Setting system, setting program and setting device

Abstract

To provide a setting system, a setting program, and a setting device that allow a user to easily distinguish between displayed effectors. [Solution] Icons 42 resembling effectors are arranged and displayed on a connection setting screen 4a, and the images of the displayed icons 42 can be changed to a designated image desired by a user H. As a result, when two icons 42 of the same effector ("CHORUS") are arranged, such as icons 42c and 42d on the connection setting screen 4a, the images of these icons 42 can be changed to different images, allowing the user H to easily distinguish between these effectors.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a setting system, a setting program, and a setting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus 100 that applies effect processing to musical tones based on performance information from a connected electric guitar and outputs the resulting sound. The display device 1 of the apparatus 100 displays icons 410, etc., that resemble effectors (e.g., pedal-type effectors), and is configured so that the user can connect and arrange multiple icons 410, etc. Effect processing, which is set according to the arrangement order of the multiple icons 410, etc. and the setting information of the effectors corresponding to the icons 410, etc., is applied to the musical tones based on the input performance information and then output.

[0003] When applying such effect processing settings using icons 410 and the like to a guitar amplifier that simulates the effect processing of an effector using a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), the guitar amplifier has built-in amplifiers and power supplies for amplification, speakers for emitting sound, heat sinks for heat dissipation, etc., making it difficult to provide the guitar amplifier with a large display device such as display device 1. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has adopted a configuration in which effect processing settings using icons 410 and the like similar to those in Patent Document 1 are made on an application on a PC to which the guitar amplifier is connected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 143364 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, whether using device 100 or a PC application, icons with the same image are displayed for the same type of effector in icon 410, etc. Therefore, when two or more effectors of a certain type are placed, two or more icons with the same image are displayed even if the setting information is different. This causes a problem in that it is difficult for the user to distinguish which icon represents which effector has which setting.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a setting system, a setting program, and a setting device that allow the user to easily distinguish between displayed effectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve this object, the setting system of the present invention is a system having an electronic musical instrument and a setting device, the electronic musical instrument comprising: input means for inputting performance information; effect adding means for adding effect processing to musical sounds based on the performance information input by the input means; musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been added by the effect adding means; receiving means for receiving from the setting device a setting instruction in which an order of effect processing or parameters of the effect processing have been set; and update means for updating the order of effect processing or parameters of the effect processing to be added to musical sounds by the effect adding means based on the setting instruction received by the receiving means, and the setting device displays an effector icon in which a standard image imitating an effector that performs the effect processing is displayed. a designated icon acquisition means for acquiring an effector icon designated by a user from among the effector icons displayed by the display means; a designated image acquisition means for acquiring a designated image designated by the user; an image change means for displaying the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means instead of a standard image in the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means; a connection order acquisition means for acquiring the connection order of the effector icons displayed by the display means, which is set by the user; a setting instruction creation means for creating a setting instruction in which the order of effect processing is set based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired by the connection order acquisition means; and a transmission means for transmitting the setting instruction set by the setting instruction creation means to the electronic musical instrument.

[0008] The setting program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer having a display unit to create and transmit the setting instructions to an electronic musical instrument connected thereto, the computer having an input means for inputting performance information, effect adding means for adding effect processing to musical sounds based on the performance information input by the input means, musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which the effect processing has been added, receiving means for receiving a setting instruction in which an order of the effect processing or parameters of the effect processing have been set, and update means for updating the order of the effect processing to be added to musical sounds by the effect adding means or the parameters of the effect processing based on the setting instruction received by the receiving means, the program further comprising: a display step of displaying an effector icon on the display unit, the effector icon displaying a standard image imitating an effector that performs the effect processing; and a designated icon acquisition step of acquiring an effector icon designated by the user from among the effector icons displayed on the display unit; a designated image acquisition step of acquiring a designated image designated by the user; an image change step of displaying the designated image acquired in the designated image acquisition step instead of a standard image in the effector icon acquired in the designated icon acquisition step; a connection order acquisition step of acquiring the connection order of the effector icons displayed on the display unit set by the user; a setting instruction creation step of creating a setting instruction in which the order of effect processing is set based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired in the connection order acquisition step; and a transmission step of transmitting the setting instruction set in the setting instruction creation step to the electronic musical instrument.

[0009] The setting device of the present invention is connected to an electronic musical instrument comprising: input means for inputting performance information; effect adding means for adding effect processing to musical sounds based on the performance information input by said input means; musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been added by said effect adding means; receiving means for receiving a setting instruction in which an order of effect processing or parameters of said effect processing are set; and update means for updating the order of effect processing or parameters of effect processing to be added to musical sounds by said effect adding means based on the setting instruction received by said receiving means, and further comprising: display means for displaying an effector icon in which a standard image imitating an effector that performs said effect processing is displayed; the electronic musical instrument includes a designated icon acquisition means for acquiring an effector icon designated by the user from among the effector icons displayed; a designated image acquisition means for acquiring a designated image designated by the user; an image change means for displaying the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means instead of a standard image in the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means; a connection order acquisition means for acquiring the connection order of the effector icons displayed by the display means, which is set by the user; a setting instruction creation means for creating a setting instruction in which the order of effect processing is set based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired by the connection order acquisition means; and a transmission means for transmitting the setting instruction set by the setting instruction creation means to the electronic musical instrument. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a setting system. [Figure 2] 10A is a diagram showing an icon setting screen, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a case where a user has designated a desired image on the icon setting screen. [Figure 3] 10A is a diagram showing the connection setting screen after the image of the icon has been changed, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the connection setting screen when a landscape image is specified on the icon setting screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the setting system. [Figure 5] 1A is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a PC and a guitar amplifier, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a setting table. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of a main process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of an icon display process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An overview of a setting system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the setting system S. The setting system S includes a PC 1 and a guitar amplifier 70. The PC 1 is a setting device (computer) that creates settings for effect (sound effect) processing to be applied to musical sounds output by the guitar amplifier 70 and transmits the settings to the connected guitar amplifier 70. The PC 1 is provided with a mouse 2 and keyboard 3 for inputting instructions from a user H, and an LCD 4 that displays a connection setting screen 4a (described later) and the like.

