Control method, control device, program, and musical instrument

Abstract

The present invention controls sound so as to automatically execute a preset process at a timing corresponding to an instruction input by a player without operating an operation element. Provided is a control method including: calculating a speed of performance on the basis of performance information corresponding to a performance operation; and generating control information for controlling a timing at which a process associated with a loop is executed, based on beat number information for determining a beat number and the speed. Preset processing can be automatically executed at a timing corresponding to an instruction input by a player.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for controlling sound. Background Art

[0002] In musical instruments, various elaborate designs are made for the generation of sounds. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a guitar provided with various operating elements for imparting various acoustic effects to the generated sounds.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2018 / 201100 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] One of the objects of the present invention is to perform control so that a preset process is automatically executed at a timing corresponding to an instruction input by a performer.

[0008] Means for solving problems

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control method is provided, comprising: calculating the tempo of a performance based on performance information corresponding to a performance operation; and generating control information for controlling the timing of executing a process associated with a loop based on beat information for determining the beat and the tempo.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control device including a control unit for executing the above control method.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute the above control method.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a musical instrument comprising: a control unit for executing the above-mentioned control method; and an operating element for receiving a performance operation.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a musical instrument comprising: strings; a soundboard to which vibrations of the strings are transmitted; a detector mounted on the soundboard to detect input of an instruction from a user; and a control unit to execute a given process at a timing determined based on a timing of receiving the instruction and a set delay time.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to control so that a preset process is automatically executed at a timing corresponding to an instruction input by a performer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a front view showing an acoustic guitar according to one embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Side view of the guitar shown.

[0018] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 The inner side surface of the back plate of the guitar body is shown in a top view as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the inner side surface.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control unit according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a conceptual diagram for explaining the timing of executing the processing related to the loop.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a conceptual diagram for explaining the timing of executing the processing related to the loop.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of loop-related processing executed by the control unit.

[0024] Description of Reference Numerals

[0025] 1: guitar, 10: main body, 11: guitar body, 12: neck, 13: strings, 14: top, 15: back plate, 16: side plate, 17: sound hole, 18: bridge, 19: headstock, 20: vibration transmission part, 21: pickup, 22: control unit, 23: operation part, 24: sound bar, 30: vibrator, 31: main body, 32: support part, 40: detection sensor, 50: control device, 51: control part, 53: storage part, 511: playing speed calculation part, 513: control signal generation part, 515: output part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment shown below is an example, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and is interpreted. In the drawings referred to in this embodiment, the same parts or parts having the same functions are sometimes marked with the same reference numerals or similar reference numerals (only reference numerals such as A, B are marked after the numbers), and their repeated descriptions are omitted. In the drawings, in order to make the description clear, the dimensional ratio is sometimes different from the actual ratio, or a part of the structure is omitted from the drawings and schematically described.

[0027] [Structure of musical instruments]

[0028] The musical instrument involved in one embodiment can mount a vibrator having a given weight on an acoustic member. The musical instrument involved in one embodiment is described below. In the embodiment described below, as an example, the case where the musical instrument is an acoustic guitar is described. In addition, the musical instrument involved in the present invention is not limited to an acoustic guitar.

[0029] Reference Figure 1 to Figure 3 , a musical instrument involved in one embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 1 This is a front view showing an acoustic guitar according to one embodiment. Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Side view of the guitar shown. Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 The inner side surface of the back panel of the guitar body is shown in a top view as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the inner side surface.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, an acoustic guitar 1 (hereinafter referred to as guitar 1 ) includes a guitar body 10 (musical instrument body) and an exciter 30 . The guitar body 10 includes a body 11 , a neck 12 , strings 13 , a pickup 21 , a control unit 22 , and a detection sensor (detector) 40 .

[0031] The piano body 11 is formed into a box shape having a cavity inside. The piano body 11 has a panel 14, a back panel 15 and side panels 16. The panel 14 and the back panel 15 are flat plates of the same shape. The panel 14 and the back panel 15 are arranged at intervals from each other in the direction of their plate thickness. The side panels 16 extend from the periphery of the back panel 15 to the periphery of the panel 14. The panel 14, the back panel 15 and the side panels 16 constitute a soundboard. The piano body 11 having a cavity inside is constituted by these panels 14, the back panel 15 and the side panels 16. In the following description, the direction (Z-axis direction) in which the panel 14 and the back panel 15 are arranged is sometimes referred to as the up-down direction.

[0032] The top panel 14 has a sound hole 17 (sound hole) penetrating in the thickness direction thereof. The sound hole 17 connects the cavity of the body 11 with the space outside the body 11. In addition, a bridge 18 is provided on the outer surface of the top panel 14 to fix the first end of the string 13 in the longitudinal direction.

[0033] The control unit 22 is arranged on the side panel 16. The control unit 22 includes an operating unit 23 and a control device 50. The operating unit 23 includes one or more setting operating elements for controlling the settings of the guitar 1 and the sounds output from the guitar 1. The setting operating elements are operating buttons, touch sensors, sliders, etc. The operating unit 23 generates an operation signal based on the operation performed by the user and outputs it to the control device 50 described later. The operation signal includes beat information for determining the beat number of the music. The beat information will be described later. Here, the control unit 22 is arranged on the side panel 16, but the position where the control unit 22 is arranged is not limited to the side panel 16. The control device 50 will be described later.

[0034] The neck 12 extends from the body 11 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). A headstock 19 is provided at the front end of the neck 12 on the second end side in the long-side direction for winding the strings 13. In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and in which the neck 12 mainly extends (Y-axis direction) is sometimes referred to as the front-back direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the front-back direction is sometimes referred to as the left-right direction (X-axis direction).

[0035] The string (operation member) 13 is stretched across the body 11 and the neck 12 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the first end of the string 13 is fixed to the bridge 18 of the body 11, and the second end side of the string 13 is wound around the headstock 19. Thus, the string 13 is stretched between the bridge 18 and the headstock 19. The string 13 vibrates according to the playing operation of the user.

[0036] A vibration transmission part 20 (saddle) is provided between the strings 13 and the outer surface of the panel 14. In the guitar 1, the vibration of the strings 13 is transmitted to the panel 14 via the vibration transmission part 20, thereby the panel 14 vibrates, and the back plate 15 and the side plate 16 also vibrate. As a result, the air in the body 11 (cavity) resonates, and the sound is radiated to the outside of the body 11.

[0037] The pickup 21 detects the vibration of the string 13 and outputs a performance signal (performance information) corresponding to the vibration of the string 13. Figure 1In the embodiment, the pickup 21 is arranged at a position where the sound hole 17 of the panel 14 is formed so as not to hinder the vibration of the panel 14 accompanying the vibration of the string 13. However, the position where the pickup 21 is arranged is not limited to this. The performance signal output from the pickup 21 is supplied to the control device 50. The performance signal can be audio data (waveform data) or sound generation control data such as MIDI data.

[0038] The guitar 1 may also include a communication unit (not shown). The guitar 1 can transmit and receive signals with an external device via the communication unit. When the control device 50 is located outside the guitar 1, the performance signal is transmitted to the control device 50 via the communication unit.

[0039] The detection sensor 40 is mounted on the inner side of the panel 14. The detection sensor 40 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the force applied to the piano body 11. The detection sensor 40 may be, for example, a deflection detection sensor (e.g., a strain gauge) that detects the deflection of the piano body 11 caused by the force applied to the piano body 11. In addition, the detection sensor 40 may be, for example, a pressure sensor that detects the pressure applied to the piano body 11. In addition, the detection sensor 40 may be, for example, an electrostatic contact sensor that detects that the user touches the piano body 11.

[0040] Here, the detection sensor 40 is installed on the inner side of the panel 14, but the position of the detection sensor 40 is not limited to the panel 14, and can be installed at any position of the guitar body 11. For example, the detection sensor 40 is preferably arranged at a position that is easily accessible to the user's fingers when the user plays the guitar 1. The detection sensor 40 detects the contact of the user's fingers with the guitar body 11. The user sometimes performs a given action before starting to play the guitar 1 or during the performance, such as lightly tapping the guitar body 11 to take a count. The detection sensor 40 can detect the given action.

[0041] The back plate 15 of the piano body 11 has an inner side surface 15a which is opposite to the panel 14 in the vertical direction. Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of sound bars 24 are mounted on the inner side surface 15a of the back plate 15. The sound bars 24 are fixed at predetermined positions relative to the inner side surface 15a by bonding or the like. Figure 3 The shape, number, position, etc. of the tone bars 24 shown are merely examples, and the position, etc. may be appropriately changed in order to increase the rigidity of the back plate 15 , adjust the tone of the guitar 1 , etc.

[0042] The vibrator 30 includes a vibrator body 31 (hereinafter referred to as the body 31) and a support portion 32. The body 31 vibrates the back plate 15 (soundboard) of the piano body 11. The body 31 is connected to the control device 50. The body 31 may be connected to the control device 50 by wire, or may be connected to the control device 50 by wireless so that a wireless unit (not shown) provided in the body 31 receives a signal from the control device 50. The support portion 32 supports the body 31 and is fixed to the inner side surface 15a of the back plate 15. The body 31 may be, for example, a voice coil type actuator.

[0043] The control device 50 outputs a sound signal based on a control signal (control information) generated based on pre-stored music data, sound / voice data, or a performance signal representing the vibration of the sound source (string 13) of the guitar 1. The main body 31 of the vibrator 30 vibrates the back plate 15 based on a drive signal (electrical signal) based on the sound signal. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example of vibrating the back plate 15 is shown, but the part to be vibrated is not limited to the back plate 15. For example, the main body 31 of the vibrator 30 can vibrate the panel 14, or can vibrate both the back plate 15 and the panel 14. Alternatively, the main body 31 of the vibrator 30 can vibrate the side plate 16, or can vibrate the side plate 16, the panel 14 and / or the back plate 15.

[0044] Figure 4 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the control device 50. The control device 50 includes a control unit 51 and a storage unit 53. In addition, the control device 50 may also include an equalizer 55. Here, the control device 50 may also be installed on the body 11 of the guitar 1 as the control unit 22. However, the control device 50 may also be an external device capable of communicating with the guitar 1. In this case, the control device 50 includes a communication unit (not shown) capable of communicating with an external device such as the guitar 1. The control device 50 is connected to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30 by wire or wirelessly.

[0045] The performance signal (performance information) output from the pickup 21, the operation signal output from the operation unit 23, and the detection signal output from the detection sensor 40 are supplied to the control unit 51. When the control device 50 includes an equalizer 55, the performance signal output from the pickup 21 is supplied to the control unit 51 after the frequency characteristics are adjusted by the equalizer 55. When the control device 50 does not include the equalizer 55, the performance signal is directly supplied to the control unit 51.

[0046] The control unit 51 includes a CPU and other arithmetic processing circuits, RAM, ROM and other storage devices. The control unit 51 implements various functions by the CPU executing the control program stored in the storage unit 53. The storage unit 53 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory. The storage unit 53 stores the control program executed by the control unit 51. In addition, the storage unit 53 stores the information required for the control unit 51 to perform the processing. The control unit 51 implements various functions by executing the control program. In the present embodiment, the control unit 51 implements a loop function. Hereinafter, the processing for implementing the loop function is referred to as processing associated with the loop. The processing associated with the loop includes recording a sound signal based on a performance sound by switching the start and end of the recording of the performance sound corresponding to the performance operation (recording processing) and repeatedly playing the recorded sound signal (loop playback processing).

[0047] Figure 5 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 51. The control unit 51 includes a performance speed calculation unit 511, a control signal generation unit 513, and an output unit 515. The control unit 51 generates a control signal (control information) based on the operation signal and the performance signal.

[0048] The playing speed calculation unit 511 obtains a playing signal (playing information). In addition, if a detection signal is output from the detection sensor 40, the playing speed calculation unit 51 obtains the detection signal from the detection sensor 40. As described above, the detection sensor 40 can detect a given action performed by the user before or during the performance by detecting the contact of the user's finger with the guitar body 11. That is, the detection signal is an instruction indicating the start of counting performed by the user. If the detection signal is input to the playing speed calculation unit 511, the reference timing that serves as the reference for starting the counting of the beats to be played is determined based on the detection signal. The reference timing is, for example, the timing at which a given action performed by the user before or during the performance is detected. In addition, the reference timing is, for example, the timing at which the playing signal is output just after the given action performed by the user before the performance is detected. The playing speed calculation unit 511 calculates the speed of the performance (the tempo of the performance) based on the obtained performance signal. Specifically, the playing speed calculation unit 511 calculates the speed of the performance (the tempo of the performance) based on the performance signal output during a given period of the performance of the guitar 1 by the user. The "given period" is any of the periods before and after the reference timing and the period including the reference timing, and is a pre-set period before the desired processing starts. The "given period" can also be set by the user. The speed of the performance (the beat of the performance) is obtained by calculating the BPM of the performance. The performance speed calculation unit 511 outputs the information indicating the reference timing and the calculated performance speed to the control signal generation unit 513.

[0049] The control signal generating unit 513 obtains information indicating the reference timing and the speed of the performance from the performance speed calculating unit 511. In addition, the control signal generating unit 513 obtains an operation signal. The operation signal includes beat information and information specifying a desired process associated with the loop. The beat information is, for example, beat information for determining how many beats the process associated with the loop will be executed. The beat information is preset by the user via the operating unit 23.

[0050] The control signal generating unit 513 generates a control signal (control information) for controlling the timing of executing the processing associated with the loop based on the beat information and the speed of the performance (the beat of the performance). The execution of the processing associated with the loop includes at least one of starting the processing associated with the loop and ending the processing associated with the loop. In other words, the timing of executing the processing associated with the loop includes at least one of starting the processing associated with the loop and ending the processing associated with the loop. As mentioned above, the processing associated with the loop includes recording processing and loop playback processing. The user can set the desired processing associated with the loop via the operating unit 23.

[0051] The control signal generating unit 513 determines the time (period) until the processing associated with the loop is executed based on the beat information and the speed of the performance (the beat of the performance). Furthermore, the control signal generating unit 513 determines the timing of executing the processing associated with the loop based on the reference timing and the time (period) until the processing associated with the loop is executed.

[0052] For example, in the case where the user specifies that a loop playback process is to be performed 24 beats after the start of the performance, the user sets "24 beats" as the beat number information via the operation unit 23, and sets the loop playback process as the desired process associated with the loop. As described above, the performance speed calculation unit 511 determines the reference timing based on the detection signal, and then calculates the speed of the performance (the beat of the performance) based on the performance signal. Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 513 generates a control signal for starting the loop playback process 24 beats after the reference timing based on the operation signal and the speed of the performance obtained from the performance speed calculation unit 511. Here, the timing for starting the loop playback process is the timing after 24 beats from the reference timing corresponding to the speed of the performance. In other words, the timing after 24 beats from the reference timing is variable depending on the speed of the performance.

[0053] When the processing associated with the loop desired by the user is a loop playback processing, the control signal generating unit 513 outputs the control signal to the output unit 515. The output unit 515 obtains a pre-stored sound signal for playback, and outputs the sound signal to a driving device (not shown) for driving the vibrator 30 at a timing based on the control signal. In the present embodiment, the sound signal for playback is pre-stored in the storage unit 53 of the control device 50. The output unit 515 reads the sound signal for playback from the storage unit 53. In addition, the sound signal for playback may also be stored in an external storage device that can communicate with the control device 50 by wire or wirelessly. In this case, the output unit 515 reads the sound signal for playback from the external storage device by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0054] The driving device for driving the vibrator 30 may be included in the control device 50, or may be another device that can communicate with the control device 50 by wire or wirelessly. The driving device generates a driving signal for driving the vibrator 30 based on the sound signal for playback, and outputs the generated driving signal to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30. The main body 31 vibrates the back plate 15 according to the driving signal. Thus, in the guitar 1, a loop playback process is performed at a timing based on the control signal. In addition, Figure 5 This is a functional block diagram, and the arrows connecting the performance speed calculation unit 511, the control signal generation unit 513, and the output unit 515 respectively indicate the flow of signals, not the order of processing. That is, for example, the three functions executed by a program or the like may be processed in any order.

