Acoustic control apparatus and acoustic control method

Abstract

To provide an acoustic control device and an acoustic control program capable of mixing music without a sense of incongruity.SOLUTION: An acoustic control device that mixes a first musical piece and a second musical piece includes a reproduction control unit that fades out the first musical piece when a replacement operation of replacing a musical piece to be output from the first musical piece with the second musical piece is completed within a predetermined time after the replacement operation is started, and an effect imparting unit that imparts, to the first musical piece, a linked effect linked with BPM of the second musical piece among special sound effects.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an acoustic control device and an acoustic control program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known an audio device that mixes and outputs a plurality of pieces of music (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The audio device described in Patent Document 1 is a so-called mixer that mixes music pieces supplied from music supply devices such as a PC and a smartphone, and outputs an audio signal corresponding to the mixed music pieces to a speaker. The audio device includes controls such as a first channel fader, a second channel fader, and a crossfader. The first channel fader and the second channel fader each have controls that can be moved up and down, and the crossfader has a control that can be moved left and right. When the first channel fader is operated, the audio device adjusts the volume of the music input to the first channel from the music supply device, and when the second channel fader is operated, the audio device adjusts the volume of the music input to the second channel from the music supply device. When the crossfader is operated, the audio device also adjusts the balance between the volume of the first channel and the volume of the second channel. For example, as the crossfader control is moved to the left, the proportion of the first channel in the volume output from the audio device increases, and as the control is moved to the right, the proportion of the second channel in the volume output from the audio device increases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 054263 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when mixing music input to the first channel with music input to the second channel, there is a problem that if a beginner or other inexperienced user operates the audio device, it is difficult to mix the music on the first channel with the music on the second channel without creating a sense of incongruity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An audio control device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an audio control device that mixes a first piece of music and a second piece of music, and includes a comparison unit that compares the BPM of the first piece of music with the BPM of the second piece of music, and an effect selection unit that selects a special sound effect depending on the result of the comparison.

[0006] A second aspect of the present invention provides an audio control device that mixes a first song and a second song, and includes a playback control unit that fades out the first song when a switching operation for switching the song to be output from the first song to the second song is completed within a predetermined time after the switching operation is started, and an effect imparting unit that imparts to the first song a linked effect that is linked to the BPM of the second song, among special sound effects.

[0007] A third aspect of the present invention provides an audio control device that mixes a first song and a second song, wherein the first song includes a first vocal part and the second song includes a second vocal part, and the audio control device includes a configuration swapping unit that swaps the first vocal part and the second vocal part when an operation to lower the volume of the first song and increase the volume of the second song is performed at a speed equal to or slower than a predetermined speed, if the difference between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song is within a predetermined value.

[0008] An acoustic control program according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is recorded in a computer-readable manner, and causes a computer to function as the acoustic control device according to any one of the first to third aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an acoustic control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing changes in the overall volume of a first piece of music and changes in the overall volume of a second piece of music when the crossfader is operated in normal mode in one embodiment. [Figure 4] 6 is a flowchart showing a mix assist process executed in an assist mode in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Configuration of sound control device] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an acoustic control device 1 according to this embodiment. The sound control device 1 according to this embodiment mixes multiple pieces of music. Specifically, the sound control device 1 mixes a first piece of music loaded into a first channel and a second piece of music loaded into a second channel, and outputs an audio signal corresponding to the mixed pieces of music. As will be described in more detail later, one of the features of the sound control device 1 is that it has a normal mode in which the first and second songs are mixed in response to operations on the controls, and an assist mode in which the mixing of the first and second songs is assisted. As shown in Fig. 1, the sound control device 1 includes a housing 2, two channel operation units 3, a mode changeover switch 4, and a crossfader 5. Although not shown in Fig. 1, the sound control device 1 further includes a control unit 6 (see Fig. 2) that controls the operation of the sound control device 1.

[0011] [Case configuration] The housing 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and houses the control unit 6. The housing 2 has a top surface 21, an upper surface 22, a lower surface 23, a left side surface 24, a right side surface 25, and a bottom surface (not shown). On the top surface 21, two channel operation units 3, a mode changeover switch 4, and a crossfader 5 are arranged.

[0012] [Channel operation section configuration] The two channel operation units 3 operate the playback status of the music loaded on the corresponding channels. The two channel operation units 3 are a first channel operation unit 3A that operates the playback status of the first music loaded on the first channel, and a second channel operation unit 3B that operates the playback status of the second music loaded on the second channel. Each of the channel operation sections 3A and 3B has a jog dial 31, an equalizer adjustment section 32, a channel fader 33, and a tempo slider .

[0013] The jog dial 31 is rotatably mounted on the top surface 21 and is used to adjust the playback direction and playback speed of the music being played. The user can perform a scratch operation, which is unique to DJ performances, by combining changes in the rotation direction and speed of the jog dial 31.

