Universal Music has developed a technology that can create and add Double Beats to existing audio tracks

Universal Music Group has been at the forefront of the convergence of the music and lifestyle industries for the past few years.

In 2021, UMG began a $34 million partnership with MedRhythms to use its music to treat nerve damage.

In 2022, Universal became the exclusive partner to launch an AI-driven music app called Vera that provided access to the UMG music catalog for people with dementia.

In September of last year, the company announced a “music-centric” health app called Sollos, which, according to UMG, uses “psychological science and sound technology to support focus, relaxation and sleep.”

And in 2023, Universal teamed up with AI audio optimization startup Endel to create what they call “AI-powered, artist-driven music” (eg music for sleep, jogging, relaxation etc).

And now, MBW has received the latest patent application from Universal that describes a technology that could have a major impact on the wellness area.

The filing, titled, ‘Generates coherent, synchronized emotional beats from digital audio files‘ describes what UMG calls “new and innovative systems and methods for generating and adding neural beats to existing audio tracks”.

As described by Universal in the app, the neural beats, played at certain frequencies, may “include any sound rhythm designed to produce or induce a desired state of mind in the user”.

Those “desired states of mind” may include “introduction of emotions, improved concentration, calm state of mind, relaxation, or any other desired state of mind”.

Entrainment occurs when your brain waves synchronize to a repetitive pattern, for example the rhythm of music, which research shows can help improve your focus, memory and creativity and reduce stress.

Universal notes that neural beats may include monaural or binaural beats that “combine the lower beat frequency with the carrier frequency”.

According to the patent filing, the ‘beat frequency’ “can be chosen based on the desired state of mind (eg, where different frequencies induce different types of states of mind in individuals)” and “the beat frequency may be a lower frequency than that of humans. can detect and/or be in the lower range of human hearing”.

The request appears to have been sent by Universal International Music BV in many markets, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. The application is pending in all three markets and the filing details were just published in Australia in April.

The inventor of Universal’s neural beats technology is Elio Quintonaccording to LinkedIn, who is VP of Artificial Intelligence at Universal Music Group.

Quinton’s bio on GitHub states that he founded and led the Universal Audio Machine Learning Lab (MAML), said to be the first Machine Learning group in the recording industry.

According to the patent application, the technology works by analyzing “voice characteristics of a digital audio file over time.”

This information can then be used to select a “carrier frequency” so that a neural rhythm can be added to the audio file.

The filing explains: “For example, prominent pitch classes may be extracted from chromagram features at various time stamps within a digital audio file and prominent pitch classes may be used to select neural rhythm carrier frequencies at various time stamps”.

Universal’s patent application, which you can read in full here, further explains that neural rhythms can be “combined based on beat frequency and selected carrier frequencies and stored for later use”.

It adds that “in some cases, a composite audio track may be created that combines a digital audio file with a neural rhythm” and “in some cases, a neural rhythm may be stored in conjunction with the digital audio file”.

The filing continues: “Furthermore, in certain cases, the neural rhythm and/or integrated audio track may be generated in real time as the user’s device streams the digital audio file, such as the server where the digital audio file is streamed or by the user’s device that receives the streamed digital audio file.

“The neural beat may be played alongside a digital audio file (eg, as separate audio files played simultaneously and/or as a single audio file) by the user’s device.”

The patent explains that “the positions of rhythmic bits within a digital audio file can be estimated using a machine learning model, such as a pre-trained network configured to detect rhythmic bits within audio files”.

At the core of Universal’s invention is a way to generate and add neural beats to existing music.

By doing so, Universal says users of the technology “can listen to their favorite tracks or genres of music while enjoying the benefits of sensory input, relaxation, and/or improved focus provided by neural beats”.

Could that mean that Universal plans to add binaural or monaural beats to popular music (eg from the likes of Billie Eilish or the Weeknd) for health purposes? If that is the plan, it would be a game-changing development in this space.

Most of the binaural beats playlists available on Spotify right now seem to be full of active (and often catchy) tracks specially produced for relaxation, concentration or sleep, etc.

According to Universal’s filing: “Not all users enjoy listening to audio tracks that contain only neural rhythms, and may find them boring or distracting, limiting the effects of neural entrainment.

“Furthermore, the limited availability of existing audio tracks that include embedded monaural beats may not appeal to all users. Some systems may automatically generate music that includes monaural beats to prevent users from listening to the same track multiple times.”

“There is a need to automatically add neural beats to existing audio tracks so that users can listen to their favorite tracks or genres while experiencing the benefits of hypnosis, relaxation, and/or improved focus that neural beats provide.”

Universal Music copyright application

The filing adds: “However, such systems still cannot accommodate the possibility that the user may want to listen to a specific track or genre that has not previously been associated with neural rhythms.

“Therefore, there is a need to automatically add neural beats to existing audio tracks such that users can listen to their favorite tracks or genres of music while experiencing the benefits of hypnosis, relaxation, and/or improved focus that neural beats provide.”

The final thought about this patent application is that this technology could be used in “UMG’s music-focused application” Sollos, which the company said in September “uses cognitive science and proprietary sound technology to support concentration, relaxation and sleep”.

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