Audio device, audio device control method and program

Abstract

Provided is an acoustic device (1) for mixing at least two musical compositions, the acoustic device comprising: a detection unit (63) that detects tempos of a first musical composition and a second musical composition which are each composed of a plurality of parts; and reproduction control units (64, 65) that execute a process for gradually changing a tempo of a first part included in the first musical composition or in the second musical composition and a process for synchronizing tempos of first parts included in the first musical composition and in the second musical composition at the start of mixing or after a prescribed period of time has elapsed from the start of the mixing.

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, if the tempos of the songs before and after the switch do not match, the continuity of the BPM is lost, causing the user to feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable. Also, if the BPM is changed to match the tempos of the songs before and after the switch, the deviation between the original song and the playback sound becomes large, especially in the melody line, causing the user to feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an audio device, an audio device control method, and a program that are capable of performing a desirable switching operation when mixing songs without causing a user a sense of incongruity or discomfort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] [1] An audio device for mixing at least two pieces of music, comprising: a detection unit for detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; and a playback control unit for executing a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first piece of music or the first part included in the second piece of music; and a process of synchronizing the tempos of the first piece of music and the first part included in the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. [2] An audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, the audio device comprising: a detection unit that detects the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music that are composed of a plurality of parts; and a playback control unit that executes a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; and a process of synchronizing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. [3] The audio device described in [1] or [2], wherein the playback control unit synchronizes the tempos of the first parts contained in the first music piece and the second music piece, and then executes a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first part of the first music piece or the second music piece to the tempo of the original music piece. [4] An audio device described in any of [1] to [3], wherein the playback control unit gradually changes the tempo of the first part of the first music piece or the second music piece to the tempo of the original music piece, and then performs a process of aligning the playback positions of the first part and a second part different from the first part in the first music piece or the second music piece. [5] An audio device according to any one of [1] to [4], further comprising a crossfader, wherein the playback control unit determines that mixing starts when the crossfader starts moving from one end to the other end. [6] The audio device described in any of [1] to [5], wherein the playback control unit plays back the second part of the first song at the original tempo of the first song, plays back the second part of the second song at the original tempo of the second song, and switches between the second part of the first song and the second part of the second song, during a specified section including the start of mixing or a specified time after the start of mixing. [7] The audio device according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the first part is a part corresponding to at least a bass drum sound among the drum sounds. [8] A method for controlling an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, the method including the steps of: detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music that are composed of a plurality of parts; gradually changing the tempo of the first part contained in the first piece of music or the second piece of music; and synchronizing the tempo of the first part contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. [9] A method for controlling an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, the method including the steps of: detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music that are composed of a plurality of parts; gradually changing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; and synchronizing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing.

[10] A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, the program comprising: a detection unit that detects the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music that are composed of a plurality of parts; and a playback control unit that executes a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first part contained in the first piece of music or the second piece of music; and a process of synchronizing the tempo of the first part contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing.

[11] A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, the program comprising: a detection unit that detects the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music that are composed of a plurality of parts; and a playback control unit that executes a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; and a process of synchronizing the tempo of the first parts contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an audio device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of an audio device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a music switching process in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram illustrating the 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] 5 is another flowchart showing the control method of the audio device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a music switching process in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a control method of an audio device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a music switching process in the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart showing a control method of an audio device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] 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.

[0008] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an audio device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The audio device 1 according to the first embodiment is a DJ system that integrates two players 2A and 2B that play music, a mixer 3 that controls the players 2A and 2B, and a display unit 4. 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.

[0009] 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.

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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 is used to adjust 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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, and a cross fader 314 .

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] The display unit 4 includes a display 41 and a touch panel 42 arranged to cover the display area of ​​the display. The touch panel 42 detects the position of contact by the user and outputs information such as coordinates indicating the contact position, so that the display unit 4 also functions as an operation unit.

[0017] FIG. 2 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 5, a control unit 6, and an audio output unit 7, as shown in Fig. 2. 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.

[0018] The music data storage unit 5 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 5 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 5 is associated with a time stamp, which is information on the playback position.

