JP2004246379A - Karaoke device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a karaoke device in which relative merits in singing skill are graded. <P>SOLUTION: When first and second evaluation function computing sections 510 and 520 respectively compute grading results Q1a and Q1b based on difference data Diffa and Diffb, a first comparison section 550 compares the results Q1a and Q1b. When third and fourth evaluation function computing sections 530 and 540 respectively compute grading results Q2a and Q2b based on difference data Diffa and Diffb, a second comparison section 560 compares the results Q2a and Q2b. A random number generating section 570 generates random numbers M. A discrimination section 580 conducts discrimination of the relative merits of singing skill based on the comparison results of the sections 550 and 560 and the random numbers M. When either one of the comparison results of the sections 550 and 560 indicates coincidence, the relative merits of the singing skill are discriminated based on the other comparison result. When both comparison results indicate the coincidence, the relative merits of the singing skill are discriminated based on the random numbers M. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus having a function of scoring a singing ability of a user.

  Conventionally, various karaoke apparatuses having a function of scoring the singing ability of a singer have been developed. Generally, in this type of karaoke apparatus, the volume and pitch (pitch) and the like are compared between the singing voice of the singer and the reference of the vocal part included in the music information of the karaoke, and the difference between the volume and the pitch difference is determined. Singing skills are graded accordingly. In a karaoke apparatus, when a singer sings, a singing voice input from a microphone (hereinafter, referred to as a microphone) is amplified and sounded from a speaker.

  By the way, as a kind of song sung by the karaoke apparatus, a battle song in which two singers sing simultaneously and compete in singing ability is known. In the battle tune, the singing ability of the two singers is scored by the same evaluation function, and the singing ability is determined based on the scoring result. The singing ability is displayed on a monitor. Thereby, the atmosphere of the place is excited, and the singer and the audience can enjoy the singing of the music more positively. However, if the scores are the same even if the song is sung with great effort, there is a problem that the match is not made and a draw is made, and the fun is reduced by half.

  In addition, when the two singers are scored independently as in the case of a battle song, the singing ability is scored and the superiority or inferiority is determined in accordance with the selection of the microphone. However, since it was not possible to know which singer was singing using which microphone, confusion sometimes occurred in judging superiority.

  In addition, duet songs often include a male singing section in which only men sing, a female singing section in which only women sing, and a mixed singing section in which men and women sing simultaneously. However, singers who are not accustomed to singing duet songs sometimes get confused because they do not know when it is time to sing.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to always give singing power superiority when two or more singers sing. Another object is to inform a singer of the type of microphone singing.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to the invention described in claim 1, in a karaoke apparatus that performs music performance and displays lyrics on a monitor based on music data, a singing voice captured from a first microphone. Selection means for mixing or selecting a signal and a singing voice signal taken in from a second microphone and outputting the signal from a first output terminal and a second output terminal; and the singing voice output from the first output terminal First detecting means for detecting a singing volume based on a signal, second detecting means for detecting a singing volume based on the singing voice signal output from the second output terminal, and the first detection The shape of the first character is varied according to the singing volume detected by the means and displayed on the monitor, and the singing volume detected by the second detecting means is changed. Display control means for varying the size of the second character in response to the display on the monitor, and synchronizing switching of the selection means and setting of the first and second characters based on the music data. And control means for performing the control.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 2, in the invention described in claim 1, the control means includes a step in which the music data is sung by a hybrid singer section in which two singers sing and a singer by one singer. When it is detected that the single singing section is composed of a single singing section, the selecting section is controlled to output the mixed singing voice signal from the first and second output terminals in the mixed singing section. And changing the shapes of the first and second characters in accordance with the singing volume detected by the first and second detecting means, and singing voice from the first microphone in the single singing section. Controlling the selection means so as to output a signal from a first output terminal and output the singing voice signal from a second microphone from the second output terminal. , Depending on the singing sound said detected from the singing voice signal according to one of the singers, the shape of the corresponding character and controls so as to vary.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when two singers sing, singing ability can always be given. Also, since the singing volume is displayed on the monitor, the singer can know his or her singing volume. Also, when two singers sing, each singer can recognize the microphone to sing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<A: Overall Configuration of Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a karaoke apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 30 denotes a CPU that controls each unit of the apparatus. The CPU 30 includes, via a bus BUS, a ROM 31, a RAM 32, a hard disk drive (HDD) 37, a communication control unit 36, a remote control receiving unit 33, a display panel 34, a panel switch 35, a sound source device 38, an audio data processing unit 39, A DSP 40, a character display unit 43, an LD changer 44, a display control unit 45, and an audio processing DSP 49 are connected.

