Information processing apparatus, method, and program

Abstract

To enable a user to easily add various pitch bend effects to a musical sound.SOLUTION: The information processing device acquires setting information including at least information on a musical performance technique, sets a function that defines how to change a pitch of a musical sound based on the acquired setting information and an operation state of an operator, acquires a change amount of the pitch according to a user operation on the operator based on the set function, and changes the pitch of the musical sound being generated based on the acquired change amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Electronic musical instruments are known that allow the pitch of musical tones to be changed by operating controls (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-94182 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, in a typical electronic keyboard instrument, the pitch of a musical note can be continuously changed in response to a user's operation of the pitch bend wheel, similar to bending a guitar. However, with this type of electronic instrument, it is difficult to add pitch bend effects other than simple continuous changes to the musical note.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device, method, and program that allows a user to easily add various pitch bend effects to musical tones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure acquires setting information including at least information on playing techniques, sets a function that specifies how to change the pitch of a musical sound based on the acquired setting information and the operation state of the operator, acquires the amount of pitch change corresponding to the user's operation on the operator based on the set function, and changes the pitch of the musical sound being played based on the acquired amount of change. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an information processing device, method, and program are provided that allow a user to easily add various pitch bend effects to musical tones. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sound source LSI (Large Scale Integration) provided in an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an overview of processing in an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a table held by an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by an electronic musical instrument according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a subroutine of the key pressing process (step S106) in FIG. [Figure 8] This is a subroutine of the key release process (step S108) in FIG. [Figure 9] This is a subroutine of the steady-state process (step S111) in FIG. [Figure 10] This is a subroutine of the pitch bend calculation process (step S206) in FIG. 6 and the pitch bend calculation process (step S401) in FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a graph showing a function F1 applied in the pitch bend calculation process of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 11 is a graph showing a function F2 applied in the pitch bend calculation process of FIG. 10. [Figure 13]11 is a graph showing a function F3 applied in the pitch bend calculation process of FIG. 10. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a gradual change in pitch in accordance with the movement of fingers on a guitar fingerboard. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The following description relates to an information processing device, method, and program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Common or corresponding elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0010] The electronic musical instrument 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example of an information processing device and also an example of a performance device. The electronic musical instrument 1 is, for example, an electronic keyboard. The electronic musical instrument 1 may be an electronic keyboard instrument other than an electronic keyboard, such as an electronic piano. The electronic musical instrument 1 may also be another type of electronic musical instrument, such as an electronic percussion instrument, an electronic wind instrument, or an electronic string instrument.

[0011] The information processing device according to the present disclosure is not limited to the electronic musical instrument 1. The information processing device may be, for example, a device installed with a musical instrument app that reproduces the electronic musical instrument 1. Illustratively, the information processing device may be a smartphone, tablet terminal, laptop PC (Personal Computer), portable game console, or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) with such a musical instrument app installed.

[0012] The electronic musical instrument 1 is an example of a computer. As shown in Fig. 2, the electronic musical instrument 1 includes, as its hardware configuration, a processor 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11, a flash ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, an external connection interface 13, a keyboard 14, a switch panel 15, a key scanner 16, controls 17, an input / output interface 18, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) unit 19, a sound source LSI (Large Scale Integration) 20, a D / A converter 21, and an amplifier 22. The various components of the electronic musical instrument 1 are connected via a bus 23.

[0013] The processor 10 reads out the programs and data stored in the flash ROM 12. The processor 10 controls the electronic musical instrument 1 in an integrated manner by using the RAM 11 as a work area.

[0014] The processor 10 may be, for example, a single processor or a multi-processor, and includes at least one processor. When multiple processors are included, the processor 10 may be packaged as a single device, or may be configured as multiple devices that are physically separated within the electronic musical instrument 1. The processor 10 may be called, for example, a control unit, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or an MCU (Micro Controller Unit).

[0015] The RAM 11 temporarily stores data and programs, and stores various programs and data read from the flash ROM 12.

[0016] The flash ROM 12 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The flash ROM 12 stores a control program 12A. The processor 10 executes the control program 12A to perform various processes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] The external connection interface 13 is, for example, an interface that, under the control of the processor 10, inputs and outputs MIDI data (MIDI messages) to and from an external MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) device in a serial format.

[0018] The keyboard 14 has 61 keys that are performance operators. Specifically, the keyboard 14 has 32 white keys and 25 black keys. Each key is associated with a different pitch. The electronic musical instrument 1 produces musical tones in response to the depression of a key on the keyboard 14. The number of keys on the keyboard 14 is not limited to 61. The keyboard 14 may have another number of keys, such as 88 keys or 76 keys. In other words, each key on the keyboard 14 is an example of a plurality of performance operators that each specify a different pitch.

[0019] The switch panel 15 includes various controls for operating the electronic musical instrument 1. The various controls include controls corresponding to various functions such as power, recording, play / stop, tone adjustment, and tone selection.

[0020] The key scanner 16 monitors key presses and releases on the keyboard 14. For example, when the key scanner 16 detects a key press by the user, it outputs a key press event to the processor 10. The key press event includes information about the pitch of the key related to the key press (key number). The key number is also called a key number, a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) key, or a note number. The pitch is also called a note.

