Audio device, audio device control method and program

Abstract

Provided is an acoustic device (1) provided with a cross fader (314) for adjusting the sound volume balance between a first musical composition reproduced in a first channel and a second musical composition reproduced in a second channel, the acoustic device (1) comprising: a setting unit (52) for setting a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts, which constitute the first musical composition and the second musical composition, depending on the position of the cross fader; and reproduction control units (53, 54) for controlling the sound volume balance for each of the parts depending on the mixing curve.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an audio device, a control method for an audio device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, DJ equipment such as DJ controllers have multiple decks, and while playing music on each deck, switching the audio output between the decks allows users to switch from one song to another. When switching songs on DJ equipment, a crossfader is used to adjust the volume of the multiple decks on the DJ equipment, but skillful user operation is required to switch naturally. In response to this, various techniques have been proposed to assist in switching between songs. For example, the audio device disclosed in Patent Document 1 adjusts the output level by focusing on the frequency band, thereby preventing the occurrence of a strange sound when mixing songs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6171503 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When switching between songs as described above, it is necessary to perform operations accurately in sync with the rhythm of the songs, such as matching the tempo of the songs before and after the switch, applying various effects to the song being played, cueing to select the start position of the next song to be played, switching using the crossfader, etc. Since a series of operations like this requires knowledge and experience of music, there is a problem that users with little such knowledge or experience find it difficult to enjoy DJ performances that involve switching songs. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an audio device, an audio device control method, and a program that enable even a user with little knowledge or experience of music to perform a desired switching operation with simple operations when switching songs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] [1] An audio device equipped with a crossfader that adjusts the volume balance between a first piece of music played on a first channel and a second piece of music played on a second channel, the audio device comprising: a setting unit that sets a mixing curve for each of multiple parts that make up the first piece of music and the second piece of music in accordance with the position of the crossfader; and a playback control unit that controls the volume balance of each of the multiple parts in accordance with the mixing curve. [2] The audio device according to [1], wherein the multiple parts include parts obtained by separating each part of the first song and the second song. [3] The audio device according to [1] or [2], wherein the plurality of parts includes a part corresponding to at least a bass drum sound among the drum sounds. [4] An acoustic device described in any of [1] to [3], wherein the setting unit sets a first mixing curve for a first part among the multiple parts, and sets a second mixing curve different from the first mixing curve for a second part different from the first part. [5] The acoustic device according to [4], wherein the first mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes gradually, and the second mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes abruptly. [6] The audio device according to [4], wherein the first mixing curve or the second mixing curve is a curve in which the volume of one of the first piece of music and the second piece of music gradually changes while the volume of the other piece changes abruptly. [7] A method for controlling an audio device equipped with a crossfader that adjusts the volume balance between a first song played on a first channel and a second song played on a second channel, the method including the steps of: setting a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts constituting the first song and the second song in accordance with a position of the crossfader; and controlling the volume balance of each of the plurality of parts in accordance with the mixing curve. [8] A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device having a crossfader that adjusts the volume balance between a first song played on a first channel and a second song played on a second channel, the program comprising: a setting unit that sets a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts that make up the first song and the second song in accordance with the position of the crossfader; and a playback control unit that controls the volume balance of each of the plurality of parts in accordance with the mixing curve.

[0006] According to the above configuration, the audio device is equipped with a crossfader that adjusts the volume balance between a first song played on a first channel and a second song played on a second channel, and by setting a mixing curve for each of the multiple parts that make up the first song and the second song according to the position of the crossfader, and controlling the volume balance of each of the multiple parts according to the set mixing curve, even a user with little knowledge or experience regarding music can perform a desired switching operation with simple operations when switching songs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an audio device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a mixing curve. [Figure 2B] FIG. 11 is another diagram showing an example of a mixing curve. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of an audio device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a music switching process in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram illustrating the music switching process in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a control method of the audio device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of an audio device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a control method of an audio device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0009] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an audio device according to the first embodiment. The audio device 1 according to this embodiment is a DJ system that integrates two players 2A and 2B that play music, and a mixer 3 that controls the players 2A and 2B. Specifically, the audio device 1 functions as an audio playback device and an audio playback control device when operated by a user, and plays music and applies various effects to the music being played. The effects include, for example, effects that apply effects called delay, echo, reverb, or loop to music to play effect sounds, and effects that process original sounds and play them.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the audio device 1 includes operation units 21A and 21B provided on the players 2A and 2B, respectively, and an operation unit 31 provided on the mixer 3. The operation unit 21A accepts user operations for the player 2A, and the operation unit 21B accepts user operations for the player 2B. In addition, the operation unit 31 accepts user operations for the mixer 3.

