Abstract:
Systems and methods for the automatic scoring of a vocal performance are provided. The systems and methods for providing feedback and scoring a vocal performance generally relate to receiving/processing a user&#39;s vocals, measuring the various performance qualities of the performance according stored evaluation policies and rendering a score according to stored scoring policies.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/284,555, filed Dec. 22, 2009, which is incorporated in this document by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to a vocal performance evaluation application capable of providing qualitative performance feedback, performance metrics, and scores for any type of vocal performance and more particularly to an automated system and method of evaluating and scoring vocal performances for the purposes of competition, game playing, and improvement of vocal performances. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Vocal musical performance (Rap) is a popular form of music expressed in many styles some of which emphasize spoken rhymes in a rhythmic fashion without instrumental sound (A cappella) or with instrumental or other musical accompaniment (Background Music). Some varieties of Rap are comprised of lyrics, rhymes, and sometimes orally generated sounds composed ad hoc and extemporaneously. Some varieties of Background Music consist of one or more musical instruments and/or other voices. The person who performs these rhymes is known as a Rapper. A good Rapper can perform lyrically creative rhymes in cadence and with a variety of other qualities and characteristics. This Rap is known as a Rapper&#39;s “Flow”. A good Rap Flow will compliment and add a melodic enhancement to Background Music much like the addition of an instrument. 
         [0004]    Traditional singing is judged on the range in pitch and tune. A Rapper&#39;s Flow may be judged on the rhythmic delivery of words and syllables, content of lyrics, rhymed patterns and phrases, and vocal presence. When Rappers compete against each other it is called a Rap Battle. In a Rap Battle, Rappers are typically judged by a group of their peers on how good they can Flow. 
         [0005]    The popularity of music-based video game applications has increased in recent years due to the introduction of various computer based devices and operating systems capable of running game applications such as XBOX™ (Microsoft® Corp.), PLAYSTATION™ (Sony Entertainment Corp.) and smart mobile devices such as the iPad™, iTouch™, and iPhone™ (Apple Inc). 
         [0006]    These computer based devices can host a variety of interactive games, including rhythm-based games such as Guitar Hero™ (Activision Publishing, Inc), pattern-based games such as Tap Tap Revenge (Developed by TAPULOUS, INC) and karaoke-based games such as SingSong (Developed by MobilMeme, Inc.). These games apply a variety of known voice processing methods and systems that can detect whether a user&#39;s vocal sequence is in pitch and tune with a stored vocal pattern or if the input response of a user is on time with a stored musical composition. 
         [0007]    There are also pre-existing methods that have been employed to provide content and speech recognition in various computer based applications. These methods search and compare user inputted sounds and syllables to find a match from a stored database of words. 
         [0008]    These systems and methods require previously stored songs, musical compositions, or lyrics in order to evaluate and score how well a user is able to sing a specific song, measure a user&#39;s response time to a specific pattern, and match a particular vocal signal to the stored word. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The purpose of the present invention is to evaluate vocal performances (Raps) through the use of one or more performance analytic methods against a set of criteria and without comparison to any previously stored musical score, lyrics, sounds, or recordings, to produce a resultant score(s) that may be used to compare one performance against others of the same or different performers; it provides a method that applies policy driven methods to analyze and render performance score(s). 