[0021] In this embodiment, a separate means is provided for measuring the key pressing speed (velocity), and the velocity measured by this means is also included in the key pressing event. For example, multiple contact switches are provided for each key. The velocity is measured based on the difference in the time that each contact switch remains conductive when the key is pressed. Velocity can be considered a value that indicates the strength of the key pressing operation, and also a value that indicates the loudness (volume) of the musical sound.

[0022] The controls 17 include a rotary encoder for selecting parameters, a rotary encoder for inputting parameter values, a pitch bend wheel (pitch bend wheel 17a), a modulation wheel, etc. When the user operates the controls 17, a signal indicating the operation is output to the processor 10 via the input / output interface 18.

[0023] The LCD unit 19 includes an LCD and a driver. When the driver drives the LCD in accordance with a control signal from the processor 10, a screen corresponding to the control signal is displayed. The LCD may be replaced with another type of display device, such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0024] 3, the tone generator LSI 20 includes a generator section 20A, a waveform ROM 20B, a mixer circuit 20C, and an effect circuit 20D. In this embodiment, the processor 10 and the tone generator LSI 20 are configured as separate processors, but in another embodiment, the processor 10 and the tone generator LSI 20 may be configured as a single processor (a single control unit).

[0025] The generator section 20A is a musical tone generator. The sound source LSI 20 is provided with, for example, 128 generator sections 20A. Therefore, the sound source LSI 20 can simultaneously generate a maximum of 128 musical tones.

[0026] The generator section 20A includes a pitch envelope generator 20a, a filter envelope generator 20b, an amplifier envelope generator 20c, a waveform generator 20d, a filter 20e, and an amplifier 20f.

[0027] The waveform ROM 20B stores a set of waveform data for each tone color. The tone colors include, for example, musical instruments such as guitar, bass, piano, and violin, as well as human voices. The waveform data is, for example, data in PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) format that records musical tones produced by actual musical instruments or musical tones played by human voices (musical tones of human voices).

[0028] The processor 10 instructs the tone generator LSI 20 to read out corresponding waveform data from among the plurality of waveform data stored in the waveform ROM 20B. The waveform data to be read out is determined, for example, according to the currently set tone color and key press event.

[0029] The pitch envelope generator 20a outputs a pitch envelope and controls the read speed at which the waveform generator 20d reads waveform data from the waveform ROM 20B. The waveform generator 20d reads waveform data from the waveform ROM 20B in accordance with instructions from the processor 10 at a pitch (in other words, a read speed) that corresponds to the pitch envelope output from the pitch envelope generator 20a.

[0030] When the waveform generator 20d reads out waveform data at a readout speed corresponding to the reference pitch envelope waveform, the musical tone is generated at the pitch of the original sound (the pitch of the recorded musical tone). The faster the readout speed of the waveform data, the higher the pitch of the generated musical tone. The slower the readout speed of the waveform data, the lower the pitch of the generated musical tone.

[0031] That is, by changing the read speed of the waveform data, the sound source LSI 20 can generate musical tones of various pitches within a certain range (such as the range of pitches A0 to B0).The sound source LSI 20 can generate musical tones of all key numbers corresponding to each key on the keyboard 14 with a small amount of waveform data.

[0032] The pitch envelope generator 20a calculates a pitch envelope based on the pitch corresponding to the pressed key, the pitch bend effect according to the user's operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a, the depth of the vibrato effect, etc. By controlling the readout speed of the waveform data according to the pitch envelope calculated in this way, these sound effects are added to the musical tone and it is produced.

[0033] By operating the pitch bend wheel 17a, the user can add a pitch bend effect to a musical tone. By controlling an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) with the modulation wheel, the user can add a vibrato effect to a musical tone. The pitch bend wheel 17a is biased to its center position (initial position) by a biasing member such as a spring. Therefore, when the user releases his / her finger from the pitch bend wheel 17a, the pitch bend wheel 17a automatically returns to its center position.

[0034] The filter envelope generator 20b outputs a filter envelope to control the cutoff frequency of the filter 20e. The filter 20e changes its cutoff frequency in accordance with the filter envelope output from the filter envelope generator 20b, thereby adjusting the frequency characteristics of the waveform data output from the waveform generator 20d. The amplifier envelope generator 20c outputs an amplifier envelope to control the gain of the amplifier 20f. The amplifier 20f changes its gain in accordance with the amplifier envelope output from the amplifier envelope generator 20c, thereby adjusting the volume of the waveform data output from the filter 20e.

[0035] The mixer circuit 20C mixes the musical sound signals output from each generator section 20A. The effect circuit 20D adds a signal corresponding to a sound effect designated by a user operation to the signal input from the mixer circuit 20C. The effect circuit 20D outputs the digital musical sound data to which the signal corresponding to the sound effect has been added to the D / A converter 21.

[0036] The digital musical sound data output from the effect circuit 20D is converted into an analog signal by a D / A converter 21, amplified by an amplifier 22, and output from, for example, a line-out terminal. The musical sound is then reproduced by, for example, a speaker connected to the line-out terminal.