  The ROM 31 stores an initial program necessary for starting the karaoke apparatus. When the power of the apparatus is turned on, the system program and the application program stored in the HDD 37 are loaded into the RAM 32 by the initial program. The HDD 37 stores the above system program, application program, music data file 370 for storing music data of about 10,000 music played during karaoke performance, animation data of animation played in battle music, and various character data. Is stored.

Here, the contents of the music data will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a format of music data for one music. FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the contents of each track of the music data.
In FIG. 2, the music data includes a header, a musical sound track, a guide melody track, a lyrics track, an audio track, an effect track, and an audio data section. Various information regarding the music data is written in the header, and data such as a music number, a music title, a genre, a release date, and a music playing time (length) are written in the header.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each track of the tone track or the effect track is composed of sequence data including a plurality of event data and duration data Δt indicating a time interval between each event. The CPU 30 reads the data of each track in parallel by a sequence program (application program for karaoke performance) at the time of karaoke performance. When reading the sequence data of each track, Δt is counted by a predetermined tempo clock, and when the counting is completed, the subsequent event data is read and output to a predetermined processing unit. As shown in FIG. 3, tracks of various parts including a melody track and a rhythm track are formed on the musical tone track.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the melody of the vocal part of the karaoke tune, that is, the melody sequence data to be sung by the singer is written in the guide melody track. The CPU 30 generates reference pitch data and volume data based on the data and compares the generated data with the singing voice. When there are a plurality of vocal parts (for example, a main melody and a chorus melody) as in a duet song, there is a guide melody track corresponding to each part.

  The lyrics track is composed of sequence data for displaying lyrics on the monitor 46. Although this sequence data is not musical sound data, this track is also described in the MIDI data format in order to unify the implementation and facilitate the work process. The type of data is a system exclusive message. The lyrics track usually includes a character code corresponding to one line of lyrics displayed on the monitor, its display coordinates on the monitor screen, display time, and wipe sequence data. The wipe sequence data is sequence data for changing the display color of the lyrics in accordance with the progress of the song. The timing of changing the display color (time from when the lyrics are displayed) and the change position (coordinates) ) Is data sequentially recorded over the length of one line.

  The audio track is a sequence track that specifies the generation timing of the audio data n (n = 1, 2, 3,...) Stored in the audio data section. The voice data section stores a human voice such as a back chorus which is difficult to synthesize by the sound source device 38. In the audio track, the audio designation data and the reading interval of the audio designation data, that is, the duration data Δt that designates the timing of outputting the audio data to the audio data processing unit 39 and forming the audio signal, are written. The voice designation data includes a voice data number, pitch data, and volume data. The audio data number is an identification number n of each audio data recorded in the audio data section. The pitch data and the volume data are data for specifying the pitch and volume of the audio data to be formed. That is, a back chorus such as "Ah" or "Wawa Wawa" without words can be used many times by changing the pitch and volume. The pitch and volume are shifted based on and used repeatedly. The audio data processing unit 39 sets the output level based on the volume data, and sets the pitch of the audio signal by changing the reading interval of the audio data based on the pitch data.

In the effect track, DSP control data for controlling the effect DSP 40 is written. The effect DSP 40 applies reverberation or other reverberation-based effects to signals input from the sound source device 38 and the audio data processing unit 39. The DSP control data is composed of data for specifying the kind of the effect and data for specifying the degree of effect application such as the delay time and the echo level.
Such music data is read from the HDD 37 at the start of the karaoke performance and loaded into the RAM 32.

  Next, the contents of the memory map of the RAM 32 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the RAM 32 temporarily stores a program storage area 324 for storing loaded system programs and application programs, an execution data storage area 323 for storing music data for karaoke performance, and a guide melody. A MIDI buffer 320, a reference data register 321 for storing reference data extracted from the guide melody, and a difference data storage area 322 for storing difference data obtained by comparing the reference with the singing voice are set. . The reference data register 321 includes a pitch data register 321a and a volume data register 321b. The difference data storage area 322 includes a pitch difference data storage area 322a and a volume difference data storage area 322b.

Now, the configuration of the karaoke apparatus will be described again with reference to FIG. In the figure, a communication control unit 36 downloads music data and the like from a host computer (not shown) via an ISDN line, and transfers music data received by an internal DMA controller directly to the HDD 37 without passing through the CPU 30.
The remote control receiver 33 receives the infrared signal sent from the remote controller 51 and restores the input data. The remote controller 51 includes a command switch such as a music selection switch, a numeric key switch, and the like. When the user operates these switches, an infrared signal modulated with a code corresponding to the operation is transmitted.
The display panel 34 is provided on the front of the karaoke apparatus, and displays the currently playing music code and the number of reserved music. The panel switch 35 is provided on the front of the karaoke apparatus, and includes a music code input switch, a key change switch, and the like. Further, the on / off of the scoring function can be designated by the remote controller 51 or the panel switch 35.

