U.S. patent application number 08/953768 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-15 for method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks, for recreational purposes in places such as discotheques and the like.
Invention is credited to IORI, ENRICO.
Application Number | 20010041944 08/953768 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11386359 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010041944 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
IORI, ENRICO |
November 15, 2001 |
METHOD FOR PRODUCING SOUNDTRACKS AND BACKGROUND MUSIC TRACKS, FOR
RECREATIONAL PURPOSES IN PLACES SUCH AS DISCOTHEQUES AND THE
LIKE
Abstract
A method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks,
for recreational purposes, in places such as discotheques and the
like, comprising the steps of: combining together a plurality of
sounds taken from a plurality of groups of sounds, each group
grouping mutually compatible sounds, so as to obtain combinations
of sounds; and arranging in a given sequence the combinations of
sounds, so as to obtain a composition of sounds in which duration
and volume can be adjusted by the user.
Inventors: |
IORI, ENRICO; (MODENA,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GUIDO MODIANO
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
VIA MERAVIGLI, 16
20123
MILAN AIR MAIL
IT
|
Family ID: |
11386359 |
Appl. No.: |
08/953768 |
Filed: |
October 17, 1997 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
700/94 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04H 60/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/94 |
International
Class: |
H04B 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 9, 1997 |
IT |
M097A000105 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks,
for recreational purposes, in places such as discotheques and the
like, comprising the steps of: combining together a plurality of
sounds taken from a plurality of groups of sounds grouped into one
or more macrogroups, so as to obtain combinations of sounds; and
arranging in a given sequence said combinations of sounds, so as to
obtain a composition of sounds in which duration, volume and
panning (stereophonic position) can be adjusted by the user.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of mutually
combining a plurality of sounds is performed within each one of
said one or more macrogroups.
3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising a step for
producing, sampling and storing said sounds, followed by a step for
classifying said sounds into said one or more macrogroups, followed
by a step for classifying said sounds in said groups.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein each one of said one or
more macrogroups contains a plurality of said sounds, said sounds
being mutually compatible in terms of harmony, tempo and duration,
each one of said sounds being repeatable in an endless cycle and
being stored on a memory medium.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of mutually
combining a plurality of sounds taken from a plurality of groups of
sounds comprises the steps of: selecting, from at least two of said
groups, at least one given number of chosen sounds; and grouping
said sounds selected from said groups into a combination.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said step of selecting at
least one given number of chosen sounds is performed by selecting
the chosen sounds by means of software buttons of a multimedia
program.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of selecting at
least one given number of chosen sounds is performed automatically
and either randomly or by means of preset algorithms by said
multimedia program.
8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of grouping
said sounds selected from said groups into a combination consists
in arranging said sounds, by means of said software buttons, in a
chosen set within said combination.
9. A method according to claim 6, wherein said step of grouping in
a combination said sounds selected from said groups consists in
arranging said sounds randomly or acording to predefined
algorithms, which are different each time, in a chosen
sequence.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said step of arranging
said combinations of sounds in a chosen sequence comprises the
arrangement of said combinations according to the user's choice by
means of said software buttons.
11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said step of arranging
said combinations of sounds in a chosen sequence comprises
arranging said combinations randomly or according to predefined
algorithms by means of processing performed automatically by said
multimedia program.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said combinations
created automatically or by the user can be modified.
13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said sequence of
combinations of sounds created automatically or by the user can be
modified.
14. A method according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of sounds
contained in said plurality of groups of sounds contained in said
one or more macrogroups is stored, together with said multimedia
program, on a CD-ROM.
15. A method according to claim 1, wherein it is implemented by
means of a computer program stored on a CD-ROM.
16. A method according to claim 11, wherein said predefined
algorithms, which are different every time, include searching for a
preset number of said sounds within said groups, the sounds chosen
within each group being different every time said algorithms are
activated.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing
soundtracks and background music tracks, particularly for
recreational purposes, in places such as discotheques and the
like.
[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to a method
for creating, both randomly and under the control of the user,
soundtracks and background music tracks. It is known that compact
discs are currently available which contain a large number of
sounds, for creating soundtracks or music backgrounds, which can be
selected individually by the user by means of software and can be
mixed together in order to obtain music tracks which are then read
by a personal computer.
