Information processing device, electronic musical instrument, volume determination method and program

Abstract

To enable the sound of shelf collisions to be produced at a distance suitable for reverberation. [Solution] The CPU of the electronic musical instrument causes the sound-producing unit to emit a shelf collision sound based on the key press information input in response to the key press operation on the keyboard. At that time, the CPU determines the volume of the shelf collision sound based on a preset reverb send amount, and causes the sound-producing unit to emit the shelf collision sound based on the determined volume.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an electronic musical instrument, a volume determination method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electronic musical instrument that synthesizes and outputs a string strike sound signal, a soundboard collision sound signal, and a reverberation sound signal has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the performance of an acoustic piano, the soundboard collision sound can be clearly heard nearby, but it is not very prominent at a distant position such as the seats in a large hall. On the other hand, the reverberation sound sounds louder as the distance from the sound source increases, such as in the seats of a large hall. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the distance from the sound source is not considered when outputting the soundboard collision sound and the reverberation sound. Therefore, for example, there may be unnaturalness such that the distance from the sound source is felt to be close from the soundboard collision sound and the distance from the sound source is felt to be far from the reverberation sound.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to be able to produce a soundboard collision sound with a sense of distance suitable for the reverberation sound.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the information processing device according to the present invention includes a control unit that causes a shelf collision sound to be emitted by a sound-producing unit based on key press information input in response to a key press operation on a playback control element, the control unit determines the volume of the shelf collision sound based on a preset reverb send amount, and causes the sound-producing unit to emit the shelf collision sound based on the determined volume. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to produce shelf collision sounds at a distance suitable for reverberation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an electronic musical instrument in this embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) is a diagram showing the state of the sound-producing part of an acoustic piano before a key is pressed, and (b) is a diagram showing the state of the sound-producing part of an acoustic piano when a key is pressed. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the flow of volume control processing performed by the CPU in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This figure shows the relationship between the amount of reverb send and the volume of the sound of the shelf impact. [Figure 5] This table shows the change in volume of the shelf collision sound relative to the velocity value when the coefficient α and the reverb send amount are changed. [Figure 6] This graph shows the change in volume of the shelf collision sound relative to the velocity value when the coefficient α and the reverb send amount are changed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferred limitations for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and illustrated examples below.

[0010] First, the configuration of the electronic instrument 1 in this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic instrument 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a storage unit 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a keyboard 104, a key scanner 105, a display unit 106, an operation unit 107, a communication unit 108, a sound source unit 109, a waveform ROM 110, a sound system 111, and a speaker 112. The sound source unit 109, the waveform ROM 110, the sound system 111, and the speaker 112 constitute the sound generation unit 113. Furthermore, the CPU 101, the storage unit 102, the RAM 103, and the operation unit 107 constitute the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0011] The CPU 101, acting as the control unit, is a processor that performs control operations of the electronic musical instrument 1 shown in Figure 1 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 102 while using the RAM 103 as work memory. For example, the CPU 101 performs volume control processing, which will be described later, in cooperation with the program stored in the memory unit 102. The CPU 101 may be composed of multiple CPUs. In this case, multiple CPUs may be involved in common processing, or multiple CPUs may independently execute different processing in parallel.

[0012] The memory unit 102 stores programs and various data. For example, the memory unit 102 stores a program for the CPU 101 to execute the volume control processing described later. The memory unit 102 also stores various parameters (setting values) related to the electronic instrument 1. For example, the memory unit 102 stores values ​​of sound effect parameters, including the reverb send amount, and the value of the coefficient α (0≦α≦1) used when calculating the volume of the shelf collision sound (details described later). The user (performer) can set the various parameters and the value of the coefficient α by operating the operation unit 107. The RAM 103 is a volatile semiconductor memory and forms a work area for temporarily storing various data and programs.

[0013] The keyboard 104 is equipped with multiple keys (playing controls). The key scanner 105 continuously scans the pressed / released status of each key on the keyboard 104 and outputs the pressed information (note-on information) / release information (note-off information) of the keys on the keyboard 104 to the CPU 101. The pressed information includes the note number and velocity value of the pressed key.

[0014] The display unit 106 consists of a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays various information according to the display information instructed by the CPU 101. The operation unit 107 consists of at least one hardware key such as a push-button switch or a software key such as a touch panel attached to the display unit 106. The operation unit 107 outputs operation signals to the CPU 101 in response to user operations on the push-button switch or touch operations on the screen.

[0015] The communication unit 108 is equipped with wired and wireless units for communicating with external devices and for sending and receiving data with external devices.