  The sound source device 38 forms a tone signal based on the data of the tone track of the music data. The music data is read by the CPU 30 during a karaoke performance, and the guide melody track, which is comparison data, is read in parallel with the musical sound track. The tone generator 38 reads out the data of each of the musical tone tracks in parallel, and simultaneously generates musical tone signals of a plurality of parts.

  The audio data processing unit 39 forms an audio signal having a specified length and a specified pitch based on the audio data included in the music data. The audio data is a signal waveform that is hardly generated electronically by the sound source device 38 such as a back chorus and is directly converted into ADPCM data and stored. The tone signal formed by the sound source device 38 and the sound signal formed by the sound data processing section 39 are karaoke performance sounds, which are input to the effect DSP 40. The effect DSP 40 adds effects such as reverb and echo to the karaoke performance sound. The karaoke performance sound to which the effect has been added is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 41 and then output to the amplifier speaker 42.

  47a and 47b are singing microphones. Singing voice signals V1 and V2 input from the microphones 47a and 47b are amplified by a preamplifier (not shown) and then input to the amplifier speaker 42 and the selector 48, respectively. Is done.

  The selector 48 selects each of the singing voice signals V1 and V2 under the control of the CPU 30, and outputs a voice processing DSP 49. In this case, switching of the selector 48 includes a straight mode in which the singing voice signal V1 supplied to the input terminal X1 is output from the output terminal Y1 and the singing voice signal V2 supplied to the input terminal X2 is output from the output terminal Y2. There is a mix mode in which the singing voice signals V1 and V2 supplied to the input terminals X1 and X2 are mixed and then output to the output terminals Y1 and Y2.

  Here, the selection of the mode is determined by a combination of the music data and the operation of the remote controller 51. For example, some songs have data of a hamori part, but whether or not to use the hamori function is left to the discretion of the user. When the user wants to sing using the hamori function, the user operates the remote controller 51 and inputs that fact, and the hamori part and the main vocal part are performed. On the other hand, if no operation is performed, The performance is performed only by the main vocal part. In this case, the straight mode is used if the hamori function is used, and the mixed mode is used if it is not used. In other words, the mode is selected based on the music data set by the user, including various effects.

  Each of the singing voice signals V1 and V2 input to the voice processing DSP 49 is converted into a digital signal, and then subjected to signal processing for scoring processing. The configuration including the voice processing DSP 49 and the CPU 30 realizes a function of a scoring processing unit 50 described later. Further, the amplifier speaker 42 amplifies the input karaoke performance sound and each singing voice signal, gives an effect such as an echo to each singing voice signal, and then emits the sound from the speaker.

  The DSP 49 for voice processing detects the levels of the singing voice signals V1 and V2 converted into digital signals, and generates volume data. The CPU 30 controls to change the size of the character displayed on the monitor 46 based on the volume data. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a human face of an animation may be used as a character, and the size of the face may be changed according to the level indicated by the volume data. In this case, the character data is transmitted from the outside and stored in the HDD 37 via the communication control unit 36, for example. The CPU 30 reads character data from the HDD 37 and expands the character data in the RAM 32. Then, image processing is performed on the character data using the volume data as a magnification to generate display data. The display data is transferred to the display control unit 45.

  Thereby, the input level of the singing voice can be displayed on the monitor 46 using the character. In addition, if the microphones 47a and 47b are incorrectly selected when singing a duet song, accurate scoring cannot be performed, and if the microphones 47a and 47b are incorrectly selected when singing a battle song, the scoring results will be reversed. turn into. For this reason, in the present embodiment, two types of characters are prepared and corresponded to the microphones 47a and 47b. In this case, when the singer speaks toward each of the microphones 47a and 47b, the size of the corresponding character changes. Therefore, the singer can easily confirm whether he / she is going to sing with the correct microphone.