[0011] The operation section 21A includes a jog dial 211A, a tempo slider 212A, a cue button 213A, a play / pause button 214A, and a performance pad 215A.

[0012] More specifically, the jog dial 211A is a rotary operator that is used to set the playback direction and playback speed of a song being played on the player 2A. The tempo slider 212A adjusts the playback speed of a song being played on the player 2A. The cue button 213A is pressed to set a specific position in the song as a cue point. The play / pause button 214A is pressed to start or stop playback of a song on the player 2A. The performance pads 215A are general-purpose operators to which various functions related to playback control can be assigned.

[0013] Like the operation unit 21A, the operation unit 21B includes a jog dial 211B, a tempo slider 212B, a cue button 213B, a play / pause button 214B, and a performance pad 215B. For example, when a user operates the operation unit 21A of the player 2A, the audio device 1 plays the music loaded in the player 2A and applies effects to the music being played as necessary. The same applies to the player 2B.

[0014] In response to user operations, the mixer 3 switches music playback between the players 2A and 2B, adjusts the volume of each channel, and applies effects to the playback. The operation section 31 of the mixer 3 includes effect selection knobs 311 A and 311 B, effect amount adjustment knobs 312 A and 312 B, channel faders 313 A and 313 B, a crossfader 314 , and a mixing curve adjustment knob 315 .

[0015] More specifically, the effect selection knobs 311A ​​and 311B are used to select an effect to be applied to the music being played on the players 2A and 2B, respectively. The effect amount adjustment knobs 312A and 312B are used to adjust parameters such as the depth and magnitude of the effect to be applied to the music being played on the players 2A and 2B, respectively. The channel faders 313A and 313B are used to adjust the output volume level of the music being played on the players 2A and 2B, respectively.

[0016] The crossfader 314 is an operator for adjusting the volume balance between a first piece of music played on the player 2A, which is the first channel, and a second piece of music played on the player 2B, which is the second channel. The mixing curve adjustment knob 315 includes three knobs. The mixing curve adjustment knob 315 is used to set a mixing curve that indicates the relationship between the operating position of the crossfader 314, which adjusts the volume balance between the first music piece and the second music piece, and the volume balance described above. In this embodiment, the mixing curve adjustment knob 315 is used to set a mixing curve that indicates the relationship between the operating position of the crossfader 314 and the volume balance described above, and constitutes a mixing curve setting section described below.

[0017] 2A and 2B show examples of mixing curves set by the mixing curve adjustment knob 315. Fig. 2A shows a mixing curve in which the volume balance described above changes gradually. When such a mixing curve is set in the crossfader 314 by the mixing curve adjustment knob 315, changing the operating position of the crossfader 314 from left to right or from right to left allows songs to be switched by the gradual change in the volume balance described above, that is, by fading in and fading out. On the other hand, Fig. 2B shows a mixing curve in which the volume balance changes sharply. When such a mixing curve is set in the crossfader 314 by the mixing curve adjustment knob 315, when the operating position of the crossfader 314 is changed from left to right or from right to left, the volume balance changes sharply at the rising and falling positions of the mixing curve, so that music is switched with a feeling similar to a so-called cut-in and cut-out. Note that in Fig. 2B, the rising and falling positions of the mixing curve correspond to the timing of cut-in and the timing of cut-out, respectively. Details of the process of setting the mixing curve by the mixing curve adjustment knob 315 will be described later. In addition to the above-mentioned configurations, operation units 21A, 21B, and operation unit 31 may further include a touch panel that detects a position touched by a user.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of a processing unit in the audio device according to the first embodiment. In addition to the above-mentioned components, the audio device 1 also includes a music data storage unit 4, a control unit 5, and an audio output unit 6, as shown in Fig. 3. The functions of the above-mentioned components are realized by a processor operating according to a program in an audio device having, for example, a computer hardware configuration. The functions of the components are further described below.