[0016] The sound source unit 109 reads musical sound waveform data corresponding to the note number of the pressed key from the waveform ROM 110 in accordance with control instructions (sound generation instructions) from the CPU 101 and outputs it to the sound system 111. In this embodiment, the waveform ROM 110 has a string-striking sound waveform memory 110a that stores string-striking sound waveform data and a shelf-impact sound waveform memory 110b that stores shelf-impact sound waveform data. The sound source unit 109 reads the string-striking sound waveform data and the shelf-impact sound waveform data from their respective memories in accordance with control instructions (sound generation instructions) from the CPU 101 and outputs them to the sound system 111. The sound source unit 109 also outputs parameters input from the CPU 101 to the sound system 111.

[0017] The sound system 111 includes a signal processing unit, a D / A converter, an amplifier, etc. The sound system 111 performs signal processing on each of the plucking sound waveform data and the sound of the shelf board collision waveform data based on the parameters input from the sound source unit 109 to add an acoustic effect, performs D / A conversion and amplification, and outputs the plucking sound and the sound of the shelf board collision to the speaker 112.

[0018] The speaker 112 includes a speaker 112a for outputting the plucking sound and a speaker 112b for outputting the sound of the shelf board collision, and outputs (produces sound) the plucking sound and the sound of the shelf board collision.

[0019] Next, the operation of the electronic musical instrument 1 will be described. Here, first, the sound production operation of the acoustic piano will be described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2(a), in the sound production unit 2 of the acoustic piano, the key 21 is supported on the shelf board 22 by the support member 23. A jack support portion 25 for supporting the jack 24 is provided on the upper portion of the key 21. The jack 24 is rotatable about a shaft 25a provided on the jack support portion 25. Above the jack 24, a hammer 28 supported by a hammer support portion 27 is provided. The hammer 28 is rotatable about a shaft 27a provided on the hammer support portion 27. The hammer 28 has a hammer roller 26 on the lower side of its shaft. The hammer roller 26 is engaged with the jack 24 when the key 21 is not pressed. A string 29 is provided above the hammer 28.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2(b), when the key 21 is pressed (see arrow A1), the key 21 collides with the shelf board 22, and a sound of the shelf board collision is generated. Also, with the point 23a of the support member 23 as a fulcrum, the side opposite to the pressed side of the key 21 moves upward by the principle of the lever (see arrow A2). Along with this, the jack 24 side of the jack support portion 25 tilts downward and the jack 24 rotates in the direction of arrow A3. At this time, since the jack 24 rotates while pushing up the hammer roller 26, the hammer 28 rotates upward about the shaft 27a and strikes the string 29. Thereby, a plucking sound is generated.

[0021] That is, in an acoustic piano, a sound of a key hitting a string and a sound of a hammer hitting a string are generated respectively. In the electronic musical instrument 1, similar to the acoustic piano, waveform data of each of the sound of a key hitting a string and the sound of a hammer hitting a string is held, and the sound of a key hitting a string and the sound of a hammer hitting a string are each sounded separately.

[0022] Here, in an acoustic piano, the volume of the sound of a hammer hitting a string changes according to the velocity when a player presses a key 21. The volume of the sound of a key hitting a string changes according to the velocity when a player presses a key 21, but the volume also changes depending on the distance from the sound source (the location where the sound of a key hitting a string is generated). For example, the sound of a key hitting a string can be clearly heard near the sound source, but it is not so prominent at a position far away like in the seats of a large hall. Also, when an acoustic piano is played, a reverberation sound is generated, and the reverberation sound becomes louder as the distance from the sound source increases like in the seats of a large hall.

[0023] On the other hand, the electronic musical instrument 1 has a parameter called reverb send, and by changing the reverb send amount by the user's operation on the operation unit 107, the user can impart a desired reverberation effect to the musical sound. However, if the sense of distance felt from the sound of a key hitting a string does not match the sense of distance due to the reverberation effect by the reverb send, unnaturalness will occur in the performance.

[0024] Therefore, in the electronic musical instrument 1, the volume control process shown in FIG. 3 is executed, and by controlling the volume of the sound of a key hitting a string based on the reverb send amount, the sound of a key hitting a string is made to sound with a sense of distance suitable for the reverberation sound. Hereinafter, the volume control process will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The volume control process is executed by the cooperation of the CPU 101 and a program stored in the storage unit 102 while the power of the electronic musical instrument 1 is ON.

[0025] First, the CPU 101 determines whether or not a key press has been detected (step S1). For example, the CPU 101 determines whether or not a key press has been detected based on whether or not key press information has been input from the key scanner 105.

