Harmony Generation Device Dynamic Pitch Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harmony generation devices produce unnatural and mechanical-sounding harmonies as they fix the pitch difference between vocal and harmony tones, lacking variability and naturalness.
Innovation Solution
A harmony generation device that determines chords in real-time from musical instrument performance, shifts voice input pitches based on these chords and estimated keys, and generates multiple harmony tones for a rich and natural sound output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pitch difference between vocal tone and harmony tone is fixed at a third or fifth degree, then the harmony generation is simple and consistent, but the harmony sound becomes mechanical and unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic pitch shifting where the harmony tone pitch is no longer fixed at a constant third or fifth degree above the vocal tone. Instead, the pitch difference dynamically changes based on the detected chord progression and musical context. The system analyzes the input music's chord structure and adjusts the harmony pitch in real-time to match the underlying musical theory, creating natural-sounding harmonies that adapt to the song's progression rather than applying a static offset.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pitch parameter of the harmony tone based on musical context. Rather than maintaining a fixed pitch interval, the patent varies the pitch difference between vocal and harmony tones according to the detected chord type (major, minor, seventh chords, etc.) and scale degree. This parameter change allows the harmony to naturally follow the musical progression, transforming the mechanical fixed-interval approach into a musically intelligent dynamic system.
2Reliability
If multiple harmony tones are generated and mixed, then the harmony sound becomes rich and natural, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the harmony generation into multiple distinct components: a primary harmony tone and one or more secondary harmony tones. Each tone is generated with a different pitch offset from the vocal tone, based on the detected chord structure. These segmented harmony components are then individually processed and mixed together, allowing the system to create rich, multi-layered harmony sounds while maintaining clear organizational structure in the signal processing chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple harmony tones (primary and secondary) with different pitch characteristics into a single composite harmony output. The pitch-shifted vocal signals corresponding to different chord tones are combined through mixing, creating a unified harmony sound that incorporates the richness of multiple pitches. This merging process integrates the segmented harmony components while maintaining coherence with the original vocal performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A harmony generation device and a program for the same which can generate a natural harmony sound are provided. The harmony generation device (1) generates first and second harmony tones to which a voice input through a microphone (M) is shifted in pitch by first and second shift amounts calculated based on both the voice input through the microphone (M) and a chord determined from performance information of an electric guitar (G) input through an input device (34). That is, since the first and second harmony tones can be tones based on the chord of the electric guitar (G) that changes from moment to moment, the harmony sound obtained by mixing the first and second harmony tones with the voice input through the microphone (M) can be a natural harmony sound that is rich in variation according to the chord of the electric guitar (G).