[0014] The equalizer adjustment units 32 perform equalizer adjustment processing for the corresponding channels. Specifically, the equalizer adjustment unit 32 of the first channel operation unit 3A performs equalizer adjustment processing for the first channel, and the equalizer adjustment unit 32 of the second channel operation unit 3B performs equalizer adjustment processing for the second channel. Each equalizer adjustment unit 32 has a level adjustment unit 321, a high-frequency band adjustment unit 322, a mid-frequency band adjustment unit 323, a low-frequency band adjustment unit 324, and an effect adjustment unit 325. The level adjustment unit 321, the high frequency band adjustment unit 322, the mid frequency band adjustment unit 323, the low frequency band adjustment unit 324 and the effect adjustment unit 325 are rotary encoders having knobs that can rotate in one direction and the other direction around a rotation axis.

[0015] The level adjustment unit 321 adjusts the input level of the input music piece. The high frequency band adjusting unit 322 adjusts the volume level of the high frequency band of the input music piece. The high frequency band is, for example, a frequency band of 4649 Hz or higher. The mid-frequency band adjustment unit 323 adjusts the volume level of the mid-frequency band of the input music. The mid-frequency band is, for example, a frequency band exceeding 284 Hz and below 4649 Hz. The low frequency band adjustment unit 324 adjusts the maximum volume level of the low frequency band of the input music piece. The low frequency band is, for example, a frequency band below 284 Hz. The effect adjustment section 325 is a control that adjusts the effect amount of the effect set in the corresponding channel operation section 3 .

[0016] The channel faders 33 are controls that adjust the volume output from the corresponding channel operation unit 3, and ultimately from the audio control device 1. Specifically, the channel fader 33 of the first channel operation unit 3A is a first channel fader 33A that adjusts the volume output from the audio control device 1. The channel fader 33 of the second channel operation unit 3B is a second channel fader 33B that adjusts the volume output from the audio control device 1. Each channel fader 33 has a fader operator 331 that can slide up and down. When the fader operator 331 is operated upward, the volume adjustment unit 65, which will be described later, increases the volume of the entire music output from the corresponding channel operation unit 3. When the fader operator 331 is operated downward, the volume adjustment unit 65 decreases the volume of the entire music output from the corresponding channel operation unit 3.

[0017] In the following description, the fader operator 331 of the first channel fader 33A will be referred to as the first operator 33A1, and the fader operator 331 of the second channel fader 33B will be referred to as the second operator 33B1. The first operator 33A1 is loaded into the first channel and adjusts the overall volume of the first music piece output from the audio control device 1, and the second operator 33B1 is loaded into the second channel and adjusts the overall volume of the second music piece output from the audio control device 1. Furthermore, the maximum volume of the entire first piece of music is the first preset volume set by the first operator 33A1, and the maximum volume of the entire second piece of music is the second preset volume set by the second operator 33B1. Changing the volume of the entire song according to the position of the fader operator 331 means increasing or decreasing the volume of each frequency band by amplifying the high-frequency band signal at the volume level set by the high-frequency band adjustment unit 322, the mid-frequency band signal at the volume level set by the mid-frequency band adjustment unit 323, and the low-frequency band signal at the volume level set by the low-frequency band adjustment unit 324 by an amplification factor according to the position of the fader operator 331.

[0018] The tempo slider 34 is a control that adjusts the playback speed of a song by adjusting the BPM (Beats Per Minute) of the song loaded to the corresponding channel during playback. Note that the BPM of a song represents the tempo of the song, i.e., the number of beats per minute of the song. The original BPM of a song represents the original tempo of the song, i.e., the number of beats per minute of the original song, and the playback BPM represents the tempo when the song is played, i.e., the number of beats per minute when the song is played. The tempo slider 34 of the first channel operation section 3A is a first tempo slider 34A that adjusts the BPM during playback of the first music piece loaded on the first channel. The tempo slider 34 of the second channel operation section 3B is a second tempo slider 34B that adjusts the BPM during playback of the second music piece loaded on the second channel.

[0019] [Mode switch configuration] The mode changeover switch 4 is a switch for changing the operation mode of the sound control device 1. By pressing the mode changeover switch 4, the operation mode of the sound control device 1 changes between a normal mode and an assist mode.

[0020] [Crossfader Configuration] The crossfader 5 has a fader operator 51 that can move left and right, and is an operator that adjusts the balance between the volume of a first music piece loaded on the first channel and the volume of a second music piece loaded on the second channel. In the normal mode described below, as the fader operator 51 is moved to the left, the proportion of the volume of the first music piece in the total volume output from the sound control device 1 increases. As the fader operator 51 is moved to the right, the proportion of the volume of the second music piece in the total volume output from the sound control device 1 increases. Hereinafter, one end of the operable range RC of the fader operator 51 will be referred to as the first end TC1, and the other end as the second end TC2. In this embodiment, since the movement direction of the fader operator 51 is the left-right direction, the first end TC1 is the left end of the operable range RC, and the second end TC2 is the right end of the operable range RC. When the fader control 51 is located at the first end TC1, the volume of the entire first song becomes the first preset volume and the volume of the second song becomes the minimum volume.When the fader control 51 is located at the second end TC2, the volume of the first song becomes the minimum volume and the volume of the second song becomes the second preset volume.