         [0010]    According to this invention, by capturing and processing user inputted voice signals and optional Background Music, the invention provides feedback and calculates a score. The time signatures in the captured vocal pattern are compared to the time signatures of the beat in the background music composition. The closer in timing, the higher the score. The further the timing, the lower the score. In addition, by using voice recognition techniques, words can be identified and subject matter can be evaluated and determined to be consistent. Using this same technique, the number of rhymed words/phrases can also be counted. The more consistent the subject matter is and the more rhymed words/phrases are found, the higher the score. Finally, the users Vocal Presence can be evaluated and scored based on the consistency in volume. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for implementing the methods and systems for providing feedback and scoring on a user&#39;s Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of an exemplary system for implementing the methods and systems for providing feedback and scoring on a user&#39;s Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for implementing the methods and systems for providing feedback and scoring on a user&#39;s Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence over a communication network. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an exemplary system for implementing the methods and for providing feedback and scoring on a user&#39;s Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence over a communication network. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram in further detail of an exemplary system for providing feedback and scoring on a user&#39;s Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is block diagram of a computer based device as illustrated in the diagrams in this embodiment. This block diagram covers the principal components of a computer based device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of an embodiment of a standalone system for implementing the methods and systems for providing feedback on a user&#39;s  100  Rap based on the evaluation criteria specified by one or more Evaluation Policies. Such Evaluation Policies may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of the Rapper&#39;s lyrics, the rhythmic delivery of the words and syllables, the rhyme patterns, and vocal presence. The user  100  may use a computer based device  106  such as a smart mobile phone, video game console or personal computer. The user  100  transmits voice signals  102  by way of a Rap over an optional underlying music pattern  104  from an optional music source  106  that are simultaneously received and processed with the user  100  voice signals  102 . Once the voice signal  102  is processed an Evaluation Policy  105  is invoked which specifies a set of evaluation methods and criteria that are used to evaluate the Rap and may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the content of lyrics  110 , rhythmic delivery  112 , rhyme pattern  114 , and vocal presence  116 . Once the evaluation is complete, a Scoring Policy  107  is invoked which specifies a set of scoring methods and criteria that are used to process the results of the evaluation in a manner that renders a score(s). The system uses such scores to provide users with positive and negative feedback  100  as well as a method of comparing one or more user&#39;s scores against one another. Such comparisons are useful for determining the winners of Rap games or competitions. 
         [0018]    The computer based device  106  could connect through a communication network although it is not required. In this embodiment all measurements are received and processed locally by the computer based device  106 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of the embodiment of a standalone system and method for scoring a Rap as illustrated in ( FIG. 1 ). The User&#39;s  200  voice signals  102  are delivered to a computer based device  202  in the form of a Rap. During the process of voice signal  102  transmission from the user  200  to the computer based device  202 , Background Music  104  is concurrently but optionally played to provide the user  200  with a music pattern  104  to optionally accompany the Rap. When the Rap is delivered to the computer based device  202  the vocals are can be processed  204  and an Evaluation Policy  205  may be invoked which specifies a set of evaluation methods and criteria that are used to evaluate the Rap. Once the evaluation is complete, a Scoring Policy  207  may be invoked which specifies a set of scoring methods and criteria that are used to process the results of the evaluation in a manner that renders a score(s). 
         [0020]    When the computer based device  202  processes the vocals they are then measured according to the Evaluation Policy  205  and may include but are not limited to the evaluation of the vocals based on the content of lyrics  208 , rhythmic delivery  210 , rhyme pattern  212 , and vocal presence  214 . Once the evaluation is complete, a Scoring Policy  207  may be invoked which specifies a set of scoring methods and criteria that are used to process the results of the evaluation in a manner that renders a score(s). The system may use such scores to provide users with positive and negative feedback  216  as well as a method of comparing one or more user&#39;s scores against one another. Such comparisons are useful for determining the winners of Rap games or competitions. 
         [0021]    The evaluation methods specified by the Evaluation Policy may include but are not limited to the measurement of the content of lyrics  208 . When the voice signals  102  are captured, the content of lyrics  208  are then analyzed to find recognizable words and to determine if those words are literally consistent. If the recognized words are not literally consistent, the user  200  may be provided feedback and a score as specified by the Scoring Policy  207 . If the words are not literally consistent, the user  200  may be provided feedback and a score as specified by the Scoring Policy  207 . For example, in some embodiments, the word “Poor” may be displayed to the user if the words are not consistent. If the words are literally consistent, the user  200  may be provided feedback and a score as specified by the Scoring Policy  207 . For example, in some embodiments, the word “Excellent” may be displayed to the user  200  if the words are consistent.” 
         [0022]    One method for evaluation specified by the Evaluation Policy may be the evaluation of the rhythmic delivery  210  in the embodiment of this invention comprises capturing a user&#39;s  200  voice signal  102  as they are Rapping to Background Music  104 . When the voice signals  102  are captured they are analyzed by the computer based device  102  to determine a voice pattern. The voice pattern is then processed according to an Evaluation Policy which may require the determination of the time signature of the performed Rap. This time signature may optionally be compared to the time signature of the Background Music  104 . The Scoring Policy may make use of the alignment or lack of alignment of the time signature as a portion of the user&#39;s score. 
         [0023]    As an example, a method for scoring the rhyme pattern  212  in a Rappers flow as illustrated in this embodiment comprises of capturing a user&#39;s  200  voice signal  102  as they are Rapping to Background Music  104  from a computer based device  106 . When the voice signal  102  is captured it can then be analyzed according to the Evaluation Policy to find recognizable words that rhyme and the Scoring Policy determines the score result in part by the evaluation of the rhyme pattern. 
