said modifying includes adjusting one or more of the set of parameters comprising the rate characteristic, the pitch characteristic, the volume characteristic, and the break characteristic.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.