Hybrid embedding strategy for a blind audio watermarking system using EMD and ISA techniques

In this paper, a new digital audio watermarking scheme is discussed to increase the information transmitted in a communication context. It is based on a new approach to embed/extract the watermark by combining the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and the Blind Source Separation (BSS) based on the Independent Subspaces Analysis (ISA) method. In order to increase the embedded binary data flow, the Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) of the audio host signal are watermarked using a specific mixture that ensures the inaudibility of the watermark. The separation between the IMFs and the watermarks is performed by a new proposed under-determined ISA method, (UISA). The performances and the robustness of the proposed watermarking system are evaluated with different types of audio signals. The obtained results permit to assess the achieved efficiency in terms of bit error rate (BER).