[0021] [Controller configuration] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 6. The control unit 6 is configured with a circuit board having at least one processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and reads and processes an audio control program stored in a computer-readable manner in a storage unit (not shown). In other words, the processor constituting the control unit 6 is a computer, and the control unit 6 controls the operation of the audio control device 1 based on the audio control program. Specifically, the control unit 6 not only plays the music loaded on each channel, but also adjusts the mix state of the first music piece and the second music piece based on the operation of the crossfader 5 and the channel faders 33A and 33B. 2, the control unit 6 includes a first playback unit 61, a second playback unit 62, a position acquisition unit 63, a mode switching unit 64, a volume adjustment unit 65, an operation determination unit 66, a comparison unit 67, a configuration determination unit 68, an effect selection unit 69, an effect imparting unit 70, a playback control unit 71, a configuration replacement unit 72, and a filter unit 73. Of these, the operation determination unit 66, the comparison unit 67, the configuration determination unit 68, the effect selection unit 69, the effect imparting unit 70, the playback control unit 71, the configuration replacement unit 72, and the filter unit 73 function when the operation mode of the acoustic control device 1 is the assist mode.

[0022] The first playback unit 61 plays the first music piece loaded on the first channel. Specifically, the first playback unit 61 plays the first music piece at the BPM of the first music piece. Note that, if the BPM of the first music piece has been adjusted by the first tempo slider 34A, the BPM of the first music piece refers to the adjusted BPM of the first music piece during playback; if the BPM of the first music piece has not been adjusted by the first tempo slider 34A, the BPM of the first music piece refers to the BPM of the original version of the first music piece. The second playback unit 62 plays the second music piece loaded on the second channel. Specifically, the second playback unit 62 plays the second music piece at the BPM of the original song of the second music piece. Note that if the playback BPM of the second music piece has been adjusted by the second tempo slider 34B, the BPM of the second music piece refers to the adjusted playback BPM of the second music piece; if the playback BPM of the second music piece has not been adjusted by the second tempo slider 34B, the BPM of the second music piece refers to the original BPM of the second music piece.

[0023] The position acquisition unit 63 acquires the position of each operator. For example, the position acquisition unit 63 acquires the position of the fader operator 331 within the operable range of each channel fader 33, the position of each tempo slider 34 within the operable range, and the position of the fader operator 51 within the operable range of the crossfader 5. For example, the position acquisition unit 63 acquires a numerical value indicating the relative position of the fader operator 51 with respect to the first end TC1, where 0 is when the fader operator 51 is located at the first end TC1 and 1 is when the fader operator 51 is located at the second end TC2.

[0024] The mode switching unit 64 switches the operation mode of the sound control device 1 between normal mode and assist mode in response to an input operation on the mode switching switch 4. As will be described in detail later, normal mode is a mode in which the sound control device 1 does not assist when mixing the first music piece and the second music piece. Assist mode is a mode in which the sound control device 1 assists when mixing the first music piece and the second music piece to ensure a natural mix.

[0025] [Volume control function] The volume adjustment unit 65 adjusts the volume of the first music piece output from the audio control device 1 and the volume of the second music piece output from the audio control device 1, and also adjusts the balance between the volumes of the first music piece and the second music piece, based on the positions of the fader operator 51 and each of the operators 33A1 and 33B1 acquired by the position acquisition unit 63. Specifically, the volume adjustment unit 65 adjusts the balance between the overall volume of the first music piece and the overall volume of the second music piece according to the position of the fader operator 51. Furthermore, the volume adjustment unit 65 adjusts the volume of the first music piece according to the position of the first operator 33A1 of the first channel fader 33A, and adjusts the volume of the second music piece according to the position of the second operator 33B1 of the second channel fader 33B.

[0026] 3 is a diagram showing changes in the overall volume of the first song and the second song when the crossfader 5 is operated. Note that the horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 3 is set with values ​​indicating the relative position of the fader operator 51 acquired by the position acquisition unit 63. The volume control unit 65 adjusts the balance between the overall volume of the first music piece and the overall volume of the second music piece based on the position of the fader control unit 51 of the crossfader 5 within the operable range RC. The overall volume of the first music piece refers to the total volume of the first music piece, including the high-, mid-, and low-frequency bands. The maximum volume of the first music piece is the first preset volume V1st set by the first control unit 33A1. The balance between the high-, mid-, and low-frequency bands of the first music piece corresponds to the volume level ratios set by the respective adjustment units 322 to 324 of the first channel operation unit 3A. The same is true for the overall volume of the second music piece, with the maximum volume of the second music piece being the second preset volume V2st set by the second control unit 33B1. The balance between the high-, mid-, and low-frequency bands of the second music piece corresponds to the volume level ratios set by the respective adjustment units 322 to 324 of the second channel operation unit 3B. The direction from the first end TC1 to the second end TC2 is defined as the +DC direction, and the direction from the second end TC2 to the first end TC1 is defined as the -DC direction.