  Next, when a character code is input, the character display unit 43 shown in FIG. 1 reads out font data such as a song title and lyrics corresponding to the character code from an internal ROM (not shown) and outputs the data. The LD changer 44 reproduces the background video of the corresponding LD based on the input video selection data (chapter number). The video selection data is determined based on the genre data of the karaoke song. This genre data is written in the header of the music data, and is read by the CPU 30 at the start of the karaoke performance. The CPU 30 determines which background video is to be reproduced based on the genre data, and outputs video selection data specifying the background video to the LD changer 44. The LD changer 44 contains about five laser disks, and can reproduce about 120 scenes of background video. One background video is selected from among them according to the video selection data, and is output as video data. The video data and font data such as lyrics output from the character display unit 43 are superimposed by the display control unit 45, and the composite image is displayed on the monitor 46. When the scoring result is calculated by the scoring processing unit 50, a character corresponding to the scoring result is output from the character display unit 43 and displayed on the monitor 46.

  When the display data indicating the microphone input level is transferred to the display control unit 45, the display control unit 45 superimposes the display data on the video data. Further, when singing a battle song, moving image data representing a scene in which an animation character fights is read from the HDD 37 and supplied to the display control unit 45. When the scoring result is calculated by the scoring processing unit 50, a character corresponding to the scoring result is output from the character display unit 43 and displayed on the monitor 46.

<B: scoring processor 50>
Next, the scoring processing unit 50 of the present embodiment will be described. The scoring processing unit 50 is configured by hardware such as the above-described voice processing DSP 49 and CPU 30 and scoring software. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the scoring processing unit 50. In the figure, the scoring processing unit 50 includes a first scoring unit 50A, a second scoring unit 50B, a combining unit 50C, and an evaluation unit 50D.
The first and second scoring units 50A and 50B are composed of a pair of A / D converters 501a and 501b, data extraction units 502a and 502b, comparison units 503a and 503b, and filters 504a and 504b.

  The A / D converters 501a and 501b each convert the singing voice signal output from the selector 48 into a digital signal. The data extraction units 502a and 502b extract pitch data and volume data from each digitized singing voice signal every 100 ms. The comparing units 503a and 503b compare the pitch data and the volume data extracted from each singing voice signal with the pitch data and the volume data of the reference melody data #A and #B, respectively, and calculate the difference therebetween. Output as differential data Diffa and Diffb.

Here, the difference data Diffa and Diffb are composed of the following data.
Ti: Measurement time data (measured by relative time of performance clock)
ΔT: Duration data (time since last measurement time)
Mi: Reference melody state data (whether or not a section requires singing, "1" for a singing section, "0" for a non-singing section)
Si: Singing state data (singing presence / absence, “1” during singing, “0” during non-singing)
Fi: Pitch difference data (pitch difference is indicated by log scale (cent unit))
Li: Volume difference data (The volume difference is indicated by log scale (dB unit))
Here, “i” indicates that it is the i-th sample.

In this case, since the pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li are expressed on a log scale, the calculation of the synthesis unit 50C at the subsequent stage can be simplified.
The reference melody state data Mi is generated by the CPU 30 based on music data corresponding to each part recorded on the guide melody track. Specifically, it is generated from the note-on status and the note-off status in the music data.
The singing state data Si is generated by each of the comparison units 503a and 503b by comparing each volume data supplied from the data extraction units 502a and 502b with a predetermined threshold. In this case, the threshold is set to a level at which it is possible to determine whether the user is singing.

  Here, the singing voice data, the reference data, and the difference data Diff will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing examples of a guide melody as a reference. FIG. 7A shows the guide melody in a staff notation, and FIG. 7B shows the contents of the staff converted into pitch data and volume data with a gate time of about 80%. The volume rises and falls according to the instruction of mp → crescendo → mp. On the other hand, FIG. 3C shows an example of a singing voice. Both the pitch and volume slightly fluctuate from the values indicated by the reference. The singing state data Si in this case becomes “1” when the volume data exceeds the threshold as shown in the figure, and becomes “0” when the volume data is lower than the threshold. The evaluation unit 50D, which will be described later, does not treat a sample whose singing state data Si is “0” as a valid sample. The reason for ignoring the low-volume part is that, in this section, the proportion of the noise component in the pitch difference data Fi or the volume difference data Li is large, and the scoring accuracy is degraded.

  By the way, the pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li usually fluctuate within a certain range, and when these values fluctuate suddenly, it is assumed that erroneous calculation was performed due to malfunction due to noise or the like. You can think. If the singing ability is scored based on the pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li affected by the noise, the singing ability of the singer cannot be properly evaluated. The filters 504a and 504b are provided to invalidate the pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li in such a case.

Each of the filters 504a and 504b has a buffer, a subtractor, and a comparator therein. The buffer stores pitch difference data Fi-1 and volume difference data Li-1 calculated for the immediately preceding sample. Then, when the pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li corresponding to the current sample are input, the subtractor calculates ