JP2008209703A - Karaoke machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a karaoke machine 1 outputting the sound of a directional beam 6a composed of a singing voice to a singer 6 while tracking the singing position of the singer 6 by detecting a microphone position. <P>SOLUTION: The karaoke machine 1 outputs the sound of the singing voice of the singer and accompaniment sound 81 picked up by a microphone 2 from a speaker array 3. The karaoke machine 1 outputs the measurement sound 83 from the speakers SP1, SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 simultaneously with the sound production of the maskers or immediately thereafter. The karaoke machine 1 detects the microphone position based on the time elapsed from the production of the measurement sound 83 till picking up of sound by the microphone 2. At this time, the measurement sounds 83 are generated by the harmonics of the fundamental frequencies of the masker. The karaoke machine 1 tracks the microphone position by outputting the periodic measurement sounds 83. Namely, the karaoke machine 1 can continuously output the sound of the directional beam 6a composed of the singing voice to the singer 6 by tracking the microphone position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus capable of controlling the directivity of singing voice.

  A conventional karaoke device is installed in a place occupied by a single group such as a room of a karaoke box, or in a place where unspecified customers gather such as a restaurant such as a snack shop. Many.

  A conventional karaoke apparatus uses a stereo speaker to amplify accompaniment sounds and singing sounds throughout the place where the karaoke apparatus is installed. In this case, when installed in a store where the unspecified customers gather, the singing voice sung by anyone can be heard by all in the store. In restaurants such as snacks, the singings of other groups are not necessarily something you want to hear, and in some cases they are annoying. In order to solve this, for example, a directional speaker for singers is installed, the singers are allowed to listen to the singing voice, the non-singers are allowed to listen to the guide vocals, Other than that, the singing voice was heard and the guide vocal was heard (see Patent Document 1).

In the karaoke device of Patent Document 1, a singing sound is emitted with directivity toward a group set in advance by a user's operation input and a designated singing position (near the monitor of the karaoke device), The guide vocal was emitted with directivity.
JP 2005-173137 A

  However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, when the singer changes the position during singing, there is a problem that every time the singer has to specify the sound emission direction of the singing voice.

  Then, this invention aims at providing the karaoke apparatus which tracks a singer's singing position in order to emit a singing voice to a singer.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the sound from the surroundings including the singing voice of the singer is picked up by the microphone, the sound collecting means for generating the sound signal, and the two speakers of the speaker array having a plurality of speakers, A measurement sound composed of harmonics of the fundamental frequency is emitted at the same time or immediately after the masker's pronunciation, and from the sound emission of the measurement sound by the sound emission means, the measurement by the sound collection means Microphone position detection means for detecting the microphone position based on the elapsed time until sound collection, and the sound emission means is a singer toward the microphone position detected by the microphone position detection means. The directional beam including the sound to be emitted is emitted.

  In this configuration, the karaoke apparatus emits the measurement sound from the two speakers in the speaker array at the same time as or immediately after the masker's pronunciation. The karaoke apparatus detects the microphone position from the elapsed time until the measurement sound emitted from the two speakers in the speaker array is collected by the microphone. At this time, the measurement sound is composed of harmonics of the fundamental frequency of the masker. In addition, the karaoke apparatus emits a directional beam including the singing voice toward the detected microphone position (singer). Thereby, the karaoke apparatus can know a singer's singing position, and can emit a directional beam including a singing voice toward the singer. Moreover, since the measurement sound is composed of overtones of the basic frequency of the masker, it is masked by the masker. For this reason, the karaoke apparatus emits the measurement sound without being perceived by a person and can know the singing position of the singer, and emits the directional beam including the singing voice toward the singer. can do. Moreover, the karaoke apparatus can track the singer by emitting the measurement sound at predetermined intervals. Thereby, even if a singer moves, the karaoke apparatus can emit a directional beam including a singing voice toward the singer.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the sound emitting means emits the measurement sound included in the data of the karaoke song in advance, using one or a plurality of instrument sounds constituting the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song as a masker. To do.

  In this configuration, one or a plurality of musical instrument sounds are used as maskers from accompaniment sounds of karaoke songs, and the measurement sounds included in the karaoke songs are emitted in advance. Thereby, during the karaoke performance, the musical instrument sound that is regularly played is used as a masker, so that the measurement sound can be periodically emitted simultaneously with the pronunciation of the masker. In addition, when there are a plurality of instrument sounds serving as maskers, the number of measurement sounds can be increased, and the measurement sounds can be emitted more regularly.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the sound emitting means generates and releases the measurement sound having the instrument sound as a masker at each timing of sound emission of one or more instrument sounds constituting the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song. It is characterized by sound.

  In this configuration, the karaoke apparatus analyzes the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song, determines an instrument sound to be a masker, generates a measurement sound at the timing of the masker sound emission, and emits it. Thereby, even if the measurement sound is not included in the karaoke song in advance, the karaoke apparatus can automatically generate and emit the measurement sound.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the sound emitting means detects an increase in the sound pressure level of the singing voice, and generates and emits the measurement sound using the singing voice as a masker.

  In this configuration, the karaoke device detects an increase in the sound pressure level of the singing voice that is a masker, generates a measurement sound, and emits the sound. As a result, even if the accompaniment is not included in the karaoke music piece such as a cappella, the measurement sound can be generated.

  According to the present invention, the measurement sound is composed of overtones of the fundamental frequency of the masker, so that the karaoke apparatus emits the measurement sound from the two speakers of the speaker array without being perceived by a person and uses the microphone. Sound can be collected. Thereby, since the karaoke apparatus can detect the position of a microphone, it can know a singer's singing position and can emit a directional beam containing a singing voice toward a singer. Furthermore, it is possible to track the singing position of the singer by emitting the measurement sound at any time, and even if the singer moves, the directional beam including the singing voice can be emitted toward the singer. it can.

[First Embodiment]
A karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the inside of a restaurant. FIG. 1A shows a state where a singer is singing in front of a monitor. FIG. 1B shows a state where a singer is singing in front of his / her group. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a microphone position detection method.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a karaoke apparatus 1 is installed in a restaurant 5 of a restaurant. The karaoke apparatus 1 includes a microphone 2, a speaker array 3, and a monitor 4. Furthermore, tables 7 (7a to 7d) are arranged in the store 5, and customers are seated on the tables 7a to 7d, respectively. Moreover, the singer 6 who is a customer of the table 7a sings using the karaoke apparatus 1. For the sake of simplification of explanation, in this embodiment, the singing voice of the singer 6 is heard on the table 7a on which the singer 6 is seated and the singing voice is not heard on the other tables 7b to 7d. The case where the guide vocal is heard will be described.

  When the singer 6 sings, the karaoke apparatus 1 generates a directional beam 70a including the singing voice, emits the sound toward the table 7a on which the group of the singer 6 is seated, and the position of the singer 6 The directional beam 6 a including the singing voice is detected and emitted to the singer 6. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the singer 6 moves, the karaoke apparatus 1 tracks the position of the singer 6, generates a directional beam 6a including the singing voice, and releases it to the singer 6. Sound. Moreover, the karaoke apparatus 1 produces | generates the directional beams 70b-70d containing a guide vocal, and emits sound to the other tables 7b-7d. At this time, the karaoke apparatus 1 accepts the operation input of the singer 6 and designates the table 7a for emitting the singing voice.

  In the present invention, the karaoke apparatus 1 emits the measurement sound included in the karaoke song in advance from the speakers at both ends of the speaker array 3 and collects the sound with the microphone 2. The karaoke apparatus 1 measures the time from sound emission to sound collection and detects the position of the microphone 2 using trigonometry. The karaoke apparatus 1 tracks the microphone 2 by periodically emitting the measurement sound, and emits the directional beam 6 a including the singing sound toward the microphone 2. Further, the measurement sound is composed of overtones of the fundamental frequency of the masker, with the instrumental sound included in the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song as the masker. The karaoke apparatus 1 can emit the measurement sound while simultaneously masking or aging masking by generating the measurement sound simultaneously with the masker sounding or immediately after the masker sounding. Accordingly, in the present invention, since the measurement sound can be emitted without being perceived by a person and the position of the microphone 2 can be detected, the directional beam 6a including the singing voice can be tracked while tracking the singer 6. Can be released to the singer 6. In the present invention, the masker means a sound that hides the pronunciation of the measurement sound.

  Hereinafter, a method for detecting the microphone position will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the karaoke apparatus 1 emits the measurement sound 83 from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 (speakers SP1 to SPn). The measurement sound 83 is picked up by the microphone 2 when sound is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn. Here, the elapsed time until the measurement sound 83 emitted from the speaker SP1 is collected by the microphone 2 is Ta, and the elapsed time until the measurement sound 83 emitted from the speaker SPn is collected by the microphone 2 is Tb. The distance from SP1 is La, and the distance from speaker SPn is Lb. From the elapsed time from the speakers SP1 and SPn (Ta <Tb), the distance from the speakers SP1 and SPn to the microphone 2 (La <Lb) is obtained. For this, the position of the microphone 2 is calculated using trigonometry (see (A)). Also, the position of the microphone 2 is calculated by the same method when the elapsed time Ta≈Tb (see (B)) and when the elapsed time Ta> Tb (see (C)). Thereby, the karaoke apparatus 1 detects the position of the microphone 2, tracks the position of the microphone 2, and emits the singing voice by periodically emitting the measurement sound 83 from the speakers SP1 and SPn. Can do.

  Next, the measurement sound 83 emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for selecting a masker. FIG. 3A shows an example suitable for a masker. FIG. 3B shows an example that is not suitable for a masker. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram regarding the addition of the measurement sound.

  The measurement sound 83 is generated using overtones of the fundamental frequency of the masker with the instrument sound included in the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song as the masker. The measurement sound 83 is simultaneously masked or masked over time by being pronounced simultaneously with the masker's pronunciation or by being pronounced immediately after the masker's pronunciation. The sound pressure level of the measurement sound 83 is changed according to the type and level of the instrument sound. For example, when the sound pressure of the instrument sound increases, the sound pressure of the measurement sound 83 is increased, and when the sound pressure of the instrument sound decreases, the sound pressure of the measurement sound 83 is decreased. Thereby, the singer 6 and the customers in the store 5 can enjoy karaoke without perceiving the measurement sound 83.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the instrument sound suitable for the masker is an instrument sound having sound components from a low range to a high range. For example, instrument sounds such as harpsichord, glocken, and xylophone, and instrument sounds that have a sawtooth waveform. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the instrument sound that is not suitable for a masker is a musical instrument sound that has a sound component only in the low range and no sound component in the high range. For example, instrument sounds such as organs and horns.

  Here, in general, the frequency band in which human hearing can be perceived is about 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the frequency band of 15 kHz or higher may or may not be heard by humans. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when a musical instrument with a scale is used as a masker, a measurement sound 83 is generated in a frequency band (15 kHz to) that is a harmonic overtone of the fundamental frequency of the instrumental sound that is a masker and that is difficult for humans to hear. To do. When a musical instrument without a scale is used as a masker, the measurement sound 83 is generated in a band having a frequency component of the musical instrument sound that becomes a masker and in a band (15 kHz to) that is difficult for humans to hear. Accordingly, the measurement sound 83 is masked by a masker and is a sound having a frequency band that is difficult for humans to hear, so that the measurement sound 83 is not perceived by the singer 6 or the customer in the store 5.

  Specifically, for example, the measurement sound 83 is included in advance in a frequency band (15 kHz to) that is difficult for a person of the accompaniment sound 81 to hear, and is emitted from the karaoke apparatus 1 together with the accompaniment sound 81. The karaoke apparatus 1 allows the accompaniment sound 81 and the measurement sound 83 to pass through the low-pass filter when the accompaniment sound 81 is emitted from the speaker array 3. The karaoke apparatus 1 emits only the accompaniment sound 81 from which the measurement sound 83 is removed from the speaker array 3 by cutting a frequency band (15 kHz to) that is difficult for humans to hear. Next, the karaoke apparatus 1 passes the accompaniment sound 81 and the measurement sound 83 through a bandpass filter that acquires a band in which the measurement sound 83 exists from the band (15 kHz to) removed by the low-pass filter, so that the measurement sound 83 is obtained. And sound is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends. Thereby, the accompaniment sound 81 can be emitted from each speaker SP1-SPn of the speaker array 3, and the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends can emit the measurement sound 83 together with the accompaniment sound 81.

  Note that the measurement sound 83 does not necessarily have to be generated in a frequency band (15 kHz to) that is difficult for humans to hear. If the musical instrument to be a masker has a scale, it may be generated with a harmonic of the basic frequency of the masker. If the musical instrument to be a masker does not have a scale, it may be generated in a band having a frequency component of the masker sound. In this case, the karaoke apparatus 1 only needs to be able to detect the measurement sound 83 from the accompaniment sound 81 or the singing sound collected by the microphone 2.

  Next, the function of the karaoke apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the karaoke apparatus. The karaoke apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 100, a control unit 10, a storage unit 8, a MIDI sound source 91, a guide vocal reproduction unit 92, a microphone 2, a speaker array 3 (speakers SP1 to SPn), A / D converters 11 and 16, and beam forming. Units 13 and 18, low-pass filters 12 and 17, band-pass filters 14 (14a to 14d) and 19 (19a to 19d), microphone position detection unit 15, mixer 20, D / A converter 21 (21-1 to 21-n) ) And AMP22 (22-1 to 22-n). Hereinafter, for simplification of description, the sound collection range of the microphone 2 used in the present embodiment is 20 kHz or less, and the measurement sound 83 is described below as being generated in a frequency band of 15 kHz to 20 kHz.

  The operation unit 100 receives an operation input from the singer 6 or the like and outputs the operation input content to the control unit 10. For example, the operation unit 100 is input with various settings such as selection of a karaoke song, specification of the table 7a that emits the singing voice of the singer 6, and whether or not the guide melody 82 is emitted. For simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the guide melody 82 is set not to be emitted.

  The control part 10 receives the operation input of the operation part 100, and controls each function part of the karaoke apparatus 1 demonstrated below. A method for controlling each functional unit will be described later.

  The storage unit 8 stores a plurality of karaoke songs, and stores accompaniment sound 81 data, guide melody 82 data, measurement sound 83 data, and guide vocal 84 data for each karaoke song.

  The MIDI sound source 91 sequentially acquires the data of the accompaniment sound 81, the data of the guide melody 82, and the data of the measurement sound 83 from the storage unit 8 according to an instruction from the control unit 10, and outputs the acquired data to the A / D converter 11. The accompaniment sound 81 is composed of various instrument sounds. The guide melody 82 is the main melody of the accompaniment sound 81 and supports the singing of the singer 6. The measurement sound 83 is generated from the accompaniment sound 81 by using one or a plurality of instrument sounds as a masker and a harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the masker. At this time, the musical instrument sound to be a masker is appropriately selected according to the karaoke song. The measurement sound 83 is emitted periodically (for example, every bar). Further, the measurement sound 83 is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3. At this time, the measurement sound 83 is generated in different frequency bands for each of the speakers SP1 and SPn and emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn. Thereby, the karaoke apparatus 1 can determine from which of the speakers SP1 and SPn the measurement sound 83 collected by the microphone 2 is emitted.

  Further, the karaoke apparatus 1 can detect the position of the microphone 2 even if the measurement sound 83 is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 simultaneously or separately. At this time, when the measurement sound 83 is separately emitted from the speaker SP1 and the speaker SPn, the measurement sound 83 having the same frequency may be emitted. Further, when the measurement sound 83 is simultaneously emitted from the speaker SP1 and the speaker SP2, it is necessary to change the frequency. In addition, when the singer is continuously moving, the position of the microphone 2 is more effective when the measurement sound 83 is simultaneously emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 than when the sound is emitted separately. It can be detected accurately.

  The guide vocal reproducing unit 92 sequentially acquires the data of the guide vocal 84 from the storage unit 8 according to an instruction from the control unit 10 and outputs the data to the A / D converter 11. The guide vocal 84 is composed of a singing voice serving as a model, and is for supporting the singing of the singer 6.

  The A / D converter 11 converts these data input from the MIDI sound source 91 and the guide vocal reproducing unit 92 from an analog format to a digital format, and generates an audio signal.

  The low-pass filter 12 passes only the frequency band (˜15 kHz) in which the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 does not exist from the audio signal input to the A / D converter 11 and inputs it to the beam forming unit 13 described later. Further, the band pass filter 14 (14a to 14d) is a frequency component (a part of a frequency component of 15 to 20 kHz) in a band in which the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 exists from the audio signal input to the A / D converter 11. And the signal is input to the microphone position detector 15 described later. At this time, the band-pass filters 14a to 14d extract different frequency components.

  The microphone 2 picks up the singing voice of the singer 6 and picks up the sound emitted from the speakers SP1 to SPn. The microphone 2 collects the singing voice of the singer 6 that has collected the sound and the sound emitted from the speaker array 3 (accompaniment sound 81, measurement sound 83, guide vocal 84, etc.), A / D converter 16, and filters 17, 19 ( 19a to 19d) and input to the beam forming unit 18 and a microphone position detecting unit 15 described later. At this time, the singing voice and the sound emitted from the speaker array 3 (hereinafter, the singing voice and the sound emitted from the speaker array 3 are referred to as collected sound) are converted into A / D by the A / D converter 16. D-converted and generated as a collected sound signal. The low-pass filter 17 passes only the low frequency portion (˜15 kHz) of the collected sound signal that does not include the measurement sound 83 and inputs the low-frequency filter 17 to the beam forming unit 18. At this time, the low-pass filter 17 extracts a frequency component corresponding to the low-pass filter 12 from the collected sound signal. Further, the band pass filter 19 (19a to 19d) passes only the frequency components (a part of the frequency components of 15 to 20 kHz) of the collected sound signal including the measurement sound 83 and inputs them to the microphone position detection unit 15 described later. To do. At this time, each of the bandpass filters 19a to 19d extracts frequency components corresponding to the bandpass filters 14a to 14d from the collected sound signal.

  The beam forming units 13 and 18 emit directivity beams 6a and 70a to 70d with directivity from the speaker array 3, and do not have directivity from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3. The sound emission sound signals corresponding to the speakers SP1 to SPn are formed so that the accompaniment sound 81 is emitted. Specifically, the beam forming unit 13 is configured by each speaker SP1 constituting the speaker array 3 from the audio signal of the accompaniment sound 81 and the audio signal of the guide vocal 84 filtered by the low-pass filter 12 according to an instruction from the control unit 10. A sound emission sound signal corresponding to each of .about.SPn is formed, and the sound emission sound signal is output to the mixer 20. Further, the beam forming unit 18 forms sound emission sound signals corresponding to the speakers SP1 to SPn constituting the speaker array 3 from the collected sound signal from which the measurement sound 83 is removed by the low-pass filter 17, and the mixer 18 20 output. At this time, when a beam forming coefficient is input from a microphone position detecting unit 15 to be described later, the beam forming units 13 and 18 determine the sound emitting direction of the directional beam 6a based on the beam forming coefficient and respond accordingly. Sound output sound signals of the speakers SP1 to SPn are formed and output to the mixer 20.

  The mixer 20 performs mixing on the sound emission sound signals (accompaniment sound 81, guide vocal 84, and sound collection sound) input from the beam forming units 13 and 18. Specifically, the mixer 20 adds the measurement sound 83 input from the band pass filter 14 to the sound emission sound signal input to the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends. At this time, the mixer 20 adds the sound output sound signal of the singing sound and the sound output sound signal of the accompaniment sound 81 to the directional beams 6a and 70a with respect to the table 7a on which the singer 6 and the group of the singer 6 are seated. To generate. The directional beams 70b to 70d for the other tables 7b to 7d are generated by adding the sound output sound signal of the guide vocal 84, the sound output sound signal of the accompaniment sound 81, and the like. The mixer 20 inputs the emitted sound signal to the speakers SP1 to SPn via the D / A converter 21 (21-1 to 21-n) and the AMP22 (22-1 to 22-n). Here, the D / A converter 21 and the AMP 22 perform D / A conversion, amplification, and the like on the emitted sound signal, and the speakers SP1 to SPn emit the directional beams 6a and 70a to 70d.

  The microphone position detection unit 15 includes level detection units 151 (151a to 151d) and 153 (153a to 153d), a timer unit 152 (152a to 152d), a microphone position calculation unit 154, and a beam forming coefficient calculation unit 155. The microphone position detection unit 15 calculates a beam forming coefficient that determines the sound emission direction of the directional beam 6 a emitted to the singer 6.

  Specifically, when the level detection unit 151 detects the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 included in the audio signal input via the bandpass filter 14, the level detection unit 151 instructs the timer unit 152 to start the timer. When the level detection unit 153 detects the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 included in the collected sound signal input via the band pass filter 19, the level detection unit 153 instructs the timer unit 152 to end the timer. The timer unit 152 counts the time from receiving the timer start instruction to receiving the end instruction, and outputs this time information to the microphone position calculation unit 154.

  At this time, since each of the bandpass filters 14a to 14d and each of the bandpass filters 19a to 19d extract the same frequency component, the measurement sound 83 (detected by the level detection unit 151) emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn. ) And the measurement sound 83 (detected by the level detection unit 153) collected by the microphone 2 can be detected in association with each other. Therefore, the timer unit 152 obtains the time from the start to the end of the timer, so that the time from when the measurement sound 83 is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn until the measurement sound 83 is collected by the microphone 2 ( Hereinafter, it is referred to as elapsed time).

  Further, the speakers SP1 and SPn emit the measurement sound 83 through the band pass filters 14a to 14d that extract different frequency components. As a result, the measurement sound 83 input to the level detectors 151 and 153 can be identified as to which of the speakers SP1 and SPn corresponds. For this reason, the timer part 152 can obtain | require elapsed time for every speaker SP1, SPn.

  The microphone position calculation unit 154 calculates the position of the microphone 2 based on the elapsed time for each of the speakers SP1 and SPn. Based on the position of the microphone 2 calculated by the microphone position calculation unit 154, the beam forming coefficient calculation unit 155 calculates a beam forming coefficient having directivity in the direction of the position of the microphone 2. The beam forming coefficient is output to the beam forming units 13 and 18.

  Next, the flow of processing when generating the directional beam 6a directed toward the singer 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating a directional beam when a measurement sound is included in a karaoke song. For simplification of description, only the method of generating the directional beam 6a for the singer 6 will be described except for the method of generating the directional beams 70a to 70d for the tables 7a to 7d.

  First, the flow of processing during karaoke performance will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in step S <b> 101, the MIDI sound source 91 reads the accompaniment sound 81 data, the guide melody 82 data, and the measurement sound 83 data from the storage unit 8 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 10. Output to the A / D converter 11. At this time, each data is A / D converted, an audio signal corresponding to each data is generated, and the process proceeds to step S102.

  In step S102, the audio signal of the accompaniment sound 81, the audio signal of the guide melody 82, and the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 are output to the low-pass filter 12. At this time, the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 is removed from these audio signals. The audio signal of the accompaniment sound 81 and the audio signal of the guide melody 82 that have passed through the low-pass filter 12 are output to the beam forming unit 13 (S103), and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, it is checked whether or not a beam forming coefficient is input to the beam forming unit 13. When the beam forming coefficient is input (in the middle of singing) (S104: Yes), the process proceeds to step S106.

  When the beam forming coefficient is not input (at the time of singing) (S104: No), the beam forming unit 13 emits the directional beam 6a toward the monitor 4 according to an instruction from the control unit 10 to accompaniment. A sound emission sound signal is generated from the audio signal of the sound 81 (S105). Thus, since the detection of the singing position is not started when the singer 6 starts singing, the beam forming coefficient is not input. Therefore, the beam forming unit 13 generates a sound emission sound signal so as to emit the directional beam 6 a toward the monitor 4. Further, the beam forming unit 13 may generate a sound emission sound signal only when a beam forming coefficient is input.

  In step S106, in response to an instruction from the control unit 10, the beam forming unit 13 performs directivity control based on the beam forming coefficient, generates a sound emission sound signal from the audio signal of the accompaniment sound 81, and proceeds to step S107. .

  In step S107, the beam forming unit 13 outputs the generated sound emission sound signal to the mixer 20 and proceeds to step S108.