[0012] The guitar amplifier 70 is an electronic musical instrument that outputs musical tones based on performance information input from a connected electric guitar 90. The guitar amplifier 70 has a built-in DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 77 (see FIG. 5(a)), which will be described later. The DSP 77 simulates effectors such as delay and reverb, and applies effect processing by the simulated effectors to musical tones based on the performance information input from the electric guitar 90. In this embodiment, the DSP 77 simulates multiple effectors, and applies effect processing by the multiple simulated effectors in order to musical tones based on the input performance information, and outputs the resulting sound.

[0013] The PC 1 creates setting instructions for the effect processing to be applied by the DSP 77 of the guitar amplifier 70. Specifically, the setting instructions are data constructed from the connection order, which is the order in which multiple effectors to be simulated are to be connected, and setting information for various parameters of each of the effectors to be simulated. The setting instructions for the effect processing created by the PC 1 are sent to the guitar amplifier 70. The guitar amplifier 70 simulates the effectors in accordance with the connection order and setting information in the setting instructions received from the PC 1, and the resulting effect processing is added in order to musical sounds based on the input performance information and output.

[0014] In the PC 1, the connection order of the effectors included in the setting instruction is set on a connection setting screen 4a displayed on the LCD 4. The connection setting screen 4a is a screen for setting the connection order of the effectors. The connection setting screen 4a displays an input part 40, an output part 41, icons 42a to 42d, a setting edit button 43, and an icon setting button 44.

[0015] The input part 40 is a display part that resembles a musical instrument (for example, an electric guitar) to which performance information is input. The output part 41 is a display part that resembles a speaker. It is indicated that the output part 41 outputs musical sounds that are based on the performance information input from the input part 40 and that have been subjected to effect processing by effectors corresponding to icons 42a to 42d, which will be described later.

[0016] Icons 42a to 42d are display parts that represent the effectors they simulate. In FIG. 1, the "PEDAL WAH" effector is assigned to icon 42a, the "BLUES DRIVE" effector to icon 42b, and the "CHORUS" effectors to icons 42c and 42d, and images that mimic the respective effectors are displayed on icons 42a to 42d. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, but the images of icons 42a to 42d are configured to be changeable. Hereinafter, when icons 42a to 42d are not particularly distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as "icons 42."

[0017] Icon 42a is displayed as being connected to input part 40, icon 42b is connected to icon 42a, icon 42c is connected to icon 42b, and icon 42d is displayed as being connected to output part 41. This indicates that effect processing simulating the effector corresponding to icon 42a is applied to musical sounds based on performance information input from input part 40, and that effect processing simulating the effector corresponding to icon 42b is applied to musical sounds output from the effector corresponding to icon 42a.

[0018] Then, it is represented that the musical sound output from the effector corresponding to icon 42b is subjected to effect processing simulating the effector corresponding to icon 42c, and the musical sound resulting from the musical sound output from the effector corresponding to icon 42c is subjected to effect processing simulating the effector corresponding to icon 42d, and is output from output part 41.

[0019] That is, the arrangement order of the icons 42a to 42d represents the connection order of the effectors that apply effect processing to musical sounds based on input performance information, and this connection order is reflected in the setting instructions sent to the guitar amplifier 70. In this embodiment, the arrangement order of the icons 42a to 42d can be changed by dragging and dropping with the mouse 2.

[0020] In this embodiment, the maximum number of icons 42 that can be displayed on the connection setting screen 4a is set to 4. When fewer than four icons 42 are displayed on the connection setting screen 4a, for example, when three icons 42 are displayed on the connection setting screen 4a, the display of icon 42d is omitted, and icon 42c and the output part 41 are displayed so as to be connected.

[0021] 1 shows an example in which a pedal-type effector is displayed as the icon 42, but the present invention is not limited to this, and effectors of other types than pedal-type may be displayed as the icon 42. Furthermore, the maximum number of icons 42 that can be displayed on the connection setting screen 4a is not limited to four, and may be four or more or four or less.

[0022] The setting edit button 43 is a button for changing the screen displayed on the LCD 4 from the connection setting screen 4a to a parameter setting screen (not shown). The parameter setting screen is a parameter screen for setting various parameters of the effector assigned to the icon 42. After selecting one of the icons 42 with the mouse 2, selecting the setting edit button 43 with the mouse 2 displays a parameter setting screen for setting various parameters of the effector corresponding to the selected icon 42. The setting information of the various parameters set on the parameter setting screen is reflected in the setting instructions sent to the guitar amplifier 70.

[0023] The icon setting button 44 is a button for changing the screen displayed on the LCD 4 from the connection setting screen 4a to an icon setting screen 4b for changing the image of the icon 42. After selecting one of the icons 42 with the mouse 2, selecting the icon setting button 44 with the mouse 2 displays the icon setting screen 4b for changing the image of the selected icon 42. The icon setting screen 4b will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0024] When an effector is assigned to an icon 42, a standard image, which is a standard (default) image representing the corresponding effector, is displayed as the image of the icon 42. In FIG. 1, the "CHORUS" effector is assigned to each of icons 42c and 42d, and therefore the same "CHORUS" standard image is displayed for each. When repeatedly changing the settings of the effectors corresponding to icons 42c and 42d on the parameter setting screen, it becomes difficult for user H to distinguish which of icons 42c and 42d represents the effector with what parameter settings.