[0037] For example, in stringed instruments such as guitars, performance techniques for changing the pitch of a note while it is being played include choking, glissando, bottlenecking, and arming. Different performance techniques result in different pitch change characteristics. Examples of pitch change characteristics include the direction of pitch change (ascending or descending), the range of pitch change, and the manner in which the pitch changes (continuous, gradual, etc.).

[0038] For example, choking is a technique in which a vibrating string is pushed up or down while pressed against the fret, applying more tension than normal to the string, thereby continuously raising the pitch. Choking can raise the pitch, but it cannot lower the pitch. Furthermore, choking can only be performed on a single string, or at most on two strings, and can only change the pitch by about two to three semitones. Choking on three or more strings is virtually impossible.

[0039] Glissando is a technique in which the finger that holds down the vibrating string slides across the fingerboard. The frets, which act as the fulcrum for the string's vibration, are spaced on the fingerboard at intervals equivalent to semitones. Therefore, with a glissando, the pitch changes in semitone steps. With a glissando, the pitch can be raised or lowered. Furthermore, with a glissando, the pitch can vary over a wide range, both in ascending and descending directions.

[0040] Bottlenecking is a technique that allows you to continuously change pitch by sliding a slide bar along the string. With a bottleneck, you can raise or lower the pitch. The bottleneck also allows for a wide range of pitch variation, both in the ascending and descending directions.

[0041] Arm playing is a technique in which the pitch is changed by manipulating the arms attached to the tremolo unit to apply force to the tremolo unit and adjust the tension of the strings. With arm playing, if the tremolo unit is non-floating, the pitch can only be lowered. If the tremolo unit is floating, the pitch can also be raised or lowered. From a structural perspective, it is easier to loosen the string tension than to increase it. Therefore, with arm playing, the pitch change range in the downward direction is wider than the pitch change range in the upward direction. Furthermore, the thicker the string, the steeper the gradient of the pitch change and the wider the pitch change range. In other words, the thinner the string, the shallower the gradient of the pitch change and the narrower the pitch change range. Therefore, for example, if you change the pitch with arm playing when playing a chord, the pitch of each constituent note will not change uniformly, resulting in a loss of the pitch relationships between the constituent notes.

[0042] Thus, pitch change characteristics differ not only depending on the timbre but also on the playing technique. Therefore, the electronic musical instrument 1 according to this embodiment is configured so that, by simply operating the pitch bend wheel 17a while the user is performing, the electronic musical instrument 1 applies a pitch bend effect with a change characteristic corresponding to the preset playing technique and timbre to the currently sounded musical tone. In other words, the user can easily apply various pitch bend effects to musical tones with a simple operation.

[0043] 4 and 5, an outline of the process for reproducing pitch changes of musical tones in accordance with playing techniques and timbres in the electronic musical instrument 1 will be described.

[0044] First, the setting information will be explained. The setting information is registered in table 12B stored in flash ROM 12. Table 12B registers the following parameters: descending mode (variable name: BendDownMode), descending bend range (variable name: BendDownRange), two or less notes up mode (variable name: BendUp2Mode), two or less notes up bend range (variable name: BendUp2Range), three or more notes up mode (variable name: BendUp3Mode), and three or more notes up bend range (variable name: BendUp3Range). The descending mode is a mode that determines the behavior of the pitch bend when descending. The two or less notes up mode is a mode when the number of polyphony notes is two or less, and is a mode that determines the behavior of the pitch bend when ascending. The three or more notes up mode is a mode when the number of polyphony notes is three or more, and is a mode that determines the behavior of the pitch bend when ascending.

[0045] It should be noted that any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations are used for convenience to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, reference to a first and a second element does not imply, for example, that only two elements are employed, that the first element must precede the second element, etc.

[0046] The value range of each mode is 0 to 2. Values ​​0 and 1 indicate functions F1 (an example of a first function) and F2 (an example of a second function) for continuously changing the pitch, respectively. Value 2 indicates function F3 (an example of a third function) for changing the pitch in stages. Functions F1 to F3 will be described later.

[0047] The range of values ​​for each bend range is a maximum of 0 to 24 (unit: semitone). One semitone is 100 cents. In other words, in this embodiment, the pitch of a musical tone can be changed by a maximum of two octaves using the pitch bend effect. The range of values ​​for each bend range may be a range equivalent to less than two octaves or a range equivalent to more than two octaves.

[0048] The range of pitch variation during pitch bending varies depending on factors such as playing technique, the number of notes being sounded, and the direction of pitch variation (upward or downward). Table 12B takes these factors into consideration and registers an appropriate bend range for each playing situation. The range of pitch variation is determined by at least one of these factors.

[0049] The setting information includes information on tone color and playing technique. In the example of FIG. 5, Guitar A, Guitar B, Guitar B (bottleneck), Guitar B (arming / non-floating), and Guitar B (arming / floating) are registered as setting information. Guitar A and Guitar B represent tone color information. Waveform ROM 20B stores, for example, waveform data when guitar A is plucked with fingers, and also stores waveform data when guitar B, which has a different tone color from guitar A, is plucked with fingers. Characters in parentheses indicate playing technique information. In other words, table 12B stores setting information for guitar B, including information on the playing techniques of bottleneck, arming (non-floating), and arming (floating).