[0027] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the fader operator 51 is positioned at the first end TC1, the volume adjustment unit 65 sets the volume of the entire first song to the first preset volume V1st described above, and sets the volume of the entire second song to the second minimum volume V2min. When the fader operator 51 is located at the second end TC2, the volume adjustment unit 65 sets the volume of the entire first song to the first minimum volume V1min and the volume of the entire second song to the second set volume V2st described above. As the fader operator 51 is operated in the +DC direction from the first end TC1, the volume adjustment unit 65 decreases the volume of the entire first music piece from the first set volume V1st and increases the volume of the entire second music piece from the second minimum volume V2min. In other words, as the fader operator 51 is operated in the -DC direction from the second end TC2, the volume adjustment unit 65 increases the volume of the entire first music piece from the first minimum volume V1min and decreases the volume of the entire second music piece from the second set volume V2st. That is, as the fader operator 51 is operated in the +DC direction, the proportion of the second music piece in the volume output from the audio control device 1 increases. As the fader operator 51 is operated in the -DC direction, the proportion of the first music piece in the volume output from the audio control device 1 increases.

[0028] In this way, the overall volume of the first music piece and the overall volume of the second music piece are adjusted according to the position of the fader operator 51 within the operable range RC, and thus the balance between the overall volumes of the first music piece and the second music piece is adjusted. Then, by operating the fader operator 51 from the first end TC1 to the second end TC2, the music piece to be output is switched from the first music piece to the second music piece. By operating the fader operator 51 from the second end TC2 to the first end TC1, the music piece to be output is switched from the second music piece to the first music piece.

[0029] [Configuration of the operation determination unit, comparison unit, and configuration determination unit] The operation determination unit 66 determines whether the fader operator 51 has been operated from one of the first end TC1 and the second end TC2, based on the position of the fader operator 51 acquired by the position acquisition unit 63. Furthermore, when the operation determination unit 66 determines that the fader operator 51 has been operated from one end, it determines whether the fader operator 51 has reached the other end within a predetermined time. The comparison unit 67 compares the BPM of the first music piece with the BPM of the second music piece. Specifically, the comparison unit 67 determines whether the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is greater than a predetermined value. The composition determination unit 68 determines whether or not a vocal part is present in each of the first and second songs. Whether or not a song has a vocal part may be determined by referencing a song database based on the song title, or by analyzing the song composition.

[0030] [Configuration of effect selection section and effect application section] The effect selection unit 69 selects a special sound effect to be applied to at least one of the first and second songs based on the comparison result between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song made by the comparison unit 67. The special sound effect is a so-called effect (Fx), and includes, for example, linked effects that are linked to the BPM and unlinked effects that are not linked to the BPM. Examples of linked effects include delay, echo, flanger, and phaser. Examples of unlinked effects include spatial effects. Examples of unlinked effects include reverb.

[0031] Specifically, if the difference between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 selects at least one of the above-mentioned linked effects. On the other hand, if the difference between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song is greater than the predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 selects at least one of the above-mentioned non-linked effects. When it is necessary to impart a special sound effect, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts the special sound effect to at least one of the first music piece and the second music piece. For example, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts the special sound effect selected by the effect selecting unit 69 to the at least one of the music pieces.

[0032] [Playback control unit configuration] The playback control unit 71 controls the playback state of each song by each of the playback units 61, 62. For example, the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the first song and the playback position of the second song. More specifically, when the operation determination unit 66 determines that the fader operator 51 has moved from one of the first end TC1 and the second end TC2 to the other end within a predetermined time, the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the song on the channel corresponding to the other end to a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the predetermined position is the start position of the drop, which is the chorus, but it may be another position or may be set by the user.

[0033] [Configuration of the configuration swap section and filter section] The composition swapping unit 72 swaps some of the parts included in the first music piece with some of the parts included in the second music piece. Specifically, when swapping the first music piece with the second music piece, the composition swapping unit 72 swaps the vocal parts included in the first music piece with the vocal parts included in the second music piece according to the position of the fader operator 51. The vocal parts included in the first music piece correspond to the first vocal parts, and the vocal parts included in the second music piece correspond to the second vocal parts. When switching the output music from one of the first and second music pieces to the other, the filter unit 73 cuts out low frequency components contained in the one of the music pieces. Specifically, the filter unit 73 cuts out the bass drum sound from the one of the music pieces.