[0025] In this embodiment, the image of the icon 42 can be changed to an image desired by the user H on the icon setting screen 4b, so that the user H can easily distinguish the effector assigned to the icon 42. Here, the icon setting screen 4b will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0026] 2(a) is a diagram showing the icon setting screen 4b. On the icon setting screen 4b, preview icons 50a, 50b, ..., types 51a, 51b, ..., and icon files 52a, 52b, ... are displayed for each type of effector (delay, reverb, etc.).

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2(a), preview icon 50a, type 51a, and icon file 52a are displayed as corresponding to the "CHORUS" effector, and preview icon 50b, type 51b, and icon file 52b are displayed as corresponding to the "FLANGER" effector, and similarly, preview icons 50a, 50b,..., types 51a, 51b,..., and icon files 52a, 52b,... corresponding to the types of effectors that can be set by PC1 are displayed.

[0028] The preview icons 50a, 50b, etc. display preview icons using images specified in the icon files 52a, 52b, etc., which will be described later. The types 51a, 51b, etc. display the type of the corresponding effector.

[0029] The icon files 52a, 52b, etc. are display areas for specifying image file names, which are file names of images of the icons to be used. By selecting an icon file 52a, 52b, etc. with the mouse 2, an image file name input screen (not shown) is displayed, and the image of the image file name input screen is displayed in the icon file 52a, 52b, etc. Note that if the icon file 52a, etc. is "(DEFAULT)", this indicates that the standard image for that effector type is used as the image of the corresponding icon. Hereinafter, the image specified in the icon file 52a, etc. will be referred to as the "specified image."

[0030] 2(b) is a diagram showing a case where a desired image of user H is specified on icon setting screen 4b. FIG. 2(b) shows a case where a designated image with an image file name "MyChorus.jpg" desired by user H is designated in icon file 52a as the image of the icon for the effector type "CHORUS." In this embodiment, the designated image designated in icon files 52a, 52b, etc. uses an image stored in PC 1, but it is also possible to use an image obtained from an external network such as the Internet.

[0031] When "MyChorus.jpg" is specified in the icon file 52a, a preview icon using "MyChorus.jpg" as the icon image is displayed in the corresponding preview icon 50a. From the preview icon 50a, the user H can easily understand what kind of icon will be displayed according to the specified image specified in the icon file 52a.

[0032] Check mark 53 is a display part for selecting which effector type icon to use for icon 42 selected on connection setting screen 4a, which is displayed before changing to icon setting screen 4b. By selecting the right side of icon files 52a, 52b, ... with mouse 2, check mark 53 is displayed to the right of icon file 52a, 52b, ..., and the corresponding effector type is used for icon 42 selected on connection setting screen 4a. In the example of FIG. 2(a), the "CHORUS" icon is used for icon 42 selected on connection setting screen 4a, so check mark 53 is displayed to the right of icon file 52a.

[0033] The scroll display 54 is a display part for scrolling through and switching between the preview icons 50a, 50b, . . . , the types 51a, 51b, . . . and the icon files 52a, 52b, .

[0034] Here, the procedure for changing the image of the icon 42 on the connection setting screen 4a using the icon setting screen 4b will be described. First, on the connection setting screen 4a in FIG. 1, the "CHORUS" icon 42c is selected, and the icon setting button 44 is selected with the mouse 2. This displays the icon setting screen 4b. Next, by selecting the icon file 52a on the icon setting screen 4b with the mouse 2, an image file name input screen (not shown) is displayed.

[0035] On the image file name input screen, user H specifies the desired image "MyChorus.jpg" and returns to icon setting screen 4b. As a result, a preview icon using the specified image "MyChorus.jpg" is displayed in preview icon 50a.

[0036] After checking the preview icon displayed in preview icon 50a, user H checks that a check mark 53 is displayed to the right of icon file 52a in order to apply that icon to icon 42c on connection setting screen 4a. If check mark 53 is not displayed to the right of icon file 52a, user H can select the right side of icon file 52a with mouse 2 to display check mark 53 and return to connection setting screen 4a. The connection setting screen 4a that is displayed after the image of icon 42 has been changed will be described with reference to FIG. 3(a).

[0037] Fig. 3(a) is a diagram showing the connection setting screen 4a after the image of the icon 42 has been changed. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the designated image specified in the icon setting screen 4b is displayed on the icon 42c on the connection setting screen 4a. As a result, even if the same "CHORUS" effector is used, different images are displayed on the icon 42c (designated image) and the icon 42d (standard image), so that the user H can easily distinguish between the icon 42c and the icon 42d.

[0038] As described above, icons 42 resembling effectors are displayed in a horizontal array on the connection setting screen 4a, and the images of the displayed icons 42 can be changed to a designated image desired by the user H. As a result, when two icons 42 of the same effector ("CHORUS") are arranged, such as icons 42c and 42d on the connection setting screen 4a, the user H can easily distinguish between these effectors by changing the images of these icons 42 to different images.

[0039] Incidentally, the image designated on the icon setting screen 4b is not necessarily of a size that fits within the icon 42, and an image that is longer or shorter in the vertical or horizontal direction than the icon 42 may be designated. In this embodiment, the image designated on the icon setting screen 4b is reduced or enlarged according to the specified vertical size of the icon 42 and then displayed on the icon 42. Here, the reduction or enlargement of the image designated on the icon setting screen 4b will be described with reference to FIG. 3(b).