[0019] In this embodiment, the music data stored in the music data storage unit 5 and playable by the audio device 1 is previously subjected to a process of separating 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 played by the music data. Here, the parts of the music correspond to the vocals or the sounds of each instrument, and in a simple example, a piece of music is composed of four parts: vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. Furthermore, it is also useful to separate parts by subdividing them into parts of an instrument, such as the bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat of a drum. Note that a detailed description of such a process of separating into a plurality of parts is omitted, since various known techniques can be used. In the following, as an example, a description will be given assuming that music data that has been separated into two parts, a drum sound part and a non-drum instrument sound and / or vocal part, is stored in music data storage unit 5. Note that 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.

[0020] The control unit 6 is implemented in the audio device 1 by, for example, a communications 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 6 includes a reception unit 61 that is realized by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in the memory or received via the communications interface, an automix setting unit 62, a tempo detection unit 63, a first playback unit 64, and a second playback unit 65.

[0021] The reception unit 61 receives user operations on the operation units 21A and 21B, the operation unit 31, and the touch panel . The automix setting section 62 performs settings according to user operations on the operation sections 21A and 21B, the operation section 31, and the touch panel 42 for the automix process that automatically switches between songs and performs mixing. Settings related to the automix process are made in the form of specifying the result of switching songs, which may include, for example, the time from when the switched song starts to be heard during a fade-out or fade-in until the previous song can no longer be heard, the volume of each song when they become equal at the midpoint of the fade-out or fade-in, and the time from when the switched song cuts in to when the previous song cuts out.

[0022] In the setting related to the automix process, the song data to be switched is associated with a cue point, etc., and the above-mentioned song switching result is specified, thereby making it possible to switch songs according to the characteristics of the target song data. Such detailed setting is performed before the performance, for example, using the display 41 and touch panel 42 of the audio device 1, or a computer connected to the audio device 1. Details of the setting in the automix setting section 62 will be explained together with the automix process described later.

[0023] The tempo detection unit 63 detects the tempo of the first piece of music and the second piece of music. The first playback unit 64 plays music on player 2A in response to user operations on operation units 21A and 31, and outputs an audio signal to audio output unit 7. Similarly, the second playback unit 65 plays music on player 2B in response to user operations on operation units 21B and 31, and outputs an audio signal to audio output unit 7. When settings related to automix processing are performed by the automix setting unit 62 and an instruction to execute automix processing is given by user operations on operation units 21A, 21B, and 31, the first playback unit 64 and the second playback unit 65 perform music switching processing on player 2A and player 2B by adjusting the volume balance, etc., between the first music and the second music for each of the multiple parts in response to the settings in the automix setting unit 62.

[0024] 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 5. In this case, the audio device 1 does not include the music data storage unit 5, and the external storage device functions as the music data storage unit 5. The audio output unit 7 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 64 and the second playback unit 65 as audio information.

[0025] The operation of the control unit 6 when switching between songs through automix processing in the audio device 1 described above will be described. Fig. 3 shows an example of music data of a first song (first music piece) and a second song (second music piece) at a part where music pieces are switched by the audio device according to the first embodiment. In the example of Fig. 3, the music data of the first music piece and the second music piece have different tempos. Here, tempo refers to a beat derived from BPM or beat positions, etc. Conventionally, when switching songs, a uniform switching process was performed for the entire song. Therefore, for example, when switching songs, if the tempos (BPM) of the first song and the second song are different, mixing the first song and the second song at their original tempos will cause the BPM continuity to be lost, which can cause a sense of incongruity or discomfort to the user. This problem is particularly noticeable for drum sounds when switching songs. Furthermore, if the tempo (BPM) of one or both songs is changed to match the tempo (BPM), the discrepancy between the original song and the reproduced sound will become larger, especially in the melody line, which can cause the user to feel uncomfortable or uneasy.

[0026] Therefore, the audio device 1 of the first embodiment performs a music switching process for mixing each of a plurality of parts that constitute a piece of music in accordance with the characteristics of each part. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining the music switching process by the audio device according to the first embodiment. In the following, as an example, the switching of music from player 2A to player 2B will be explained. In addition, the original tempos of the first music and the second music will be referred to as tempo T1 and tempo T2, respectively. First, the drum sound part will be described with reference to Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the audio device 1 performs mixing on the drum sound part by executing the following processes (1) to (3). (1) At a first point in time P1, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is changed to synchronize the tempos of the drum sound parts of the first music piece and the second music piece, and switching is performed by cutting out the first music piece and cutting in the second music piece. (2) The tempo of the drum sound part of the second piece of music is gradually changed between the first point in time P1 and the second point in time P2. (3) At a second point in time P2, the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the second music piece are aligned.