[0034] [Mix assist processing performed in assist mode] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the mix assist process executed by the control unit 6 in the assist mode. When the operating mode of the sound control device 1 is the assist mode and the fader operator 51 located at one of the first end TC1 and the second end TC2 is operated toward the other end, the control unit 6 reads out the sound control program stored in a storage unit (not shown) and executes the mix assist process described below. That is, when the operating mode of the sound control device 1 is the assist mode and an operation is performed to lower the volume of one of the first and second songs and increase the volume of the other song, the control unit 6 executes the mix assist process described below.

[0035] In the following description, one end is the first end TC1, the other end is the second end TC2, and the fader operator 51 located at the first end TC1 is operated in the +DC direction. However, the same applies when one end is the second end TC2, the other end is the first end TC1, and the fader operator 51 located at the second end TC2 is operated in the -DC direction. As described above, the first end TC1 is the end where, when the fader operator 51 is located, the volume of the first track on the first channel becomes the first preset volume V1st and the volume of the second track on the second channel becomes the second minimum volume V2min. The second end TC2 is the end where, when the fader operator 51 is located, the volume of the second track becomes the second preset volume V2st and the volume of the first track becomes the first minimum volume V1min.

[0036] In the mix assist process, as shown in FIG. 4, first, the operation determination unit 66 determines whether the fader operator 51 has reached the second end TC2 within a predetermined time after being operated from the first end TC1 (step S01). If it is determined in the judgment process of step S01 that the fader operator 51 has not reached the second end TC2 within the predetermined time (step S01: NO), the comparison unit 67 compares the BPM of the first song with the BPM of the second song and determines whether the difference in BPM between the two songs is greater than a predetermined value (step S02).

[0037] If it is determined in the determination process of step S02 that the difference in BPM is not greater than the predetermined value, i.e., that the difference in BPM is equal to or less than the predetermined value (step S02: NO), the composition determination unit 68 determines whether or not each of the first song and the second song includes a vocal part (step S03). If it is determined in the determination process of step S03 that at least one of the first and second songs does not have a vocal part (step S03: NO), the effect selection unit 69 selects a special sound effect according to the result of comparison between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song, i.e., the difference in BPM (step S04). Here, since the difference in BPM is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 determines that the BPMs of the songs are close to each other, and selects one of the linked effects.

[0038] When a special sound effect is selected in step S04, the effect applying unit 70 applies the selected special sound effect to at least one of the first and second musical pieces (step S05). At this time, the effect applying unit 70 may apply a linked effect linked to the BPM of the first musical piece to the first musical piece, and may apply a linked effect linked to the BPM of the second musical piece to the second musical piece. Furthermore, the effect applying unit 70 may apply a linked effect linked to the BPM of one of the first and second musical pieces to each of the first and second musical pieces. Furthermore, the effect applying unit 70 may apply a linked effect linked to the BPM of one of the first and second musical pieces to one of the first and second musical pieces, and may apply a linked effect linked to the BPM of the one of the first and second musical pieces to the other musical piece. After step S04, the control unit 6 shifts the process to step S11.

[0039] If it is determined in the determination process of step S03 that the first song and the second song each have a vocal part (step S03: YES), the composition swapping unit 72 swaps the vocal part of the first song with the vocal part of the second song according to the position of the fader operator 51 (step S06). After step S06, the control unit 6 shifts the process to step S11.

[0040] If it is determined in the determination process of step S02 that the difference in BPM is greater than a predetermined value (step S02: YES), the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the second song, which is the song to be replaced with the first song, to a predetermined position (step S07). As described above, in this embodiment, the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the second song to the drop start position of the second song. Furthermore, the filter unit 73 cuts the low frequency band of the first music piece, which is the music piece to be replaced with the second music piece (step S08). More specifically, the filter unit 73 cuts the bass drum sound of the first music piece.

[0041] Following steps S07 and S08, the effect selection unit 69 selects a special sound effect according to the comparison result between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song (step S09). Here, since the difference in BPM is greater than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 determines that the BPMs of the songs are far from each other, and selects one of the non-linked effects described above. For example, the effect selection unit 69 selects reverb. Then, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts the special sound effect selected by the effect selecting unit 69 to at least one of the first music piece and the second music piece (step S10). Here, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts the selected special sound effect to each music piece. After step S10, the control unit 6 advances the process to step S11.

[0042] In step S11, the operation determination unit 66 determines whether or not the fader operator 51 operated in the +DC direction has reached the second end TC2 (step S11). If it is determined in the determination process of step S11 that the fader operator 51 has not reached the second end TC2, the current state is maintained and step S11 is repeatedly executed. That is, the special sound effect applied to the music, for example, is maintained until the fader operator 51 reaches the second end TC2. If it is determined in the determination process of step S11 that the fader operator 51 has reached the second end TC2, the control unit 6 ends the mix assist process.

