Patent ID: 8781820

Claim:
An audio communications device, comprising: an uplink or downlink audio processor, the audio processor having a multi band compressor to receive an input uplink or downlink audio signal, the multi-band compressor having a band splitter that is to split the input audio signal into a plurality of different band signals, wherein the plurality of different band signals comprises at least a low band signal and a high band signal; and a plurality of compressor blocks each to receive a respective one of the band signals as input and having a nonlinear frequency response; wherein each of the compressor blocks specify a plurality of non-overlapping power ranges, which are programmable, that comprises the following: a first power range, which encompasses a power level of a first temporal segment of the input band signal, across which the compressor block strongly reduces gain applied to the input band signal during the first temporal segment; a second power range, which encompasses a power level of a second temporal segment of the input band signal, across which the compressor block increases gain applied to the band signal during the second temporal segment; and a third power range, which encompasses a power level of a third temporal segment of the input band signal, across which the compressor block weakly reduces gain applied to the band signal during the third temporal segment; wherein power ranges specified by a compressor block that receives the high band signal differ from the power ranges specified by a compressor block that receives the low band signal.