[0055] Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the timing of executing the processing related to the loop. Here, as an example, the case where the processing related to the loop is the loop playback processing and the beat number information is "24 beats" is explained.

[0056] Figure 6The figure shows a case where the reference timing based on the detection signal and the start of the performance (the timing at which the performance signal is output) are simultaneous. In this case, the performance speed calculation unit 511 calculates the speed of the performance based on the performance signal output during period A after the start of the performance. The control signal generation unit 513 specifies the timing 24 beats after the reference timing based on the speed of the performance calculated by the performance speed calculation unit 511 as the start timing of the loop playback process. The control signal generation unit 513 generates a control signal for starting the loop playback process 24 beats after the reference timing. Based on the control signal, the output unit 515 reads the sound signal for playback from the storage unit 53 and outputs it to the drive device. If the reading of the sound signal for playback based on the output unit 515 ends, the loop playback process ends. That is, the end timing of the loop playback process is the timing at which the reading of the sound signal for playback based on the output unit 515 ends. The loop playback period is the period from the start timing of the loop playback process to the end timing of the loop playback process. In addition, during Figure 6 In the example, period A indicates the period immediately after the performance starts. However, period A may also be the period after a given time has passed since the performance started.

[0057] Figure 7 The case where the reference timing based on the detection signal is after the start of the performance (the timing at which the performance signal is output) is shown. In this case, the performance speed calculation unit 511 calculates the performance speed based on the performance signal output in any one of the periods A1, A2, and A3 after the start of the performance. Period A1 is a given period before the reference timing. Period A2 is a given period after the reference timing. Period A3 is a given period before and after the reference timing that includes the reference timing. The user can set any one of the periods A1 to A3 via the operation unit 23. The generation of the control signal by the control signal generation unit 513 and the reading and output of the playback sound signal based on the control signal by the output unit 515 are referenced. Figure 6 The same description applies.

[0058] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the processing related to the loop executed by the control unit 51.

[0059] The control unit 51 receives the beat number information and the designation of the processing associated with the loop desired by the user before the performance (S601). Next, the control unit 51 obtains the detection signal (S602). The control unit 51 determines the reference timing based on the detection signal. If the user starts to perform, the control unit 51 obtains the performance signal (S603). The performance speed calculation unit 511 of the control unit 51 calculates the performance speed (performance beat) based on the performance signal (S604).

[0060] The control signal generation unit 513 of the control unit 51 determines the timing for executing the loop-related processing desired by the user based on the detection signal, the beat information, and the performance tempo (S605). Next, the control signal generation unit 513 generates and outputs a control signal based on the determined timing (S606).

[0061] In the case where a given action of the user is detected during the performance operation, in other words, after the user starts playing the guitar 1, the given action of the user is detected by the detection sensor 40 during the performance, the order of the above-mentioned processing of S602 and S603 may be reversed.

[0062] In this way, if the user receives the beat information and the setting of the desired processing associated with the loop in advance before the performance, the control unit 51 determines the timing for executing the desired processing associated with the loop based on the set beat information. Therefore, the user can omit the operation for executing the desired processing associated with the loop during the performance. In addition, the control unit 51 calculates the speed of the user's performance, and determines the time from the reference timing to the timing for executing the desired processing associated with the loop based on the calculated speed of the performance and the beat information. Therefore, even if the speed of the performance is any speed, the control unit 51 can automatically determine the timing for executing the desired processing associated with the loop based on the beat information and the speed of the performance.

