Wireless handheld audio capture device and multi-vocalist method for audiovisual media application

1. A method comprising:

establishing short-range wireless communications between a portable computing device and a display device-coupled computing platform, the display device-coupled computing platform in communication with a separate content server;

using the portable computing device as a wirelessly coupled audio and video capture interface for the display device-coupled computing platform while the display device-coupled computing platform provides pitch cues and an audibly rendered backing track in temporal correspondence with the pitch cues;

detecting, at least for audio capture modes of operation, an orientation of the portable computing device, and in response to the detected orientation, displaying on a touchscreen of the portable computing device an indication to a user of the portable computing device to reorient the portable computing device from a generally right-side-up orientation to a generally upside-down orientation, wherein the generally upside-down orientation orients a microphone of the portable computing device toward the user's mouth;

capturing, via the microphone of the portable computing device, vocal audio from the user of the portable computing device;

capturing, via a camera of the portable computing device, a user video synchronized with the captured vocal audio; and

visually rendering, on a display device of the display device-coupled computing platform, the pitch cues and lyrics in temporal correspondence with the audibly rendered backing track, wherein the display device of the display device-coupled computing platform is separate from the portable computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visually rendering further comprises:

visually rendering, on the display device of the display device-coupled computing platform, a sequence of visual layouts including the pitch cues and the lyrics in temporal correspondence with the audibly rendered backing track, a first visual cell displaying a first user video synchronized with the captured vocal audio, and a second visual cell displaying a second user video synchronized with the captured vocal audio, wherein successive visual layouts of the sequence of visual layouts each include the first and second visual cells, and wherein a visual arrangement and sizing of the first and second visual cells varies in correspondence with structural information associated with the audibly rendered backing track.

3. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the orientation detecting is via one or more of a gyroscopic sensor and an accelerometer of the portable computing device.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

displaying, in the generally right-side-up orientation, first display content including the indication to reorient the portable computing device; and

responsive to detection of a change in orientation of the portable computing device, displaying in the generally up-side-down orientation, second display content including one or more user interface controls for audio capture.

5. The method of claim 4 ,

wherein transition from the first display content to the second display content includes a rotational transformation of at least some visual feature of first display content.

6. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the indication to reorient includes a dynamic on-screen visual of complementary semi-circular arrows.

7. The method of claim 4 ,

wherein the one or more user interface controls for audio capture include a user interface control for muting the microphone of the portable computing device; and

wherein, responsive to user gestures on the touchscreen, an operating mode changes between (i) a first user interface state wherein captured vocal audio is transmitted to the display device-coupled computing platform over the wireless network and (ii) a second user interface state wherein vocal audio is not transmitted.

8. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

visually rendering, on the touchscreen display of the portable computing device, cues corresponding to the amplitude of the captured vocal audio.

9. A computer program product including non-transitory media encoding instructions executable in connection with the method of claim 2 to detect orientation of the portable computing device and to wirelessly transmit captured vocal audio to the display device-coupled computing platform.

10. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the vocal audio from the user is captured in temporal correspondence with the audibly rendered backing track.

11. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

pitch correcting the captured vocal audio in real-time, wherein the pitch correcting the captured vocal audio in real-time is performed by the portable computing device.

12. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

pitch correcting the captured vocal audio in real-time, wherein the pitch correcting the captured vocal audio in real-time is performed by the display device-coupled computing platform.

13. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

pitch correcting the captured vocal audio in real-time; and

audibly rendering, at the display device-coupled computing platform, the pitch-corrected vocal audio.

14. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the user of the portable computing device is a first user, and wherein the captured user video is the first user video.

15. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the user of the portable computing device is a second user, and wherein the captured user video is the second user video.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting further comprises:

detecting, at least for the audio capture modes of operation, a different orientation of the portable computing device, and in response to the detected different orientation, using the portable computing device to provide corrective feedback to the user.