[0040] 3(b) is a diagram showing the connection setting screen 4a when a landscape-oriented image is specified on the icon setting screen 4b. The up-down direction in FIG. 3(b) is the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is the horizontal direction, and so on. In this embodiment, the default size of the image displayed on the icon 42 is set to 300 pixels vertically and 200 pixels horizontally. The standard images for each effector described above are all set to the default vertical and horizontal sizes.

[0041] The specified size is not limited to the above, and may be set arbitrarily depending on, for example, the vertical or horizontal length of the connection setting screen 4a or the maximum number of icons 42 displayed on the connection setting screen 4a.

[0042] 3(b) shows the case where an image of 1200 pixels vertically and 3000 pixels horizontally is specified as the specified image on the icon setting screen 4b. If this specified image is applied to the icon 42c as is, the image will extend beyond the icon 42c and the connection setting screen 4a, so the specified image is reduced in size.

[0043] First, the vertical direction of the specified image is reduced to the specified size of 300 pixels. The reduction ratio is calculated as 300 pixels / 1200 pixels = 0.25. Then, the horizontal direction of the specified image is reduced based on the calculated reduction ratio.

[0044] Specifically, since the horizontal length of the specified image is 3000 pixels, this length is multiplied by the calculated reduction rate of 0.25, so the horizontal length of the specified image is reduced to 3000 pixels * 0.25 = 750 pixels. Note that a known method is used to reduce or enlarge an image to a specified number of pixels, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0045] As a result, the specified image, which is 1200 pixels vertically and 3000 pixels horizontally, is displayed on icon 42c of connection setting screen 4a as an image that is reduced to 300 pixels vertically and 750 pixels horizontally, allowing the entire specified image to be displayed on the image of icon 42c. Also, since the vertical length of the image of icon 42c is the same standard size as the vertical length of the images of other icons 42 for which standard images have been set, these vertical lengths are unified to the standard size.

[0046] Here, actual (real-world) effectors are designed so that the performer can turn the effect processing on and off by stepping on a pedal-type switch mounted on the housing with their foot. Therefore, if effectors were arranged vertically, the performer would have to stretch their foot further than the effectors located in the front to turn on / off only the switch of the effector located in the back. Furthermore, there is a risk that the performer's foot will touch the switches of not only the effector located in the back but also the effector located in the front, making it difficult to turn on / off only the effect processing of the effector located in the back. For this reason, it is customary to arrange effectors horizontally.

[0047] In the connection setting screen 4a of this embodiment, the icons 42 are arranged horizontally, following the convention described above. If the vertical lengths of the images of the icons 42 arranged horizontally in this manner are uniform, the user H is less likely to feel uncomfortable with the sizes of the icons 42. Therefore, by standardizing the vertical lengths of the images of the icon 42c after image change to a specified size, it is possible to reduce the sense of discomfort felt by the user H regarding the image sizes of the icon 42c after image change and other icons 42, for example, icons 42 for which a standard image is set. In addition, it is possible to give the user H a sense of uniformity in the image sizes of the icons 42.

[0048] Furthermore, by setting the vertical length of the image of the icon 42c after the image change to a specified size, it is possible to prevent the image from becoming too small, particularly when reducing the designated image, and thereby to prevent a decrease in the visibility of the icon 42c after the image change.

[0049] Furthermore, the horizontal length of the image of the icon 42c after the image change is changed based on the reduction ratio (magnification ratio) when the vertical direction is reduced (enlarged). As a result, the aspect ratio of the image of the icon 42c after the image change becomes the same as the aspect ratio of the specified image, so that the image of the icon 42c after the image change can be prevented from being distorted horizontally or vertically compared to the specified image.

[0050] If a landscape image is specified as the designated image here, the horizontal length of the image of icon 42c after the image change will be longer than the specified size of 200 pixels, and therefore icon 42d and output part 41 located to the right of icon 42c will not be able to be displayed on the connection setting screen 4a. In this way, when the horizontal length of the image of any of icons 42a to 42d is longer than the specified size and the input part 40, icons 42a to 42d, and output part 41 cannot all be displayed at once on the connection setting screen 4a, a scroll display 45 is displayed.

[0051] The scroll display 45 is a display part for scrolling and switching between the input parts 40, icons 42a to 42d, and output parts 41 displayed on the connection setting screen 4a. By scrolling the scroll display 45, it is possible to switch between the input parts 40, icons 42a to 42d, and output parts 41 that cannot be displayed at once on the connection setting screen 4a.

[0052] Next, the functions of the setting system S will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the PC 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the PC 1 has an instruction receiving unit 100, an image storage unit 101, an effect management unit 102, a display control unit 103, and a transmission means 104. The guitar amplifier 70 has an input means 701, a signal processing unit 702, an effect processing storage unit 703, a receiving means 704, an update means 705, and a musical sound output means 706.

[0053] First, we will explain the functions of the PC 1. The instruction receiving unit 100 is a module that receives instructions input by the user H via the mouse 2 and keyboard 3, and is realized by the CPU 10, which will be described later in FIG. 5(a). The image storage unit 101 is a module that stores standard images and designated images, and is realized by the HDD 11, which will be described later in FIG. 5(a).

[0054] The effect management unit 102 is a module that manages the effectors assigned to the icons 42a to 42d, the arrangement order of the icons 42a to 42d, the images of the icons 42a to 42d, and the setting information of the effectors assigned to the icons 42a to 42d, and is realized by the CPU 10 and a setting table 11b described later in Figure 5(b).

