Acoustic device, acoustic device control method, and program

Abstract

Provided is an acoustic device (1) that is for mixing a plurality of musical pieces and that comprises: reproduction control units (311A-311D) for individually controlling the reproduction of a plurality of musical pieces in accordance with the musical pieces; special effects setting units (511A-511D) for setting special effects to be imparted to the musical pieces; and a display control unit (112) for causing first information relating to the reproduction control units and second information relating to the special effects setting units to be displayed so as to correspond respectively to the plurality of musical pieces.

Description

Audio device, audio device control method and program

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

[0002] Conventionally, DJ devices such as DJ controllers have multiple players, and various DJ performances are performed by mixing music played on each player. For such devices, a technology is known in which a music supply device called a sampler is used to add special effects to music being played on the players (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] The DJ application described in Non-Patent Document 1 has four players and mixes the music played on each player. It is also possible to apply special effects to any of the four players using a single sampler.

[0004] TRAKTOR PRO 3 (native-instruments) application introduction homepage (https: / / www.native-instruments.com / en / products / traktor / dj-software / traktor-pro-3 / )

[0005] When applying special effects to music being played as described above, complicated operations are required for each player, such as adjusting the volume, setting the effect processing, adjusting the BPM, etc. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an audio device, an audio device control method, and a program that can perform desirable processing while reducing the user's effort when applying special effects to music being played.

[0006] [1] An audio device that mixes multiple songs, comprising: a playback control unit that controls playback of each of the multiple songs; a special effect setting unit that sets special effects to be applied to the songs; and a display control unit that displays first information related to the playback control unit and second information related to the special effect setting unit, corresponding to each of the multiple songs. [2] The audio device described in [1], further comprising a display unit, wherein the display control unit displays the first information and the second information for each of the multiple songs on a display screen of the display unit. [3] The audio device described in [1] or [2], further comprising a mixing unit that mixes the multiple songs, wherein the playback control unit, when playing back the songs, reflects the special effects set by the special effect setting unit in the songs and then outputs the reflected special effects to the mixing unit. [4] The audio device described in any of [1] to [3], wherein the playback control unit separates the songs into multiple parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of instrument sounds and the type of instrument, and is capable of adjusting the BPM for each of the separated parts. [5] The audio device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the playback control unit separates a piece of music into multiple parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of instrument sounds and the type of instrument, and is able to perform isolator processing for each of the separated parts. [6] A control method for an audio device that mixes multiple pieces of music, the control method including the steps of controlling playback of the pieces of music corresponding to each of the multiple pieces of music and setting special effects to be applied to the pieces of music, and displaying first information related to playback control of the pieces of music and second information related to the special effect settings. [7] A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device that mixes multiple pieces of music, the program including a playback control unit that controls playback of the pieces of music corresponding to each of the multiple pieces of music, and a special effect setting unit that sets special effects to be applied to the pieces of music, and a display control unit that displays first information related to the playback control unit and second information related to the special effect setting unit, corresponding to each of the multiple pieces of music.

[0007] It is a schematic diagram showing an audio device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining a display according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing a control method of an audio device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is another flowchart showing a control method of an audio device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. [General Configuration of an Audio Device] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an audio device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the audio device 1 according to this embodiment includes a mixer unit 10, player units 30A to 30D, sampler units 50A to 50D, and a display unit 70. The outputs of the player unit 30A and the sampler unit 50A are connected to the mixer unit 10 via a wired or wireless connection or an internet communication network, with the special effects of the sampler unit 50A being reflected in the music being played by the player unit 30A. Similarly, the outputs of the player unit 30B and the sampler unit 50B, the outputs of the player unit 30C and the sampler unit 50C, and the outputs of the player unit 30D and the sampler unit 50D are also connected to the mixer unit 10.

[0009] In the example of FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, four player units, 30A to 30D, and four sampler units, 50A to 50D, are shown as examples, but four or more player units and sampler units can be connected to the mixer unit 10 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0010] In the sound device 1, the music played back in the player sections 30A to 30D is output to the mixer section 10 with the special effects applied by the sampler sections 50A to 50D reflected, and is mixed in the mixer section 10.

[0011] 1, the mixer unit 10 includes a control unit 11 and a communication unit 12. The control unit 11 is implemented in the mixer unit 10 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 each unit of the mixer unit 10. The control unit 11 includes a mixing unit 111, a display control unit 112, and an audio output unit 113 that are realized by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in the memory or received via the communication interface.

[0012] The mixing unit 111 mixes the plurality of songs played back on each of the player units 30A to 30D. The display control unit 112 causes the display unit 70 to display first information relating to the player units 30A to 30D and second information relating to the sampler units 50A to 50D in correspondence with each of the plurality of songs.

[0013] The audio output unit 113 has an audio output terminal such as a speaker terminal or a headphone terminal, and outputs, as audio information, the audio signal of the music mixed by the mixing unit 111. The function and operation of each unit of the control unit 11 will be described in detail later.