[0043] If it is determined in the judgment process of step S01 that the fader operator 51 has reached the second end TC2 from the first end TC1 within the predetermined time (step S01: YES), the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the second song to the predetermined position described above, i.e., the start position of the drop (step S12). The playback control unit 71 also fades out the first song, which is the song to be replaced (step S13). That is, the playback control unit 71 causes the volume adjustment unit 65 to gradually decrease the volume of the entire first song. At this time, the playback control unit 71 may move the playback position of the first song to the outro of the first song. The effect selection unit 69 also selects a linked effect to be applied to the first song (step S14), and the effect application unit 70 applies the selected linked effect to the first song (step S15). At this time, the effect application unit 70 applies the selected linked effect to the first song in conjunction with the BPM of the second song, which is the song to be replaced. After this, the control unit 6 ends the mix assist process.

[0044] [Usefulness of Assist Mode] In the assist mode described above, the overall volume of the first music piece and the overall volume of the second music piece are adjusted, and in response to the operation of the fader operator 51 that switches between the first music piece and the second music piece output from the sound control device 1 when the sound control device 1 is positioned at the first end TC1 or the second end TC2, either a special sound effect is applied to at least one of the music pieces or the vocal parts are swapped. In this case, either a linked effect or a non-linked effect is applied to the music pieces depending on the difference in BPM between the two music pieces, allowing the first music piece and the second music piece to be mixed without having to consider the BPM of each music piece. Therefore, the first music piece and the second music piece can be mixed seamlessly without the user having to manually adjust the BPM of each music piece by operating the tempo slider 34. Furthermore, if the difference in BPM between the first and second songs is greater than a predetermined value, and the first song is slowly transitioned to the second song so that the transition time from the first song to the second song exceeds the predetermined time, the bass drum sound of the first song is cut. This allows the first song to be played without a sense of rhythm. Therefore, the first song can be transitioned to the second song, which has a large difference in BPM from the first song, without any sudden changes in rhythm.

[0045] Furthermore, if the fader control 51 located at either the first end TC1 or the second end TC2 is moved to the other end within a predetermined time, the playback position of the replacement song, which is being replaced by the replaced song, is shifted, the replaced song is faded out, and a linked effect linked to the BPM of the replaced song is applied to the replaced song. This allows the reverberation of the first song to remain while preventing the rhythm of the second song from being lost. This allows the first song and the second song to be mixed instantly without any sense of incongruity.

[0046] [Effects of the embodiment] The acoustic control device 1 according to the present embodiment described above provides the following effects. The sound control device 1 mixes a first piece of music with a second piece of music. The sound control device 1 includes a comparison unit 67 and an effect selection unit 69. The comparison unit 67 compares the BPM of the first piece of music with the BPM of the second piece of music. The effect selection unit 69 selects a special sound effect according to the comparison result by the comparison unit 67. With this configuration, special sound effects are selected according to the comparison result between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece, so that when the first music piece and the second music piece are mixed, special sound effects according to the difference in BPM between the first music piece and the second music piece can be applied to at least one of the first music piece and the second music piece. Therefore, even if an inexperienced user such as a beginner operates the sound control device, the first music piece and the second music piece can be mixed without any sense of incongruity.

[0047] In the sound control device 1, when the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 selects, from the special sound effects, a linked effect that is linked with the BPM. With this configuration, when the difference in BPM between the two songs is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a linked effect is selected, and a special sound effect linked to the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song can be applied to at least one of the songs, thereby allowing the first song and the second song to be mixed seamlessly.

[0048] In the sound control device 1, when the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is greater than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit 69 selects, from among the special sound effects, a non-linked effect that is not linked to the BPM. With this configuration, the selected non-linked effect is applied to at least one of the first and second songs, allowing the first and second songs to be mixed without the listener being aware of the difference in BPM between the two songs, resulting in a seamless mixing of the first and second songs.

[0049] The sound control device 1 includes an effect applying unit 70 that applies a special sound effect selected by an effect selecting unit 69 to at least one of the first and second music pieces in response to an operation on the fader operator 51. The operation on the fader operator 51 is an operation for adjusting the balance between the volume of the first music piece and the volume of the second music piece. With this configuration, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts the selected special sound effect to at least one of the songs when a switching operation from the first song to the second song or a switching operation from the second song to the first song is used as a trigger. This allows the special sound effect to be imparted in response to the song switching operation. Therefore, the first song and the second song can be mixed without any awkwardness.

[0050] The sound control device 1 mixes a first music piece and a second music piece. The sound control device 1 includes a playback control unit 71 and an effect imparting unit 70. The playback control unit 71 fades out the first music piece when a replacement operation for replacing the music piece output from the sound control device 1 from the first music piece to the second music piece is completed within a predetermined time after the start of the replacement operation. For example, when the fader operator 51 located at the first end TC1 is operated toward the second end TC2 and reaches the second end TC2 within a predetermined time, the first music piece is faded out. The effect imparting unit 70 imparts to the first music piece a linked effect, of the special sound effects, that is linked to the BPM of the second music piece.