[0055] The effect management unit 102 changes the order of the icons 42a to 42d and the images of the icons 42a to 42d based on instructions from user H received by the instruction receiving unit 100, creates a connection setting screen 4a and an icon setting screen 4b using the images of the icons 42a to 42d obtained from the image storage unit 101, and creates setting instructions based on the order of the icons 42a to 42d and setting information for various parameters of the effectors.

[0056] The display control unit 103 is a module that transmits the connection setting screen 4a and the icon setting screen 4b created by the effect management unit 102 to the LCD 4, and is realized by the CPU 10. The transmission means 104 is a means that transmits the setting instructions created by the effect management unit 102 to the guitar amplifier 70, and is realized by the communication device 15 described later in FIG. 5(a).

[0057] In the PC 1, icons 42 corresponding to the effectors are displayed on the LCD 4 (connection setting screen 4a), and setting instructions are created based on the connection order of the effectors based on the arrangement of the icons 42 and setting information based on the parameters of the effectors, and are transmitted to the guitar amplifier 70. Here, standard images are normally displayed for the icons 42, but for the icons 42 designated by user H among the displayed icons 42, a designated image designated by user H is displayed instead of the standard image. In this way, when two or more icons 42 of similar effectors are arranged, user H can easily distinguish between these effectors by displaying the designated image instead of the standard image for one of the icons 42.

[0058] Next, the functions of the guitar amplifier 70 will be described. The input means 701 is a means for inputting performance information from the electric guitar 90, and is realized by the external input / output device 75 described later in FIG. 5(a). The signal processing unit 702 is a module that applies effect processing to the musical tones generated by the performance information input by the input means 701, and is realized by the DSP 77. The effect processing storage unit 703 is a module that stores programs that simulate various effectors, and is realized by the DSP 77.

[0059] An effector program stored in an effect processing storage unit 703 is loaded into a signal processing unit 702, which executes the loaded program to construct a corresponding effect processing, and the constructed effect processing is added to the musical sound based on the performance information input by an input means 701.

[0060] The receiving means 704 is a means for receiving a setting instruction from the PC 1, and is realized by the communication device 74 described later in Fig. 5(a). The updating means 705 is a means for updating the order of effect processing and effect processing parameters added by the signal processing unit 702 based on the setting instruction received by the receiving means 704, and is realized by the CPU 71 described later in Fig. 5(a).

[0061] The update means 705 causes the signal processing unit 702 to load the program of the effector set in the setting instruction received by the receiving means 704, and sets the effect processing constructed by the loaded program and the parameters of each effect processing set in the setting instruction so that they are added in the connection order of the effectors set in the setting instruction.

[0062] The musical sound output means 706 is a means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been applied by the signal processing unit 702, and is realized by the DSP 77, the sound source 76, the DAC 76, the amplifier 80, and the speaker 81, which will be described later in Fig. 5(a). As a result, the guitar amplifier 70 can apply effect processing based on the setting instructions created by the PC 1 to musical sounds based on performance information input from the electric guitar 90 and output the sounds.

[0063] Next, the electrical configuration of the PC 1 and guitar amplifier 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5(a) is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the PC 1 and guitar amplifier 70. First, the electrical configuration of the PC 1 will be described. The PC 1 has a CPU 10, a hard disk drive (HDD) 11, and a RAM 12, which are each connected to an input / output port 14 via a bus line 13. The input / output port 14 is further connected to the above-mentioned mouse 2, keyboard 3, LCD 4, and communication device 15.

[0064] The CPU 10 is a computing device that controls each unit connected by a bus line 13. The HDD 11 is a rewritable nonvolatile storage device that stores programs executed by the CPU 10, fixed value data, etc., and stores a setting program 11a, a setting table 11b, and standard image data 11c. When the setting program 11a is executed by the CPU 10, the main processing of Fig. 6 is executed. The setting table 11b will be described with reference to Fig. 5(b).

[0065] 5(b) is a diagram schematically showing the setting table 11b. The setting table 11b stores information about the effectors assigned to the icons 42a to 42d. In the setting table 11b, icons 42a to 42d are assigned to Nos. 1 to 4, respectively, and the type of effector ("TYPE" in the figure), the image file name of the icon 42a to 42d, and setting information are stored in association with each other.

[0066] The effector type stores the type of effector assigned to the corresponding icon 42a to 42d. The image file name of the icon 42a to 42d stores the image file name specified on the icon setting screen 4b described above in Fig. 2. If the image file name is not specified on the icon setting screen 4b and a standard image for the effector type is used, "(DEFAULT)" is stored in the image file name.

[0067] The setting information stores setting information for various parameters of the effectors assigned to the corresponding icons 42a to 42d. When the settings of various parameters are changed on the parameter setting screen (not shown), the changes are reflected in this setting information. Based on the type of effector and the setting information in the setting table 11b, setting instructions for effect processing to be sent to the guitar amplifier 70 are created.

[0068] Specifically, since the order stored in the setting table 11b is the connection order of the icons 42 on the connection setting screen 4a, the connection order of the effectors is created in the order stored in the setting table 11b, and a setting instruction for effect processing is created that combines the created connection order and the setting information to be set for each effector, and the created setting instruction is sent to the guitar amplifier 70.

[0069] Returning to Fig. 5(a), the standard image data 11c stores a standard image for each of the above-mentioned effector types. When "(DEFAULT)" is stored as the image file name in the setting table 11b, the standard image corresponding to that effector type is obtained from the standard image data 11c and used as the image for the icons 42a to 42d.