  In step S 108, the audio signal of the accompaniment sound 81, the audio signal of the guide melody 82, and the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 are output to the bandpass filter 14. The band pass filter 14 passes only the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 from these audio signals, and outputs it to the level detection unit 151. When the level detection unit 151 detects the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 (S109: Yes), the timer unit 152 activates the timer (S110), and proceeds to step S111.

  In step S <b> 111, the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 output from the bandpass filter 14 is added to the sound output sound signal in the mixer 20. At this time, the measurement sound 83 is added to the emitted sound signal so as to be emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3.

  In step S112, these sound emission signals are emitted from the speakers SP1 to SPn via the corresponding D / A converter 21 and AMP 22, and the process proceeds to step S113. This sound emission sound signal becomes a directional beam 6 a and is emitted toward the singer 6.

  In step S113, the microphone 2 collects the singing voice of the singer 6 and the emitted voice emitted from the speaker array 3 (hereinafter referred to as the collected voice). These collected sounds are input to the A / D converter 11, and the process proceeds to step S114. At this time, the collected sound is A / D converted and generated as a collected sound signal.

  In step S <b> 114, the collected sound signal is output to the low pass filter 17. At this time, the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 (included in the sound emitted from the speaker array 3) is removed from the collected sound signal. The collected sound signal that has passed through the low-pass filter 17 is output to the beam forming unit 18 (S115), and the process proceeds to step S116.

  In step S116, it is checked whether or not a beam forming coefficient is input to the beam forming unit 18. When the beam forming coefficient is input (in the middle of singing) (S116: Yes), the process proceeds to step S118.

  When the beam forming coefficient is not input (at the time of singing) (S116: No), the beam forming unit 18 collects the directional beam 6a toward the monitor 4 according to the instruction of the control unit 10 so as to emit sound. A sound emitting sound signal is generated from the sound sound signal (S117). Thus, since the detection of the singing position is not started when the singer 6 starts singing, the beam forming coefficient is not input. Therefore, the beam forming unit 18 generates a sound emission sound signal so as to emit the directional beam 6 a toward the monitor 4. Further, the beam forming unit 18 may generate a sound emission sound signal only when a beam forming coefficient is input.

  In step S118, in response to an instruction from the control unit 10, the beam forming unit 18 performs directivity control based on the beam forming coefficient, generates a sound output sound signal from the collected sound signal, and proceeds to step S119.

  In step S119, the beam forming unit 18 outputs the sound output sound signal to the mixer 20, and proceeds to step S120.

  In step S <b> 120, the collected sound signal is output to the band pass filter 19. The band pass filter 19 acquires the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 from the collected sound signal and outputs it to the level detection unit 153. When the level detection unit 153 detects the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 (S121: Yes), the timer unit 152 stops the timer (S122) and proceeds to step S123.

  In step S123, the microphone position calculation unit 154 calculates the position of the microphone 2 based on the measurement time from the start to the stop of the timer, and proceeds to step S124.

  In step S124, the beam forming coefficient calculation unit 155 calculates the beam forming coefficient so that the directional beam 6a is emitted from the speaker array 3 at the position of the microphone 2. The karaoke apparatus 1 inputs the calculated beam forming coefficient to the beam forming units 13 and 18, and returns to step S101.

  The karaoke apparatus 1 repeats the processes of steps S101 to S124 described above, and emits the accompaniment sound 81, the measurement sound 83, and the sound collected by the microphone 2 from the speaker array 3 until the karaoke song is finished. To do.

  As described above, the karaoke apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment emits the singing voice, the guide vocal, and the accompaniment sound 81 with directivity from the speaker array 3, and from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3. Accompaniment sound 81 and measurement sound 83 can be emitted. The karaoke apparatus 1 can detect the microphone position, that is, the position of the singer 6 by obtaining the elapsed time until the measurement sound 83 is picked up by the microphone 2, and the directional beam 6 a is provided to the singer 6. Sound can be emitted. The measurement sound 83 is composed of overtones of the fundamental frequency of the masker, using the instrument sound as a masker, and is generated at the timing of their pronunciation. Thereby, the singer 6 and the customers in the store 5 can enjoy karaoke without perceiving the measurement sound 83. Furthermore, since the measurement sound 83 is generated using a frequency band that is difficult for humans to perceive, the singer 6 or the customer in the store 5 does not perceive the measurement sound 83 more.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The karaoke apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the data of the measurement sound 83 is not included in the karaoke song. Therefore, the karaoke apparatus 1 analyzes the data of the accompaniment sound 81 and determines an instrument sound to be a masker. The karaoke apparatus 1 generates a measurement sound 83 at the timing of sounding a musical instrument sound that becomes a masker and generates a sound. At this time, the measurement sound 83 is generated as an overtone of the fundamental frequency of the masker using the instrument sound (for example, harpsichord) selected from the accompaniment sound 81 as a masker. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the karaoke apparatus. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating a directional beam when a measurement sound is generated based on an accompaniment sound.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the karaoke apparatus 1 of the second embodiment, the measurement sound 83 is not included in the karaoke song. The karaoke apparatus 1 further includes a MIDI signal analyzing unit 23, a measurement sound MIDI signal generating unit 24, and a MIDI signal merging unit 25. These functional units will be described below.

  The MIDI signal analyzing unit 23 analyzes the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81 and determines a musical instrument sound to be a masker as a harpsichord. The MIDI signal analysis unit 23 instructs the measurement sound MIDI signal generation unit 24 to generate the measurement sound 83 that is a harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the masker and at the same timing as the masker. Specifically, by reading the value of the velocity, the value of the volume, and the value of the expression among the notes of the harpsichord code detected from the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81 within a certain time (for example, one measure), The note with the highest pressure level is detected and selected as a masker. The MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 has a note number value and a pitch bend value determined so as to be an integral multiple of the masker frequency (calculated from the masker note number value and the pitch bend value). The note-on value is determined by the same value as the note-on value, and the velocity value, the volume value, and the expression value are appropriately determined based on the masker velocity value, the volume value, and the expression value. The measurement sound MIDI signal generation unit 24 receives these values from the MIDI signal analysis unit 23 and generates MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 based on the values.