[0027] The processes shown in (1) to (3) are processes for switching songs according to the characteristics of the drum sound parts and suppressing strangeness and discomfort that occurs during mixing. Drum sound parts have high volume levels and different patterns for each song. Furthermore, the delay from the attack sound to the peak sound of the bass drum in particular differs greatly from song to song. Therefore, if songs are switched without matching the tempo of the drum sound parts, it may cause strangeness and discomfort to the user, as mentioned above. Therefore, as shown in (1), the tempos of the drum sound parts of the first and second songs are switched in sync. Since the drum sound parts do not have a melody or lyrics, they are rarely perceived as having continuity by the listener. Therefore, by switching the songs by cutting out and cutting in the drum sound parts, the sense of incongruity when switching songs can be further reduced. Next, as shown in (2), the tempo is gradually changed to T2 between the first point in time P1 and the second point in time P2. Then, as shown in (3), the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the second music piece are aligned at the second point in time P2. By carrying out such processing, at the first time point P1, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is synchronized with the tempo T1, which is the tempo of the original music piece of the drum sound part of the first music piece, to seamlessly switch between music pieces. After that, between the first time point P1 and the second time point P2, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is gradually changed from the tempo T1 to the tempo T2, which is the tempo of the original music piece of the second music piece, and at the second time point P2, the playback positions of the drum sound part of the second music piece and the sound parts other than the drum sound part are aligned. Then, from the second time point P2, the drum sound part and the sound parts other than the drum sound part of the second music piece are played back in accordance with the tempo T2. In other words, from the second time point onwards, the second music piece becomes equivalent to a normal playback sound without any change in tempo, etc.

[0028] In order to execute each of the processes (1) to (3), the automix setting section 62 performs the following settings for the drum sound parts, for example. First song: Cut-out position (P1) Second song: Cut-in position (P1), position for aligning the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part (P2) The cut-out position (P1) of the drum sound part in the first music piece and the cut-in position (P1) of the drum sound part in the second music piece may be automatically set. For example, known music analysis processing such as beat position detection technology, bar position detection technology, vocal detection technology, and lyric display technology may be performed to set appropriate timings for the cut-out and cut-in of the drum sound part in the first music piece and the second music piece.

[0029] The first playback section 64 and the second playback section 65 play back the drum sound parts of the first music piece and the second music piece in accordance with the settings in the automix setting section 62 as follows. Up to a first point in time P1: A first piece of music is played at a tempo T1. First time point P1: The first piece of music is cut out and the second piece of music is played back at tempo T1. Between the first point in time P1 and the second point in time P2: The tempo of the second piece of music is gradually changed from the tempo T1 to the tempo T2. From the second point in time P2 onwards: The second piece of music is played at a tempo T2.

[0030] Next, the parts of the sounds other than the drums will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The parts of the sounds other than the drums are often perceived by the listener as having continuity due to the presence of melodies and lyrics. Therefore, if the tempo is changed when switching between songs, the deviation between the original song and the reproduced sound becomes large, which may cause the user to feel strange or uncomfortable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the audio device 1 switches between the first and second songs without changing the tempo of the parts of the sounds other than the drums in the mix section S including the first time point P1. By switching songs in this way, it is possible to avoid problems with parts of the music other than the drums, such as the melody or lyrics being sped up or drawn out due to the tempo being adjusted, causing discomfort and annoyance to the user.

[0031] The automix setting unit 62 sets, for example, fade-out start and end positions of the first music piece and fade-in start and end positions of the second music piece for the parts of sounds other than the drums. At this time, it is preferable that the mix section S includes the cut-in and cut-out positions of the drum sound parts described above. By setting the mix section S in this way, the parts of sounds other than the drums can be switched naturally in the background of the music switching process by cutting out and cutting in the drum sound parts. The fade-out or fade-in start and end positions of the sound parts other than the drums in the first and second music pieces may be automatically set. For example, known music analysis processing such as key detection technology, music development detection technology, vocal detection technology, and lyric display technology may be performed to set appropriate timings for the fade-out or fade-in start and end positions of the sound parts other than the drums in the first and second music pieces.