[0050] 5 is merely an example. Table 12B may also contain setting information including information on other timbres, such as a violin. Table 12B may also contain setting information including information on other performance techniques, such as trills.

[0051] The user can specify the setting information to be applied during performance, for example, by operating the switch panel 15. As shown in Fig. 4, the electronic musical instrument 1 acquires the setting information specified by the user's operation (step S11).

[0052] The electronic musical instrument 1 monitors the user's operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a (step S12). When the pitch bend wheel 17a is operated (step S12: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 determines parameters based on the operation and the number of musical notes being sounded (step S13).

[0053] The performance techniques available to a performer differ depending on whether the number of currently sounding musical notes is two or less or three or more. For example, while it is possible to bend one string or two adjacent strings, it is virtually impossible to bend three or more strings. Glissando can also be performed on three or more strings. Therefore, when the pitch bend wheel 17a is operated in the plus direction, if the number of currently sounding musical notes is two or less, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the parameters to the up two or less note mode and the up two or less note bend range. If the number of currently sounding musical notes is three or more, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the parameters to the up three or more note mode and the up three or more note bend range. Note that operating the pitch bend wheel 17a in the plus direction is an example of a first operating state in which the controller is operated to raise the pitch. Operating the pitch bend wheel 17a in the minus direction is an example of a second operating state in which the controller is operated to lower the pitch.

[0054] On the other hand, when lowering the pitch, the performance techniques available to the performer are less dependent on the number of notes being played. Therefore, when the pitch bend wheel 17a is turned to the minus side, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the parameters to the downward bend mode and downward bend range, regardless of the number of notes being played.

[0055] The electronic musical instrument 1 sets a function according to the setting information acquired in step S11 and the parameters determined in step S13 (step S14). As an example, a case will be described where the setting information is guitar B (bottleneck) and the parameters are mode up two notes or less and bend range up two notes or less. In this case, the electronic musical instrument 1 acquires a value of 0 for the mode and a value of 12 for the bend range (see FIG. 5). The electronic musical instrument 1 acquires a function F1 corresponding to the value 0 and sets the maximum pitch change amount calculated by the function F1 to 12 semitones.

[0056] The electronic musical instrument 1 changes the pitch of the musical tone being generated based on the function set in step S14 and the operating position of the pitch bend wheel 17a (in other words, the operating amount relative to the center position, which is the initial position) (step S15). Here, the graphs of each function shown in Figure 4 indicate the amount of pitch change (vertical axis) according to the position of the pitch bend wheel 17a (horizontal axis).

[0057] As shown in step S14 of Figure 4, when the function F1 is set, the pitch of all currently sounding notes changes continuously with the same gradient, regardless of their pitch. This makes it possible to reproduce performance techniques such as choking. Additionally, with the function F1, the intervals between constituent notes are kept constant even when the pitch of a chord changes. This makes it suitable for reproducing performance techniques such as bottlenecking using a slide bar.

[0058] When the function F2 is set, the pitch of the musical note being sounded changes continuously with a gradient that differs for each pitch. In this embodiment, to simulate a performance technique such as arm-playing, the function F2 is defined by regarding low key numbers as thick strings (low strings) and high key numbers as thin strings (high strings). This makes it possible to reproduce a performance technique such as arm-playing, in which the gradient of the pitch change and the range of pitch variation vary depending on the thickness of the string (the thicker the string, the greater the gradient of the pitch change and the greater the range of pitch variation).

[0059] When function F3 is set, the pitch of all currently sounding musical notes changes in steps of semitones (an example of a predetermined unit), regardless of the note pitch. This allows performance techniques such as glissando to be reproduced.

[0060] Thus, according to this embodiment, the user can change the pitch of the musical tone being sounded with a change characteristic corresponding to a preset performance technique or timbre by simply turning the pitch bend wheel 17a during performance operation. In other words, when the electronic musical instrument 1 according to this embodiment receives a user operation on the pitch bend wheel 17a, it automatically determines the pitch bend effect to be applied to the musical tone, and applies the determined pitch bend effect to the musical tone, thereby reproducing various performance techniques.

[0061] 6 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the electronic musical instrument 1 (more specifically, the processor 10 and the tone generator LSI 20) in one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, when the power supply to the electronic musical instrument 1 is turned on, the processing shown in FIG. 6 begins to be executed. When the power supply to the electronic musical instrument 1 is turned off, the processing shown in FIG. 6 ends.

[0062] The steps of the flowcharts shown in the present embodiment may be reordered to the extent that they are consistent. For example, although the present disclosure presents the processing of various steps using an exemplary order, the order is not limited to the presented order. Furthermore, the steps of the flowcharts shown in the present embodiment may be executed in parallel or in parallel to the extent that they are consistent.

[0063] In the process shown in FIG. 6, the pitch of the musical tone is controlled during periodic processing that is executed every 1 ms when the tone starts to be generated in response to a key press and while the tone is being generated (in other words, until the tone is muted).

[0064] As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic musical instrument 1 executes an initialization process (step S101). In the initialization process, each component and various variables are initialized. For example, the electronic musical instrument 1 resets the variables nnr and nnb to a value of 0. The variable nnr indicates the number of notes (number of musical tones) currently being sounded. The variable nnb indicates a temporary number of notes to be referenced when determining the mode to be applied. The variables nnr and nnb take values ​​from 0 to 127.

