AudioLabs - Applications and Demos

Applications and Demos

A Real-Time Beat Tracking System with Zero Latency and Enhanced Controllability (TISMIR 2024)

Peter Meier, Ching-Yu Chiu, Meinard Müller

This Accompanying Website is related to the following publication:

Peter Meier, Ching-Yu Chiu, and Meinard Müller
A Real-Time Beat Tracking System with Zero Latency and Enhanced Controllability
Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval (TISMIR), 2024. Demo DOI

@article{MeierCM24_RealTimePLP_TISMIR,
author    = {Peter Meier and Ching-Yu Chiu and Meinard M{\"u}ller},
title     = {{A} Real-Time Beat Tracking System with Zero Latency and Enhanced Controllability},
journal   = {Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval ({TISMIR})},
year      = {2024},
doi       = {10.5334/tismir.189},
url-demo  = {https://audiolabs-erlangen.de/resources/MIR/2024-TISMIR-RealTimePLP}
}

Abstract

Identifying beat positions in music recordings, a central task in Music Information Retrieval (MIR), is commonly referred to as beat tracking. Typically, this involves computing an activation function to reveal beat information and then conducting post-processing to derive final beat positions. Existing methods often operate offline, requiring access to the entire music track for processing. In this article, we introduce a real-time beat tracking system based on the predominant local pulse (PLP) concept, originally designed for offline use. Our main contribution is the successful transformation of the PLP-based algorithm into a real-time procedure. Unlike traditional offline methods providing static beat positions, our real-time approach dynamically captures changes in local pulse characteristics with each frame of an audio stream. This yields additional insights, including beat context, beat stability, and beat lookahead for predicting beats in advance. In this way, our system not only demonstrates high controllability for real-time applications but also can operate at zero latency. Additionally, we present experiments comparing our real-time beat tracking system with other models and evaluating the accuracy of our lookahead feature. Finally, we showcase two real-world applications for interactive music making and educational music gaming that creatively leverage our system's output. In summary, our real-time beat tracking system offers a lightweight algorithm that is particularly well-suited for interactive music software development.

A Real-Time Approach for Estimating Pulse Tracking Parameters for Beat-Synchronous Audio Effects (DAFx 2024)

Peter Meier, Simon Schwär, Meinard Müller

This Accompanying Website is related to the following publication:

Peter Meier, Simon Schwär, and Meinard Müller
A Real-Time Approach for Estimating Pulse Tracking Parameters for Beat-Synchronous Audio Effects
In Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx), 2024. Demo

@inproceedings{MeierSM24_RealTimePulseParameters_DAFX,
title       = {{A} Real-Time Approach for Estimating Pulse Tracking Parameters for Beat-Synchronous Audio Effects},
author      = {Peter Meier and Simon Schw{\"a}r and Meinard M{\"u}ller},
booktitle   = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects ({DAFx})},
year        = {2024},
address     = {Guildford, Surrey, UK},
url-demo    = {https://audiolabs-erlangen.de/resources/MIR/2024-DAFx-RealTimePLP}
}

Abstract

Predominant Local Pulse (PLP) estimation, an established method for extracting beat positions and other periodic pulse information from audio signals, has recently been extended with an online variant tailored for real-time applications. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to generating various real-time control signals from the original online PLP output. While the PLP activation function encodes both predominant pulse information and pulse stability, we propose several normalization procedures to discern local pulse oscillation from stability, utilizing the PLP activation envelope. Through this, we generate pulse-synchronous Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) and supplementary confidence-based control signals, enabling dynamic control over audio effect parameters in real-time. Additionally, our approach enables beat position prediction, providing a look-ahead capability, for example, to compensate for system latency. To showcase the effectiveness of our control signals, we introduce an audio plugin prototype designed for integration within a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), facilitating real-time applications of beat-synchronous effects during live mixing and performances. Moreover, this plugin serves as an educational tool, providing insights into PLP principles and the tempo structure of analyzed music signals.

Audio Examples for Real-Time PLP Control Signals

This Demo Website is related to the following publication:

@inproceedings{MeierSM24_RealTimePulseParameters_DAFX,
title       = {{A} Real-Time Approach for Estimating Pulse Tracking Parameters for Beat-Synchronous Audio Effects},
author      = {Peter Meier and Simon Schw{\"a}r and Meinard M{\"u}ller},
booktitle   = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects ({DAFx})},
year        = {2024},
address     = {Guildford, Surrey, UK},
url-demo    = {https://audiolabs-erlangen.de/resources/MIR/2024-DAFx-RealTimePLP}
}

In this example, we use a real-time PLP system to modulate the cutoff frequency of a low-pass filter, automatically shaping the sound of instruments such as bass or piano in a rhythmically interesting way. In another example, we utilize our system to modulate the position of a wavetable synthesizer in real-time.

Automated Real-Time Beat Tracking: Response Time and Confidence Analysis (Bachelor Thesis)

This Demo Website is related to the following Bachelor Thesis:

Rico Rosenbusch
Automated Real-Time Beat Tracking: Response Time and Confidence Analysis
Bachelor Thesis, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 2024. Demo

@misc{Rosenbusch24_ARTBeaT_Bachelor_Thesis,
title       = {Automated Real-Time Beat Tracking: Response Time and Confidence Analysis},
author      = {Rico Rosenbusch},
year        = {2024},
note        = {Bachelor Thesis, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)},
url-demo    = {https://audiolabs-erlangen.de/resources/MIR/2024-ARTBeaT}
}

Real-Time Beat Tracking for Creative Music Production (Bachelor Thesis)