Audio signal encoder

1. A method comprising:

determining a first coding bitrate for at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and a second coding bitrate for at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter, wherein the combined first and second coding bitrate is less than a bitrate limit;

determining for a first frame the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generating an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

determining for a second frame the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generating an encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

combining the encoded at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter, wherein generating an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or generating an encoded second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter comprises:

generating codebook indices for groups of the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter respectively using separate vector quantization codebooks;

generating a combined vector quantization codebook from the separate vector quantization codebooks; and generating a combined vector quantization index for the combined vector quantization codebook from the codebook indices for groups, wherein the number of bits used to identify the combined vector quantization index is fewer than a combined number of bits used by the codebook indices for the separate groups.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first frame is at least one of:

adjacent to the second frame; and

preceding the second frame.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining for a first frame the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or determining for a second frame the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter comprises determining at least one of:

at least one interaural time difference; and

at least one interaural level difference.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein generating a combined vector quantization codebook from the separate quantization codebooks comprises:

selecting from the separate vector quantization codebooks at least one codevector; and

combining the at least one codevector from the separate vector quantization codebooks.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein selecting from the separate vector quantization codebooks at least one codevector comprises:

determining a first number of codevectors to be selected from the separate vector quantization codebooks; and

increasing the first number until the first or second respective encoding bitrate is reached.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein generating an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter comprises:

generating a first encoding mapping with an associated index for the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter dependent on a frequency distribution of mapping instances of the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

encoding the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein encoding the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index comprises applying a Golomb-Rice encoding to the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein generating an encoded second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter comprises:

generating a second encoding mapping with an associated index for the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter dependent on a frequency distribution of mapping instances of the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

encoding the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein encoding the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index comprises applying a Golomb-Rice encoding to the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at least two audio signal channels;

determining a fewer number of channels audio signal from the at least two audio signal channels and the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generating an encoded audio signal comprising the fewer number of channels within a packet mono bitrate limit;

combining the encoded audio signal, the encoded at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter.

11. A method comprising:

receiving within a first period a encoded audio signal comprising at least one first frame audio signal, at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and receiving within a further period a further encoded audio signal comprising at least one further frame audio signal;

determining whether the further encoded audio signal comprises at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and/or the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is corrupted; and

generating for the further frame at least two channel audio signals from either of the at least one first frame audio signal or the at least one further frame audio signal, and the encoded audio signal at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter when the further encoded audio signal does not comprise at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is corrupted.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising generating for the further frame at least two channel audio signals from the further frame audio signal and the further encoded audio signal at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter when the further encoded audio signal comprises the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is not corrupted.

13. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine a first coding bitrate for at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and a second coding bitrate for at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter, wherein the combined first and second coding bitrate is less than a bitrate limit;

determine for a first frame the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generate an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

determine for a second frame the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generate an encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

combine the encoded at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter, wherein the apparatus caused to generate an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or generate an encoded second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter causes the apparatus to:

generate codebook indices for groups of the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter respectively using separate vector quantization codebooks;

generate a combined vector quantization codebook from the separate vector quantization codebooks; and

generate a combined vector quantization index for the combined vector quantization codebook from the codebook indices for groups, wherein the number of bits used to identify the combined vector quantization index is fewer than a combined number of bits used by the codebook indices for the separate groups.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first frame is at least one of:

adjacent to the second frame; and

preceding the second frame.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is caused to determine for a first frame the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or determine for a second frame the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter causes the apparatus to determine at least one of:

at least one interaural time difference; and

at least one interaural level difference.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the apparatus caused to generate a combined vector quantization codebook from the separate quantization codebooks causes the apparatus to:

select from the separate vector quantization codebooks at least one codevector; and

combine the at least one codevector from the separate vector quantization codebooks.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the apparatus caused to selecting from the separate vector quantization codebooks at least one codevector causes the apparatus to:

determine a first number of codevectors to be selected from the separate vector quantization codebooks; and

increase the first number until the first or second respective encoding bitrate is reached.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the apparatus caused to generate an encoded first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the first coding bitrate from the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter causes the apparatus to:

generate a first encoding mapping with an associated index for the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter dependent on a frequency distribution of mapping instances of the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

encode the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the apparatus caused to encode the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index causes the apparatus to apply a Golomb-Rice encoding to the first encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the apparatus caused to generate an encoded second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter within the second coding bitrate from the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter causes the apparatus to:

generate a second encoding mapping with an associated index for the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter dependent on a frequency distribution of mapping instances of the at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter; and

encode the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the apparatus caused to encode the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index causes the apparatus to apply a Golomb-Rice encoding to the second encoding mapping dependent on the associated index.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive two or more audio signal channels;

determine a fewer number of channels audio signal from the two or more audio signal channels and the at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter;

generate an encoded audio signal within a packet bitrate limit; combine the encoded audio signal, the encoded at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the encoded at least one second frame audio signal multi-channel parameter.

23. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive within a first period an encoded audio signal comprising at least one first frame audio signal, at least one first frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and receive within a further period a further encoded audio signal comprising at least one further frame audio signal;

determine whether the further encoded audio signal comprises at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and/or the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is corrupted; and

generate for the further frame at least two channel audio signals from either of the at least one first frame audio signal or the at least one further frame audio signal, and the encoded audio signal at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter when the further encoded audio signal does not comprise at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter or the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is corrupted.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to generate for the further frame at least two channel audio signals from the at least one further frame audio signal and the further encoded audio signal at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter when the further encoded audio signal comprises the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter and the at least one further frame audio signal multi-channel parameter is not corrupted.