[0026] If it is determined that a key press has been detected (Step S1; YES), the CPU 101 obtains the note number and velocity value from the key press information input from the key scanner 105 (Step S2). Next, the CPU 101 obtains the reverb send amount and coefficient α stored (set) in the memory unit 102 (Step S3). Then, based on the obtained values, the CPU 101 determines the volume levels (volume values) of the shelf impact sound and the string striking sound, respectively (Step S4).

[0027] Here, the relationship between the reverb send amount and the volume of the shelf collision sound calculated in step S4 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the reverb send amount and the volume of the shelf collision sound when the velocity value is a certain value. As mentioned above, the larger the reverb send amount, the greater the reverberation effect that makes the sound source seem further away. On the other hand, the shelf collision sound is louder the closer the sound source is and quieter the farther away it is. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the CPU 101 determines the volume of the shelf collision sound so that the volume of the shelf collision sound decreases as the reverb send amount increases. This makes it possible to match the sense of distance created by the reverb send effect with the sense of distance created by the shelf collision sound, thus enabling natural-sounding performances.

[0028] For example, in step S4, CPU 101 calculates (determines) the volume of the shelf collision sound based on the acquired reverb send amount, velocity value, and coefficient α using the following equation (Equation 1). Coefficient α is a coefficient that defines the amount of change in the volume of the shelf collision sound in response to the change in velocity value. In equation (Equation 1), Volume represents the volume of the shelf collision sound, Velocity represents the velocity value, and RevSend represents the reverb send amount. The same applies to Figures 5 and 6 described below. In this embodiment, the velocity value, reverb send amount, and volume of the shelf collision sound are assumed to be values ​​from 0 to 127. Also, α is assumed to be a value from 0 to 1. Volume =((Velocity+127-RevSend) / 2)×α …(Equation 1)

[0029] Figure 5 is a table showing the change in volume of the shelf impact sound with respect to the velocity value calculated using (Equation 1) when the coefficient α is varied to 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1, and the reverb send amount is varied to 0 and 127. Figure 6 is a graph of Figure 5. Note that in Figures 5 and 6, the volume of the shelf impact sound is shown rounded to the nearest whole number. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the coefficient α is the same, for the same velocity value, a smaller reverb send amount results in a louder shelf impact sound. Also, the closer the coefficient α is to 1, the better the shelf impact sound volume follows the velocity value (the amount of change in shelf impact sound volume with respect to the change in velocity value is larger, i.e., the slope of the graph in Figure 6 is steeper). By changing the coefficient α, it is possible to represent the difference in shelf impact sound volume due to differences in shelf material and structure (differences in piano type), and the change in shelf impact sound volume due to whether or not the keys are pressed all the way down (differences in playing technique). For example, by setting the coefficient α to a large value so that the sound of the keys hitting the shelf becomes extremely loud when the keys are pressed hard, the strength of the touch can be strongly reflected in the sound. Conversely, by setting the coefficient α to a small value, it is possible to produce a sound more suited to pop music. Note that the setting of the coefficient α by operating the control unit 107 may be done by inputting a value between 0 and 1. Alternatively, for example, the value of α corresponding to the type of piano or playing method may be stored in the memory unit 102 in advance, and when the user selects the desired type of piano or playing method by operating the control unit 107, the value of α corresponding to the selected type or playing method may be automatically set.

[0030] Meanwhile, CPU 101 calculates (determines) the volume of the string-striking sound based on the velocity value. The method for calculating the volume of the string-striking sound may be any known method and is not particularly limited.

[0031] Next, the CPU 101 outputs the note number of the pressed key, the calculated volume of the shelf impact sound and string striking sound, and the reverb send amount, along with the values ​​of various other parameters, to the sound generation unit 113, causing the shelf impact sound and string striking sound to be generated (step S5), and then returns to step S1.

[0032] The sound source unit 109 reads shelf impact sound waveform data from the shelf impact sound waveform memory 110b based on instructions from the CPU 101 and outputs it to the sound system 111 along with the values ​​of various parameters, including the reverb send amount and volume value. The sound source unit 109 also reads string striking sound waveform data corresponding to the note number specified by the CPU 101 from the string striking sound waveform memory 110a and outputs it to the sound system 111 along with the values ​​of various parameters, including the reverb send amount and volume value. The sound system 111 performs signal processing on the shelf impact sound waveform data and string striking sound waveform data based on the values ​​of various parameters input from the sound source unit 109, adding acoustic effects (e.g., reverberation effect) and adjusting the volume, then performs D / A conversion, amplifies the resulting shelf impact sound and string striking sound, and outputs them from speakers 112a and 112b. As a result, the shelf impact sound and string striking sound are produced.

