WO1995028701A1

WO1995028701A1 - Production of mass personal audio media

Info

Publication number: WO1995028701A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/004775
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael E. Labrosse; Bruce Hartleben
Original assignee: Labrosse Michael E
Priority date: 1994-04-19
Filing date: 1995-04-19
Publication date: 1995-10-26
Also published as: AU2294695A

Abstract

A system for automating the production of personalized audio messages includes recording (2) a plurality of sound modules, some personal, some semi-personal, and some generic, and digitizing (6) and processing (8) those modules so that they can be combined to produce a personalized audio message. A playlist of sound modules is selected from available sound modules, and then automatically applied to a digital-to-analog converter for application in audio form to a recording media (12).

Description

PRLTOUCΠON OF ASS PERSO AL AUDIO MEDIA

Technical Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to the field of personalized audio media, and more particularly to the mass production of such media.

Background of the Invention

Audio tapes are an effective means of distributing information such as instructional materials, self-help programs and therapeutic messages. Customizing or personalizing such materials increases their effectiveness. For example, an audio tape designed to teach a patient pain control techniques is more effective if it refers to the patient by name and/or incorporates other personal information about the patient into the audio program. Personalization of this type, however, is not economical for many applications if each message has to be independently produced. The present invention provides a mass-producible personal message on an audio media, allowing personalization to be economically achieved for most applications.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides method and apparatus for automatically producing a personalized audio message and recording it on a recording medium. According to the invention, a plurality of sound modules are recorded with some of the sound modules containing a personal or a semi- personal message and some a generic message, and with the sound modules recorded using the same voice talent to have a consistent sound. The sound modules are digitized and stored in a digital format. The sound modules are processed so that they match sonically with each other. A playlist of the digitized sound modules is selected, wherein personal or semi-personal messages are arranged with generic messages. The digitized sound modules are then automatically applied to an analog-to-digital converter in the order specified in a playlist to produce a personalized audio message. The personalized audio message may be recorded on a recording medium such as an cassette tape.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures 1A-1G show a sample questionnaire used to gather personal irrformation for the system of the present invention;

Figures 1H-1 J show an outline of a script of sound modules; Figure 2 is an overview of me hardware required for the present invention; Figure 3 is an overview of the software of the present invention;

Figure 4 is sample of a Q-mapping file used in the present invention;

Figures 5A-5C show a sample of a quality control report used in the system of the present invention;

Figure 6 is an example of a playlist according to the present invention;

Figures 7A and 7B show an example of a sound module database as used in the system of the present invention; and Figures 8A, 8B and 8C constitute a flow chart of the system of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention provides a system for automating the production of personalized audio messages on a recording medium, such as an audio tape. Personal information for each tape is acquired from the person (or group) for whom the tape is prepared, for example by use of a questionnaire of the type reproduced in Figures 1A-1G, or by extraction from a computer data base. The personalized audio messages are each compiled from a library of "sound modules" (for example: "hi dave"). The recorded message, even though assembled from a number of separate sound modules,

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91> sounds as if it were a seamless custom studio recording. Figures 1H-1 J show an example of an outline of a personalized message made using responses taken from a questionnaire of the type shown in Figure 1A-1G. In the example shown in Figures 1H-1J, the individual sound module types are identified in the left hand column, the custom text of a module shown in the second "USE" column (wherein the check mark means the module contains generic text), with the description of the module in the third column.

The equipment used in the system 1 of the present invention is shown in simplified schematic form in Figure 2. A microphone 2 produces an audio signal for application to a sound processor 4, which produces a processed sound signal for application to an analog-to-digital converter (A/D) 6. A workstation or PC 8 (for example a MAC II), with an internal DigiDesign, Sound Accelerator II board receives the digitized signal for processing. The workstation 8 also preferably includes a National -jnstrument AO board and a DMA board, with the two piggy-backed together. The AO board produces an audio output signal, which is applied to a mixer 10. The output signal from mixer 10 is applied both to a recording device 12, for example an audio tape deck, and an amplifier 14, which drives loud speaker 16. The software 20 of the present invention, executable on workstation 8, is shown in simplified form in Figure 3. Software 20 includes a sound designer program 22, preferably the DigiDesign Sound Accelerator II software program available from DigiDesign, Inc. Software 20 also includes a program called the mass personal audio media program (MPAM), which has two parts: a make playlist program 24 and a make tapes program 26. Software 20 also includes a database program 28, preferably the FileMaker Pro brand, available from Claris, Inc.

