Stem Remapping for Seamless Long-Sequence Music Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing music mixing technologies struggle to create seamless mixes of longer sequences of music tracks with varying tempo and character over time, limiting their applicability to specific portions of tracks.
Innovation Solution
An arrangement and method that utilize a stem remap unit to analyze and rearrange granules of incoming music tracks to match the characteristics of a base track, employing machine learning to find optimal mappings and render multiple versions dynamically, allowing for instantaneous switching between versions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If traditional music mixing methods are used to combine stems from different music tracks, then the mixing process is simple and fast, but the mixes are limited to specific portions of tracks and cannot handle longer sequences with varying tempo and character
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides music tracks into granules (small temporal segments) and further segments these granules into multiple versions with different characteristics. This segmentation allows the system to handle longer sequences by selecting and combining appropriate segments from different tracks, rather than attempting to mix entire tracks uniformly. The granule-level segmentation enables precise control over temporal variations in tempo and character.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects and rearranges granules based on matching characteristics between base and incoming tracks. Instead of a static mixing approach, the patent employs dynamic selection of granule versions and rearrangement to adapt to varying tempo and character throughout the track duration. This dynamic approach maintains mixing quality consistency across longer sequences by continuously adapting to local characteristics.
2Adaptability or versatility
If stems are separated and handled individually for flexible combinations, then the adaptability of mixing increases, but the complexity of the mixing process and system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis and segmentation of music tracks into granules and versions before the actual mixing process. Characteristic information is extracted and stored in advance, allowing the mixing system to operate more efficiently by selecting from pre-processed segments rather than analyzing and processing entire tracks in real-time. This preliminary action reduces the computational complexity during the mixing phase while maintaining high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by focusing on key parameters (tempo, character, musical structure) rather than all possible audio parameters. The stem remap unit rearranges granules based on matching these essential parameters, providing flexible adaptability without requiring complex processing of all audio dimensions. This selective parameter-based approach balances versatility with manageable system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the vocal stem of the first music track is adapted to match the tempo of the second music track, then the compatibility between tracks improves, but the method is only suitable for limited portions where tempo and character are consistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments tracks into granules and creates multiple versions of these granules with different characteristics. Instead of adapting entire tracks uniformly, the system divides the adaptation task into small granule-level segments, allowing compatibility to be achieved locally for each segment while maintaining the ability to handle longer overall sequences through selective combination of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different adaptation strategies to different local segments rather than using a uniform approach throughout. Each granule or segment can be selected and arranged based on its local characteristics, allowing the mix to maintain high compatibility in each local portion while extending to longer durations through the combination of multiple locally-optimized segments.
4Ease of operation
If multiple versions of a mix are created and stored, then the ability to switch between versions instantly improves, but the storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores multiple versions at the granule level rather than creating complete separate mixes. Each granule can have multiple versions representing different temporal mappings or characteristic variations. This segmentation allows the system to provide instant version switching capability while reducing storage requirements, as only the essential variant information for each granule needs to be stored rather than complete duplicate mixes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates lightweight copies or representations of track segments rather than full duplicate mixes. The stem remap unit works with mapped versions of granules that reference the original audio data with transformation parameters, rather than storing complete independent copies of entire tracks. This copying approach enables version switching while minimizing storage overhead.
Data Source
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AI summary
Music tracks and stems of music tracks may be mixed together by rearranging the order of segments of at least one music track based on a mapping so that their structure over time will match the structure of at least one other music track. A central database may provide the tracks, stems and analysis data to enable the mapping and rearranging.