[0051] Here, when the first song is faded out during the change from the first song to the second song, if a linked effect according to the BPM of the first song is applied to the first song, and the BPM of the first song is different from the BPM of the second song, a sense of incongruity will arise due to the difference between the BPMs of the first song and the second song. In contrast, with the above configuration, by applying a linked effect linked to the BPM of the second music piece to the first music piece that is fading out, it is possible to prevent the feeling of incongruity caused by the difference in BPM even when the first music piece and the second music piece that are fading out are output, thereby making it possible to switch from the first music piece to the second music piece without any sense of incongruity.

[0052] In the audio control device 1, when the above-mentioned replacement operation is completed within a predetermined time, the playback control unit 71 moves the playback position of the second music piece to a predetermined position set in advance in the second music piece. With this configuration, when the first song is replaced with the second song, the second song can be played from a predetermined position. For example, after the first song's chorus, the drop, is played, the switching operation can be performed, and the second song can be played from the drop. Therefore, the first song can be switched to the second song without any awkwardness.

[0053] The sound control device 1 mixes a first song and a second song. The first song includes a first vocal part, and the second song includes a second vocal part. The sound control device 1 includes a configuration swapping unit 72. When an operation to lower the volume of the first song and raise the volume of the second song is performed at a speed equal to or slower than a predetermined speed, the configuration swapping unit 72 swaps the first vocal part of the first song with the second vocal part of the second song if the difference between the BPMs of the first song and the second song is within a predetermined value. With this configuration, when switching from the first song to the second song, the second vocal part can be continuously output until the switching operation is completed, thereby preventing the feeling of discomfort caused by the difference in vocal parts when switching from the first song to the second song.

[0054] A computer-readable sound control program that causes a computer to function as the sound control device 1 is recorded in the memory unit of the sound control device 1. At least one processor that constitutes the control unit 6 reads the sound control program and causes the sound control device 1 to function. By having at least one processor read and execute such an acoustic control program, the acoustic control device 1 can achieve the above-mentioned effects.

[0055] [Modification of the embodiment] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any modifications and improvements that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention. In the above embodiment, the effect selection unit 69 selects a linked effect when the difference between the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and selects a non-linked effect when the difference is greater than the predetermined value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the effect selection unit 69 may select a linked effect when the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song are the same, and select a non-linked effect when the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song are different. Furthermore, when the difference in BPM between each song is greater than a predetermined value, the special sound effects selected when the BPM of each song is greater than a predetermined threshold value may be different from the special sound effects selected when the BPM of each song is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the effect imparting unit 70 imparts to the music the special sound effect selected by the effect selecting unit 69. The effect imparting unit 70 may impart the special sound effect in response to a user operation on an operator other than the fader operator 51. For example, the effect imparting unit 70 may impart the special sound effect when a predetermined button is pressed.

[0057] In the above embodiment, when a replacement operation for replacing one of the first and second music pieces with the other music piece is started and the replacement operation is completed within a predetermined time, the playback control unit 71 fades out the one music piece. For example, when a replacement operation for replacing one music piece with the other music piece is performed instantaneously, the one music piece is faded out. However, this is not a limitation, and the one music piece does not have to be faded out. Furthermore, the effect imparting unit 70 is assumed to impart a linked effect to one of the songs. More specifically, the effect imparting unit 70 is assumed to impart a linked effect to one of the songs that is linked to the BPM of the other song. However, this is not limiting, and a linked effect linked to the BPM of the one of the songs may be imparted, or a non-linked effect may be imparted, or a special sound effect may not be imparted.

[0058] In the above embodiment, when an operation to lower the volume of a first song and raise the volume of a second song is performed at a speed equal to or slower than a predetermined speed, the composition swapping unit 72 swaps the first vocal part and the second vocal part if the difference in BPM between the first song and the second song is within a predetermined value. However, this is not limiting, and the vocal parts do not necessarily have to be swapped.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the fader operator 51 of the crossfader 5 is described as an operator that accepts an operation to adjust the balance between the volume of the first music piece and the volume of the second music piece, a switching operation to switch the music piece being output from the first music piece to the second music piece, and an operation to adjust the volume of the first music piece and the volume of the second music piece. However, this is not a limitation, and the operator may be another operator. For example, the operator may be a channel fader. Furthermore, the operator that accepts the above operations does not have to be a slidable operator, and may be, for example, an operation knob that rotates around a rotation axis.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the acoustic control program that is read and executed by the arithmetic processing circuit, which is a computer, is stored in a storage unit (not shown). However, this is not limiting, and the acoustic control program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and read from the recording medium and executed when the acoustic control device 1 is operating. The sound control program may also be provided from a provider device such as a server via a network such as the Internet.

