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SonyGranted patentAudio & voiceInterest 6/10

Sony patents system that splits music to control automatic instruments

Sony describes a signal processor that takes a mixed audio track and separates it into individual sounds like drums or vocals. It then identifies what type of sound each part is and sends it to the right device, such as an automatic musical instrument or a standard speaker.

Why it mattersThis could allow home music systems to automatically sync electronic instruments with recorded music without manual setup.

In the filing’s own words

Provided is a signal processing apparatus having: a sound source separation unit configured to perform sound source separation on a mixed sound signal obtained by mixing a plurality of sound source signals; a sound source type determination unit configured to determine a type of a predetermined sound source signal obtained by the sound source separation; and an output destination control unit configured to output the predetermined sound source signal to a corresponding output device on the basis of a determination result of the sound source type determination unit.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A signal processing apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to: perform sound source separation on a mixed sound signal obtained by mixing a plurality of sound source signals; determine a type of a predetermined sound source signal obtained by the sound source separation; and output the predetermined sound source signal to a corresponding output device in a plurality of output devices on a basis of the type of the predetermined sound source signal, wherein the circuitry acquires reproduction apparatus information indicating a type of each of the plurality of output devices, and decides the corresponding output device that outputs the predetermined sound source signal by matching the type of the predetermined sound source signal with the type of the corresponding output device indicated by the reproduction apparatus information, wherein the plurality of output devices includes at least one automatic playing musical instrument, wherein the plurality of output devices includes a speaker separate from the automatic playing musical instruments, and wherein the plurality of output devices includes a headphone separate from the automatic playing musical instruments, wherein the circuitry is connected to the plurality of output devices by wire or by wireless connections.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
Official title
Signal processing apparatus, signal processing method, program, signal processing system, and encoding apparatus
Patent number
US12770595B2
Application number
17782981
Filed
Dec 2, 2020
Granted
Oct 20, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
14

Classified under

G10H 1/0058 Physics & computingG10H 1/0008 Physics & computingG10H 2210/031 Physics & computingG10H 2240/171 Physics & computing

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.