[0065] The electronic musical instrument 1 executes a switch process (step S102). In the switch process, the operational states of the switch panel 15, the controls 17, etc. are acquired. For example, information such as volume and tone color is acquired.

[0066] The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether or not a setting information (timbre, performance technique) switching operation has been performed (step S103). The timbre and performance technique may be switched with a single button, or may be switched with separate buttons. If a setting information switching operation has been performed (step S103: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 switches the setting information (step S104).

[0067] Specifically, the electronic musical instrument 1 stores in the work area the values ​​of each mode (down, up two or less notes, three or more notes up) and each bend range corresponding to the setting information after switching. As an example, when switched to guitar B (armed / non-floating), the electronic musical instrument 1 assigns the values ​​1 and 24 to the variable BendDownMode for the down mode and the variable BendDownRange for the down bend range, respectively. The electronic musical instrument 1 assigns the values ​​0 and 3 to the variable BendUp2Mode for the two or less notes up mode and the variable BendUp2Range for the two or less notes up bend range, respectively. The electronic musical instrument 1 assigns the values ​​2 and 12 to the variable BendUp3Mode for the three or more notes up mode and the variable BendUp3Range for the three or more notes up bend range, respectively.

[0068] Next, the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether or not a key depression operation has been performed (step S105). If a key depression operation has been performed (step S105: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 executes a key depression process (step S106).

[0069] The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether or not a key release operation has been performed (step S107). If a key release operation has been performed (step S107: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 executes a key release process (step S108).

[0070] The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether or not a musical tone is being generated by the sound source LSI 20 (step S109). If a musical tone is being generated and a predetermined time (e.g., 1 ms) has elapsed since the previous steady-state processing (step S109: YES, step S110: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 executes steady-state processing (step S111). The electronic musical instrument 1 executes other processing (display control of the LCD unit 19, communication processing, etc.) (step S112) and returns to the processing of step S102.

[0071] The subroutine of the key pressing process (step S106) in Fig. 6 will be described using Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the electronic musical instrument 1 executes key assigner processing (step S201). In the key assigner processing, a generator section 20A to be controlled (specifically, a generator section 20A that produces a musical tone in response to a key pressing operation) is assigned from among the 128 generator sections 20A. More specifically, the number (0 to 127) of the generator section 20A to be assigned is assigned to a variable gen.

[0072] The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the status of the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen is not 0 (step S202). Here, the status is indicated by GenStatus[i]. GenStatus[i] indicates the status of the generator section 20A numbered i. GenStatus[i] takes on values ​​from 0 to 2. When GenStatus[i] is value 0, the generator section 20A numbered i is unused (not being used for sound generation processing). When GenStatus[i] is value 1, this indicates that the generator section 20A numbered i is generating a musical sound in response to a key press. When GenStatus[i] is value 2, this indicates that the generator section 20A numbered i is attenuating a musical sound in response to a key release. Note that since there are 128 generator sections 20A, the number i takes on values ​​from 0 to 127.

[0073] If the status (variable GenStatus[gen]) of the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen is not 0 (i.e., in use) (step S202: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 immediately stops the generation of musical tones by this generator section 20A (step S203). As a result, musical tones are immediately muted in this generator section 20A.

[0074] If the variable GenStatus[gen] is 0 (i.e., unused) (step S202: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 updates the variable GenStatus[gen] to 1 (step S204). The electronic musical instrument 1 stores the key number (variable key) included in the most recent key press event corresponding to the key press operation in the variable GenKey[i] (step S205). The variable GenKey[i] indicates the key number of the musical tone generated by the generator section 20A numbered i.

[0075] The electronic musical instrument 1 performs a pitch bend calculation process (step S206). As will be described in detail later, the pitch bend calculation process calculates the latest pitch bend change amount (variable pb) according to the bend position (operated position of the pitch bend wheel 17a).

[0076] The electronic musical instrument 1 increments the variables nnr and nnb by 1 (step S207). The electronic musical instrument 1 performs sound generation processing (step S208). Specifically, the electronic musical instrument 1 selects waveform data with a waveform number corresponding to the key number (variable key) and velocity (variable vel) included in the latest key press event corresponding to the key press operation. The electronic musical instrument 1 calculates the readout speed of the waveform data based on the variable key and the latest variable pb calculated in the pitch bend calculation processing (step S206). The electronic musical instrument 1 provides the calculated readout speed and velocity (variable vel) to the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen, and begins reading out the waveform data. As a result, musical tones are generated in this generator section 20A.

[0077] The subroutine of the key release process (step S108) in Fig. 6 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, the electronic musical instrument 1 resets the variable gen to the value 0 (step S301).

[0078] The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the status of the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen (variable GenStatus[gen]) is 1 (i.e., sounding) (step S302). If the variable GenStatus[gen] is 0 or 2 (step S302: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 proceeds to the processing of step S306.

[0079] If the variable GenStatus[gen] is 1 (step S302: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the key number of the musical tone being sounded, which is assigned to the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen, matches the key number corresponding to the pressed key (step S303). Specifically, the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the variable GenKey[gen] is the same as the variable key.