[0003] The above method, however, is rather long and troublesome,
entails using numerous sources and programs and is not suitable for
being performed in real time, for example in a discotheque or
during a live performance, where sound mixing must be performed in
a very short time in order to play it back to the audience
immediately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The aim of the present invention is to provide a method for
producing soundtracks and background music tracks which can be both
user-selectable and different each time but harmonically
correct.
[0005] Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present
invention is to provide a method for producing random soundtracks
and background music tracks by means of a CD-ROM which can be used
interactively by the user even during live performances.
[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks having
a high digital audio quality.
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks which
can be used on a personal computer.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
method for producing soundtracks and background music tracks which
does not require specific musical knowledge on the part of the
user.
[0009] This aim, these objects and others which will become
apparent hereinafter are achieved by a method for producing
soundtracks and background music tracks, particularly for
recreational purposes, in places such as discotheques and the like,
characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
[0010] combining together a plurality of sounds taken from a
plurality of groups of sounds grouped into one or more macrogroups,
so as to obtain combinations of sounds; and
[0011] arranging in a given sequence said combinations of sounds,
so as to obtain a composition of sounds in which duration, volume
and panning (stereophonic position) can be adjusted by the
user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Further characteristics and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the
method according to the invention, illustrated only by way of
non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a general block diagram of the method according to
the invention for producing random soundtracks and background music
tracks;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a step of the method
according to the present invention; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of a further step of the
method according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] With reference to the above figures, the method according to
the present invention comprises an initial step, in which one or
more macrogroups of audio files are displayed to the user on
display means, such as a personal computer monitor, each macrogroup
being constituted by a plurality of sounds (or audio files) stored
beforehand on a recording medium such as for example a CD-ROM.
[0017] Each audio file is therefore constituted by a sampled sound;
moreover, within the same macrogroup the sounds (or audio files)
are mutually musically compatible if played simultaneously in terms
of harmony, tempo, duration or multiple/submultiples thereof, and
consistent composition pattern, and are in turn grouped into groups
which are mutually compatible in terms of the instrument or
category of instruments by which they are produced.
[0018] In this manner, for example, it is possible to virtually
have a group of audio files for every existing musical
instrument.
[0019] In each macrogroup, therefore, the sounds, i.e., the audio
files, are chosen so that any two or more sounds chosen within a
group of audio files (said group being defined according to the
instrument from which said sounds originate) are, as mentioned,
musically mutually compatible when they are played
simultaneously.
[0020] Each group of audio files contains sounds related to a given
musical instrument, and it is therefore possible to have a
virtually very large number (equal to the number of instruments to
be reproduced) of said groups, the size of each group being limited
exclusively by the memory capacity of the recording medium.
[0021] It is also possible to have audio files related to special
sound effects which cannot be related directly to any musical
instrument.
[0022] Each macrogroup contains a plurality, from 1 to m, of audio
files (not shown in the various figures); within each macrogroup,
furthermore, each group contains a plurality, from 1 to n (where n
is smaller than, or equal to, m), of audio files (or sounds).
[0023] Each sound of a group can be played back endlessly and
repetitively, entering a so-called loop cycle.
[0024] The audio files are stored on a CD or on a hard disk or can
be loaded from the network in a personal computer.
[0025] The various macrogroups of audio files, not shown in the
figures, are then sent from the CD (step 3) or from the network
(step 4) or from the hard disk (step 2) to means (5) for displaying
and selecting the macrogroups.
[0026] Once the macrogroup has been selected, it is sent (step 6)
to means (7, 11) for displaying, selecting and combining the audio
files that belong to the various groups, designated by the
reference numerals 1a-1g in FIG. 2, in order to allow to select,
among said groups, the chosen audio files and combine them at will
with each other.
[0027] These steps will be described in detail hereinafter with
reference to the accompanying figures.
[0028] This combination, by virtue of the means 7, is performed
directly by the user by pressing software buttons provided on a
screen display: a plurality of combinations of sounds, generally
designated by the reference numeral 10, is thus obtained, said
combinations being produced either manually by the user or
automatically by means of predefined algorithms.