[0019] The music data storage unit 4 is configured to be able to store music data using a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, etc. The music data storage unit 4 stores music data for a plurality of songs in a predetermined format, such as MP3 format. In addition to audio information, the music data includes tag information such as the BPM, artwork, title, artist name, album name, key, number of DJ plays, and genre of the song. The music data stored in the music data storage unit 4 is associated with a time stamp, which is information on the playback position.

[0020] In this embodiment, the music data stored in the music data storage unit 4 and playable by the audio device 1 is previously subjected to a separation process into a plurality of parts. In this embodiment, the plurality of parts separated from the music data correspond to the sounds of each part of the music to be played by the music data. Here, the parts of the music correspond to, for example, vocals or the sounds of each instrument, and in a simple example, a music piece is composed of four parts: vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. Furthermore, it is also useful to further subdivide and separate parts by type of instrument, such as bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat in drums. In this case, direct separation process into each part of the bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat may be performed from the music data to be separated, or a stepwise separation process into each part may be performed by separating the drum part. In either case, the parts of the music piece include parts obtained by separating each part constituting the music piece, for example, parts that are a part of a part constituting an instrument by further subdividing each part constituting the music piece. Since various known techniques can be used for such a separation process into a plurality of parts, a detailed description will be omitted. In the following, as an example, it is assumed that the music data storage unit 4 stores music data that has been separated into three parts, a vocal part, a drum part, and a bass part. The bass part refers to the part excluding the vocal part and the drum part from the whole. The audio device 1 may obtain music data that has already been separated from the outside, or may further have a functional part that executes a process of separating unseparated music data into a plurality of parts. Also, the separated music data may be used only for the switching section of the music, and the unseparated music data may be used for the other sections.

[0021] The control unit 5 is implemented in the audio device 1 by, for example, a communication interface, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory that serves as a working area, and controls the operation of the audio device 1. The control unit 5 includes a reception unit 51, which is realized by the processor operating according to a program stored in the memory or received via the communication interface, a mixing curve setting unit 52, a first reproduction unit 53, and a second reproduction unit 54.

[0022] The accepting unit 51 detects and accepts user operations on the operation units 21A, 21B, and 31. The accepting unit 51 then supplies information indicating the content of the user operations to each unit in the control unit 5. The mixing curve setting section 52 stores a plurality of different mixing curves in advance, and sets a mixing curve according to the position of the crossfader 314 for a plurality of parts of the music data in response to a user operation on the mixing curve adjustment knob 315 . The mixing curve may be set by the mixing curve adjustment knob 315, for example, by assigning the above-mentioned vocal sound part, drum sound part, and bass sound part to each of the three knobs of the mixing curve adjustment knob 315, and specifying the curvature of the mixing curve according to the operation amount of each knob, or by other methods. For example, the mixing curve may be set by selecting one of a plurality of mixing curves stored in advance for each of a plurality of parts of the music data. In this case, the operator for setting the mixing curve in the audio device 1 may include a display that presents a pattern of the mixing curve, and a touch panel or button that accepts the selection of the pattern. Furthermore, the mixing curve may be set not by the mixing curve itself, but by specifying the result of switching music achieved by selecting the mixing curve for each of the parts of the music data. The result of switching music may include, for example, the timing of switching music with fade-in and fade-out, the time from when the switched music starts to be heard with fade-in and fade-out until the previous music is no longer heard, the volume of each music when it becomes equal at the midpoint of the fade-in and fade-out, the timing of switching music with cut-in and cut-out, and the time from when the switched music cuts in to when the previous music cuts out.

[0023] In setting the mixing curve, the music data to be switched is associated with a cue point, etc., and the result of the switching of the music is specified, thereby making it possible to switch the music according to the characteristics of the target music data. Such detailed settings may be performed before the performance, for example, by using a display and a touch panel provided on the audio device 1, or a computer connected to the audio device 1. In the mixing curve setting section 52, different mixing curves may be set for all of the multiple parts, or the same mixing curve may be set for two or more parts.

[0024] The first playback unit 53 plays back music on the player 2A in response to user operations on the operation units 21A and 31, and outputs an audio signal to the audio output unit 6. Similarly, the second playback unit 54 plays back music on the player 2B in response to user operations on the operation units 21B and 31, and outputs an audio signal to the audio output unit 6. When the crossfader 314 is operated, the first playback unit 53 and the second playback unit 54 adjust the volume balance between the first music and the second music for each of the multiple parts in response to the mixing curve set by the mixing curve setting unit 52, thereby switching between and playing back the music on the player 2A and the player 2B.