         [0024]    An example of a method for scoring the vocal presence  214  in a Rapper&#39;s flow as illustrated in this embodiment comprises of capturing a user&#39;s  200  voice signal  102  as they are Rapping to an optional Background Music  104  from a computer based device  106 . When the voice signal  102  is captured it is analyzed to determine a voice pattern. According to an Evaluation Policy the dB may then be measured in each bar of the voice pattern. The Scoring Policy then determines that the more dB variance between each bar, the more negative the feedback and the lower the score. The less dB variance between each bar, the more positive the feedback and the higher the score. 
         [0025]    The calculation of the score  216  according to the Scoring Policy will determine the next level of interaction. In some cases, the Scoring Policy could require a user  200  with negative score that results in failure to start over  218 . If the score is positive thus resulting in success, the user  200  could then advance to the next level  220 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an embodiment of a system and method for scoring a Rap over a communication network. The primary user&#39;s  300  voice signals  302  are delivered to a computer based device  306  in the form of a Rap. During the process of voice signal  302  transmission from the primary user  300  to the computer based device  306  an optional Background Music  304  is being played concurrently to provide the primary user  300  with a music pattern  304  to perform the Rap against. When the Rap is delivered to the computer based device  306  the vocals are then processed and transmitted over a communication network  308  to a computer based device  314  on the receiving end of the data transmission stream. 
         [0027]    This embodiment also illustrates the system and method for scoring a Rap when multiple users compete against each other over a communication network. When this occurs the process may be the same. The additional user&#39;s  312  voice signals  302  are delivered to a computer based device  310  in the form of a Rap. During the process of voice signal  302  transmission from the additional user  312  to the computer based device  310  an optional Background Music  304  is being played concurrently to provide the additional user  312  with a music pattern  304  to perform the Rap against. When the Rap flow is delivered to the computer based device  310  the vocals can then be processed and transmitted over a communication network  308  to a computer based device  314  on the receiving end of the data transmission stream. 
         [0028]    Once the data is received by the backend server  314  or back end communication device  314  it can be processed and scored based on the Evaluation Policies and Scoring Policies. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a system and method for scoring a Rap over a communication network as illustrated in ( FIG. 3 ). The primary user&#39;s  400  voice signals  302  are delivered to a computer based device  402  in the form of a Rap. During the process of voice signal transmission from the primary user  400  to the computer based device  402  an optional Background Music  304  can be played concurrently to provide the user with a music pattern  304  to perform the Rap against. When the Rap is delivered to the computer based device  402  the vocals can then be processed and transmitted over a communication network  412  to a computer based device  414  on the receiving end of the data transmission stream. 
         [0030]    This embodiment also illustrates the system and method for scoring a Rap when multiple users compete against each other over a communication network. When this occurs the process may be the same. The additional user&#39;s  406  voice signals  302  are delivered to a computer based device  402  in the form of a Rap. During the process of voice signal  302  transmission from the additional user  406  to the computer based device  408  an underlying musical pattern  304  may be played concurrently to provide the additional user  406  with a music pattern  304  to perform the Rap against. When the Rap is delivered to the computer based device  408  the vocals may then be processed and transmitted over a communication network  412  to a computer based device  414  on the receiving end of the data transmission stream. 
         [0031]    Once the data is received by the backend server  414  or back end communication device  414  it may be processed and scored. The calculation of the score  424  will determine the next level of interaction for both users. Once the scoring is complete either positive or negative feedback may be provided to the primary user  400  and the additional user  406 . Both participants next level of play is determined by the scoring results of this process. If the score is negative thus resulting in failure of either user, the Scoring Policy may require the failing user to start over  426 . If the score is positive thus resulting is success for either user, the Scoring Policy may require the winning user to advance to the next level  428 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of one possible embodiment of this invention where a Rap&#39;s  500  vocal presence  502 , rhyme pattern  504 , rhythmic delivery  506 , and lyrical content  508  are evaluated to determine a score  510 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 6  is a basic block diagram of an embodiment of a computer-based device capable of providing feedback to a user and scoring their Rap. For purposes of clarity, and not by way of limitation, the main components of a computer-based device capable of this invention are a CPU  602 , memory  600 , storage  608 , input devices  604 , output devices  606 , and communication channels that connect them. A computer-based device could be a personal computer, game console, handheld computer, smart mobile phone, or any other suitable type of device.