[0014] The communication unit 12 can be connected to the player units 30A to 30D and the sampler units 50A to 50D so that they can communicate with each other via the Internet or wirelessly. The communication unit 12 may execute wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, or WUSB (Wireless USB), or may execute wired communication such as LAN (Local Area Network) or USB (Universal Serial Bus) instead of or in addition to wireless communication.

[0015] The display unit 70 is connected to the communication unit 12 of the mixer unit 10 via an internet communication network or wirelessly. The display unit 70 includes a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display, and can present various information to the user by displaying images. The surface of the display unit 70 may be provided with a touch panel that detects contact.

[0016] [General Configuration of Player Units 30A to 30D] As shown in Fig. 1, the player unit 30A includes a control unit 31A and a communication unit 32A. The control unit 31A is implemented in the player unit 30A by, for example, a communication interface, a processor such as a CPU, and memory that serves as a working area, and controls the operation of each unit of the player unit 30A. The control unit 31A includes a playback control unit 311A ​​that is implemented by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in the memory or received via the communication interface.

[0017] The playback control unit 311A ​​executes playback of music. The playback control of music in the playback control unit 311A ​​is performed in the same manner as known techniques, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0018] The communication unit 32A can be connected to the mixer unit 10 and the sampler unit 50A via the Internet or wirelessly, similar to the communication unit 12 of the mixer unit 10. The communication unit 32A may perform wireless communication similar to that of the communication unit 12 of the mixer unit 10, or may perform wired communication instead of or in addition to wireless communication.

[0019] The output of the player section 30A is connected to the mixer section 10 with the special effects applied by the sampler section 50A reflected. The player sections 30B to 30D are similar to the player section 30A.

[0020] 1, the sampler unit 50A includes a control unit 51A and a communication unit 52A. The control unit 51A is implemented in the sampler unit 50A by, for example, a communication interface, a processor such as a CPU, and memory that serves as a working area, and controls the operation of each unit in the sampler unit 50A. The control unit 51A includes a special effect setting unit 511A that is implemented by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in the memory or received via the communication interface.

[0021] The special effect setting unit 511A sets the special effects to be applied to the music. The setting of the special effects in the special effect setting unit 511A is performed in the same manner as in known techniques, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] The communication unit 52A can be connected to the mixer unit 10 and the player unit 30A via the Internet or wirelessly, similar to the communication unit 12 of the mixer unit 10. The communication unit 52A may perform wireless communication similar to that of the communication unit 12 of the mixer unit 10, or may perform wired communication instead of or in addition to wireless communication.

[0023] The output of the sampler section 50A is connected to the mixer section 10 with the special effect of the sampler section 50A reflected in the output of the player section 30A. Sampler sections 50B to 50D are similar to the sampler section 50A.

[0024] [Overview of Processing in Sound Device 1] In the sound device 1, BPM adjustment is performed in the corresponding player section 30A and sampler section 50A, and processing to synchronize the BPM of both is performed in advance. When a special effect is set in the sampler section 50A, the set special effect is reflected in the music being played in the player section 30A, and then the music is output to the mixer section 10.

[0025] In other words, by providing a dedicated sampler section 50A for the player section 30A, it is possible to always synchronize the BPM as needed, and also to apply special effects to the player section 30A in a concentrated and effective manner.

[0026] In this case, the playback control unit 311A ​​of the player unit 30A may be configured to separate the music into multiple parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of instrument sounds and the type of instrument. In such a case, it is preferable to be able to adjust the BPM for each separated part. It is also preferable to be able to perform isolator processing for each separated part.

[0027] The processes described so far are also the same for the player section 30B and sampler section 50B, the player section 30C and sampler section 50C, and the player section 30D and sampler section 50D.

[0028] [Display on the Sound Apparatus 1] Fig. 2 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 70 by the display control unit 112 of the mixer unit 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the display unit 70 displays, in parallel, a display area A1 in which first information, which is information related to the player unit 30A, and a display area A2 in which second information, which is information related to the sampler unit 50A. Similarly, the display unit 70 displays, in parallel, a display area B1 in which first information, which is information related to the player unit 30B, and a display area B2 in which second information, which is information related to the sampler unit 50B. The display unit 70 also displays, in parallel, a display area C1 in which first information, which is information related to the player unit 30C, and a display area C2 in which second information, which is information related to the sampler unit 50C. The display area D1 in which first information, which is information related to the player unit 30D, and a display area D2 in which second information, which is information related to the sampler unit 50D, are also displayed in parallel.

[0029] That is, the display control unit 112 of the mixer unit 10 displays, on the display screen of the display unit 70, first information about the player units and second information about the sampler unit for each of the multiple songs being played on each of the player units 30A to 30D. Note that the display content of each display area in Figure 2 is an example, and is not limited to this example, including the arrangement of each element.

[0030] [Specific Processing in the Sound Device 1] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the control unit 31A of the player unit 30A.

[0031] When the control unit 31A determines via the communication unit 32A that a special effect has been set in the sampler unit 50A (YES in step S201), the playback control unit 311A ​​reflects the set special effect in the music being played (step S202).