[0025] The audio device 1 may be configured to include a communication interface, and acquire music data stored in an external storage device, a computer, or the like via the communication interface (not shown), and store the music data in the music data storage unit 4. In this case, the audio device 1 does not include the music data storage unit 4, and the external storage device functions as the music data storage unit 4. The audio output unit 6 includes an audio output terminal such as a speaker terminal or a headphone terminal, and outputs the audio signals of the music played by the first playback unit 53 and the second playback unit 54 as audio information.

[0026] The operation of the control unit 5 when switching between songs using the crossfader 314 in the audio device 1 described above will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example of music data of a first piece of music (a first piece of music) and a second piece of music (a second piece of music) at a portion where music is switched by the audio device according to the first embodiment. Conventionally, when switching between songs, a single mixing curve was set on the crossfader for the entire sound of the song. Therefore, when a mixing curve with a gradually changing volume balance is set on the crossfader and songs are switched by fading in and out, for example, in the case of drum sounds, there is a section in which the drum sounds of the first song and the second song are played back overlapping, and if there is a difference in the peak of the drum sounds due to differences in the BPM or drum patterns between the first song and the second song, the drum sounds at the time of switching may give a sense of incongruity and discomfort to the user. In addition, if the crossfader is set to a mixing curve that causes a sudden change in volume balance, and songs are switched by cutting in and out, the entire song will change suddenly, giving the user an unexpected impression.

[0027] 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the process of switching music by the audio device according to the first embodiment. In the following, as an example, switching of music from player 2A to player 2B will be explained. In the example of Figure 5, the mixing curves shown below are set for each part. Vocal part: 1st song - fade out, 2nd song - cut in Bass part: 1st song - fade out, 2nd song - fade in Drum sound part: 1st song - cut out, 2nd song - cut in

[0028] Vocal parts are often perceived by listeners as having continuity due to the presence of melody and lyrics, so switching between songs by cutting in and out can give the user an abrupt impression. Therefore, in the above example, the first song for the vocal part is faded out, and the second song is cut in when the volume of the first song has become sufficiently low, making it possible to mitigate the sense of incongruity while creating a vivid start to the second song. When setting the mixing curve for the vocal part, the first music piece is faded out from the operation position P1 corresponding to one end of the crossfader 314 to the operation position P2 corresponding to the other end of the crossfader 314, and the second music piece is cut in at the operation position P3 closer to the operation position P1 than the operation position P2. Regarding the cut-in of the vocal part of the second music piece, depending on the operation of the user, there is a possibility that a discrepancy may occur between the operation position of the crossfader 314 and the time on the music data suitable for the cut-in. Therefore, the cut-in of the vocal part of the second music piece may be configured to be performed in accordance with the cue point set in advance near the operation position P3. Also, for example, a well-known music analysis process such as vocal detection technology or lyric display technology may be performed, and the cut-in may be performed at a timing suitable for the cut-in, such as a break in lyrics or the beginning of singing, near the operation position P3.

[0029] Since the bass part is often perceived by the listener as having continuity due to the presence of a melody (base line), switching songs by cutting in and out may give the user an abrupt impression. On the other hand, since the bass part does not have lyrics, for example, if the keys of the respective songs are the same or the keys are well matched, even if they overlap, it often does not feel strange like a vocal part. Therefore, for the bass part, by fading out the first song and fading in the second song, it is possible to switch songs naturally without feeling strange. In addition, by not applying cut-in and cut-out to the bass part, it is expected that the effect of preventing the occurrence of a silence when switching songs can be expected. When setting the mixing curve for the bass part, a setting is made such that the first music piece fades out and the second music piece fades in from the operation position P1 to the operation position P2.