Prior to producing a batch of personalized messages for recording, the audio material to be used in the messages must be recorded and digitized so that it can be manipulated. Through this process, a library of sound modules are created that can be reused to mass produce personalized audio messages. The creation of this library, and the addition of new sound modules to it as needed, is the first step in the production process. Capturing the audio signal from the voice talent is accomplished through the Sound Designer software 22 and hardware. The audio signal from the microphone 2 is converted from a conventional analog signal into a digital signal. The digital signal is saved directly to the hard disk of the workstation 8 in the form of a data file, called a sound file. The initial sound file will be large, and contain a lot of extraneous sounds, for example dead time and bad takes. Given a sound file, the sound module is isolated and edited for the exact audio material that is to be used, producing a useable sound module or modules. In a sound file, a section of audio material (i.e., equivalent to a segment of tape) can be labeled with a given user name. This section is called a region . A region can be extracted and put into its own sound file. When a sound file contains audio information for only one entry in the sound library, it is called a sound module. A sound module is the basic building block in production of personalized audio messages. When a sound module is recorded it is compressed or expanded as needed so all sound modules have a linear consistency, i.e. the level of volume is maintained at a constant level. The same voice talent is preferably used for all modules to be used in combination. Sound modules are then edited to desired length and checked against older modules and adjusted as necessary to make sure the two will match sonically (+/- ldb), i.e. the volume level and tone are matched. These edited regions are then saved as individual sound modules and referenced by sound library numbers. Then the sound modules (16 bit data) is converted using a conversion program (operable on workstation 8) to a twelve-bit format that is readable by the MPAM program. The conversion program removes the extraneous data (i.e. Sound Designer program information, SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) codes. This conversion program can convert a single sound designer file, or a batch of them. A quality control program (executed on workstation 8) is then employed to perform a cross-reference check between the sound library and the Q-mapping exchange files. A Q-mapping file tells the MPAP program what sequence sound modules are to be outputted. Individual sound modules are each given a unique ID#. A Mod# is also specified for each module, specifying the topic of the sound module. The sequence number (Seq#) in the Q-mapping file shows what order the module is to be displayed in and the order to be outputted. The Seq# must be ascending numbers. An example of a Q-mapping file is shown in Figure 4.

The quality control program produces a report documenting the cross reference, and verifying that the 12 bit data sound modules exist. A sample of the quality control report is shown in Figures 5A-5C. The first column in the report is the library or Mod# for a sound module, the next the status of the module (OK or not), and the next the "level," which can be either "personaT -P, "semi-personal¹ -S or "generic"=G. For instance, a personal module might be "Hi Dave", a semi-personal module might be "lives in Minneapolis", and a generic module some generic script not specific to a characteristic of an individual. The "group" column specifies what category the sound module belongs to, for example the "hi name" group or the "as you see" group. Sound module number 127 is "Hi Alfred," while number 622 is "Bye for now Ronald", and module number 146 is "Now Charles."

The quality control program does not alter the input files. All input files preferably reside on the hard drive (as opposed to residing on a backup tape), when this program executes. Preferably, this program can run on a network, and perform a complete cross-reference check from any computer in the network, as long as it has access to the disk containing the audio recordings. After the quality control program is executed, the sound library information or exchange file, is prepared. The exchange files are used (loaded) to get the sound library and Q-mapping information. The MPAM program does not load the database files directly. This procedure of creating the exchange files is done whenever any change is made to the sound library and Q-mapping files using the database program, such as when a new sound module has been added or the questionnaire has been changed. The information is then outputted from the database in a free-format, tab-delimited text file.