[0080] If the variable GenKey[gen] is different from the variable key (step S303: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 proceeds to the processing of step S306. If the variable GenKey[gen] is the same as the variable key (step S303: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 transitions the musical tone being generated by the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen to an attenuation state (step S304). As an example, the electronic musical instrument 1 applies the envelope at the time of key release to attenuate the musical tone being generated.

[0081] The electronic musical instrument 1 sets the variable GenStatus[gen] to the value 2, which indicates the attenuation state (step S305). The electronic musical instrument 1 increments the variable gen by 1 (step S306). The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the variable gen is equal to or greater than 128 (step S307). If the variable gen is equal to or greater than 128 (step S307: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 ends the subroutine of the key-release processing (step S108). If the variable gen is less than 128 (step S307: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 returns to the processing of step S302. The electronic musical instrument 1 repeats the processing of steps S302 to S307 until the processing of step S302 has been executed for all generator sections 20A. The musical tone is not muted during the key-release processing. Therefore, the variables nnr and nnb do not increase or decrease during the key-release processing.

[0082] The subroutine of the steady-state processing (step S111) of Fig. 6 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, the electronic musical instrument 1 performs a pitch bend calculation process, similar to step S206, to calculate the latest pitch bend change amount (variable pb) according to the bend position (step S401).

[0083] The electronic musical instrument 1 resets the variable gen to the value 0 (step S402). The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the status (variable GenStatus[gen]) of the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen is the value 0 (i.e., unused) (step S403). If the variable GenStatus[gen] is the value 0 (step S403: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 proceeds to the processing of step S411. If the variable GenStatus[gen] is not the value 0 (step S403: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the status (variable GenStatus[gen]) is the value 1 (i.e., sounding) (step S404).

[0084] If the variable GenStatus[gen] is 1 (step S404: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 proceeds to the process of step S406. If the variable GenStatus[gen] is not 1 (step S404: NO), the variable GenStatus[gen] is 2. Therefore, the musical sound is being attenuated in the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen. In this case, the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether or not the attenuation of the musical sound has been completed in the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen (in other words, whether or not the level of the musical sound has reached 0) (step S405).

[0085] If the decay of the musical tone is not complete (step S405: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 updates the pitch (step S406). Specifically, the electronic musical instrument 1 recalculates the waveform data read speed using the latest variable pb calculated in step S401, and provides the recalculated waveform data read speed value to the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen. This changes the pitch of the musical tone generated by this generator section 20A.

[0086] The electronic musical instrument 1 executes various other processes for the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen (step S407). The electronic musical instrument 1 increments the variable gen by 1 (step S411). The electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the variable gen is equal to or greater than 128 (step S412). If the variable gen is equal to or greater than 128 (step S412: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 terminates the subroutine of the regular processing (step S111). If the variable gen is less than 128 (step S412: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 returns to the processing of step S403. The electronic musical instrument 1 repeats the regular processing (step S111) until the processing of step S403 has been executed for all generator sections 20A.

[0087] If the attenuation of the musical tone is complete (step S405: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 stops the generator section 20A corresponding to the variable gen (step S408) and sets its status (variable GenStatus[gen]) to the value 0 indicating an unused state (step S409). The electronic musical instrument 1 further updates the variables nnr and nnb (step S410) and executes the processes of steps S411 to S412.

[0088] In step S410, the electronic musical instrument 1 first decrements each of the variables nnr and nnb by one. If the value of the variable nnr after decrementing by one is 2, the number of currently sounding notes has been reduced from three to two. Consider a case where, in an actual guitar performance, the number of notes being sounded is reduced while playing a chord of three or more notes, resulting in a change to a single note or a two-note bend. In this case, the performer must temporarily release the fingers that were holding the strings and re-gripping the neck to change from a chord playing position to a bend playing position. However, it is natural for the performer to maintain the chord playing position until the bend position is completely below 0 (the pitch bend wheel 17a is at the center position or the negative side) or until all notes are muted. Therefore, the electronic musical instrument 1 resets the variable nnb, which indicates the provisional number of notes used when determining the mode to be applied, to a value of 3. This causes the ascending three or more note mode to continue to be applied in the pitch bend calculation process (step S401).

[0089] In this way, when the electronic musical instrument 1 transitions from a state in which n pitches are specified by key-pressing n keys (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 3, and in this embodiment, 3) (one example of an operation on a performance control element) to a state in which m pitches are specified by key-pressing m keys (m is a natural number less than n or 0, and in this embodiment, 2), the currently set function is not changed until all musical tones being sounded are muted.

[0090] If the value of variable nnr after decrement by 1 is 0, the number of musical notes being sounded has decreased from 1 to 0. In this case, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the value of variable nnb to 0 to make the values ​​of variable nnr and variable nnb consistent. If the value of variable nnr after decrement by 1 is neither 0 nor 2, the electronic musical instrument 1 ends the update process (step S410) without adjusting the value of variable nnb after decrement by 1.