[0030] The volume level of the drum sound parts is high, and the patterns differ from song to song, and furthermore, the delay from the attack sound to the peak sound of the bass drum in particular differs greatly from song to song. Therefore, when switching songs by fading in and out the drum sound parts, it may cause the user to feel strange and uncomfortable, as described above. On the other hand, since the drum sound parts do not have a melody or lyrics, the listener rarely perceives them as having continuity. Therefore, by cutting out the first song and cutting in the second song for the drum sound parts, it is possible to switch songs while reducing the sense of strangeness. When setting the mixing curve for the drum sound part, a setting is made to cut out the first music piece and cut in the second music piece at operation position P4 between operation positions P1 and P2. Regarding the cut-in of the second music piece, depending on the timing of the drum sounds of the first music piece and the second music piece, the drum sounds may overlap or the cut-in and cut-out may be performed with an unnatural rhythm. Therefore, for the cut-in of the drum sound part of the second music piece, a more natural switching operation can be performed by playing the drum sound from an appropriate position in the second music piece using techniques such as beat position detection, bar position detection, and attack detection of the drum sound part.

[0031] 5, when the operation of the crossfader 314 is started at time t1 while a song is being played on the player 2A, the control unit 5 controls the volume balance of each part of the first song being played on the player 2A and the second song to be played next on the player 2B, according to the mixing curve set by the mixing curve setting unit 52. The first playback unit 53 gradually lowers the volume of the vocal part and the bass part in the first song, and the second playback unit 54 gradually raises the volume of the bass part in the second song. At time t2, when the crossfader 314 is operated to the operation position P4, the first playback unit 53 cuts out the drum sound part of the first music piece, and the second playback unit 54 cuts in the drum sound part of the second music piece. At this time, the second playback unit 54 may cut in the drum sound part after a predetermined time has elapsed since the crossfader 314 was operated to the operation position P4, as described above.

[0032] At time t3, when the crossfader 314 is operated to operating position P3, the second playback unit 54 cuts in the vocal part of the second music piece. At this time, the second playback unit 54 may cut in at a preset cue point as described above, or may cut in at a suitable timing for a cut in, such as a preset cue point near time t3, or a break in lyrics or the beginning of singing based on known music analysis processing such as vocal detection technology or lyric display technology. At time t4, the crossfader 314 is operated to the operating position P2, thereby completing the music switching process.

[0033] As described above, when the user operates the crossfader 314 to switch songs from player 2A to player 2B, the vocal parts are switched by fading out and cutting in, the bass parts are switched by fading out and fading in, and the drum parts are switched by cutting out and cutting in. In other words, by setting a suitable mixing curve in advance for each part that constitutes a song, the user can realize a preferable switching operation when switching songs by simply operating the crossfader 314. In particular, it is possible to realize a natural switching of songs that takes into account the characteristics of each part and a switching of songs with a high dramatic effect with a simple operation.

[0034] The mixing curves shown in the example of Fig. 5 are merely examples, and are not limited to these. For example, the example of Fig. 5 shows an example in which a different mixing curve is set for each part, but the same mixing curve may be set for two or more parts. Also, the example of Fig. 5 shows an example in which a mixing curve that cuts in and out at different times is set for a vocal sound part and a drum sound part, but mixing curves that cut in and out at the same timing may be set.

[0035] Next, a method for controlling the audio device in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the process that is started when the reception unit 51 receives an operation on the mixing curve adjustment knob 315. First, the mixing curve setting unit 52 sets a mixing curve for each of the multiple parts that make up the first piece of music and the second piece of music (step S101). Then, when the crossfader 314 is operated (step S102 YES), the first playback unit 53 and the second playback unit 54 play the music on player 2A and player 2B by controlling the volume balance of each part according to the operating position of the crossfader 314 and the mixing curve set by the mixing curve setting unit 52 (step S103). The first playback unit 53 and the second playback unit 54 continue the process of step S103 until the operation of the cross fader 314 ends (YES in step S104). Although the switching of a song from player 2A to player 2B has been described as an example in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the same processing is performed when switching a song from player 2B to player 2A.

[0036] According to the first embodiment of the present invention as described above, in an audio device equipped with a crossfader that adjusts the volume balance between a first song played on a first channel and a second song played on a second channel, a mixing curve for each of the parts constituting the first song and the second song is set according to the position of the crossfader, and the volume balance of each of the multiple parts is controlled according to the set mixing curve. Therefore, a mixing curve according to the characteristics can be assigned to each of the multiple parts constituting the song. Furthermore, no knowledge or experience about music is required to select a song before or after switching. Furthermore, even a user with little knowledge or experience about music can perform a preferred switching operation with a simple operation when switching songs. Therefore, even a user with little knowledge or experience can enjoy DJ play involving switching songs. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the multiple parts include parts obtained by separating each part of the first music piece and the second music piece. Therefore, a mixing curve according to the characteristics can be set according to the details of each part.

