Audio output device

Abstract

To add a sound effect to music that is more natural for a listener.SOLUTION: An audio output device selects one mode from a plurality of modes, and outputs first sound source data and second sound source data as sound effects together with music data, at respective output levels of the first and second sound source data determined based on the selected mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an audio output device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technology that adds sound effects to music to create the atmosphere of a live concert venue. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a karaoke sound effect system, in which the type of sound effect is set according to the genre of the music, and the output mode of the sound effect (the number of people clapping and cheering) is set according to the size of the selected live concert venue. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-70999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The volume and volume of cheers and applause from the audience vary depending on the number of spectators and the size of the venue. Therefore, by preparing sound source data for each number of spectators and the size of the venue, and changing the sound source data used as sound effects depending on the song, it is possible to make listeners feel more like they are at a live concert. However, if sound source data is prepared for each number of spectators and the size of the venue, a large-capacity storage device is required to store this sound source data. Patent Document 1 does not disclose any technology to solve this problem.

[0005] One example of a problem that the present invention aims to solve is how to add sound effects to music that sound more natural to a listener while minimizing the load on a storage device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises a mode selection unit that selects one mode from a plurality of modes, and an audio output unit that outputs first sound source data and second sound source data as sound effects together with music data, and the output level of the first sound source data and the output level of the second sound source data are each determined based on the selected mode.

[0007] The invention described in claim 8 is an audio output method executed by a computer, comprising: a mode selection step of selecting one mode from a plurality of modes; and an audio output step of outputting first sound source data and second sound source data as sound effects together with music data.

[0008] The invention described in claim 9 is a sound effect output program that causes a computer to execute the audio output method described in claim 8.

[0009] The invention as recited in claim 10 stores the voice output program as recited in claim 9. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 shows a sound effect mixing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of music output by a music output unit 120 and sound effects output by a sound effect output unit 130. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing operation in the sound effect mixing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of music output by a music output unit 120 and sound effects output by a sound effect output unit 130. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing operation in the sound effect mixing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An audio output device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a mode selection unit that selects one mode from a plurality of modes, and an audio output unit that outputs first sound source data and second sound source data as sound effects together with music data, wherein the output levels of the first sound source data and the second sound source data are each determined based on the selected mode. Therefore, in this embodiment, by adjusting the output levels of the first sound source data and the second sound source data, it is possible to mix sound effects of venues with various audience numbers and sizes into music. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to add more natural sound effects to music using less sound source data, thereby allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of being at a live music venue.

[0012] The first sound source data may include sounds generated by a large number of people and / or sounds generated in a first area. The second sound source data may include sounds generated by a small number of people and / or sounds generated in a second area that is farther away from a reference position than the first area. In this way, it is possible to mix sound effects from venues of various sizes and audience numbers into music using a small amount of sound source data.

[0013] The plurality of modes may include a plurality of modes corresponding to the number of spectators and / or the size of the venue, which makes it possible in this embodiment to add sound effects to the music according to the number of spectators and the size of the venue.

[0014] The sound effects may include at least one of cheering sounds, applause sounds, environmental sounds constantly occurring in the venue, the rhythm of the music, and sounds synchronized with the beat of the music. In this way, with a small amount of sound source data, it is possible to add cheering sounds, applause sounds, environmental sounds, and handclaps to music that are suitable for various numbers of audience members and various sizes of venues.

[0015] The first sound source data may be of a plurality of types, and the output first sound source data may be selected randomly from the plurality of types of first sound source data. Also, the second sound source data may be of a plurality of types, and the output second sound source data may be selected randomly from the plurality of types of second sound source data. In this way, the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit are not monotonous, and as a result, it is possible to add sound effects to the music that are more natural to the listener, and it is possible to make the listener feel more like they are at a live concert.

[0016] Furthermore, an audio output method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a computer-executed audio output method, and includes a mode selection step of selecting one mode from a plurality of modes, and an audio output step of outputting first sound source data and second sound source data as sound effects together with music data. Therefore, in this embodiment, by adjusting the output level of the first sound source data and the output level of the second sound source data, it is possible to mix sound effects of venues with various audience numbers and sizes into music. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to add sound effects to music that are more natural to listeners using a small amount of sound source data, allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of being at a live music venue.

[0017] A sound effect output program according to an embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute the above-described sound output method, thereby enabling the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert using a computer.

[0018] Furthermore, a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention stores the above-described sound output program, which allows the above-described sound effect output program to be distributed as a standalone program in addition to being incorporated into a device, and makes it easy to perform version upgrades, etc. [Example]

[0019] <Sound effect mixer 100> FIG. 1 illustrates a sound effects mixing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sound effects mixing device 100 mixes (adds) sound effects to music and outputs the music so that listeners can experience the atmosphere of listening to music at a live venue. The sound effects mixing device 100 includes a storage unit 110 that stores music data, sound source data for sound effects, etc., a music output unit 120 that outputs music, a sound effects output unit 130 that outputs sound effects, and a mixing unit 140 that mixes the music output from the music output unit 120 with the sound effects output from the sound effects output unit 130. The sound of the music mixed with the sound effects by the mixing unit 140 is output from a sound output device such as a speaker. The sound effects mixing device 100 is an example of an audio output device according to the above embodiment.

[0020] The storage unit 110 stores music data and sound source data for sound effects. The storage unit 110 is a storage device such as a hard disk or flash memory.

[0021] The music output unit 120 outputs music. The music output unit 120 acquires music data stored in the storage unit 110, a CD (Compact Disc), or on the cloud, for example, generates a music signal from the acquired data, and outputs the generated music signal.

[0022] The sound effect output unit 130 outputs sound effects. For example, the sound effect output unit 130 acquires sound source data for sound effects stored in the storage unit 110, generates a sound effect signal from the acquired sound source data, and outputs the generated sound effect signal.

[0023] Sound effects include first sound effects such as cheers and applause that occur at the beginning and end of a song at a live venue, second sound effects such as ambient noise (bustling sounds) that occur constantly at a live venue, and third sound effects such as clapping in time with the rhythm and beat of the song at a live venue.

[0024] 2 is a diagram showing an example of music output by the music output unit 120 and sound effects output by the sound effect output unit 130. In the example shown in FIG. 2, first sound effects (such as cheers and applause) are added during the music or at the beginning and end of the music. Second sound effects (environmental sounds) are output before the music starts to be output and are output throughout the music being played. Third sound effects (such as clapping) are output in synchronization with the beat and tempo of the music while the music is being output, as will be described in detail below.

[0025] The mixing unit 140 mixes the music output from the music output unit 120 with the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130, and outputs the music mixed with the sound effects. The mixing unit 140 is, for example, a device that adds multiple signals and outputs the added signal, and adds the music signal output from the music output unit 120 and the sound effect signal output from the sound effect output unit 130, and outputs the added signal.

[0026] Furthermore, the sound effect mixing device 100 has a control unit 150 that controls the output of music from the music output unit 120 and the output of sound effects from the sound effect output unit 130. The control unit 150 is configured by, for example, a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like.

[0027] The control unit 150 has, for example, a music feature acquisition unit 151 that acquires the features of the music, a mode selection unit 152 that selects one mode from a plurality of modes related to the melody and genre of the music, the size of the live venue, etc., and an output control unit 153 that controls the output of music from the music output unit 120 and the output of sound effects from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the features of the music acquired by the music feature acquisition unit 151 and the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152.

[0028] The music feature amount acquisition unit 151 acquires music feature amounts. The music feature amounts include, for example, the volume of the music, the position of the beats in the music, the number of beats per unit time (for example, BPM (Beats Per Minute)), the time signature of the music, the clarity of the beats in the music, the uniformity of the volume levels at the positions of the beats in the music, the number of types of chords used in the music, the number of chords per unit time, the clarity of the chords, the power of each band, the position of the chorus in the music, etc.

[0029] The music feature quantity acquisition unit 151 may acquire music feature quantities by analyzing the music, or music feature quantities obtained by a prior analysis may be stored in the storage unit 110 or the cloud, and the music feature quantity acquisition unit 151 may acquire music feature quantities stored in the storage unit 110 or the cloud. Furthermore, the music feature quantity acquisition unit 151 may acquire music feature quantities from tag information attached to music data stored in the storage unit 110, a CD, or the like.

[0030] For example, the output control unit 153 may control the volume of the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the volume of the music acquired by the music feature amount acquisition unit 151. In this way, it is possible to prevent the volume of the mixed sound effects from being too loud or too quiet compared to the volume of the music, making it possible to impart sound effects to the music that are more natural to the listener and allowing the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert. In addition, the output control unit 153 may detect the melody of the music based on the features of the music acquired by the music feature amount acquisition unit 151, and control the volume of the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the detected melody.

[0031] The output control unit 153 may also detect the level and melody of the music based on the feature quantities of the music acquired by the music feature quantity acquisition unit 151, and control the output of sound effects from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the detected level and melody. In this case, for example, the storage unit 110 may store sound effects for each level and melody of the music, and the output control unit 153 may output the sound effects based on the detected level and melody. For example, the storage unit 110 may store sound effects for large venues such as stadiums, outdoor festivals, and arenas, sound effects for medium-sized venues such as halls and medium- to large-sized live music venues, and sound effects for small venues such as small live music venues and music bars, and the output control unit 153 may determine, based on the detected melody, whether the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130 should be large-, medium-, or small-sized venues. This allows sound effects to be added that match the music, making it possible to output more natural sound effects according to the music. As a result, it becomes possible to add sound effects to music that sound more natural to the listener, allowing the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert.

[0032] The mode selection unit 152 selects one mode from a plurality of modes related to the melody and genre of the music, the size of the live venue, etc. At this time, the mode selection unit 152 may select the mode based on a user input, or may select the mode based on the feature amount of the music, tag information of the music, etc.

[0033] For example, the multiple modes may include modes prepared for different sizes of live music venues. For example, modes for large-scale venues, medium-scale venues, and small-scale venues may be prepared. The output control unit 153 then determines the sound effects to be output from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152 (i.e., for example, if a large-scale mode is selected, the output sound effects may be determined to be large-scale sound effects), and may control the sound effect output unit 130 to output the determined sound effects. In this way, sound effects that match the music can be added, making it possible to output more natural sound effects according to the music. As a result, it is possible to add sound effects that sound more natural to the listener, allowing the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live music venue.

[0034] For example, the multiple modes may include modes prepared for different musical styles or genres. For example, a mode for upbeat music, a mode for calm music, a mode for classical music, a mode for jazz, and the like may be prepared. The storage unit 110 may then store sound effects for each mode, and the output control unit 153 may determine the sound effects to be output from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152 (i.e., when the upbeat music mode is selected, the output sound effects may be determined to be those for upbeat music), and may control the sound effect output unit 130 to output the determined sound effects. In this manner, sound effects suited to the music may be added, making it possible to output more natural sound effects according to the music. As a result, it is possible to add sound effects that are more natural to the listener, allowing the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert.

[0035] <Processing Operation in Sound Effect Mixing Apparatus 100> 3 is a diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the sound effect mixing device 100 according to this embodiment. The music feature quantity 151 acquires the feature quantity of the music, or the mode selection unit 152 selects a mode (step S301). The output control unit 153 outputs the music from the music output unit 120 and outputs the sound effects from the sound effect output unit 130 based on the acquired feature quantity or the selected mode (step S302). The mixing unit 140 mixes the music output from the music output unit 120 with the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130 (step S303).

[0036] <Output of Sound Effects by Sound Effect Output Unit 130> The volume and volume of cheers, applause, ambient sounds, and clapping by the audience vary depending on the number of spectators and the size of the venue. Therefore, by preparing sound source data for each number of spectators and each size of venue, and changing the sound source data used as sound effects depending on the song, it is possible to make listeners feel more like they are at a live concert. However, if sound source data is prepared for each number of spectators and each size of venue, a large-capacity storage device is required to store this sound source data.

[0037] Therefore, the sound effect mixing device 100 according to this embodiment mixes a plurality of pieces of sound source data to output sound effects. Specifically, in this embodiment, the output control unit 153 controls the sound effect output unit 130 to simultaneously output the first sound source data and the second sound source data as sound effects. At this time, the output control unit 153 determines the output levels of the first sound source data and the second sound source data based on, for example, the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152.

[0038] In this case, for example, the output control unit 153 may output, via the sound effect output unit 130, sound source data for a large number of people including sounds produced by a large number of people as the first sound source data, and sound source data for a small number of people including sounds produced by a small number of people as the second sound source data.The output control unit 153 may then determine the output level of the sound source data for a large number of people to be output and the output level of the sound source data for a large number of people to be output, based on the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152.In this case, the multiple modes may include multiple modes according to the number of spectators (a mode for a large number of people, a mode for a small number of people) and multiple modes according to the size of the venue (a mode for a large venue, a mode for a medium-sized venue, and a mode for a small venue).