[0091] The subroutine of the pitch bend calculation process (step S206 in FIG. 7, step S401 in FIG. 9) will be described using FIG. 10. In this subroutine, the electronic musical instrument 1 determines whether the variable bp indicating the bend position has a value of 0 (step S501). When the pitch bend wheel 17a is at the initial center position, the variable bp takes on a value of 0. When the pitch bend wheel 17a is at the maximum position on the plus side, the variable bp takes on a value of 1. When the pitch bend wheel 17a is at the maximum position on the minus side, the variable bp takes on a value of -1. That is, the variable bp takes on a value between -1 and +1.

[0092] If the bend position (variable bp) is 0 (step S501: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the most recent pitch bend change amount (variable pb) to 0 (step S502) and terminates the pitch bend calculation process subroutine (step S206 in FIG. 7, step S401 in FIG. 9).

[0093] If the bend position (variable bp) is not 0 (step S501: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 determines the mode and bend range based on the bend position and the number of musical notes being sounded (step S503). Specifically, if the bend position is a negative value, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the values ​​of the variables BendDownMode and BendDownRange assigned in step S104 to the variables bm and br, respectively. The variable bm indicates the current mode and takes a value between 0 and 2. The variable br indicates the current bend range and takes a value between 0 and 24. If the bend position is a positive value and the number of notes being sounded is two or less, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the values ​​of the variables BendUp2Mode and BendUp2Range assigned in step S104 to the variables bm and br, respectively. If the bend position has a positive value and the number of notes to be played is three or more, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets the values ​​of the variables BendUp3Mode and BendUp3Range assigned in step S104 to the variables bm and br, respectively.

[0094] Thus, in this embodiment, when the bend position is a positive value, the same mode and bend range (i.e., two or more notes up mode and two or more notes up bend range) are applied whether a single note is being played or two notes are being played. This is because there are performance techniques that involve bending not only one string but also two strings simultaneously. Also, when playing a single-note melody, even if musically it is a single note, an extremely short period of two notes that occurs when a new note-on occurs before the previous note-off or when a new musical note is played while the previous note is decaying should not be interpreted as a chord performance.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for example, when the number of musical tones changes from two to three, the ascending three or more note mode and the ascending three or more note bend range are applied. If the pitches of the first two musical tones are changed according to the ascending two or more note mode and the ascending two or more note bend range while only the third musical tone is changed according to the ascending three or more note mode and the ascending three or more note bend range, an unintended and unnatural pitch change may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, not only the third musical tone but also the pitches of the two musical tones that have been sounded so far are changed according to the ascending three or more note mode and the ascending three or more note bend range. Additionally, in this embodiment, the pitches of all musical tones being sounded are changed according to the same mode and bend range.

[0096] The electronic musical instrument 1 sets a function (step S504). Specifically, if the variable bm has a value of 0, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets a corresponding function F1. The electronic musical instrument 1 also sets a value range for the function F1 according to the value of the variable br. For example, if the variable br has a value of 12, the value range for the function F1 is set to ±12 (unit: semitone). If the variable bm has a value of 1, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets a corresponding function F2. The electronic musical instrument 1 also sets a value range for the function F2 according to the value of the variable br. If the variable bm has a value of 2, the electronic musical instrument 1 sets a corresponding function F3. The electronic musical instrument 1 also sets a value range for the function F3 according to the value of the variable br.

[0097] If it is set to function F1 (step S505: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 calculates the latest pitch bend change amount (variable pb) using function F1 (step S506), and ends the pitch bend calculation process subroutine (step S206 in FIG. 7, step S401 in FIG. 9).

[0098] The function F1 will be explained using Figure 11. In Figure 11, the vertical axis represents the amount of change in pitch bend (variable pb), and the horizontal axis represents the bend position (variable bp). Figure 11 shows a graph of the function F1 when the variable br has a value of 12. The function F1 is expressed by the following equation.

[0099] Function F1: variable pb (amount of change) = variable br (bend range) × variable bp (bend position)

[0100] When set to function F1, the pitch of the currently sounding musical tones changes continuously in accordance with the user's operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a (in other words, the bend position), as shown in the above formula. Furthermore, the pitch of all currently sounding musical tones changes continuously with the same gradient, regardless of their pitch. This allows performance techniques such as choking to be reproduced. Furthermore, even in chords, the intervals between constituent notes are kept constant during pitch changes. Therefore, performance techniques such as bottlenecking using a slide bar can be reproduced.

[0101] If it is set to function F2 (step S505: NO, step S507: YES), the electronic musical instrument 1 calculates the latest pitch bend change amount (variable pb) using function F2 (step S508), and ends the pitch bend calculation process subroutine (step S206 in FIG. 7, step S401 in FIG. 9).

[0102] The function F2 will be explained using Figure 12. In Figure 12, the vertical axis represents the amount of change in pitch bend (variable pb), and the horizontal axis represents the bend position (variable bp). Figure 12 shows a graph of the function F2 when the variable br has a value of 12. The function F2 is expressed by the following equation.

