Apparatus and Method for Determining a Measure for a Perceived Level of Reverberation, Audio Processor and Method for Processing a Signal

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This patent describes an apparatus and method for determining a quantitative measure of the perceived level of reverberation in an audio signal that contains both a direct sound (the 'dry' signal) and an artificial reverberation component (the 'wet' signal). It uses a detailed loudness model and perceptual filters to mimic human hearing, providing an objective estimate of how much reverberation will actually be perceived by listeners rather than just measuring physical properties. This measure can then be used to control and optimize artificial reverberation in audio processors and other equipment.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Automatic adjustment of reverberation in digital audio workstations (DAWs) for music production and mixing.
• Live sound engineering for optimizing reverberation in real-time to suit different venues and performances.
• Hearing aids and audio enhancement devices to maintain natural-sounding reverberation for users.
• Speech enhancement systems, such as conferencing or broadcasting, to ensure consistent clarity by controlling perceived reverberation.
• Psychoacoustic research tools to study and predict human response to reverberant environments.
• Audio mastering tools to automatically target and match reverberation levels across different tracks or sections.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Provides an objective, accurate measure of perceived reverberation aligned with human auditory perception, not just physical levels.
• Enables automated and consistent control of reverberation, reducing subjectivity and manual tuning in audio production.
• Adaptable to real-time and offline processing, making it versatile for various applications.
• Improves sound quality in music, speech, and other audio content by preventing unnatural or unpleasant reverberation levels.
• Reduces reliance on expert listeners or subjective tests for tuning reverberation settings.
• Supports enhanced user experiences in both professional audio and consumer products.

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Patent Abstract

An apparatus for determining a measure for a perceived level of reverberation in a mix signal consisting of a direct signal component (100) and a reverberation signal component (102), comprises a loudness model processor (104) comprising a perceptual filter stage for filtering the dry signal component (100) the reverberation signal component (102) or the mix signal, wherein the perceptual filter stage is configured for modeling an auditory perception mechanism of an entity to obtain a filtered direct signal, a filtered reverberation signal or a filtered mix signal. The apparatus furthermore comprises a loudness estimator for estimating a first loudness measure using the filtered direct signal and for estimating a second loudness measure using the filtered reverberation signal or the filtered mix signal, where the filtered mix signal is derived from a superposition of the direct signal component and the reverberation signal component. The apparatus furthermore comprises a combiner (110) for combining the first and the second loudness measures (106, 108) to obtain a measure (112) for the perceived level of reverberation.