The Q-mapping file is created using sound modules identified in a sound module database, an example of which is shown in Figures 7A and 7B. The fields of this database contam information as identified below:

Id#: ID number of the module project: Project for which the module was recorded category: Persona, Semi-personal or Generic group: Name of sound module group choice: customization for module (i.e. name, illness etc..) mod#: module number date: date module created (not shown in Figures 7A and 7B)

Although modules are recorded for a particular project, they may be reused on other projects. The sound module database is sorted to create the Q-mapping database. Sound modules are also provided for predetermined periods of silence, or music, or whatever else is needed in order to create a playlist to create the desired personalized audio media. Playlists show edited and converted sound modules, sorted in proper order. An example playlist is shown in Figure 6. The playlist file consists of the name of the individual for which the message is created, followed by the TLWs of the sound modules in the file. The playlist is assembled by selecting sound modules from a list displayed to the user by MPAM program 24, and arranging them in proper order. The program 24 displays a blank playlist on the right and the options for the selected module in the playlist on the left. There can be more than one playlist in a playlist file. The program 24 also verifies that the desired sound modules exist. The make playlist program 24 also preferably includes the capability to automatically generate the playlists. For this purpose, the program can receive information on a individual from a data source such as a database or read from a scanned-in form, or entered directly by a user. This information specifies the choices for each of the sound module types (i.e. Mod#'s) to be used in a playlist. Referencing these choices, the program 24 can automatically select the desired sound modules and arranges them in the proper order. After the playlist is complete the make tapes program 26 is used to automatically produce personalized tapes containing the personalized messages. For this purpose program 26 uses playlists files, prompts for user actions (inputting blank tapes, records at either 1:1 or 4:1 speeds, allows for tapes to be re-recorded, and monitors to be sure the required modules are present. It will record as many original tapes as there are records in the playlist file. The make tapes program 26 retrieves each sound module in the playlist, loads it in memory, from which it is retrieved by direct memory access to the AO Board, which in turn applies its output to the mixer 10, and then to the recording device 12, which is also under control of the make tapes program 26. The mixer 10 can receive more than one input from the AO Board, and mix them together. The make tapes program 26 applies the sound modules in sequence until the tape or other audio media is completed.

Referring now to Figures 8A, 8B and 8C, there is illustrated a flow chart of a summary of the method and system of the present invention. As represented by step 31, data can be received in several ways, for instance from a computer data base, individual questionnaires, through a modem and optical scanning. The data is then stored on the computer system.

Data is processed (step 32) so the information needed to produce individual personal audio products are categorized in special fields within the database. Information consists of names, phrases, numbers, dates, and any information that is known about the individual.

For example, Dave drives a 1987 Ford Escort, is 35 years old, likes to golf, has three kids named Jon, Bill and Mary Ann, and a wife named Carol, and lives in Burbank, California. Data is stored in a database (step 33), then sorted to see if new information has been recorded or needs to be recorded. Using an ASCII AND function, duplicates are removed and unrecorded information is flagged to be recorded.

As represented by step 34, information to be recorded, (example: hi dave) is referred to as "sound modules", Sound modules are then assigned an identification number that will be used in the Q-mapping file. Data is then entered the database (Figures 7A and 7B) in the specially designed fields that are used in step 32. Only the information is stored in the database, e.g. names, phrases, etc. Actual recorded sound modules are stored in a directory on a hard drive, or on other media such as CD-ROM At step 36, identification numbers are then checked for duplicates and removed when found. When data in the database (Figures 7A and 7B) is sorted by name, phrases, numbers, it is then exported to a new file called "Q-mapping" (Figure 4; step 37) where it is stored in pre-determined fields set up by the data base, which include identification numbers, name, and various personal information

At step 38, the 16 bit recorded sound modules are converted to 12 bit to remove unwanted bits. At step 39, the make playlists program 24 is launched. The directory location of the sound library (database) is identified for the program, along with the location of the q-mapping file. The program 24 then checks to see that the ormation in the database and the q-mapping file are compatible with each other (to see that the same numbers are in both files), for instance to see if there are sequence numbers that are in the Q- mapping file and not in the database. The quality control program does a cross reference check to determine that the sound library and the Q-mapping exchange files exist.