[0032] The first playback section 64 and the second playback section 65 play back the sound parts other than the drums of the first music piece and the second music piece in accordance with the settings in the automix setting section 62 as follows. Up to the fade-out start position of the first song (at the start of mixing): The first song is played at the tempo T1, which is the tempo of the original song. Fade-out start position to end position of first song: Fade out the first song. From the fade-in start position to the end position of the second music piece (after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of mixing): The second music piece is played back at the tempo T2, which is the tempo of the original music piece, and faded in. After the end point of the fade-in of the second song: The second song is played at the tempo T2, which is the tempo of the original song.

[0033] As described above, when the automix process starts, at time t1, the first playback unit 64 gradually lowers the volume of the sound parts of the first music piece other than the drums to start fading them out. At time t2, the first playback unit 64 cuts out the drum sound part of the first music piece, and the second playback unit 65 gradually increases the volume of the sound parts of the second music piece other than the drums to start fading them in, cuts in the drum sound part of the second music piece at tempo T1, which is the tempo of the original first music piece, and gradually changes the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece to tempo T2. At time t3, the first playback unit 64 finishes fading out the non-drum sound parts of the first song, and at time t4, the second playback unit 65 finishes fading in the non-drum sound parts of the second song. Then, at time t5, the playback positions of the drum sound parts and the non-drum sound parts in the second song become aligned. That is, for the drum sound part, the song is switched at a first time point P1 by cutting out and cutting in with an adjustment of the tempo of the song, and for the non-drum sound parts, the song is switched by fading out and fading in without changing the tempo of the song. Then, at a second time point P2, the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part in the second song are aligned. Therefore, by performing a song switching process according to the characteristics of each part for each of the multiple parts that make up the song, a desirable switching operation can be realized.

[0034] Note that, from time t2 to time t5, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is gradually changed, but the tempo of the non-drum sound parts is not changed. Therefore, from time t2 to time t5, a gap in tempo and playback position occurs between the drum sound part and the non-drum sound parts of the second music piece. This gap is maximum at time t2 and approximately zero at time t5. However, the non-drum sound parts have a smaller volume than the drum sound parts, and as long as the drum sound part, which is the main part that creates the rhythm, is played stably, the rhythm of the non-drum sound parts is not noticeable, so the impact of the above-mentioned gap is small. Alternatively, the separated music data may be used only for the above-mentioned mix section S (time t1 to time t5), and unseparated music data may be used for the other sections. In this case, the first playback unit 64 plays unseparated first music data until time t1, and plays separated first music data from time t1. The second playback unit 65 plays separated second music data from time t2, and plays unseparated second music data from time t5.

[0035] Also, the music switching process shown in the example of FIG. 5 is an example, and is not limited to this example. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, an example of switching music by fading out and fading in for parts of sounds other than drums is shown, but music may be switched by cutting out and cutting in, or music may be switched by combining fade out and fade in with cut out and cut in. Also, in the example of FIG. 5, an example of switching music by cutting out and cut in for parts of drum sounds is shown, but music may be switched by fading out and fade in, or music may be switched by combining fade out and fade in with cut out and cut in. Furthermore, cut out and cut in may be performed simultaneously for any part, or may be performed at different timings.

[0036] Next, a method for controlling the audio device when setting the automix process in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the process that is started when the reception unit 61 receives an operation instructing settings related to the automix process. The automix setting section 62 receives settings for each of a plurality of parts that make up the first piece of music and the second piece of music (step S101). Then, the automix setting unit 62 determines whether or not a tempo adjustment is necessary (step S102). Whether or not a tempo adjustment is necessary can be determined based on whether or not the tempos (BPM) of the first and second music pieces match. For example, as in the example described in FIG. 5, when the tempos (BPM) of the first and second music pieces are different, the automix setting unit 62 determines that a tempo adjustment is necessary. If it is determined that the tempo needs to be adjusted (step S102 YES), the automix setting unit 62 calculates the time when the playback positions of the multiple parts are to be aligned (step S103). The time when the playback positions of the multiple parts are to be aligned (second time point P2) may be, for example, a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the cut-in time of the drum sound part of the second music piece (first time point P1), or a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the fade-in of the sound part other than the drum sound of the second music piece ends. The time when the playback positions of the multiple parts are to be aligned may also be calculated based on known music analysis processing such as key detection technology, music development detection technology, vocal detection technology, and lyric display technology.