[0039] This makes it possible to mix sound effects from venues of various sizes and audience sizes into music using a small amount of sound source data. As a result, it becomes possible to add sound effects to music that sound more natural to listeners using a small amount of sound source data, allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert venue.

[0040] The output control unit 153 may also cause the sound effect output unit 130 to output, as the first sound source data, sound source data for near sounds including sounds generated near the reference position (first region), and output, as the second sound source data, sound source data for far sounds including sounds generated far from the reference position (second region farther from the reference position than the first region).The output control unit 153 may then determine the output level of the sound source data for near sounds and the output level of the sound source data for far sounds based on, for example, the mode selected by the mode selection unit 152.Here, the reference position is, for example, the position of the audience at a live music venue.The reference position may also be the position of the stage at a live music venue.

[0041] This makes it possible to mix sound effects suitable for venues of various sizes into music. For example, by setting the output level of the sound source data for distant sounds to the same level as the output level of the sound source data for near sounds, both cheers and applause occurring in the near and far locations are imparted to the music, allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of the music being performed in a large live venue. Furthermore, by setting the output level of the sound source data for distant sounds to zero, only cheers and applause occurring in the near location are imparted to the music, allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of the music being performed in a small live venue. As a result, it is possible to impart sound effects to music that are more natural to the listener using less sound source data, allowing listeners to experience the atmosphere of being in a live venue more effectively.

[0042] The output control unit 153 may output sound source data for a large number of people as the first sound effect, and sound source data for a distant sound as the second sound effect. Alternatively, the output control unit 153 may output sound source data for a distant sound as the first sound effect, and sound source data for a small number of people as the second sound effect.

[0043] The sound effects for which the first sound source data and the second sound source data are prepared may be the first sound effects (cheers, applause, etc.), the second sound effects (environmental sounds), or the third sound effects (clapping, etc.) For example, in the example shown in Fig. 4, the first sound source data and the second sound source data are output for the first sound effects and the second sound effects.

[0044] Alternatively, the storage unit 110 may store a plurality of types of sound source data as the first sound source data, and the output control unit 153 may randomly select from the plurality of types of sound source data the first sound source data to be output from the sound effect output unit 130. Similarly, the storage unit 110 may store a plurality of types of sound source data as the second sound source data, and the output control unit 153 may randomly select from the plurality of types of sound source data the second sound source data to be output from the sound effect output unit 130. In this manner, the sound effects output from the sound effect output unit 130 are no longer monotonous, and as a result, it is possible to impart sound effects to the music that are more natural to the listener, enabling the listener to experience the atmosphere of being at a live concert.

[0045] Alternatively, the storage unit 110 may store sound source data for reverberation, and the output control unit 153 may output the sound source data for reverberation in addition to the first sound source data and the second sound source data. In this way, the sound effects added to the music will be closer to the sounds that occur in a live music venue, and as a result, it will be possible to add sound effects to the music that are more natural to the listener, allowing the listener to experience the atmosphere of being in a live music venue.

[0046] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the sound effect mixing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The mode selection unit 152 selects a mode (step S501). The output control unit 153 determines the output level of the first sound source data and the output level of the second sound source data based on the selected mode (step S502), and the sound effect output unit 120 outputs the first sound source data and the second sound source data at the determined output levels (step S503).

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, sound effects appropriate for the number of spectators and the size of the venue are output by changing the output level of each of the multiple sound source data, but it is also possible to output sound effects appropriate for other characteristics of the venue (such as the shape of the venue) by changing the output level of each of the multiple sound source data.

[0048] The present invention has been described above in terms of preferred embodiments thereof. While the present invention has been described herein with reference to specific examples, various modifications and variations can be made to these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 100 Sound Effects Mixer 110 Storage section 120 Music output section 130 Sound effect output section 140 Mixing section 150 control section 151 Music feature acquisition unit 152 Mode selection section 153 Output control section

Claims

[Claim 1] a mode selection unit that selects one mode from a plurality of modes; an audio output unit that outputs the first sound source data and the second sound source data as sound effects together with music data; An audio output device, wherein an output level of the first sound source data and an output level of the second sound source data are each determined based on the selected mode.

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