[0070] The RAM 12 is a memory that stores various types of work data, flags, etc. in a rewritable manner when the CPU 10 executes programs such as the setting program 11a. The communication device 15 is a device that inputs and outputs information from connected external devices. In this embodiment, a guitar amplifier 70 is connected to the communication device 15, and the created setting instructions for effect processing are sent to the guitar amplifier 70 via the communication device 15.

[0071] Next, we will explain the electrical configuration of guitar amplifier 70. Guitar amplifier 70 has a CPU 71, flash ROM 72, RAM 73, communication device 74, external input / output device 75, sound source 76, and DSP 77, all of which are connected via bus line 78. A DAC (Digital Analog Converter) 79 is connected to DSP 77, and an amplifier 80 is connected to amplifier 80, which is connected to speaker 81.

[0072] The CPU 71 is a computing device that controls each unit connected via a bus line 78. The flash ROM 72 is a rewritable non-volatile memory that mainly stores control programs and the like that control each unit of the guitar amplifier 70. The RAM 73 is a memory that rewritably stores various work data, flags, and the like when the CPU 71 executes programs such as control programs.

[0073] The communication device 74 is a device for inputting and outputting information from a connected external device. In this embodiment, the communication device 74 is connected to the communication device 15 of the PC 1, and effect processing setting instructions created by the PC 1 are received by the guitar amplifier 70 via the communication device 74. In the guitar amplifier 70, the DSP 77 uses the setting instructions received from the PC 1 to apply effect processing to musical sounds based on performance information input from the electric guitar 90.

[0074] The external input / output device 75 is a device for inputting and outputting performance information from an external musical instrument. In this embodiment, an electric guitar 90 is connected to the external input / output device 75, and performance information from the electric guitar 90 is input to the guitar amplifier 70 via the external input / output device 75.

[0075] The sound source 76 is a device that outputs waveform data corresponding to performance information input from the CPU 71. The DSP 77 is a calculation device that processes the waveform data input from the sound source 76. The DAC 79 is a conversion device that converts the waveform data input from the DSP 77 into analog waveform data. The amplifier 80 is an amplification device that amplifies the analog waveform data output from the DAC 79 with a predetermined gain. The speaker 81 is an output device that emits (outputs) the analog waveform data amplified by the amplifier 80 as musical tones.

[0076] Next, the processing executed by the CPU 10 of the PC 1 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a flowchart of the main processing. The main processing is processing that is executed when an instruction to execute the setting program 11a is given in the PC 1. The main processing first executes an icon display processing (S1). The icon display processing will be described with reference to Figure 7.

[0077] 7 is a flowchart of the icon display process. The icon display process begins by setting a counter variable N to 1. The counter variable N is a numerical value that represents the icons 42a to 42d displayed on the connection setting screen 4a; specifically, when the counter variable N is 1 (first), it represents the icon 42a; when the counter variable N is 2 (second), it represents the icon 42b; when the counter variable N is 3 (third), it represents the icon 42c; and when the counter variable N is 4 (fourth), it represents the icon 42d. Hereinafter, the "N" in "Nth" represents the value of the counter variable N.

[0078] After the process of S10, the type of effector and the image file name for the Nth position in the setting table 11b are obtained (S11). After the process of S11, it is confirmed whether the obtained image file name is "(DEFAULT)" (S12). In the process of S12, if it is confirmed that the obtained image file name is not "(DEFAULT)" (S12: No), the image with that image file name (i.e., the specified image described above in FIG. 2) is obtained (S13).

[0079] After the process of S13, the vertical direction of the image acquired in the process of S13 is reduced or enlarged to a specified size (i.e., 300 pixels) (S14). After the process of S14, the reduction rate or enlargement rate used when reducing or enlarging in the process of S14 is obtained (S15).

[0080] After the process of S15, the horizontal direction of the image acquired in the process of S13 is reduced or enlarged based on the reduction ratio or enlargement ratio acquired in the process of S14 (S16). After the process of S17, the image reduced or enlarged in the vertical and horizontal directions in the processes of S14 and S16 is displayed as the image of the Nth corresponding icon 42 (S17). As a result, the designated image designated on the icon setting screen 4b is reduced or enlarged based on the specified size and then displayed as the image of the icon 42.

[0081] In the process of S12, if it is confirmed that the acquired image file name is "(DEFAULT)" (S12: Yes), a standard image corresponding to the type of effector acquired in the process of S11 is acquired from the standard image data 11c, and the acquired standard image is displayed on the image of the Nth corresponding icon 42 (S18).

[0082] After the processes of S17 and S18, 1 is added to the counter variable N (S19), and it is confirmed whether the resulting counter variable N is greater than the number of data items in the setting table 11b (i.e., "4") (S20). In the process of S20, if it is confirmed that the counter variable N is equal to or less than the number of data items in the setting table 11b (S20: No), the processes from S11 onwards are repeated.

[0083] On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the process of S20 that the counter variable N is greater than the number of data in the setting table 11b (S20: Yes), it is confirmed whether any of the icons 42 has a horizontal image length longer than the specified horizontal size (200 pixels) (S21).If it is confirmed in the process of S21 that any of the icons 42 has a horizontal image length longer than the specified horizontal size (S21: Yes), a scroll display 45 is displayed on the connection setting screen 4a (S22).

[0084] On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the processing of S21 that the horizontal length of the image of any of the icons 42 is longer than the specified horizontal size (S21: No), or after the processing of S22, the icon display processing is terminated.

[0085] Returning to Fig. 6, after the icon processing in S1, it is confirmed whether the settings have been changed on the icon setting screen 4b or a parameter setting screen (not shown) (S2). In the processing in S2, if it is confirmed that the settings have been changed on the icon setting screen 4b or a parameter setting screen (not shown) (S2: Yes), the changed settings are reflected in the setting table 11b (S3).