  Further, the MIDI signal analyzing unit 23 generates the measurement sound 83 based on one or a plurality of fundamental frequencies. When the measurement sound 83 is generated based on a plurality of fundamental frequencies, even if the sound emission of a specific fundamental frequency is interrupted, the measurement sound 83 is periodically generated based on the sound emission of other fundamental frequencies. The measurement sound 83 can be emitted. In addition, since the musical instrument sound that becomes a masker is not limited to one, a plurality of musical instrument sounds (harpsy chord, glocken) may be used as long as the musical instrument sound is suitable for a masker. Thereby, even if the sound emission of one instrument sound is interrupted, the measurement sound 83 can be periodically emitted by generating the measurement sound 83 based on the sound emission of the other instrument sound. When a musical instrument having no musical scale is used as the masker, the measurement sound 83 is generated in a band having a frequency component of the masker sound.

  The measurement sound 83 may be emitted simultaneously from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3, or may be emitted separately. When the measurement sound 83 is simultaneously emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3, the measurement sound 83 is generated at a different frequency for each of the speakers SP1 and SPn.

  The measurement sound MIDI signal generation unit 24 receives an instruction from the MIDI signal analysis unit 23, generates a MIDI signal of the measurement sound 83, and outputs the MIDI signal to the MIDI signal merging unit 25. Specifically, in response to an instruction from the MIDI signal analysis unit 23, a MIDI signal of the measurement sound 83 that is generated at the same timing as the harpsichord and becomes a harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the harpsichord is generated. Output to the merging unit 25.

  In addition, both the accompaniment sound 81 and the guide melody 82 can be used as a masker. However, since the accompaniment sound 81 has a higher sound pressure level than the guide melody 82, it is more suitable to use the accompaniment sound 81 having a higher sound pressure level than the guide melody 82 for the masker.

  The MIDI signal merging unit 25 adds the MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 to the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81 and outputs it to the MIDI sound source 91. The MIDI sound source 91 converts the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81 and the MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 merged by the MIDI signal merging unit 25 into audio signals and outputs the audio signals. As described above, the accompaniment sound 81 is analyzed, and the measurement sound 83 is generated.

  Note that the measurement sound 83 does not necessarily have to be generated in a frequency band (15 kHz to) that is difficult for humans to hear. If the musical instrument to be a masker has a scale, it may be generated with a harmonic of the basic frequency of the masker. If the musical instrument to be a masker does not have a scale, it may be generated in a band having a frequency component of the masker sound. In this case, the karaoke apparatus 1 only needs to be able to detect the measurement sound 83 from the accompaniment sound 81 or the singing sound collected by the microphone 2.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow of the process at the time of the production | generation of the directional beam toward the singer 6 adds the process of step S201-S206 to the process of 1st Embodiment in 2nd Embodiment. . Only the added steps S201 to S206 will be described below.

  In step S <b> 201, the control unit 10 inputs the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81 and the MIDI data of the guide melody 82 from the storage unit 8 to the MIDI signal analysis unit 23. The MIDI signal analyzing unit 23 analyzes the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81, determines an instrument sound (harpsichord) that becomes a masker from the accompaniment sound 81 (S202), and proceeds to step S203.

  In step S203, the MIDI signal analyzing unit 23 checks whether or not the sound pressure level of the fundamental frequency of the harpsichord has suddenly increased within a certain time (for example, one measure). If a rapid increase in the sound pressure level of the fundamental frequency of the harpsichord is detected (S203: Yes), the process proceeds to step S204.

  In step S204, the measurement sound MIDI signal generation unit 24 generates MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 with harmonics of the fundamental frequency whose sound pressure level has rapidly increased, and proceeds to step S205. At this time, the sound pressure level of the measurement sound 83 is determined based on the sound pressure level of the fundamental frequency at which the sound pressure level has rapidly increased.

  In step S205, the MIDI signal merging unit 25 adds the MIDI data of the measurement sound 83 to the MIDI data of the accompaniment sound 81, and proceeds to step S206. At this time, the MIDI signal merging unit 25 adds so that the measurement sound 83 is simultaneously masked by the fundamental frequency at which the sound pressure level has rapidly increased.

  In step S206, the MIDI signal analyzing unit 23 repeats the processes of steps S201 to S205 until the analysis of the accompaniment sound 81 is completed (S206: No). At this time, the end of the analysis of the accompaniment sound 81 is recognized by the fact that the accompaniment sound 81 is no longer input to the MIDI signal analysis unit 23. When the analysis of the accompaniment sound 81 is completed (S206: Yes), the process proceeds to step S207. In addition, the process after step S207 performs the same process as step S101 after 1st Embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the accompaniment sound 81 is analyzed, and after the addition of the measurement sound 83 to the accompaniment sound 81 is completed, sound emission of the accompaniment sound 81 and the like is started. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 9, sounding of the accompaniment sound 81 or the like may be started while analyzing the accompaniment sound 81 and adding the measurement sound 83 to the accompaniment sound 81. FIG. 9 is a flow in which the process of S207 is performed immediately without performing the process of S206 of FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the masker is a harpsichord. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any other instrument sound may be used as long as the instrument sound is suitable for the masker. Further, in the case where a plurality of instrument sounds are used as a masker, the harpsichord and the glocken are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of instrument sounds suitable for the masker may be used.

  As described above, in the karaoke apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the measurement sound 83 can be generated and generated by analyzing the accompaniment sound 81 even if the measurement sound 83 is not included in the karaoke song. Thereby, similarly to 1st Embodiment, a microphone position can be detected and the directional beam 6a can be emitted to the singer 6.