[0063] Hereinafter, modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0064] [Modification 1]

[0065] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the reference timing for determining the timing for executing the processing associated with the loop is determined based on the detection signal of the given action performed by the user before or during the performance. However, if the user does not perform the given action before or during the performance, the detection signal is not output. In this case, the timing of the start of the performance can be determined as the reference timing, or the user can set the reference timing via the operation unit 23.

[0066] In addition, the signal for determining the reference timing is not limited to the detection signal output from the detection sensor 40. For example, instead of performing a predetermined action on the guitar body 11 before starting the performance, the user may output a signal indicating the start of the performance to the control device 50 via the operation unit 23. In addition, the signal indicating the start of the performance may be output to the control device 50 by operating a predetermined switch provided on the guitar 1. The control unit 51 can determine the reference timing based on the signal indicating the start of the performance.

[0067] [Modification 2]

[0068] In addition to the above-mentioned loop playback process, the processing associated with the loop also includes a recording process. The recording process includes a recording start process and a recording end process. When starting recording, the user specifies the recording start process via the operation unit 23 and sets the beat information. The control unit 51 determines the timing for executing the recording start process based on the reference timing, the set beat information and the performance signal, and generates a control signal for executing the recording start process at the determined timing.

[0069] The control unit 51 performs recording start processing based on the generated control signal. If recording is started based on the control signal, the control unit 51 stores the performance signal output from the pickup 21 in the storage unit 53. The performance signal output from the pickup 21 may also be stored in the storage unit 53 after adjusting the frequency characteristics through the equalizer 55.

[0070] When ending the recording, the user specifies the recording end process and sets the beat information via the operation unit 23. The control unit 51 determines the timing for executing the recording end process based on the reference timing, the set beat information and the performance signal, and generates a control signal for executing the recording end process at the determined timing. The control unit 51 ends the ongoing recording process based on the control signal.

[0071] When performing recording processing, the recording start and recording end can also be specified in combination. That is, the user can set both the beat information that specifies the timing for executing the recording start processing and the beat information that specifies the timing for executing the recording end processing. In this case, the control unit 51 executes the recording start processing based on the reference timing, the set beat information and the speed of the performance, and executes the recording end processing based on the set beat information and the speed of the performance. Here, the timing for executing the recording end processing is determined based on the set beat information, the speed of the performance and the timing when the recording start processing is executed. The performance signal stored in the storage unit 53 can be used as a sound signal for playback used in the loop playback processing.

[0072] Furthermore, in the case of recording processing, the control unit 51 may generate a control signal for controlling the performance signal stored in the storage unit 53 based on the reference timing, the set beat information, and the performance signal. In this case, all performance signals output from the start of the performance to the end of the performance are temporarily stored in the storage unit 53. The control unit 51 determines the recording start processing timing and the recording end processing timing based on the reference timing, the set beat information, and the performance signal, and determines the period from the recording start processing timing to the recording end processing timing as the recording period. The control unit 51 generates a control signal indicating the recording period, and based on the control signal, deletes from the storage unit 53 the performance signals stored in the storage unit 53 other than the performance signals output during the recording period. That is, the performance signals finally stored in the storage unit 53 are only the performance signals output during the recording period.

[0073] [Variation 3]

[0074] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the beat information is the beat information for determining how many beats the processing associated with the loop is to be executed. However, the beat information is not limited to the beat information. For example, the beat information may also be information indicating the desired number of bars for determining how many bars the processing associated with the loop is to be executed.

[0075] [Variation 4]

[0076] In the above-mentioned embodiment and the above-mentioned variation, the control unit 51 determines the time (period) from the reference timing to the execution of the processing associated with the loop based on the beat information and the speed of the performance, and determines the timing of executing the processing. However, the time (period) from the reference timing to the execution of the processing associated with the loop can also be set by the user.