[0086] Specifically, when a designated image is designated on the icon setting screen 4b, the image file name of the designated image is stored in the corresponding image file name in the setting table 11b, and when the settings of various parameters are changed on the parameter setting screen, the changed parameters are reflected in the corresponding setting information in the setting table 11b.

[0087] After the process of S3, the icon display process (S1) described above in Fig. 7 is executed. This updates the display of the icons 42 on the connection setting screen 4a in response to the setting change on the icon setting screen 4b. If it is not confirmed in the process of S2 that the setting has been changed on the icon setting screen 4b or the parameter setting screen (not shown) (S2: No), the process of S3 and the subsequent icon display process of S1 are skipped.

[0088] After the processes of S2 and S3, setting instructions for effect processing are created based on the setting table 11b (S4), and the created setting instructions are sent to the guitar amplifier 70 via the communication device 15 (S5). The guitar amplifier 70 uses the setting instructions received from the PC 1 to apply effect processing to musical sounds based on the performance information input from the electric guitar 90.

[0089] After the process of S5, it is confirmed whether an instruction to terminate the setting program 11a has been input from the user H via the mouse 2 or keyboard 3 (S6). If it is not confirmed in the process of S6 that an instruction to terminate the setting program 11a has been input (S6: No), the processes from S2 onwards are repeated. If it is confirmed in the process of S6 that an instruction to terminate the setting program 11a has been input (S6: Yes), the main process is terminated.

[0090] The above has been explained based on the above embodiment, but it can be easily imagined that various improvements and modifications are possible.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the designated image designated by user H is reduced or enlarged in the vertical direction to a specified size, and the horizontal direction of the designated image is reduced or enlarged using the reduction ratio / enlargement ratio used when reducing or enlarging the vertical direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, the horizontal direction of the designated image may be reduced or enlarged to a specified size (e.g., 200 pixels), and the vertical direction of the designated image may be reduced or enlarged using the reduction ratio / enlargement ratio used when reducing or enlarging the horizontal direction.

[0092] Alternatively, an image obtained by reducing or enlarging the vertical and horizontal directions of the designated image to a specified size (for example, vertical: 300 pixels, horizontal: 200 pixels) may be displayed on icon 42. Alternatively, an image obtained by reducing or enlarging only the vertical direction of the designated image to a specified size and leaving the horizontal direction of the designated image unchanged may be displayed on icon 42, or an image obtained by reducing or enlarging the horizontal direction of the designated image to a specified size and leaving the vertical direction of the designated image unchanged may be displayed on icon 42.

[0093] Alternatively, the vertical or horizontal direction of the designated image is not limited to being reduced or enlarged to a specified size, but the vertical or horizontal direction of the designated image may be reduced or enlarged to a length that is shorter than the specified size by a specified number of pixels (for example, 10 pixels), or the vertical or horizontal direction of the designated image may be reduced or enlarged to a length that is longer than the specified size by a specified number of pixels (for example, 5 pixels). Also, the designated image may be displayed as is on the icon 42 without being reduced or enlarged.

[0094] In the above embodiment, various parameters of the effector are set on a parameter setting screen (not shown), but this is not limiting. For example, when user H designates an image to change the image of icon 42, the setting information of the effector included in the image may be reflected in the setting of the effector corresponding to the icon 42 whose image is to be changed.

[0095] In this case, the image designated by user H and the setting information corresponding to that image are stored in association with each other in HDD 11 or the like, and the setting information corresponding to the designated image is acquired and applied to the setting of the effector of icon 42 that changes the designated image. This makes it easy to set the effector, since not only the image of icon 42 but also the setting of the effector corresponding to icon 42 conforms to the designated image.

[0096] In the above embodiment, the effector processing settings created on the PC 1 are transmitted to the guitar amplifier 70, but this is not a limitation. The effector processing settings created on the PC 1 may also be transmitted to another electronic musical instrument that adds effect processing to musical sounds. Also, while the electric guitar 90 is connected to the guitar amplifier 70, this is not a limitation, and other instruments such as an electric bass may also be connected to the guitar amplifier 70.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the standard image data 11c stores a standard image for each effector that has been created in advance, but this is not limiting. For example, the standard image for each effector in the standard image data 11c may be rewritten to an image specified by the user H. For example, by rewriting the standard image for "CHORUS" in the standard image data 11c with "MyChorus.jpg" shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, all images of the icons 42 set as the standard image for "CHORUS" are replaced with "MyChorus.jpg." This allows the images displayed on the icons 42 to be flexibly customized according to the preferences of the user H.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the PC 1 is used as an example of a computer that executes the setting program 11a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The setting program 11a may be executed by an information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, an electronic musical instrument, or other electronic devices. The setting program 11a may be stored in the guitar amplifier 70 and executed by the guitar amplifier 70. Alternatively, the setting program 11a may be executed by another electronic musical instrument to which effect processing can be applied, such as a synthesizer, electronic percussion instrument, or electronic wind instrument. In this case, the guitar amplifier 70 may be provided with a display device such as an LCD and an input device such as setting buttons. Alternatively, the setting program 11a may be stored in a ROM or the like, and the present invention may be applied to a dedicated device (setting device) that executes only the setting program 11a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] S Setting System 1 PC (computer, setting device) 70 Guitar Amplifier (Electronic Instrument) 4 LCD (display section) 11a Configuration Program 42, 42a~42d Icons (Effector Icons) 701 Input Method 702 Signal processing unit (effect adding means) 706 Musical sound output means 704 Receiving means 705 Update method S4: Connection order acquisition means, setting instruction creation means, connection order acquisition step, setting instruction creation step S5 Transmission means, transmission step S11, S12: Designated icon acquisition means, designated icon acquisition step S13: Designated image acquisition means, designated image acquisition step S15,S16 Size change method S17 Part of the display means, image change means, part of the display step, image change step S18 Part of display means, part of display steps S21, S22 Scroll display means