  In the first and second embodiments, the directional beams 6a and 70a composed of the accompaniment sound 81 and the singing sound are emitted from the speaker array 3 toward the table 7a on which the group of the singer 6 and the singer 6 is seated. And the directional beams 70b-70d which consist of the accompaniment sound 81 and the guide vocal 84 are emitted toward the other tables 7b-7d. Further, the present invention has been described on the assumption that the measurement sound 83 and the accompaniment sound 81 are emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 without directivity. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the directional beams 6a and 70a composed of the singing voice are emitted from the speaker array 3 toward the table 7a on which the singer 6 and the group of the singers 6 are seated, and the other tables 7b to 7d. The directional beams 70b to 70d composed of the guide vocal 84 may be emitted toward the sound source. Further, the accompaniment sound 81 and the measurement sound 83 may be emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 without directivity. Further, the speaker array 3 emits directional beams 6a and 70a composed of the accompaniment sound 81, the singing sound, and the measurement sound 83 toward the table 7a on which the singer 6 and the group of the singer 6 are seated. The directional beams 70b to 70d including the accompaniment sound 81, the guide vocal 84, and the measurement sound 83 may be emitted toward the tables 7b to 7d. That is, in the first and second embodiments, the measurement sound 83 may be emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 together with the accompaniment sound 81 serving as a masker.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The karaoke apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the first point that the data of the accompaniment sound 81, the data of the guide melody 82, and the data of the measurement sound 83 are not included in the MIDI sound source 91 (for example, a cappella tune). Different from the embodiment. Therefore, the karaoke apparatus 1 analyzes the singing voice of the singer 6 and generates and generates the measurement sound 83 at the timing when the sound pressure level of the singing voice rises. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of the karaoke apparatus. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating a directional beam when a measurement sound is generated based on a singing voice.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the third embodiment, the data of the accompaniment sound 81, the data of the guide melody 82, and the data of the measurement sound 83 are not included in the karaoke song. The karaoke apparatus 1 further includes an audio signal analysis unit 26, a measurement sound generation unit 27, and a signal merging unit 28. These functional units will be described below.

  The voice signal analysis unit 26 analyzes the singing voice of the singer 6 and instructs the measurement sound generation unit 27 to generate the measurement sound 83 when the measurement sound 83 is generated. Specifically, for example, when a sudden increase in the sound pressure level of the singing voice signal is detected, the voice signal analysis unit 26 instructs the measurement sound generation unit 27 to generate the measurement sound 83. The audio signal analysis unit 26 detects an abrupt increase in sound pressure level of the audio signal of the singing voice for each bar, and instructs to generate the measurement sound 83 periodically. At this time, the level of the measurement sound 83 is determined according to the sound pressure level of the voice signal of the singing voice. The measurement sound 83 may be emitted simultaneously from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3, or may be emitted separately. When the measurement sound 83 is simultaneously emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3, the measurement sound 83 is generated at a different frequency for each of the speakers SP1 and SPn.

  The measurement sound generator 27 receives an instruction from the audio signal analyzer 26, generates an audio signal of the measurement sound 83, and outputs the audio signal to the signal merger 28. Specifically, the measurement sound generator 27 generates the measurement sound 83 so as to be a harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the singing voice.

  The signal merging unit 28 adds the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 to the voice signal of the singing voice and outputs it to the bandpass filter 29 (29a to 29d). As described above, the measurement sound 83 is generated by analyzing the singing voice.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, the flow of the process at the time of the production | generation of the directional beam 6a toward the singer 6 deletes the process of step S101-S112 of 1st Embodiment in 3rd Embodiment, Steps S309 to S317 are added between S119 and S120. Only the added processing in steps S309 to S317 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the collected sound signal collected by the microphone 2 is input in step S309, has the sound signal analysis unit 26 detected an increase in the sound pressure level of the collected sound signal? Please check. When a rapid increase in the sound pressure level of the collected sound signal is detected (S310: Yes), the process proceeds to step S311.

  In step S311, the measurement sound generator 27 generates an audio signal of the measurement sound 83 with a harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the collected sound signal, and the process proceeds to step S312. At this time, the sound pressure level of the measurement sound 83 is determined based on the sound pressure level of the collected sound signal.

  In step S312, the signal merging unit 28 adds the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 to the collected sound signal, and proceeds to step S313. At this time, the signal merging unit 28 performs addition so that the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 is masked over time by the collected sound signal.

  In step S 313, the collected sound signal to which the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 is added is output to the band pass filter 29. The band pass filter 29 passes only the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 from the collected sound signal and outputs it to the level detection unit 151. Then, when the level detection unit 151 detects the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 (S314: Yes), the timer unit 152 activates the timer (S315) and proceeds to step S316.

  In step S 316, the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 output from the band pass filter 29 is output to the mixer 20. The mixer 20 adds the audio signal of the measurement sound 83 to the sound output sound signal, and proceeds to step S317. At this time, the measurement sound 83 is added to the emitted sound signal so as to be emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3.

  In step S317, these sound emission audio signals are emitted from the speakers SP1 to SPn via the corresponding D / A converter 21 and AMP 22, and the process proceeds to step S318. This sound emission sound signal becomes a directional beam 6 a and is emitted toward the singer 6. In addition, the process after step S318 performs the same process as step S120 after 1st Embodiment.

  As described above, when the accompaniment sound 81 is not included in the karaoke song, the karaoke apparatus 1 emits the singing voice of the singer 6 to the singer 6 and the table 7a on which the group of the singer 6 is seated. Then, the guide vocal 84 is emitted to the other tables 7b to 7d. Moreover, the karaoke apparatus 1 emits the measurement sound 83 by using the singing voice of the singer 6 as a masker. The measurement sound 83 is generated in a frequency band that is difficult for humans to perceive. Thereby, the measurement sound 83 can be masked over time using the singing voice of the singer 6 as a masker. For this reason, the singer 6 and the customers in the store 5 can prevent the measurement sound 83 from being perceived.

  In the third embodiment, the singing voice of the singer 6 is used as a masker. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the guide vocal 84 may be used as a masker.

  As mentioned above, in the karaoke apparatus 1 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, even if it is a karaoke tune which does not contain accompaniment sounds 81, such as a cappella, a singing voice can be analyzed and the measurement sound 83 can be pronounced. Thereby, like the first and second embodiments, the microphone position can be detected, and the directional beam 6a can be emitted to the singer 6.

  Next, a case where a band elimination filter, a notch filter or a comb filter is used instead of the low-pass filters 12 and 17 will be described. For simplification of description, it is assumed that the measurement sound 83 exists in the pass band of the bandpass filters 14, 19, and 29. Although described based on the first embodiment, these filters can also be applied to the second and third embodiments.