[0077] For example, the user may also set the delay time via the operation unit 23. The delay time is the delay time from the reference timing, and is the time (period) from the reference timing to the execution of the processing associated with the loop. The delay time may be a fixed value or a variable value. By setting the delay time in advance by the user before the performance, the user can omit the operation for executing the processing associated with the loop during the performance, similar to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0078] [Variation 6]

[0079] In the above-described embodiment and modification, the control unit 51 implements the circulation function by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 53. However, the function implemented by the control unit 51 executing the control program is not limited to the circulation function.

[0080] For example, the control unit 51 may also add a given sound processing to the performance of the guitar 1 performed by the user. Regarding the sound processing, for example, there can be listed a process of adding distortion, a process of adding reverberation, a process of adding flanger effect, a process of changing the frequency band, etc. The user can specify the desired sound processing via the operation unit 23.

[0081] The control unit 51 generates a control signal for controlling the timing of executing the set sound processing based on the reference timing, the set beat number information and the performance signal. Here, executing the sound processing includes at least one of starting the sound processing and ending the sound processing. The so-called timing of executing the sound processing means the timing of starting the sound processing or the timing of ending the sound processing.

[0082] The control unit 51 performs predetermined signal processing for imparting a set acoustic process to the input musical performance signal based on the control signal. The control unit 51 outputs the musical performance signal (sound signal) subjected to the predetermined signal processing to the driving device for driving the vibrator 30 .

[0083] The driving device generates a driving signal for driving the vibrator 30 based on the acquired performance signal, and outputs the driving signal to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30. The main body 31 vibrates the back plate 15 according to the driving signal. Thus, a desired acoustic effect can be given to the performance sound corresponding to the performance operation on the guitar 1 at a desired timing based on the beat information and the performance speed.

[0084] [Variation 7]

[0085] Different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit 51 may control the timing of outputting the drive signal generated based on the sound signal input from the outside to the vibrator 30. For example, consider the case where the sound signal output from the external sound source is played on the guitar 1. In this case, the sound signal output from the outside is supplied to the drive device for driving the vibrator 30, and the drive device generates the drive signal based on the acquired sound signal and outputs it to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30. The user can set the timing of playing the sound signal on the guitar 1 via the operation unit 23. For example, in this case, the control unit 51 may generate a control signal for controlling the timing of outputting the drive signal from the drive device to the vibrator 30 based on the reference timing and the timing set by the user. The control unit 51 outputs the generated control signal to the drive device. The drive device outputs the drive signal generated based on the sound signal to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30 at the timing based on the acquired control signal.

Claims

1. A control method, comprising: calculating the tempo of the performance based on the performance information corresponding to the performance operation; and Based on the beat number information for determining the beat number and the tempo, control information for controlling the timing of executing the process associated with the loop is generated.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The execution of the process associated with the loop includes starting or ending the process associated with the loop.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The control method further comprises: receiving an instruction for determining a reference timing, The timing for executing the process associated with the loop is determined based on the reference timing and a time determined based on beat number information for specifying the beat number and the tempo.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The beat number information is preset and includes at least one of beat information that specifies a beat and information that indicates a desired number of measures.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The control information includes information for designating at least one of a start and an end of recording of a musical performance sound corresponding to the musical performance operation.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The control information includes information for starting playback of the recorded performance sound.

7. A control device, A control unit is provided for executing the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A procedure, Used to cause a computer to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A musical instrument having: A control unit that executes the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and The operating element receives the playing operation.

10. The musical instrument of claim 9, wherein: The operating member includes a string that vibrates by the playing operation. Also available: a soundboard to which the vibrations of the strings are transmitted; and a vibrator mounted on the sound board and vibrating the sound board based on a supplied driving signal, The vibrator is supplied with a drive signal representing a sound generated by the loop-associated processing performed based on the control information.

11. A musical instrument having: Strings; a soundboard, to which the vibrations of said strings are transmitted; a detector, mounted on the sound board, for detecting input of a user's instruction; and The control unit executes a predetermined process at a timing determined based on a timing at which the instruction is received and a set delay time.

12. The musical instrument of claim 11, wherein: The given process is a process associated with a loop.

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