Claims

1. A setting system having an electronic musical instrument and a setting device, The electronic musical instrument comprises: an input means for inputting performance information; an effect adding means for adding effect processing to the musical tones based on the performance information input by the input means; a musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been applied by the effect applying means; a receiving means for receiving a setting instruction from the setting device in which an effect processing order or parameters of the effect processing are set; updating means for updating the order of effect processing or parameters of effect processing to be applied to musical tones by said effect applying means based on the setting instruction received by said receiving means; The setting device includes: a display means for displaying an effector icon that displays a standard image that resembles an effector that performs the effect processing; a designated icon acquisition means for acquiring an effector icon designated by a user from among the effector icons displayed by the display means; a designated image acquisition means for acquiring a designated image designated by a user; an image changing means for displaying the designated image acquired by the designated image acquiring means instead of the standard image of the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquiring means; a connection order acquisition means for acquiring a connection order of the effector icons to be displayed by the display means, the connection order being set by a user; a setting instruction creating means for creating a setting instruction in which an effect processing order is set based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired by the connection order acquiring means; a setting system comprising a transmitting means for transmitting the setting instructions set by the setting instruction creating means to the electronic musical instrument;

2. The setting device includes: The apparatus further comprises a size changing means for reducing or enlarging the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means based on a specified size of the image of the effector icon, The setting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the image change means displays a designated image reduced or enlarged by the size change means in place of the standard image in the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means.

3. the display means displays the effector icon horizontally, the size changing means reduces or enlarges the vertical direction of the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means based on a predetermined vertical size of the image of the effector icon, The setting system according to claim 2, characterized in that the image change means displays a designated image, which has been vertically reduced or enlarged by the size change means, in place of the standard image of the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means.

4. the size changing means reduces or enlarges the vertical direction of the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means based on a predetermined vertical size of the image of the effector icon, and further reduces or enlarges the horizontal direction of the designated image using the reduction rate or enlargement rate used at that time; The setting system according to claim 3, characterized in that the image change means displays a designated image, which has been reduced or enlarged in the vertical and horizontal directions by the size change means, in place of the standard image of the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means.

5. The setting device includes: The setting system described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that when the image change means causes the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means to display the designated image on the effector icon, causing the effector icon to become horizontally elongated and not all of the multiple effector icons to be displayed in the display area, further comprises a scroll display means for displaying a scroll display that switches the effector icons to be displayed in the display area.

6. the display means is capable of displaying a plurality of effector icons that resemble effectors that perform the same type of effect processing, the designated icon acquisition means acquires an effector icon designated by the user from among a plurality of effector icons that are displayed by the display means and that imitate effectors that perform the same type of effect processing; The setting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the image change means displays the designated image acquired by the designated image acquisition means instead of the standard image in the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquisition means.

7. an input means for inputting performance information; an effect adding means for adding effect processing to the musical tones based on the performance information input by the input means; a musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been applied by the effect applying means; a receiving means for receiving a setting instruction in which the order of the effect processing or the parameters of the effect processing are set; an update unit that updates an order of effect processing to be applied to musical tones by said effect applying unit or parameters of effect processing based on the setting instruction received by said receiving unit; and an electronic musical instrument is connected to said electronic musical instrument, said setting program causing a computer having a display unit to create said setting instruction and transmit said setting instruction to said electronic musical instrument, a display step of displaying, on the display unit, an effector icon in which a standard image imitating an effector that performs the effect processing is displayed; a designated icon acquisition step of acquiring an effector icon designated by a user from among the effector icons displayed on the display unit; a designated image acquisition step of acquiring a designated image designated by a user; an image changing step of displaying the designated image acquired in the designated image acquiring step instead of the standard image in the effector icon acquired in the designated icon acquiring step; a connection order acquisition step of acquiring a connection order of the effector icons to be displayed on the display unit, the connection order being set by a user; a setting instruction creating step of creating a setting instruction in which an effect processing order based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired in the connection order acquiring step is set; a transmission step of transmitting the setting instructions set in the setting instruction creation step to the electronic musical instrument.

8. an input means for inputting performance information; an effect adding means for adding effect processing to the musical tones based on the performance information input by the input means; a musical sound output means for outputting musical sounds to which effect processing has been applied by the effect applying means; a receiving means for receiving a setting instruction in which the order of the effect processing or the parameters of the effect processing are set; an update means for updating an order of effect processing to be applied to musical tones by said effect application means or parameters of effect processing based on the setting instruction received by said receiving means, a display means for displaying an effector icon that displays a standard image that resembles an effector that performs the effect processing; a designated icon acquisition means for acquiring an effector icon designated by a user from among the effector icons displayed by the display means; a designated image acquisition means for acquiring a designated image designated by a user; an image changing means for displaying the designated image acquired by the designated image acquiring means instead of the standard image of the effector icon acquired by the designated icon acquiring means; a connection order acquisition means for acquiring a connection order of the effector icons to be displayed by the display means, the connection order being set by a user; a setting instruction creating means for creating a setting instruction in which an effect processing order is set based on the connection order of the effector icons acquired by the connection order acquiring means; a setting device comprising a transmitting means for transmitting the setting instructions set by the setting instruction creating means to the electronic musical instrument;

Images