[0032] Then, the control unit 31A outputs the music to the mixer unit 10 via the communication unit 32A (step S203). Note that the same process is performed in each of the control units of the player units 30B to 30D.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the control unit 11 of the mixer unit 10.

[0034] When the control unit 11 determines via the communication unit 12 that playback control has been performed in the player units 30A to 30D (YES in step S401), the display control unit 112 updates the display of information relating to the player units 30A to 30D on the display unit 70 (step S402).

[0035] Then, when the control unit 11 determines via the communication unit 12 that a special effect has been set in the sampler units 50A to 50D (YES in step S403), the display control unit 112 updates the display of information relating to the sampler units 50A to 50D on the display unit 70 (step S404).

[0036] [Effects of the Embodiment] The audio device 1 according to the embodiment described above is an audio device that mixes multiple songs, and includes playback control units (311A to 311D) that control the playback of each of the multiple songs, special effect setting units (511A to 511D) that set special effects to be applied to the songs, and a display control unit 112 that displays, for each of the multiple songs, first information related to the playback control units (311A to 311D) and second information related to the special effect setting units (511A to 511D). This configuration makes it possible to perform desirable processing while reducing the user's effort when applying special effects to songs being played.

[0037] In particular, since there is no need to switch samplers or perform the operations that accompany switching for each song to be mixed, the complexity of operations is greatly reduced and users can focus more on detailed settings and other operations.

[0038] Furthermore, the acoustic device 1 according to this embodiment further includes a display unit 70, and the display control unit 112 of the mixer unit 10 displays first information related to the playback control units (311A to 311D) and second information related to the special effect setting units (511A to 511D) for each of a plurality of songs on the display screen of the display unit 70. With this configuration, it is possible to visually confirm information related to the corresponding player units (30A to 30D) and sampler units (50A to 50D) within a single field of view, which is expected to further improve user convenience and reliability of operation.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the audio device 1 of this embodiment, the mixer unit 10 further includes a mixing unit 111 that mixes multiple songs, and the playback control units (311A to 311D) reflect the special effects set by the special effect setting units (511A to 511D) in the songs when playing them, and then output the songs to the mixing unit 111 of the mixer unit 10. With this configuration, songs to which special effects have been applied by the sampler units (50A to 50D), i.e., remixed songs, are input to the mixer unit 10 as a single song. Therefore, the mixer unit 10 can handle the songs in the same way as regular songs, which is expected to further improve user convenience.

[0040] Furthermore, with the acoustic device 1 according to this embodiment, the playback control units (311A to 311D) can separate a piece of music into multiple parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of instrument sounds and the type of instrument, and can adjust the BPM for each separated part. Therefore, the BPM of the separated pieces of music can also be aligned and used for playback.

[0041] Furthermore, with the audio device 1 according to this embodiment, the playback control units (311A to 311D) can separate a piece of music into multiple parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of instrument sounds and the type of instrument, and can perform isolator processing on each of the separated parts. Therefore, suitable isolator processing can be performed on the separated music as well.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0043] The audio device having the above-described functions is not limited to the examples described in the above embodiments, and the present invention may be applied to, for example, a computer that executes an application, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0044] 1...acoustic device, 10...mixer section, 11, 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D...control section, 12, 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D, 52A, 52B, 52C, 52D...communication section, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D...player section, 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D...sampler section, 311A, 311B, 311C, 311D...playback control section, 511A, 511B, 511C, 511D...special effect setting section, 111...mixing section, 112...display control section, 113...audio output section.

Claims

1. An audio device for mixing a plurality of music pieces, comprising: a playback control unit that controls playback of each of the plurality of music pieces; a special effect setting unit that sets a special effect to be applied to the music pieces; and a display control unit that displays first information related to the playback control unit and second information related to the special effect setting unit corresponding to each of the plurality of music pieces.

2. The audio device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit, wherein the display control unit displays the first information and the second information for each of the plurality of music pieces on a display screen of the display unit.

3. The audio device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mixing unit for mixing the plurality of music pieces, wherein the playback control unit outputs the music piece to the mixing unit after reflecting the special effect set by the special effect setting unit during playback of the music piece.

4. The audio device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the playback control unit separates the music piece into a plurality of parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of musical instrument sounds and the type of musical instrument, and can adjust the BPM for each separated part.

5. The audio device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the playback control unit separates the music piece into a plurality of parts based on at least one of the presence or absence of musical instrument sounds and the type of musical instrument, and can perform an isolator process for each separated part.

6. A control method for an audio device for mixing a plurality of music pieces, comprising: controlling playback of each of the plurality of music pieces; setting a special effect to be applied to the music pieces; and displaying first information related to the playback control of the music piece and second information related to the setting of the special effect.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as an audio device for mixing a plurality of pieces of music, comprising: for each of the plurality of pieces of music, a playback control unit for controlling playback of the music, and a special effect setting unit for setting a special effect to be imparted to the music, and a display control unit for displaying, corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of music, first information regarding the playback control unit and second information regarding the special effect setting unit, the program for causing a computer to function as an audio device.

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