[0037] According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the multiple parts include at least a part corresponding to a bass drum sound among the drum sounds. Therefore, it is possible to switch songs by making use of the characteristics of drum sound parts that are likely to cause discomfort and annoyance to the user. It is useful to separate the bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat parts from each other and switch songs by making use of the characteristics of each part. It is particularly useful to separate the bass drum part and switch songs by making use of the characteristics of each part. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a first mixing curve is set for a first part among a plurality of parts, and a second mixing curve different from the first mixing curve is set for a second part different from the first part. Therefore, for each of the plurality of parts constituting a musical piece, a switching timing and a switching method according to the characteristics can be set. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes gradually, and the second mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes sharply. Therefore, a suitable music switching method can be set for each of the multiple parts that make up a music piece. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first mixing curve or the second mixing curve is a curve in which the volume of one of the first and second music pieces changes gradually and the volume of the other changes sharply, so that a suitable music switching method can be set for each of the multiple parts that make up the music pieces.

[0038] The controls described in the first embodiment are merely examples and are not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where music is switched by channel faders 313A and 313B instead of the crossfader 314. For example, the same function as that described for the crossfader 314 may be assigned to an existing control of the audio device 1, or a dedicated control other than the crossfader 314 may be provided in the audio device 1 and assigned to the same function as that described for the crossfader 314. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to operators such as the crossfader 314, but can also be applied to operators configured as software using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) etc. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to programmatic music switching (crossfade operation) such as automix processing that does not require operators.

[0039] Second embodiment In the second embodiment, only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of an audio device according to the second embodiment. The audio device 10 according to the second embodiment is composed of a computer that executes a DJ application, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal. The audio device 10 includes an operation unit 11, a display unit 12, a music data storage unit 13, a control unit 14, and an audio output unit 15. The functions of each unit are realized by a processor operating according to a program in the audio device 10 having, for example, the hardware configuration of a computer. The functions of each unit will be further described below. The operation unit 11 includes a keyboard, a touch panel, and the like, and accepts user operations in the same manner as the operation units 21A, 21B, and 31 of the first embodiment. The display unit 12 includes a display. The music data storage unit 13 is similar to the music data storage unit 4 of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] As in the first embodiment, the control unit 14 includes a mixing curve setting unit 141, a first playback unit 142, and a second playback unit 143, which are realized by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in a memory or received via a communication interface. The mixing curve setting unit 141 sets a mixing curve for each of the multiple parts of the music data. In the mixing curve setting unit 52 of the first embodiment, an example is shown in which a mixing curve indicating the relationship between the operation position of the crossfader 314 and the volume balance of the first music piece and the second music piece is set. However, in this embodiment, the mixing curve setting unit 141 sets a mixing curve indicating the relationship between the position and the volume balance when adjusting the volume balance of the first music piece and the second music piece for each of the multiple parts of the music data. The position when adjusting the volume balance of the first music piece and the second music piece in this embodiment indicates, for example, a position (time) in an automix process that automatically switches music pieces, and this mixing curve has the same characteristics as each mixing curve described in the first embodiment.

[0041] The mixing curve setting in the mixing curve setting unit 141 may be performed by selecting a mixing curve from a plurality of pre-stored mixing curves for each part of the music data, as in the first embodiment. Also, as in the first embodiment, the mixing curve may be set by specifying, for each part of the music data, the result of switching of the music realized by selecting the mixing curve, rather than the mixing curve itself. The first reproduction unit 142 and the second reproduction unit 143 have the same functional configurations as the first reproduction unit 53 and the second reproduction unit 54 of the first embodiment, respectively. The audio output unit 15 includes an audio output terminal such as a speaker terminal or a headphone terminal, and outputs the audio signals of the music played by the first playback unit 142 and the second playback unit 143 as audio information.

