AUDIO ENCODER

摘要

An audio encoder for decoding only a mixed signal and specifically creating auxiliary information necessary to separate the mixed signal. The audio encoder (10) for compression-encoding an N-channel (N>1) audio signal comprises a mixed signal encoding unit (11) for encoding a mixed signal generated by mixing audio signals and an auxiliary information creating unit (12a) for creating auxiliary information necessary to decode the mixed signal coded by the mixed signal encoding section (11) into an N-channel audio signal. The auxiliary information creating unit (12a) has converting sections (121, 122) for converting audio signals into signals of frequency ranges, a detecting section (123) for detecting phase difference information representing the degree of difference between the signals of frequency ranges and gain ratio information, and a quantizing section (125) for quantizing the phase difference information and gain ratio information detected by the detecting section (123) for each corresponding frequency band by using a quantization accuracy setting table (124). The quantization accuracy setting table (124) also functions as dividing means for dividing the frequency band of the signals of frequency ranges.