[0033] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that no key press was detected (step S1; NO), the CPU 101 determines whether or not a key release was detected (step S6). For example, the CPU 101 determines whether or not a key release was detected based on whether or not key release information was input from the key scanner 105.

[0034] If the CPU 101 determines that no key release has been detected (step S6; NO), it returns to step S1. If the CPU 101 determines that a key release has been detected (step S6; YES), it controls the sound-producing unit 113 to mute the sound being produced at the pitch (note number) specified by the key release information (step S7), and returns to step S1. The CPU 101 repeatedly executes steps S1 to S7 while the power supply to the electronic instrument 1 is ON.

[0035] As explained above, the CPU 101 of the electronic instrument 1 causes the sound-generating unit 113 to emit a shelf-impact sound based on the key press information input in response to the key press operation on the keyboard 104. At that time, the CPU 101 determines the volume of the shelf-impact sound based on a preset reverb send amount, and causes the sound-generating unit 113 to emit the shelf-impact sound based on the determined volume. Therefore, the shelf-impact sound can be emitted with a sense of distance appropriate to the reverberation corresponding to the reverb send amount, making it possible to play without sounding unnatural.

[0036] For example, CPU101 determines the volume of the shelf collision sound such that the volume of the shelf collision sound decreases as the reverb send amount increases. Therefore, the sense of distance of the reverberation sound and the sense of distance of the shelf collision sound can be matched.

[0037] Furthermore, the CPU 101 determines the volume of the shelf collision sound based on the reverb send amount and the velocity value of the key press. Therefore, the strength of the key press by the performer can be reflected in the volume of the shelf collision sound.

[0038] Furthermore, a coefficient α for defining the change in volume of the shelf collision sound in response to the change in velocity can be set by operating the control unit 107, and the CPU 101 changes the change in volume of the shelf collision sound in response to the change in velocity based on the coefficient α. Therefore, by setting the coefficient α, the performer can produce the shelf collision sound at a volume appropriate to the type of piano and playing style desired by the performer.

[0039] The descriptions in the above embodiments are merely preferred examples of embodiments according to the present invention and are not limited thereto.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, the functions of the information processing device of the present invention were described as being included in the electronic musical instrument 1, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the functions of the information processing device of the present invention may be provided in an external device (e.g., a PC (Personal Computer), tablet terminal, smartphone, etc.) connected to the electronic musical instrument 1 via a wired or wireless communication interface. In other words, the information processing device may be separate from the electronic musical instrument 1.

[0041] Furthermore, while the above embodiment discloses examples in which semiconductor memory such as ROM or a hard disk is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, the invention is not limited to this example. Other computer-readable mediums that can be used include SSDs and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs. In addition, a carrier wave can be used as a medium for providing the data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0042] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but is determined based on the claims. Furthermore, equivalent scopes of the present invention that have been modified from the claims but are not related to the essence of the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1 Electronic musical instrument, 101 CPU, 104 Keyboard, 107 Control panel, 113 Sound-producing unit

Claims

1. The system includes a control unit that causes a shelf collision sound to be emitted from the sound-producing unit based on key press information input in response to a key press operation on the performance control element. The control unit, The volume of the shelf collision sound is determined based on a preset reverb send amount, and the sound-generating unit is made to emit the shelf collision sound based on the determined volume. Information processing device.

2. The control unit, The volume of the shelf collision sound is determined such that the volume of the shelf collision sound decreases as the amount of reverb send increases. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned key press information includes the velocity value during the key press operation. The control unit, The volume of the shelf collision sound is determined based on the reverb send amount and the velocity value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. It includes an operating unit for setting a coefficient for defining the amount of change in the volume of the shelf collision sound in relation to the amount of change in the velocity value, The control unit, Based on the coefficient set by the operation unit, the amount of change in the volume of the shelf collision sound in relation to the amount of change in the velocity value is changed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The control unit, Based on the key press information input in response to the key press operation on the aforementioned performance control element, the sound-producing unit is made to produce the sound of the shelf impact and the sound of the string striking. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The performance control unit, An electronic musical instrument equipped with [specific features / features].

7. A computer, based on the key press information input in response to key presses on the performance control, causes the sound-generating unit to emit a shelf collision sound. The volume of the shelf collision sound is determined based on a preset reverb send amount, and the sound-generating unit is made to emit the shelf collision sound based on the determined volume. How to determine the volume.

8. Based on the key press information input in response to key presses on the performance control, a computer causes the sound-producing unit to emit a shelf collision sound. The volume of the shelf collision sound is determined based on a preset reverb send amount, and the sound-generating unit is made to emit the shelf collision sound based on the determined volume. A program to execute a process.

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