[0061] [Summary of the present invention] The present invention will be summarized below. [1] An audio control device that mixes a first piece of music and a second piece of music, a comparison unit that compares the BPM of the first piece of music with the BPM of the second piece of music; and an effect selection unit that selects a special sound effect according to the result of the comparison. With this configuration, special sound effects are selected according to the comparison result between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece, so that when the first music piece and the second music piece are mixed, special sound effects according to the difference in BPM between the first music piece and the second music piece can be applied to at least one of the first music piece and the second music piece. Therefore, even if an inexperienced user such as a beginner operates the sound control device, the first music piece and the second music piece can be mixed without any sense of incongruity.

[0062] [2] In the acoustic control device described in [1], When the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit selects, from the special sound effects, a linked effect that is linked with the BPM. With this configuration, when the BPMs of the two songs are the same, by selecting the linked effect, it is possible to apply special sound effects linked to the BPM of the first song and the BPM of the second song to at least one of the songs, thereby allowing the first song and the second song to be mixed seamlessly.

[0063] [3] In the acoustic control device according to [1] or [2], When the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is greater than a predetermined value, the effect selection unit selects, from among the special sound effects, a non-linked effect that is not linked to the BPM. With this configuration, if the BPMs of the songs are different, a non-linked effect is selected, and the selected non-linked effect is applied to at least one of the songs, allowing the first song and the second song to be mixed without the listener being aware of the difference in BPM between the songs. Therefore, the first song and the second song can be mixed without any sense of incongruity.

[0064] [4] In the acoustic control device according to any one of [1] to [3], The device further includes an effect imparting unit that imparts the special sound effect selected by the effect selecting unit to at least one of the first music piece and the second music piece in response to an operation to adjust the balance between the volume of the first music piece and the volume of the second music piece. With this configuration, the effect applying unit applies the selected special sound effect to at least one of the songs when triggered by an operation to switch from the first song to the second song or an operation to switch from the second song to the first song. This allows the special sound effect to be applied in response to the song switching operation. Therefore, the first song and the second song can be mixed without any awkwardness.

[0065] [5] An audio control device for mixing a first piece of music and a second piece of music, a playback control unit that fades out the first music piece when a replacement operation for replacing the first music piece with the second music piece is completed within a predetermined time after the replacement operation is started; and an effect imparting section that imparts to the first music piece a special sound effect that is linked to the BPM of the second music piece. Here, when the first song is faded out during the change from the first song to the second song, if a linked effect according to the BPM of the first song is applied to the first song, and the BPM of the first song is different from the BPM of the second song, a sense of incongruity will arise due to the difference between the BPMs of the first song and the second song. In contrast, with the above configuration, by applying a linked effect linked to the BPM of the second music piece to the first music piece that is fading out, it is possible to prevent the feeling of incongruity caused by the difference in BPM even when the first music piece and the second music piece that are fading out are output, thereby making it possible to switch from the first music piece to the second music piece without any sense of incongruity.

[0066] [6] In the acoustic control device described in [5], When the replacement operation is completed within the predetermined time, the playback control unit moves the playback position of the second music piece to a preset position in the second music piece. With this configuration, when the first song is replaced with the second song, the second song can be played from a preset position. For example, after the first song's chorus, the drop, is played, the above-mentioned replacement operation can be performed, and the second song can be played from the drop of the second song. Therefore, the first song can be replaced with the second song without any awkwardness.

[0067] [7] An audio control device for mixing a first piece of music and a second piece of music, the first piece of music includes a first vocal part; the second piece of music includes a second vocal part; When an operation to lower the volume of the first music piece and raise the volume of the second music piece is performed at a speed equal to or slower than a predetermined speed, the composition switching unit switches the first vocal part and the second vocal part if the difference between the BPM of the first music piece and the BPM of the second music piece is within a predetermined value. With this configuration, when switching from the first song to the second song, the second vocal part can be continuously output until the switching operation is completed, thereby preventing the feeling of discomfort caused by the difference in vocal parts when switching from the first song to the second song.

[0068] [8] The sound control program is recorded in a computer-readable format and causes the computer to function as the sound control device described in any one of [1] to [7]. By having a computer execute such an acoustic control program, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the acoustic control device described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1...acoustic control device, 33A...first channel fader, 33A1...first operator, 33B...second channel fader, 33B1...second operator, 5...crossfader, 51...fader operator, 6...control section, 67...comparison section, 68...configuration determination section, 69...effect selection section, 70...effect application section, 71...playback control section, 72...configuration replacement section, 73...filter section.

Claims

1. In an audio control device that mixes a first piece of music and a second piece of music, a playback control unit that fades out the first music piece when a replacement operation for replacing the first music piece with the second music piece is completed within a predetermined time after the replacement operation is started; an effect imparting unit that imparts to the first music piece a special sound effect that is linked to the BPM of the second music piece.

2. 2. The acoustic control device according to claim 1, The audio control device is characterized in that, when the replacement operation is completed within the specified time, the playback control unit moves the playback position of the second music piece to a predetermined position in the second music piece.

3. An acoustic control program recorded in a computer-readable manner, causing a computer to function as the acoustic control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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