Lerch (audio content analysis, Technical U. of Berlin) designs technology for audio signal processing for the music software business and for audio content distributors. Audio content analysis, he explains, extracts musical and perceptual properties directly from audio signals on the Internet or in databases; knowledge of those properties can be used to improve the interaction of humans or machines with digital audio signals and enable new ways of assessing, processing, and visualizing music. He focuses on music, though the field considers speech recognition and other areas as well. Among his topics are fundamentals, instantaneous features, tonal and temporal analysis, alignment, and music performance analysis. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)