Audio Coding Using Overlap and Kernel Adaptation

Abstract

Perceptual audio coding schemes typically apply the modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) with different lengths and windows, and utilize signal-adaptive switching between these on a perframe basis for best subjective performance. In previous papers, the authors demonstrated that further quality gains can be achieved for some input signals using additional transform kernels such as the modified discrete sine transform (MDST) or greater inter-transform overlap by means of a modified extended lapped transform (MELT). This work discusses the algorithmic procedures and codec modifications necessary to combine all of the above features—transform length, window shape, transform kernel, and overlap ratio switching—into a flexible input-adaptive coding system. It is shown that, due to full time-domain aliasing cancelation, this system supports perfect signal reconstruction in the absence of quantization and, thanks to fast realizations of all transforms, increases the codec complexity only negligibly. The results of a 5.1 multichannel listening test are also reported.