Desired sound modules are then selected (step 40) according to the script module information sheet (Figure 8). When desired modules are selected the total time of the individual playlist is calculated (step 42; see step 20 for further information.) If the desired sound modules cannot be found, a check at step 47 is performed to see if the Q-mapping file was located, and if yes, whether the sound module was converted to the 12-bit format. If not, the process returns to step 34. Playlists are then stored in a playlist file (step 42) to be used later by the make tapes program 26.

Production can now begin with the make tapes program 26 (step 43). The program is shown where the sound library is located (e.g. what disk or directory) and where the Q-mapping file is located, a 5 sec. silence file is located (for delay because of tape leader), and where the actual recorded sound modules are located. A quality control cross reference is performed to check the sound library and the Q-mapping exchange files exist in their proper locations. If a new sound module needs to be recorded, it is done at step

44. If it has been recorded as determined at step 45, the Q-mapping file is checked (step 46). A Q-mapping file must be made so the sequence number is always ascending, as for example shown in Figure 4.

At step 49, the program checks for playlists, which can be located in any folder or on any hard drive on the network. At step 50 a music file is selected, which can be located in any directory or on any hard drive on the system. A music file provides background or introductory music for a personalized message. At step 51, a check is performed to deteraiine if the music file is longer than the total time of the personal message, and if not, it is made longer at step 56.

At step 52, the speed of output is set at either 4:1 or 1:1. The recording device 12 is triggered on and off through a NOT gate. At step 53, spoken word and music are outputted through the AO board on the computer 8 and run to the line mixer 10 where the two tracks are mixed together and run to a pre-amp in on a recording device.

Thus, the present invention provides apparatus and method for automating the production of a personalized audio messages on a recording medium.

Although the invention has been described herein in its preferred form, those of skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and changes made be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

In the Claims:

1. A method for producing personalized audio messages, comprising:

(a) recording a plurality of sound modules, some of said sound modules containing a personal or a semi-personal message and some a generic message, said sound modules recorded using the same voice talent to have a consistent sound;

(b) digitizing and storing said sound modules in a digital format;

(c) processing said sound modules so that they match sonically with each other;

(d) selecting a playlist of said digitized sound modules wherein personal or semi-personal messages are arranged with generic messages; and

(e) automatically applying the digitized sound modules to an analog-to-digital converter in the order specified in a playlist to produce a personalized audio message.

2. A method according to claim 1 ftirther including the step of recording the personalized audio message on a recording medium.

3. A method for producing messages, comprising the steps of:

(a) recording a plurality of sound modules;

(b) storing said plurality of sound modules in a digital format;

(c) assembling a sequence of one or more sound modules from the plurality of sound modules; and

(d) converting the sequence of sound modules to an audio message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of (c) assembling a sequence further comprises the step of:

(e) processing said plurality of sound modules.

5. Apparatus for producing personalized audio messages, comprising:

(a) means for recording a plurality of sound modules, some of said sound modules containing a personal or a semi-personal message and some a generic message, said sound modules recorded using the same voice talent to have a consistent sound;

(b) means for digitizing and storing said sound modules in a digital format;

(c) means for processing said sound modules so that they match sonically with each other;

(d) means for selecting a playlist of said digitized sound modules wherein personal or semi-personal messages are arranged with generic messages; and

(e) means for automatically applying the digitized sound modules to an analog-to-digital converter in the order specified in a playlist to produce a personalized audio message.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 further including means for recording the personalized audio message on a recording medium.

7. Apparatus for producing audio messages, comprising:

(a) means for recording a plurality of sound modules;

(b) means for digitizing and storing said plurality of sound modules in a digital format;

(c) means for generating a playlist of one or more of the plurality of sound modules; and

(d) means for converting the playlist of one or more of the plurality of sound modules into an audio message.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising: means for processing said plurality of sound modules.

9. An audio message comprising a plurality of prerecorded sound modules.

10. An audio message according to claim 9 recorded on a recording medium.

11. An audio recording made according to the method of claim 3.

12. An audio recording made with the apparatus of claim 7.