[0037] Next, the automix setting unit 62 determines the change content of the tempo based on the time point at which the playback positions of the multiple parts are aligned calculated in step S103 (step S104). The change content of the tempo can be determined based on the tempos of the first music piece and the second music piece and the time point at which the playback positions of the multiple parts are aligned. For example, in the example described in Fig. 5, the change content is determined to change the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece from the tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first music piece, to the tempo T2, which is the original tempo of the second music piece, between the time point at which the drum sound part of the second music piece cuts in (first time point P1) and the time point at which the playback positions of the multiple parts are aligned (second time point P2). The automix setting section 62 then calculates control values ​​for the automix process for each of the multiple parts according to the settings received by the automix setting section 62 (step S105). If the automix setting section 62 determines in step S102 that tempo adjustment is necessary, it calculates the control values ​​taking into account the processes in steps S103 and S104, and if it determines in step S102 that tempo adjustment is not necessary, it calculates the control values ​​based on the settings received by the automix setting section 62. Various known techniques can be used to calculate the control values, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0038] Next, a method for controlling the audio device when performing automix processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the process that is started when the reception unit 61 receives an operation instructing the execution of automix processing. The first playback section 64 starts fading out the sound parts of the first music piece other than the drums in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting section 62 (step S201). When the first time point P1 for cutting out and cutting in the drum sound parts of the first and second music pieces arrives (step S202 YES), the first playback unit 64 cuts out the drum sound part of the first music piece in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62, and the second playback unit 65 cuts in the drum sound part of the second music piece at the tempo T1 that is the tempo of the original music piece of the first music piece in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62, and starts fading in the non-drum sound parts of the second music piece (step S203). Next, the second playback unit 65 gradually changes the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece to the tempo T2 that is the tempo of the original music piece of the second music piece in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S204). Then, the second playback section 65 continues the process of step S204 until it reaches time point P2, which is the position where the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part in the second music piece match (YES in step S205). 3 to 7, an example of switching a song from player 2A to player 2B has been described, but similar processing is performed when switching a song from player 2B to player 2A. Also, while an example of the tempo T1 of the first song being slower than the tempo T2 of the second song has been described in Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, a similar processing can be performed when the tempo T1 of the first song is faster than the tempo T2 of the second song.

[0039] According to the first embodiment of the present invention as described above, the tempos of the first and second music pieces each composed of a plurality of parts are detected, and the tempo of the drum sound part (first part) included in the second music piece is gradually changed, and the tempo of the drum sound part included in the first and second music pieces is synchronized at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. Therefore, music can be switched according to the characteristics of each of the plurality of parts that make up the music piece. Therefore, a preferable switching operation can be performed in mixing to switch music pieces without giving a sense of incongruity or discomfort to the user. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, after synchronizing the tempos of the drum sound parts included in the first and second musical pieces, a process is executed to gradually change the tempo of the drum sound parts of the second musical piece to the tempo of the original musical piece, so that the tempo of the drum sound parts of the second musical piece that was changed for synchronization can be restored to the original tempo.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is gradually changed to the tempo of the original music piece of the second music piece, and then a process is performed to align the playback positions of the drum sound part (first part) and the non-drum sound part (second part) in the second music piece. This makes it possible to eliminate the gap that occurs when the tempo of the drum sound part is changed. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in a predetermined section including the start of mixing or a predetermined time after the start of mixing, the non-drum sound parts of the first music piece are played at the original tempo of the first music piece, and the non-drum sound parts of the second music piece are played at the original tempo of the second music piece, and the non-drum sound parts of the first music piece and the non-drum sound parts of the second music piece are switched. Therefore, for parts that give the user a sense of incongruity or discomfort when the discrepancy between the original music piece and the played back sound becomes large, a preferable switching operation can be performed without changing the tempo according to the characteristics of the parts. According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first part is a part that corresponds to at least a bass drum sound among drum sounds. Therefore, for drum sound parts (especially bass drum) that may cause discomfort or annoyance to the user, music can be switched to suit the characteristics of the drum sound parts.

[0041] 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. The audio device in the second embodiment has the same configuration as that in the first embodiment. However, the audio device in the second embodiment differs from the audio device in the first embodiment in the process of switching between the drum sound parts of the first music piece and the second music piece.