[0042] The audio device 10 may be configured to include a communication interface, and acquire music data stored in an external storage device, a computer, or the like via the communication interface (not shown), and store the music data in the music data storage unit 13. In this case, the audio device 10 does not include the music data storage unit 13, and the external storage device functions as the music data storage unit 13. Furthermore, at least a part of the audio device 10 may be implemented separately in a server (eg, a cloud server) device connected to the Internet communication network or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0043] Next, a method for controlling an audio device in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the process that starts when an instruction to start the automix process is received. Note that, regarding the automix process, the mixing curve setting unit 141 sets a mixing curve in advance for each of the multiple parts that make up the first piece of music and the second piece of music. When the automix process is started (step S201 YES), the first playback unit 142 and the second playback unit 143 play the music on the player 2A and the player 2B by controlling the volume balance of each part according to the mixing curve set by the mixing curve setting unit 141 (step S202). The first playback unit 142 and the second playback unit 143 continue the process of step S202 until the automix process ends (YES in step S203).

[0044] According to the second embodiment of the present invention as described above, even in an audio device that does not have a crossfader member, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment. In particular, in the automix process, the timing of cut-ins and cut-outs can be set in detail and simply, and music can be switched with a higher degree of freedom, for example, by adjusting the tempo (BPM) of the second music piece according to the difference in tempo (BPM) between the first music piece and the second music piece.

[0045] In the above-mentioned embodiments, three parts, a vocal part, a drum part, and a bass part, are exemplified as the parts constituting the first and second musical pieces, but this is only an example and is not limited to these embodiments. For example, it is possible to carry out the same processing for parts other than the above-mentioned three parts, such as a piano part.

[0046] The mixing curves described in the above embodiments are merely examples, and are not limited to these embodiments. For example, asymmetric mixing curves can also be used in the same manner.

[0047] Furthermore, the audio device having the above-mentioned functions is not limited to the examples described in the above embodiments, but may be, for example, a mixer, a DJ controller with a mixer function, etc. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied not only to DJ equipment and DJ applications, but also to music applications and streaming services using the Internet. In such cases, the present invention can be applied to automatic playback using playlists, etc. In addition, in each of the above embodiments, a two-channel audio device having two players 2A and 2B has been described, but similar functions can be realized in, for example, a four-channel audio device. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to DJ equipment, and can also be applied to audio devices such as general mixers and electronic musical instruments, as well as DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) and DTMs (Desk Top Music).

[0048] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1,10...sound device, 2A,2B...player, 3...mixer, 4,13...music data storage section, 5,14...control section, 6,15...audio output section, 11,21A,21B,31...operation section, 51...reception section, 52,141...mixing curve setting section, 53,142...first playback section, 54,143...second playback section, 211A,211B...jog dial, 212A,212B...tempo slider, 213A,213B...cue button, 214A,214B...play / pause button, 215A,215B...performance pad, 311A,311B...effect selection knob, 312A,312B...effect amount adjustment knob, 313A,313B...channel fader, 314...crossfader, 315...mixing curve adjustment knob.

Claims

1. An audio device having a crossfader for adjusting a volume balance between a first piece of music played on a first channel and a second piece of music played on a second channel, a setting unit that sets a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts constituting the first music piece and the second music piece in accordance with a position of the crossfader; a playback control unit that controls the volume balance of each of the plurality of parts in accordance with the mixing curve.

2. The audio device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parts include parts obtained by separating each part of the first piece of music and the second piece of music.

3. 3. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of parts includes a part corresponding to at least a bass drum sound among drum sounds.

4. 4. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets a first mixing curve for a first part among the plurality of parts, and sets a second mixing curve different from the first mixing curve for a second part different from the first part.

5. 5. The audio device according to claim 4, wherein the first mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes gradually, and the second mixing curve is a curve in which the volume balance changes sharply.

6. 5. The audio device according to claim 4, wherein the first mixing curve or the second mixing curve is a curve in which a volume of one of the first piece of music and the second piece of music gradually changes and a volume of the other piece of music suddenly changes.

7. A method for controlling an audio device having a crossfader for adjusting a volume balance between a first piece of music played on a first channel and a second piece of music played on a second channel, comprising the steps of: setting a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts constituting the first music piece and the second music piece in accordance with a position of the crossfader; controlling the volume balance of each of the plurality of parts in accordance with the mixing curve; A method for controlling an audio device comprising:

8. An audio device having a crossfader for adjusting a volume balance between a first piece of music played on a first channel and a second piece of music played on a second channel, a setting unit that sets a mixing curve for each of a plurality of parts constituting the first music piece and the second music piece in accordance with a position of the crossfader; A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device having a playback control unit that controls the volume balance of each of the multiple parts according to the mixing curve.

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