Method and apparatus for controlling a lighting system in response to an audio input

A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program that, when executed, performs a method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising acts of

• (A) receiving an audio input in a digital music file format;
• (B) digitally processing the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (C) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (C) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

An apparatus for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the apparatus comprising:

• at least one storage medium to store the lighting program;
• at least one input to receive an audio input in a digital music file format;
• an audio decoder to digitally process the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• and
• at least one controller, coupled to the audio decoder and the at least one storage medium, to execute the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs, wherein the at least one controller generates at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• wherein the audio decoder determines a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the at least one controller modifies the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the at least one controller modifies the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A computer readable medium encoded with a first computer program that, when executed on a processor, performs a method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein the computer readable medium is encoded with a second computer program that when executed on the processor, processes an audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input, wherein the at least one characteristic includes a beat of the audio input, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving information from the second program relating to the at least one characteristic of the audio input, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (C) during execution of the lighting program in the act (B), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input received from the second program, wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (C) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (B) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (C) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving an audio input and an input from at least one timer, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) analyzing the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (C) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input and the input from the at least one timer;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (C) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program that, when executed, performs a method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving an audio input and an input from at least one timer, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) analyzing the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (C) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input and the input from the at least one timer;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (C) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A computer readable medium encoded with a first computer program that, when executed on a processor, performs a method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein the computer readable medium is encoded with a second computer program that when executed on the processor, processes an audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input, wherein the at least one characteristic includes a beat of the audio input, the method comprising acts of

• (A) receiving information from the second program relating to the at least one characteristic of the audio input and an input from at least one timer, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (C) during execution of the lighting program in the act (B), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input and the input from the at least one timer, wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (C) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (B) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (C) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

An apparatus for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the apparatus comprising:

• at least one storage medium to store the lighting program;
• at least one input to receive an audio input, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• an audio decoder to process the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• and
• at least one controller, coupled to the audio decoder and the at least one storage medium, to execute the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• wherein the at least one controller generates at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input and an input from at least one timer;
• wherein the audio decoder determines a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the at least one controller modifies the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the at least one controller modifies the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving an audio input and an input from a graphical user interface, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) analyzing the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (C) executing the lighting program to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input and the input from the graphical user interface;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (C) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A method for execution on a computer, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) processing, on the computer, information indicative of an audio input signal to generate a speaker-compatible signal indicative of the audio input signal, wherein the audio input signal is in a digital music file format;
• (B) determining at least one characteristic of the audio input signal;
• (C) executing, on the computer, a lighting program to generate control signals to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs);
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C), generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input signal;
• and
• (E) transmitting the speaker-compatible signal to a speaker to generate audible sound indicative of the audio input signal;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (C) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (D) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A method for authoring a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is response to at least one characteristic of an audio input, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) providing a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays a plurality of icons representative of the plurality of LEDs, wherein the plurality of icons are configured to be selected and arranged on a layout space of the GUI in response to user inputs provided via the GUI, information representative of a plurality of lighting effects to be assigned thereto, and information representative of the at least one characteristic of the audio input, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) selecting, based on at least one user input provided via the GUI, at least one of the plurality of lighting effects to correspond to at least one of the plurality of LEDs in response to the at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• and
• (C) creating a lighting program, based on the at least one user input, for generating control information for the plurality of LEDs.

A method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving an audio input, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) analyzing the audio input to determine at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (C) storing information related to the at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• (D) executing the lighting program, after completion of the act (C), to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs;
• and
• (E) during execution of the lighting program in the act (D), reading the stored information and generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the audio input;
• wherein the act (B) includes an act of determining a beat of the audio input, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio input relates to the beat;
• wherein the lighting program includes at least one variable parameter that affects a perceivable aspect of a lighting effect generated by the plurality of LEDs in response to the control signals, and wherein the act (E) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter during the execution of the lighting program in the act (D) to generate at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the determined beat of the audio input;
• and
• wherein the at least one variable parameter relates to a perceived speed of the lighting effect, and wherein the act (E) includes an act of modifying the at least one variable parameter so as to affect the perceived speed of the lighting effect based on a speed of the determined beat of the audio input.

A method for executing a lighting program to control a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) to create a light show, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) receiving an audio input having a duration and varying in time during the duration of the audio input, wherein the audio input is in a digital music file format;
• (B) digitally processing the audio input to determine at least one first characteristic of the audio input at a first time during the duration;
• (C) executing the lighting program in synchronization with the audio input to generate control signals to control the plurality of LEDs, wherein the lighting program is arranged to control the plurality of LEDs to display, as part of the light show, a lighting sequence comprising at least two lighting effects spaced in time;
• and
• (D) during execution of the lighting program in the act (C) at a time that is prior to the first time during the duration of the audio input, generating at least one of the control signals based at least in part on the at least one first characteristic of the audio input so that the light show anticipates changes in the audio input.