[0042] FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, and is a schematic diagram for explaining the process of switching between music pieces, in particular the process of switching between drum sound parts, by the audio device of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the audio device of the second embodiment performs mixing by executing the following processes (1) and (2) for the drum sound part. (1) Between a first point in time P3 and a second point in time P4, the tempo of the drum sound part of the first piece of music is gradually changed from a tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first piece of music, to a tempo T2. (2) At a second point in time P4, the first piece of music is cut out and the second piece of music is cut in.

[0043] The processes shown in (1) and (2) are processes for switching music pieces according to the characteristics of the drum sound parts and suppressing discomfort or annoyance that occurs during mixing, as in the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, as described above, the tempo of the first music piece is adjusted instead of adjusting the tempo of the second music piece. In other words, by adjusting the tempo of the drum sound parts of the first music piece between the first time point P3 and the second time point P4, the tempos of the drum sound parts of the first music piece and the second music piece match at the second time point P4 where the cut-out and cut-in are performed. Therefore, there is no need to adjust the tempo of the drum sound parts of the second music piece as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a gap in tempo and playback position occurs between the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the first music piece between the first point P3 and the second point P4. However, the non-drum sound part is fading out and has a smaller volume than the drum sound part. Furthermore, as long as the drum sound part, which is the main part that creates the rhythm, is played stably, the rhythm of the non-drum sound part is not noticeable, so the impact of the gap is small. In the second embodiment, the tempo of neither the drum sound part nor the non-drum sound part of the second music piece is adjusted. Therefore, the consistency of the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the second music piece is maintained at the second point in time P4, so there is no need for calculations and processing to match the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the second music piece, as in the first embodiment. Note that, as with the drum sound part of the second music piece in the first embodiment, a process may be performed to return the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece, whose tempo has been changed, to the tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first music piece.

[0044] As described above, when the automix process starts, the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece is changed from the first point in time P3, and at the second point in time P4, the tempo of the first music piece is matched with the tempo T2 that is the original tempo of the second music piece, and the music piece is switched by cutting out and cutting in. Meanwhile, for the parts of sounds other than the drum sound, the tempo is not changed and the music piece is switched by fading out and fading in, as in the first embodiment.

[0045] In order to execute the processes (1) and (2), in the second embodiment, settings related to the automix process are made in the same manner as in the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to calculate the time point at which the playback positions of multiple parts are aligned in step S103, the process of step S103 is unnecessary. Also, in the second embodiment, as the tempo change content in the process of step S104, a change content for changing the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece from tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first music piece, to tempo T2, which is the original tempo of the second music piece, is determined.

[0046] Next, a method for controlling an audio device during automix processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. In the example of Fig. 9, only the process for switching songs of drum sound parts will be described, and the process for switching songs of sound parts other than the drum sound will not be described since it is the same as in the first embodiment. When the first time point P3 arrives at which the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece begins to change (step S301 YES), the first playback unit 64 gradually changes the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece from tempo T1 to tempo T2 in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S302). When the second point P4 for cutting out the drum sound parts of the first and second songs arrives (step S303 YES), the first playback unit 64 cuts out the drum sound part of the first song in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62, and the second playback unit 65 cuts in the drum sound part of the second song without changing the tempo in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S304).

[0047] According to the second embodiment of the present invention as described above, the tempos of the first and second music pieces each composed of a plurality of parts are detected, and the tempo of the drum sound part (first part) included in the first music piece is gradually changed, and the tempo of the drum sound part included in the first and second music pieces is synchronized at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. Therefore, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, according to the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to align the playback positions of the drum sound part and the sound part other than the drum sound of the second music piece, it is expected that the processing load can be reduced.

[0048] (Third embodiment) In the third embodiment, only the parts that are different from the first and second embodiments will be described, and the description of the parts that are the same as the first and second embodiments will be omitted. The audio device in the third embodiment has the same configuration as the first and second embodiments. However, the audio device in the third embodiment differs from the audio devices in the first and second embodiments in the process of switching between the drum sound parts of the first and second music pieces.