[0103] Function F2: variable pb = gradient a × (variable br × variable bp) However, when the variable key is less than or equal to 40, Gradient a=1 When 40<variable key<100, Gradient a = 1-{(1-1 / 6) × (variable key-40) / 60} When variable key≧100, Gradient a=1 / 6

[0104] In function F2, as shown in the above formula, gradient a changes according to the pitch (variable key) of the musical tone being sounded. Specifically, for musical tones below pitch E2 (variable key=40), gradient a is fixed to a value of 1. For musical tones higher than pitch E2 (variable key=40) and lower than pitch E7 (variable key=100), the gradient a decreases as the pitch increases. For musical tones above pitch E7 (variable key=100), gradient a is fixed to a value of 1 / 6. Therefore, when function F2 is set, as in the case of function F1, the pitch of the musical tone being sounded continuously changes in response to user operation of pitch bend wheel 17a, but the amount of pitch change differs for each pitch. Therefore, even in electronic keyboard instruments where there is no playing method that specifies which string to play which pitch, it is possible to reproduce playing techniques such as arming, in which the gradient of the pitch change and the range of pitch variation vary depending on the thickness of the string (the thicker the string, the greater the gradient of the pitch change and the greater the range of pitch variation).

[0105] For convenience, Figure 12 shows three representative graphs (a graph when gradient a is 1 (variable key=40), a graph when gradient a is 7 / 12 (variable key=70), and a graph when gradient a is 1 / 6 (variable key=100)), but such graphs exist for each key number from 40 to 100.

[0106] If function F3 is set (step S505: NO, step S507: NO), the electronic musical instrument 1 calculates the latest pitch bend change amount (variable pb) using function F3 (step S509), and ends the pitch bend calculation process subroutine (step S206 in FIG. 7, step S401 in FIG. 9).

[0107] The function F3 will be explained using Figure 13. In Figure 13, the vertical axis represents the amount of change in pitch bend (variable pb), and the horizontal axis represents the bend position (variable bp). Figure 13 shows a graph of the function F3 when the variable br has a value of 12. The function F3 is expressed by the following equation.

[0108] Function F3: Variable pb = Value obtained by rounding up the value of variable a1 Variable a1 = Variable br × {Variable bp - (1 / Variable br) × 0.1}

[0109] When function F3 is set, the pitch of the musical note being played changes stepwise in semitone increments, following the user's operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a (i.e., the bend position), as shown in the above formula. This stepwise change in pitch can reproduce a performance technique such as a glissando, in which a finger slides from one fret to another on the same string on the guitar fingerboard to connect notes.

[0110] 14, in this embodiment, in order to reproduce a gradual change in pitch in accordance with the movement of the fingers on the guitar fingerboard, the pitch may be changed by a semitone at position P3, which is the overshoot of bender position P1, where function F1 changes by a semitone. For example, if the interval from bender position P1 to the next bender position P1 (in other words, the amount of operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a required to change by one semitone) is set to 100 steps, bender position P3 is set to a position 10 steps beyond bender position P1. This more faithfully reproduces a glissando performed by sliding a finger on the string between frets.

[0111] In this way, when the electronic musical instrument 1 of this embodiment receives a user operation of the pitch bend wheel 17a, it automatically determines the pitch bend effect to be applied to the musical tone and applies the determined pitch bend effect to the musical tone. The user can apply pitch bend effects based on various performance techniques to the musical tone simply by operating the pitch bend wheel 17a.

[0112] The above is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. For example, the embodiments of the present application also include appropriate combinations of embodiments explicitly shown in the specification or obvious embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1: Electronic musical instrument, 10: Processor, 14: Keyboard, 20: Sound source LSI, 20A: Generator section, 20a: Pitch envelope generator

Claims

1. obtaining setting information including at least playing technique information; setting a function that defines how to change the pitch of the musical tone based on the acquired setting information and the operation state of the operator; obtaining the amount of change in the pitch according to the user's operation on the operator based on the set function; changing the pitch of the musical tone being generated based on the acquired amount of change; A control unit is provided. Information processing device.

2. the control unit sets the function based on the number of the musical tones being sounded. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the variable range of the pitch is determined in accordance with at least one of the playing technique and the number of the musical tones being sounded; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. It has a plurality of performance controls that each specify a different pitch, when the control unit transitions from a state in which n pitches are designated by operations on n performance operators (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 3) to a state in which m pitches are designated by operations on m performance operators (m is a natural number less than n or 0), the control unit does not change the function being set until all of the musical tones being sounded are muted. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The control unit setting one of the first function, the second function, and the third function; When the first function is set, the pitches of all the musical tones being generated are continuously changed with the same gradient; When the second function is set, the pitch of the musical tone being generated is continuously changed with a gradient that varies for each pitch, When the third function is set, the pitches of all the musical tones being generated are changed in stages by a predetermined unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. the operation state includes a first operation state in which the operator is operated to raise the pitch or a second operation state in which the operator is operated to lower the pitch, The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. obtaining setting information including at least playing technique information; setting a function that defines how to change the pitch of the musical tone based on the acquired setting information and the operation state of the operator; obtaining the amount of change in the pitch according to the user's operation on the operator based on the set function; changing the pitch of the musical tone being generated based on the acquired amount of change; Have a computer execute the process, method.

8. obtaining setting information including at least playing technique information; setting a function that defines how to change the pitch of the musical tone based on the acquired setting information and the operation state of the operator; obtaining the amount of change in the pitch according to the user's operation on the operator based on the set function; changing the pitch of the musical tone being generated based on the acquired amount of change; Have a computer execute the process, program.

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