Patent ID: 7864963

Claim:
An effect imparting apparatus which inputs thereto multi-channel audio signals arranged to achieve original two-dimensional sound image localization according to a surround mode and then imparts the multi-channel audio signals with an effect to vary the original two-dimensional sound image localization, wherein the channels of said multi-channel audio signals are configured for playback at speakers that are positioned at uneven angles around a virtual listener placed in a reference position defined by the surround sound mode in accordance with said surround mode of the multi-channel audio signals, said effect imparting apparatus comprising: an angle control information generation section that generates angle control information designating an angle of deviation from said original two-dimensional sound image localization; an angle information generation section that generates, on the basis of the angle control information generated by said angle control information generation section and a predetermined localization angle of each of the channels of the multi-channel audio signals according to said surround mode, angle information for each of the channels of the multi-channel audio signals, wherein each predetermined localization angle is based on the angular position with respect to the virtual listener of a speaker associated with a respective channel; a coefficient generation section that obtains, on the basis of the angle information of each of the channels generated by said angle information generation section, coefficients for individual ones of a plurality of output channels for each of said channels; a multiplication section that distributes the audio signal of each channel, included in the inputted multi-channel audio signals, to individual ones of said plurality of output channels and multiplies each of the distributed audio signals by corresponding one of said coefficients obtained by said coefficient generation section; and an addition section that is provided in corresponding relation to the output channels and sums up the audio signals, distributed to the individual output channels and multiplied by the corresponding coefficients, separately for each of the output channels, whereby the summed-up audio signals of the output channels are output as multi-channel audio signals having controlled sound image localization with the original two-dimensional sound image localization displaced through the angle designated by the angle control information.