[0049] FIG. 10 corresponds to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, and is a schematic diagram for explaining the process of switching between music pieces, in particular the process of switching between drum sound parts, by the audio device of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the audio device of the third embodiment performs mixing by executing the following processes (1) to (4) for the drum sound part. (1) Between the first point in time P5 and the second point in time P6, the tempo of the drum sound part of the first piece of music is gradually changed from the tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first piece of music, to a tempo T3. (2) At a second point in time P6, the first piece of music is cut out and the second piece of music is cut in. (3) Between the second point in time P6 and the third point in time P7, the tempo of the drum sound part of the second piece of music is gradually changed from the tempo T3 to the tempo T2 which is the original tempo of the second piece of music. (4) At a third point in time P7, the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part of the second music piece are aligned. The tempo T3 in the processes (1) and (3) is, for example, an intermediate tempo between the tempo T1 of the first piece of music and the tempo T2 of the second piece of music. The tempo T3 may be calculated based on the difference between the tempo T1 of the first piece of music and the tempo T2 of the second piece of music, or may be a predetermined tempo (for example, always BPM 120).

[0050] The processes shown in (1) to (4) are processes for switching music pieces according to the characteristics of the drum sound parts and suppressing discomfort and annoyance that occurs during mixing, as in the first and second embodiments. However, in the third embodiment, in addition to adjusting the tempo of the second music piece, the tempo of the first music piece is also adjusted, as described above. That is, in the third embodiment, the tempo of the second music piece is changed to approach the tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first music piece, as in the first embodiment, and the tempo of the first music piece is changed to approach the tempo T2, which is the original tempo of the second music piece, as in the second embodiment. Therefore, it is expected that the gap that occurs in the tempo and playback position between the drum sound parts and the sound parts other than the drum sound parts of the first and second music pieces can be reduced more than in the first embodiment.

[0051] As described above, when the automix process is started, the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece is changed from the first time point P5, the tempos of the drum sound parts of the first music piece and the second music piece are synchronized at the second time point P6 to switch the music pieces by cutting out and cutting in, and the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece is changed from the second time point P6. Meanwhile, as with the first and second embodiments, the music pieces are switched by fading out and fading in without changing the tempo. Then, at the third time point P7, the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part in the second music piece are aligned.

[0052] In order to execute each of the processes (1) to (4), in the third embodiment, settings related to the automix process are made in the same manner as in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6. Note that in step S104, as the tempo change contents, the change contents for changing the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece from tempo T1, which is the original tempo of the first music piece, to tempo T3, and the change contents for changing the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece from tempo T3 to tempo T2, which is the original tempo of the second music piece, are determined. As with the drum sound parts of the second music piece, the tempo of the drum sound parts of the first music piece whose tempo has been changed may be returned to the original tempo T1 of the first music piece.

[0053] Next, a method for controlling an audio device during automix processing according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 11. Note that in the example of Fig. 11, as in the second embodiment, only the process for switching songs of drum sound parts will be described, and the process for switching songs of sound parts other than the drum sound will not be described since it is the same as in the first and second embodiments. When the first time point P5 arrives at which the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece begins to change (step S401 YES), the first playback unit 64 gradually changes the tempo of the drum sound part of the first music piece from tempo T1 to tempo T3 in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S402). At the second time point P6 for cutting out and cutting in the drum sound parts of the first and second music pieces (YES in step S403), the first playback unit 64 cuts out the drum sound part of the first music piece in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62, and the second playback unit 65 cuts in the drum sound part of the second music piece in synchronization with the tempo T3 of the drum sound part of the first music piece in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S404). Next, the second playback unit 65 gradually changes the tempo of the drum sound part of the second music piece from tempo T3 to tempo T2 in accordance with the control value calculated by the automix setting unit 62 (step S405). Then, the second playback section 65 continues the process of step S405 until it reaches a third point in time P7, which is the position where the playback positions of the drum sound part and the non-drum sound part in the second music piece match (YES in step S406).

[0054] According to the third embodiment of the present invention as described above, the tempos of the first and second music pieces each composed of a plurality of parts are detected, and the tempos of the drum sound parts (first parts) included in the first and second music pieces are gradually changed, and the tempos of the drum sound parts included in the first and second music pieces are synchronized at the start of mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of mixing. Therefore, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0055] It should be noted that some of the processes described in the above embodiments may be omitted. For example, only the process of synchronizing the tempos of the drum sound parts included in the first and second musical pieces may be executed, and then one or both of the process of gradually changing the tempo of the drum sound parts of the first or second musical piece to the tempo of the original musical piece and the process of aligning the playback positions of the drum sound parts and non-drum sound parts in the first or second musical piece may be omitted.