[0029] The combinations 10 thus defined are sent from the means 7
to sequencing means 8, which arrange in a chosen sequence the
individual combinations of audio files in order to create a final
musical combination.
[0030] As an alternative, by virtue of the means 11, the
combination is performed automatically by a suitable program
installed in the personal computer, which uses additional
predefined algorithms both to combine audio files and to sequence
the resulting combinations according to various musical styles.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates the step for sequencing the individual
combinations, which are designated in detail by the reference
numerals 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, . . . ,10n-1, 10n.
[0032] Each combination 10 (10a. . . 10n) therefore comprises a
suitable set of audio files taken, in the chosen number, from the
chosen audio file groups 1a-1g, according to the choice of the user
or to the grouping algorithm involved, if the creation of the
combinations 10 is entrusted directly to the personal computer (by
means of algorithms which are predefined according to the musical
styles to be obtained).
[0033] For example, it is possible to group the audio files taken
from each group 1a-1g according to the style (step 13) to be
obtained, and if the personal computer performs the combination (by
virtue of automatic display, selection and combination means 11
which are conveniently constituted by a program), the resulting
combinations 10 (10a-10n) are always within a very large number of
combinations.
[0034] Otherwise, the choice of the combination is assigned to the
user by means of the software buttons, as explained above.
[0035] The choice of the set of samples taken from each group of
audio files 1a-1g and the subsequent combination (performed
randomly or according to a predefined style) of the various audio
files, i.e., of the various samples in a given combination 10a-10n,
causes each combination to be in most cases different from all the
others.
[0036] The final result is therefore a composition 12 of sounds
which can be repeated endlessly in a cycle. The repetition consists
in playing back, in an infinite cycle, the entire sequence
constituted by the plurality of combinations.
[0037] These combinations of sounds 10 (10a-10n) can be played back
in the chosen sequence by virtue of the sequencer 8 or, if they
originate from the automatic selection and combination means 11,
they can be arranged automatically in sequence and possibly
re-edited by the sequencer 8.
[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates in detail the steps for the creation of
the combinations 10 of audio files, both with the intervention of
the user and automatically.
[0039] As already explained earlier, each combination of sounds 10
is the result of a grouping, performed randomly or according to
preset and likewise random styles, of audio files belonging to a
plurality of groups 1a-1g of audio files.
[0040] FIG. 3 instead illustrates the step for sequencing the
various combinations 10 of audio files in the sequence chosen by
the user or according to different styles, automatically and with a
user-selected or random duration.
[0041] The individual combinations 10 obtained by the
combination-generating means 7 or 11 can be both played back and
stored by the user, and the sequence of combinations (which
constitute the compositions 12) obtained by the sequencer 8 can in
turn be played back and stored.
[0042] Moreover, within the individual compositions 10, the volume
and panning (stereophonic position) of the individual audio files
can be changed at will by the user.
[0043] Each combination 10 that is created (even automatically and
randomly by the personal computer) can optionally be modified at
will by the user, changing the audio files that compose it, for
example adding some, removing others and storing them again.
[0044] Once the sequences of combinations 10 have been obtained,
those sequences can in turn be modified by the user (even if the
sequences are generated automatically by the personal computer) by
passing again through the audio file combination generation means
7.
[0045] Modification of the resulting sequence consists in varying
the arrangement of the various combinations 10 in the sequence.
[0046] In practice, it has been observed that the method according
to the present invention fully achieves the intended aim and
objects, since it allows a user, manually or automatically by means
of a computer, to produce soundtracks and background music tracks
of high audio quality without specific musical knowledge on the
part of the user.
[0047] The user can also interact with the various audio files
within the application program, transforming it into a substitute
of a musical instrument and thus being able to play back sounds
during a live performance.
[0048] The number of combinations of sounds that can be obtained
starting from a plurality of different audio files is very large,
and when said sound combinations are generated by said computer,
they are almost always different from each other every time.
[0049] The above-described method can be implemented by means of a
suitable multimedia program, so that it can be used wherever a
personal computer is available.
[0050] In this manner, for example in a discotheque, it is possible
to replace the sound system with a conventional personal computer
and with the multimedia program that implements the method
according to the present invention.
[0051] The method thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of
the inventive concept; all the details may also be replaced with
other technically equivalent elements.
* * * * *