  When the band elimination filter is used, the measurement sound 83 can be cut by making the attenuation band of the band elimination filter the same as the pass band of the band pass filters 14, 19, and 29. Thereby, since the frequency band through which the accompaniment sound 81 passes is wider than that of the low-pass filters 12 and 17, the accompaniment sound 81 with better sound quality can be emitted.

  Further, by providing a certain amount of bandwidth in the attenuation band of the band elimination filter, it is possible to generate a plurality of measurement sounds 83 having different frequencies in the attenuation band. As a result, the measurement sound 83 having a different frequency can be applied to the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3.

  When the notch filter is used, the measurement sound 83 can be cut by making the dip of the notch filter the same as the peak of the bandpass filters 14, 19, and 29. Since the dip of the notch filter is a narrow band, it is possible to emit the accompaniment sound 81 with better sound quality than using the band elimination filter.

  Further, when the comb filter is used, the measurement sound 83 can be cut by making the dip of the comb filter the same as the peak of the bandpass filters 14, 19, and 29. Since the comb filter has a plurality of dips, the measurement sound 83 having a plurality of different frequencies can be generated. As a result, the measurement sound 83 having different frequencies can be applied to the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3, and the sound quality of the accompaniment sound 81 can be improved.

  In the first to third embodiments, four different frequency components are extracted by using the bandpass filters 14, 19, and 29. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more frequency components for the left and right speakers SP1 and SPn are used. Since it suffices to extract frequency components, it is sufficient that at least one band pass filter 14, 19, 29 is provided.

  In the first to third embodiments, the pass band of the low-pass filters 12 and 17 is set to 15 kHz or less, and the measurement sound 83 is detected within the range of 15 kHz to 20 kHz. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the low band may be used as the pass band of the low-pass filters 12 and 17 from the frequency band for detecting the measurement sound 83. For example, if the measurement sound 83 is generated at 17 kHz to 18 kHz or the like, the pass bands of the low-pass filters 12 and 17 are set to 17 kHz or less.

  In the first to third embodiments, the example in which the measurement sound 83 is emitted from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the measurement sound 83 may be emitted from two of the speakers SP1 to SPn constituting the speaker array 3. Thereby, the position of the microphone 2 can be detected using trigonometry.

  Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the A / D converter 11 is provided because the outputs from the MIDI sound source 91 and the guide vocal reproducing unit 92 are analog audio signals. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the output from the MIDI sound source 91 and the guide vocal reproducing unit 92 is a digital audio signal, the A / D converter 11 may not be provided.

  As described above, the karaoke apparatus 1 according to the present invention emits the accompaniment sound 81 and the singing sound from the speaker array 3, and emits the measurement sound 83 from the speakers SP1 and SPn at both ends of the speaker array 3. The karaoke apparatus 1 can detect the microphone position, that is, the position of the singer 6 by obtaining the elapsed time until the measurement sound 83 is picked up by the microphone 2, and the directional beam 6 a is provided to the singer 6. Sound can always be emitted. Further, the measurement sound 83 is composed of the accompaniment sound 81 or the singing voice as a masker and is a harmonic overtone of the basic frequency of the masker, so that the karaoke apparatus 1 can mask the measurement sound 83 simultaneously or with time. Thereby, the singer 6 and the customers in the store 5 can enjoy karaoke without perceiving the measurement sound 83. Furthermore, since the measurement sound 83 is configured using a frequency band that is difficult for humans to perceive, the singer 6 or the customer in the store 5 does not perceive the measurement sound 83 more.

It is a figure explaining the inside of a restaurant. It is explanatory drawing of the microphone position detection method. It is explanatory drawing about selection of a masker. It is explanatory drawing about addition of a measurement sound. It is a functional block diagram of a karaoke apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation procedure of a directional beam in case measurement sound is included in karaoke music. It is a functional block diagram of the karaoke apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation procedure of a directional beam in the case of producing | generating a measurement sound based on an accompaniment sound. It is a flowchart which shows the other production | generation procedure of a directional beam in the case of producing | generating a measurement sound based on an accompaniment sound. It is a functional block diagram of the karaoke apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation procedure of a directional beam in the case of producing | generating a measurement sound based on a song voice.

Explanation of symbols

1-karaoke device, 2-microphone, 3-speaker array, 4-monitor, 5-store, 6-singer, 6a, 70a-70d-directional beam, 7 (7a-7d) -table, 10-control unit 11, 16-A / D converter, 12, 17-low pass filter, 13, 18-beam forming unit, 14 (14a-14d), 19 (19a-19d), 29 (29a-29d) -band pass filter, 15-microphone position detector, 20-mixer, 21-D / A converter, 22-AMP, 23-MIDI signal analyzer, 24-measurement sound MIDI signal generator, 25-MIDI signal merger, 26-audio signal analyzer Section, 27-measurement sound generation section, 28-signal merging section, 81-accompaniment sound, 82-guide melody, 83-measurement sound, 84-guide vocal, 91-MIDI sound source, 92-guide sound Cull reproduction unit, 100 - operating unit, 151,153- level detector, 152- timer, 154- microphone position calculating unit, 155-beam forming coefficient calculation unit, SP1～SPn- speaker

Claims (4)

Sound collecting means for picking up sound from the surroundings including the singing voice of the singer with a microphone and generating a sound signal;
Sound emission means for emitting measurement sound composed of harmonics of the fundamental frequency of a masker from two speakers of a speaker array having a plurality of speakers simultaneously with or immediately after the pronunciation of the masker;
Microphone position detection means for detecting the microphone position based on the elapsed time from the sound emission of the measurement sound by the sound emission means to the sound collection of the measurement sound by the sound collection means,
The said sound emission means is a karaoke apparatus which emits the directional beam containing the sound emission sound which should be given to a singer toward the said microphone position which the said microphone position detection means detected.   2. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound emitting unit emits the measurement sound included in the data of the karaoke song in advance by using one or a plurality of instrument sounds constituting the accompaniment sound of the karaoke song as a masker.   2. The sound emission means generates and emits the measurement sound using the instrument sound as a masker at each emission timing of one or a plurality of instrument sounds constituting an accompaniment sound of a karaoke song. Karaoke equipment.   The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound emitting unit detects an increase in sound pressure level of the singing voice, generates the measurement sound using the singing voice as a masker, and emits the sound.

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