[0056] In each of the above embodiments, the tempos of the drum sound parts included in the first and second music pieces do not necessarily have to be perfectly synchronized. For example, the BPMs and beat positions of the drum sound parts included in the first and second music pieces may be intentionally shifted slightly when synchronized, for the purpose of creating a sense of groove or adding accents. In addition, in each of the above embodiments, when synchronizing the tempos of the drum sound parts contained in the first song and the second song, the process of synchronizing the tempos may be completed before mixing begins.

[0057] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the parts constituting the first and second musical pieces are exemplified by two parts, a drum part and a non-drum part, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as the parts correspond to the performance of the first and second musical pieces, it is possible to perform the same processing on parts other than the above two parts, such as a vocal part, a guitar part, a bass part, and a piano part.

[0058] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, an example in which the whole music piece is switched in the automix process is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the music piece may be switched using an operator such as the crossfader 314. In this case, the mixing start time may be the time when the crossfader 314 starts moving from one end to the other end. Also, the automix process described in each of the above embodiments may be performed only for some of the parts constituting the first music piece and the second music piece, for example, the drum sound parts, and the music piece may be switched for the sound parts other than the drum sound parts using an operator such as 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 in software form using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like.

[0059] Furthermore, the audio device having the above functions is not limited to the DJ systems 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 to DJ applications and music applications executed on computers, smartphones, and tablet terminals, and may also be applied to streaming services using the Internet. In the above example, a two-channel audio device having two players 2A and 2B has been described, but the same functions can be realized in, for example, a four-channel audio device. 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).

[0060] 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]

[0061] 1...sound device, 2A, 2B...player, 3...mixer, 4...display section, 5...music data storage section, 6...control section, 7...audio output section, 21A, 21B, 31...operation section, 41...touch panel, 61...reception section, 62...automix setting section, 63...tempo detection section, 64...first playback section, 65...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.

Claims

1. 1. An audio device for mixing at least two pieces of music, comprising: a detection unit for detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; A process of gradually changing a tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music or the second piece of music; a playback control unit that executes a process of synchronizing the tempos of the first part included in the first music piece and the second music piece at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing; An audio device comprising:

2. 1. An audio device for mixing at least two pieces of music, comprising: a detection unit for detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; a process of gradually changing the tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; a playback control unit that executes a process of synchronizing the tempos of the first part included in the first music piece and the second music piece at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing; An audio device comprising:

3. 3. The acoustic device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the playback control unit executes a process of gradually changing the tempo of the first part of the first piece of music or the second piece of music to the tempo of an original piece of music after synchronizing the tempos of the first part of the first piece of music and the second piece of music.

4. 4. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein the playback control unit gradually changes the tempo of the first part of the first music piece or the second music piece to the tempo of an original song, and then performs a process of aligning the playback positions of the first part and a second part different from the first part in the first music piece or the second music piece.

5. It also has a crossfader.

5. The audio device according to claim 1, wherein the playback control unit determines a time when the crossfader starts moving from one end to the other end as the mixing start time.

6. 6. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein the playback control unit plays back the second part of the first piece of music at a tempo of an original of the first piece of music, plays back the second part of the second piece of music at a tempo of an original of the second piece of music, and switches between the second part of the first piece of music and the second part of the second piece of music, during a predetermined section including a time period ...

7. 7. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein the first part is a part corresponding to at least a bass drum sound among drum sounds.

8. 1. A method for controlling an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, comprising the steps of: detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; gradually changing a tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music or the second piece of music; a step of synchronizing the tempos of the first parts included in the first music piece and the second music piece at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing; A method for controlling an audio device comprising:

9. 1. A method for controlling an audio device that mixes at least two pieces of music, comprising the steps of: detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; gradually changing the tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; a step of synchronizing the tempos of the first parts included in the first music piece and the second music piece at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing; A method for controlling an audio device comprising:

10. A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device for mixing at least two pieces of music, comprising: a detection unit for detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; A process of gradually changing a tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music or the second piece of music; and a playback control unit that executes a process of synchronizing the tempos of the first part contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing.

11. A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device for mixing at least two pieces of music, comprising: a detection unit for detecting the tempo of a first piece of music and a second piece of music each composed of a plurality of parts; a process of gradually changing the tempo of a first part included in the first piece of music and the second piece of music; and a playback control unit that executes a process of synchronizing the tempos of the first part contained in the first piece of music and the second piece of music at the start of the mixing or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the mixing.

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