Method and apparatus for real-time beat modification of audio and music signals
AssigneeCreative Technology Ltd
InventorsJean Laroche, Luke Dahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus that allows a musician or disk-jockey to jump to selected beats while playing a digital music file. Numeric pads on a user interface access beat pointers which point to the location of a selected jump beat in the file. The jump beat then replaces or overlays the beat currently being played. Alternatively, a pattern of beats can be selected to overlay the song as it is played.
Claims9
A method, performed by a digital computer system executing program code, for playing a digital music file and altering the play order of a digital music file stored in addressable storage locations in a computer memory, said method comprising the steps of:
- creating an indexed list of beat pointers, with each beat pointer indexed by a beat number and pointing to corresponding beat segments of the digital music file;
- maintaining a beat counter indicating the beat number of a current beat segment being played where the beat counter increments at beat intervals equal to the time required to play a beat segment of the digital music file;
- in response to user selection of an arbitrary beat number during a current beat interval indicated by a current beat counter value:
- using the arbitrary beat number as an index to access a jump beat pointer from the indexed list;
- accessing a jump beat segment pointed to by the accessed beat pointer;
- playing the jump beat segment during the current beat interval;
- teiiiating playing the jump beat segment when the beat counter increments;
- and
- playing a following beat segment indicated by the value of the incremented beat counter after the beat counter increments.
A system for playing a digital music file and altering the play order of the digital music file, said system comprising:
- a digital computer including a processing unit for executing program code and a sound generating system for converting a digital musical file to audio;
- an input device, coupled to the digital computer, with the input device including numbered input pads for allowing a user to select an arbitrary jump beat;
- a memory for storing a digital music file and computer readable program code, with said computer readable program code comprising:
- program code for causing said computer to create an indexed list of beat pointers, with each beat pointer indexed by a beat number and pointing to a corresponding beat segment of the digital music file;
- program code for causing said computer to maintain a beat counter indicating the beat number of a current beat segment being played where the beat counter increments at beat intervals equal to the time required to play a beat segment of the digital music file;
- program code for causing said computer to respond to user activation of a numbered pad to select an arbitrary beat number during a current beat interval indicated by a current beat counter value:
- to use the arbitrary beat number as an index to access a jump beat pointer from the indexed list;
- to access a jump beat segment pointed to by the accessed beat pointer;
- to play the jump beat segment during the current beat interval
- terminating playing the jump beat segment when the beat counter increments;
- and
- to play a following beat segment indicated by the value of the incremented beat counter after the beat counter increments.
A method, performed by a digital computer system executing program code, for playing a digital music file and altering the play order of a digital music file stored in addressable storage locations in a computer memory, said method comprising the steps of:
- creating an indexed list of beat pointers, with each beat pointer indexed by a beat number and pointing to corresponding beat segments of the digital music file;
- maintaining a beat counter indicating the beat number of a current beat segment being played where the beat counter increments at beat intervals equal to the time required to play a beat segment of the digital music file;
- in response to user selection of a pattern of arbitrary beat numbers:
- storing the pattern as an altered play list;
- using the altered play list entries as indices to access jump beat pointers from the indexed list;
- accessing a first jump beat segment pointed to by a first beat pointer accessed from the altered play list;
- summing the first jump beat segment and a first beat segment selected by the beat counter to form a first summed beat segment;
- playing the first summed beat segment during a first beat interval defined by the beat counter;
- terminating playing the first summed beat segment when the beat counter increments;
- accessing a second jump beat segment pointed to by a second beat pointer accessed from the altered play list;
- summing the second jump beat segment and a second beat segment selected by the beat counter to form a second summed beat segment;
- playing the second summed beat segment during a second beat interval defined by the beat counter;
- terminating playing the second summed beat segment when the beat counter increments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.