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 speech processing apparatus applied in a communication device having a mechanical defect is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) unit, a multiplier and a processor. The AEC unit cancels an echo in a first audio signal from a microphone using a known AEC algorithm to generate a second audio signal. The multiplier multiplies corresponding M frames of a downlink audio signal by a gain to provide a gained downlink signal for a speaker. The processor performs operations comprising: muting an uplink audio signal when a first power level for M frames of a first input signal is less than a first threshold value; and, reducing the gain when the first power level and a second power level for M frames of a second input signal are respectively greater than the first threshold value and a second threshold value.

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.

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.

Examples disclosed herein relate to controlling volume on an immersive display device. One example provides a near-eye display device comprising a sensor subsystem, a logic subsystem, and a storage subsystem storing instructions executable by the logic subsystem to receive image sensor data from the sensor subsystem, present content comprising a visual component and an auditory component, while presenting the content, detect via the image sensor data that speech is likely being directed at a wearer of the near-eye display device, and in response to detecting that speech is likely being directed at the wearer, attenuate an aspect of the auditory component.

A mobile device and a method for operating the same are provided. The mobile device includes a sound detection unit, a signal processing unit, a sound mixing unit and a speaker. The sound detection unit detects an environment sound around the mobile device and converts the environment sound to an external sound signal. The signal processing unit analyzes the external sound signal and determines whether to enable a sound mixed mode according to an analyzed result. In the sound mixed mode, the sound mixing unit mixes a music signal with the external sound signal to generate a sound mixed signal, and the mobile device plays the sound mixed signal through the speaker.

An apparatus comprising means for: capturing an audio scene using multiple microphones; determining that the captured audio scene has unacceptable detected noise; in dependence upon determining that the captured audio scene has unacceptable detected noise, searching both different sets of one or more microphones and different physical rotation angles of the microphones to find a combination of a first set of one or more microphones and a first physical rotation angle of the microphones that captures the audio scene with acceptable detected noise; and controlling the physical rotation angle of the microphones to be the first physical rotation angle of the microphones and capturing the audio scene using the combination of the first set of one or more microphones and the first physical rotation angle of the microphones.

A multiband ducker is configured to duck a specific range of frequencies within a music signal in proportion to a corresponding range of frequencies within a speech signal, and then combine the ducked music signal with the speech signal for output to a user. In doing so, the multiband ducker separates the music signal into different frequency ranges, which may include low, middle, and high-range frequencies. The multiband ducker then reduces the amplitude of the specific range of frequencies found in the speech signal, typically the mid-range frequencies. When the ducked music signal and the speech signal are combined, the resultant signal includes important frequencies of the original music signal, including low-range and high-range, thereby allowing perception of the music signal to continue in relatively uninterrupted fashion. Additionally, the combined signal also includes the speech signal, allowing for the perception of intelligible speech concordant with the perception of music.

Techniques for automatically muting or unmuting an acoustic transducer include receiving a signal representing an output by a voice accelerometer of a device, determining whether the signal is indicative of a presence or absence of voice activity by a user of the device, and generating a control signal that causes an acoustic transducer to be muted responsive to determining that the signal is indicative of an absence of voice activity by the user, or that causes the acoustic transducer to be unmuted response to determining that the signal is indicative of a presence of voice activity by the user.

An audio system and method for modifying an audio playback including configuring an audio playback device, the audio playback device comprising a plurality of far-field audio inputs; generating the audio playback via the audio playback device; receiving, via at least one far-field audio input of the plurality of far-field audio inputs, a content-agnostic audio input from a first position within an environment; and, modifying the audio playback in response to the content-agnostic audio input.