The invention includes a system for classifying sounds using a microphone, microphone array and/or a camera. The system can classify sounds and respective levels at different zones in an area such as a room, hall or vehicle passenger compartment. The system can use Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to reduce unwanted sound and Automatic Loudness Control (ALC) to adjust levels of audio output such as music. The system can maintain a loudness ratio in each zone to create an optimal environment for music listening and/or conversation. The system can also be used to optimize the sound levels of broadcasted messages such as service announcements and advertisements.

Example techniques relate to voice interaction in an environment with a media playback system that is playing back audio content. In an example implementation, while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness: a playback device (a) detects that an event is anticipated in the given environment, the event involving playback of second audio and (b) determines a loudness of background noise in the given environment, the background noise comprising ambient noise in the given environment. The playback device ducks the first audio in proportion to a difference between the given loudness of the first audio and the determined loudness of the background noise and plays back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio.

A method for allowing at least one passenger, wearing a personal listening device broadcasting an audio signal, to hear an oral message uttered by an authorized person in a transport vehicle, the method including detecting, recording and encoding said oral message as a voice signal, configuring a payload signal to noise ratio in the perceived audio signal, in which the payload signal consists of the oral message and in which the noise consists of the audio signal and stray noise, at a value greater than a predetermined threshold, and broadcasting the voice signal on a wireless communication network, to a mobile terminal connected to the personal listening device or directly to the personal listening device in order to broadcast it to the at least one passenger.

An audio processing circuit may have a first path for processing multi-bit audio signals in parallel with a second path for processing single-bit audio signals. The parallel paths may share a common input node for receiving audio data and a common output node for reproducing audio at a transducer. Each path may have a volume control for adjusting an output of the path. The audio processing circuit may determine a type of an audio signal received at the input. The path not corresponding to the detected type of the audio signal is muted, and the path corresponding to the detected type of audio signal is unmuted.

A circuit for sound activity detection includes a transducer adapted to generate an electrical signal based on detected sound; a variable gain amplifier adapted to amplify the electrical signal to generate an amplified electrical signal; a comparator adapted to compare the amplified electrical signal with at least one first threshold level to generate a comparison signal indicating comparator events; and a control circuit adapted to generate, based on the comparison signal, a gain control signal for controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier, and a sound activity alert signal indicating the detection of sound activity.

An apparatus is configured to rest on a wearer's neck or shoulders, and has a first microphone positioned at a first position located on the right side of the wearer, when the apparatus is worn, and a second microphone positioned at a second position located on the left side of the wearer. A processor receives audio signals output by the first and second microphones, and compares the audio signals from the first microphone to the audio signals from the second microphone. Based on the comparison, the processor determines whether the wearer's head is rotated to the right, left, or center, during an instance of the user speaking. Based on the determination, the processor selects a first one of at least two audio signal destinations, and provides the audio signal from at least one of the microphones to the first selected audio signal destination.

A system comprising audio processing circuitry is provided. The audio processing circuitry is operable to receive audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to process the audio signals to detect strength of a chat component of the audio signals and strength of a game component of the audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to automatically control a volume setting based on one or both of: the detected strength of the chat component, and the detected strength of the game component. The combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise a left channel signal and a right channel signal. The processing of the combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise measuring strength of a vocal-band signal component that is common to the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

A system comprising audio processing circuitry is provided. The audio processing circuitry is operable to receive audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to process the audio signals to detect strength of a chat component of the audio signals and strength of a game component of the audio signals. The audio processing circuitry is operable to automatically control a volume setting based on one or both of: the detected strength of the chat component, and the detected strength of the game component. The combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise a left channel signal and a right channel signal. The processing of the combined-game-and-chat audio signals may comprise measuring strength of a vocal-band signal component that is common to the left channel signal and the right channel signal.

An audio-mixing processing method, an audio-mixing processing apparatus, a device, and a storage medium are provided. The method includes: extracting a signal sm(n) of a frame in a signal of a first channel and a signal vm(n) of a frame in a signal of a second channel, where the signal vm(n) corresponds to the signal sm(n), the signal of the second channel is required to be mixed with the signal of the first channel, and n represents the number of sample points; weighting the signal sm(n) and the signal vm (n), and adding the weighted signal sm(n) and the weighted signal vm(n) to acquire a mixed signal ym(n); and calculating a variable attenuation factor based on a maximum value ymax of a sequence of the mixed signal ym(n), and attenuating the mixed signal ym(n) by using the variable attenuation factor to generate an output signal Zm(n).

A headphone listening device may include at least one speaker included in an earpiece and configured to playback first audio content from a first audio source. The headphone device may include at least one sensor configured to detect a trigger event and a controller. The controller may be configured to, in response to receiving the trigger event from the sensor, enable at least one microphone to acquire second audio content, fade a volume of the first audio content, and playback the second audio content.