IP Library Granted Patent US 11,611,800
Granted Patent B2
US 11,611,800 · App. 17/195,340 · Granted Mar 21, 2023

Methods and apparatus for audio equalization

Inventors: Joseph Renner (Oakland, CA); Robert Coover (Orinda, CA); Markus Cremer (Orinda, CA); Cameron Aubrey Summers (Oakland, CA)
Assignee: GRACENOTE, INC.
H04N21/44224G06F3/165G06N3/04G06N3/08G10L25/30G10L25/51H03G5/165H04N9/87H04N21/439H04N21/4524H04R3/04H03F3/181H04R2430/01H04R2499/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,611,800
App. No.
17/195,340
Granted
Mar 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for audio equalization. Example instructions disclosed herein cause one or more processors to at least: detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold; and adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

Claims (78)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a thresholding controller to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the change in volume represented by a value of a second derivative of volume over the set of frequency values; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity; and

a frequency to time domain converter to output the audio signal in a time domain based on an EQ curve.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the set of frequency values includes adjacent frequency values.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a thresholding controller to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the set of frequency values including adjacent frequency values;

select the adjacent frequency values in the frequency representation of the audio signal;

determine volume values associated with the adjacent frequency values;

determine the change in volume; and

in response to an absolute value of the change exceeding the threshold, adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the adjacent frequency values to reduce the irregularity; and

a frequency to time domain converter to output the audio signal in a time domain based on an EQ curve.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a thresholding controller to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold;

adjust a volume at a central one of the set of frequency values to be a midpoint between volume levels at other ones of the set of frequency values, the adjustment to reduce the irregularity; and

a frequency to time domain converter to output the audio signal in a time domain based on an EQ curve.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a thresholding controller to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the irregularity corresponding to at least one of a short-term peak or a short-term dip of volume values across the set of frequency values that may result in a perceptible artifact in the audio signal; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity; and

a frequency to time domain converter to output the audio signal in a time domain based on an EQ curve.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a thresholding controller to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a first threshold;

detect and reduce at least one additional irregularity in the frequency representation of the audio signal until a number of remaining irregularities in the frequency representation of the audio signal satisfies a second threshold; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity; and

a frequency to time domain converter to output the audio signal in a time domain based on an EQ curve.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the change in volume represented by a value of a second derivative of volume over the set of frequency values; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the set of frequency values includes adjacent frequency values.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the set of frequency values including adjacent frequency values;

select the adjacent frequency values in the frequency representation of the audio signal;

determine volume values associated with the adjacent frequency values;

determine the change in volume; and

in response to an absolute value of the change exceeding the threshold, adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the adjacent frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold; and

adjust a volume at a central one of the set of frequency values to be a midpoint between volume levels at other ones of the set of frequency values, the adjustment to reduce the irregularity.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the irregularity corresponding to at least one of a short-term peak or a short-term dip of volume values across the set of frequency values that may result in a perceptible artifact in the audio signal; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a first threshold;

detect and reduce at least one additional irregularity in the frequency representation of the audio signal until a number of remaining irregularities in the frequency representation of the audio signal satisfies a second threshold; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

13. An apparatus comprising:

memory;

machine readable instructions; and

at least one processor to execute the machine readable instructions to cause the at least one processor to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the change in volume represented by a value of a second derivative of volume over the set of frequency values; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the set of frequency values includes adjacent frequency values.

15. An apparatus comprising:

memory;

machine readable instructions; and

at least one processor to execute the machine readable instructions to cause the at least one processor is to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the set of frequency values including adjacent frequency values;

select the adjacent frequency values in the frequency representation of the audio signal;

determine volume values associated with the adjacent frequency values;

determine the change in volume; and

in response to an absolute value of the change exceeding the threshold, adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the adjacent frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

16. An apparatus comprising:

memory;

machine readable instructions; and

at least one processor to execute the machine readable instructions to cause the at least one processor to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold; and

adjust a volume at a central one of the set of frequency values to be a midpoint between volume levels at other ones of the set of frequency values, the adjustment to reduce the irregularity.

17. An apparatus comprising:

memory;

machine readable instructions; and

at least one processor to execute the machine readable instructions to cause the at least one processor to:

detect an irregularity in a frequency representation of an audio signal in response to a change in volume between a set of frequency values exceeding a threshold, the irregularity corresponding to at least one of a short-term peak or a short-term dip of volume values across the set of frequency values that may result in a perceptible artifact in the audio signal; and

adjust a volume at a first frequency value of the set of frequency values to reduce the irregularity.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 6, 2022
From: RENNER, JOSEPH; COOVER, ROBERT; CREMER, MARKUS; SUMMERS, CAMERON AUBREY
To: GRACENOTE, INC.
Reel/Frame 058574/0078 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 16661985 · Oct 23, 2019
Provisional Application 62850528 · May 20, 2019
Provisional Application 62816823 · Mar 11, 2019
Provisional Application 62816813 · Mar 11, 2019
Provisional Application 62750113 · Oct 24, 2018
Related Publication 20210194448A1 · Jun 24, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,677,093