An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for low-frequency emphasizing the spectrum of a sound signal transformed in a frequency domain and comprising transform coefficients grouped in a number of blocks, in which a maximum energy for one block is calculated and a position index of the block with maximum energy is determined, a factor is calculated for each block having a position index smaller than the position index of the block with maximum energy, and for each block a gain is determined from the factor and is applied to the transform coefficients of the block.

Methods and devices for low-frequency emphasis during audio compression based on acelp/tcx

The present invention teaches a new audio coding system that can code both general audio and speech signals well at low bit rates. A proposed audio coding system comprises linear prediction unit for filtering an input signal based on an adaptive filter; a transformation unit for transforming a frame of the filtered input signal into a transform domain; and a quantization unit for quantizing the transform domain signal. The quantization unit decides, based on input signal characteristics, to encode the transform domain signal with a model-based quantizer or a non-model-based quantizer. Preferably, the decision is based on the frame size applied by the transformation unit.

Audio encoder and decoder

The present invention relates to a method and device for improving concealment of frame erasure caused by frames of an encoded sound signal erased during transmission from an encoder (106) to a decoder (110), and for accelerating recovery of the decoder after non erased frames of the encoded sound signal have been received. For that purpose, concealment/recovery parameters are determined in the encoder or decoder. When determined in the encoder (106), the concealment/recovery parameters are transmitted to the decoder (110). In the decoder, erasure frame concealment and decoder recovery is conducted in response to the concealment/recovery parameters. The concealment/recovery parameters may be selected from the group consisting of: a signal classification parameter, an energy information parameter and a phase information parameter. The determination of the concealment/recovery parameters comprises classifying the successive frames of the encoded sound signal as unvoiced, unvoiced transition, voiced transition, voiced, or onset, and this classification is determined on the basis of at least a part of the following parameters: a normalized correlation parameter, a spectral tilt parameter, a signal-to-noise ratio parameter, a pitch stability parameter, a relative frame energy parameter, and a zero crossing parameter.

Method and device for efficient frame erasure concealment in linear predictive based speech codecs

An audio encoder implements multi-channel coding decision, band truncation, multi-channel rematrixing, and header reduction techniques to improve quality and coding efficiency. In the multi-channel coding decision technique, the audio encoder dynamically selects between joint and independent coding of a multi-channel audio signal via an open-loop decision based upon (a) energy separation between the coding channels, and (b) the disparity between excitation patterns of the separate input channels. In the band truncation technique, the audio encoder performs open-loop band truncation at a cut-off frequency based on a target perceptual quality measure. In multi-channel rematrixing technique, the audio encoder suppresses certain coefficients of a difference channel by scaling according to a scale factor, which is based on current average levels of perceptual quality, current rate control buffer fullness, coding mode, and the amount of channel separation in the source. In the header reduction technique, the audio encoder selectively modifies the quantization step size of zeroed quantization bands so as to encode in fewer frame header bits.

Quality improvement techniques in an audio encoder

An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes receiving, by an audio processing apparatus, an audio signal including a first data of a first block encoded with rectangular coding scheme and a second data of a second block encoded with non-rectangular coding scheme; receiving a compensation signal corresponding to the second block; estimating a prediction of an aliasing part using the first data; and, obtaining a reconstructed signal for the second block based on the second data, the compensation signal and the prediction of aliasing part.

Method and an apparatus for processing an audio signal

A system and method for processing of audio and speech signals is disclosed, which provide compatibility over a range of communication devices operating at different sampling frequencies and/or bit rates. The analyzer of the system divides the input signal in different portions, at least one of which carries information sufficient to provide intelligible reconstruction of the input signal. The analyzer also encodes separate information about other portions of the signal in an embedded manner, so that a smooth transition can be achieved from low bit-rate to high bit-rate applications. Accordingly, communication devices operating at different sampling rates and/or bit-rates can extract corresponding information from the output bit stream of the analyzer. In the present invention embedded information generally relates to separate parameters of the input signal, or to additional resolution in the transmission of original signal parameters. Non-linear techniques for enhancing the overall performance of the system are also disclosed. Also disclosed is a novel method of improving the quantization of signal parameters. In a specific embodiment the input signal is processed in two or more modes dependent on the state of the signal in a frame. When the signal is determined to be in a transition state, the encoder provides phase information about N sinusoids, which the decoder end uses to improve the quality of the output signal at low bit rates.

Scalable and embedded codec for speech and audio signals

A speech coding system robust to frame erasure (or packet loss) is described. Illustrative embodiments are directed to a modified version of CCITT standard G.728. In the event of frame erasure, vectors of an excitation signal are synthesized based on previously stored excitation signal vectors generated during non-erased frames. This synthesis differs for voiced and non-voiced speech. During erased frames, linear prediction filter coefficients are synthesized as a weighted extrapolation of a set of linear prediction filter coefficients determined during non-erased frames. The weighting factor is a number less than 1. This weighting accomplishes a bandwidth-expansion of peaks in the frequency response of a linear predictive filter. Computational complexity during erased frames is reduced through the elimination of certain computations needed during non-erased frames only. This reduction in computational complexity offsets additional computation required for excitation signal synthesis and linear prediction filter coefficient generation during erased frames.

Craig Robert Watkins

Papers

Scalable and embedded codec for speech and audio signals

Linear Prediction Coefficient Generation During Frame Erasure or Packet Loss

Erzeugung von linearen Prädiktionskoeffizienten bei Ausfall von Datenrahmen oder Verlust von Datenpaketen