Method and apparatus for formatting digital audio data

A memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising:

• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, said preset referencing an instrument, said preset optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each said instrument referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said, instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• wherein said units are perceptively additive;
• and
• wherein one of said units is a relative time expressed in time cents, wherein time cents is defined for two periods of time T and U to be equal to 1200 log.sub.2 (T/U).

A memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising:

• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, said preset referencing an instrument, said preset optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each said instrument referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• and
• wherein one of said units is an absolute time expressed in time cents, wherein time cents is defined for a time T in seconds to be equal to 1200 log.sub.2 (T).

A memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising:

• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• a plurality of presets, each of said presets referencing an instrument, at least some of said presets including articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and including articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples, said units being perceptively additive;
• a plurality of said audio samples comprising a block of data including
• one or more data segments of digitized audio,
• a sample rate associated with each of said digitized audio segments,
• an original key associated with each of said digitized audio segments, and
• a pitch correction associated with said original key;
• said articulation parameters comprising generators and modulators, at least one of said modulators including
• a first source enumerator specifying a first source of real time information associated with said one modulator,
• a generator enumerator specifying a one of said generators associated with said one modulator,
• an amount specifying a degree said first source enumerator affects said one generator,
• a second source enumerator specifying a second source of real time information for varying said degree said first source enumerator affects said one generator, and
• a transform enumerator specifying a transformation operation on said first source.

An audio data processing system comprising:

• a processor for processing audio sample data;
• a memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on said processor, including:
• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, each preset referencing at least one instrument, said presets optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples.

An audio data processing system comprising:

• a processor for processing audio sample data;
• a memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on said processor, including:
• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, each preset referencing at least one instrument, said presets optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• wherein said units are perceptively additive;
• and
• wherein one of said units is absolute cents, wherein an absolute cent is defined as 1/100 of a semitone, referenced to a 0 value corresponding to MIDI key number 0, which is assigned to 8.1758 Hz.

An audio data processing system comprising:

• a processor for processing audio sample data;
• a memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on said processor, including:
• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, each preset referencing at least one instrument, said presets optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• wherein said units are perceptively additive;
• and
• wherein one of said units is a relative time expressed in time cents, wherein time cents is defined for two periods of time T and U to be equal to 1200 log.sub.2 (T/U).

An audio data processing system comprising:

• a processor for processing audio sample data;
• a memory for storing audio sample data for access bv a program being executed on said processor, including:
• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, each preset referencing at least one instrument, said presets optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• wherein said units are perceptively additive;
• and
• wherein one of said units is an absolute time expressed in time cents, wherein time cents is defined for a time T in seconds to be equal to 1200 log.sub.2 (T).

An audio data processing system comprising:

• a processor for processing audio sample data;
• a memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on said processor, including:
• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• a plurality of presets, each of said presets referencing an instrument, at least some of said presets including articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each of said instruments referencing an audio sample and including articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples, said units being perceptively additive;
• a plurality of said audio samples comprising a block of data including
• one or more data segments of digitized audio,
• a sample rate associated with each of said digitized audio segments,
• an original key associated with each of said digitized audio segments, and
• a pitch correction associated with said original key;
• said articulation parameters comprising generators and modulators, at least one of said modulators including
• a first source enumerator specifying a first source of real time information associated with said one modulator,
• a generator enumerator specifying a one of said generators associated with said one modulator,
• an amount specifying a degree said first source enumerator affects said one generator,
• a second source enumerator specifying a second source of real time information for varying said degree said first source enumerator affects said one generator, and
• a transform enumerator specifying a transformation operation on said first source.

A method for storing music sample data for access by a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising the steps of:

• storing a data format structure in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, said preset referencing an instrument, said preset optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each said instrument referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples.

A method for storing music sample data for access bv a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising the steps of:

• storing a data format structure in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, said preset referencing an instrument, said preset optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each said instrument referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• and
• wherein at least one of said audio samples includes a loop start point and a loop end point, and further comprising the step of forcing proximal data points surrounding said loop start point and said loop end point to be substantially identical.

A memory for storing audio sample data for access by a program being executed on a audio data processing system, comprising:

• a data format structure stored in said memory, said data format structure including information used by said program and including
• at least one preset, said preset referencing an instrument, said preset optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• at least one instrument referenced by each of said presets, each said instrument referencing an audio sample and optionally including one or more articulation parameters for specifying aspects of said instrument;
• each of said articulation parameters being specified in units related to a physical characteristic of audio which is unrelated to any particular machine for creating or playing audio samples;
• and
• wherein at least one of said audio samples includes a loop start point and a loop end point, and wherein proximal data points surrounding said loop start point and said loop end point are set to be substantially identical.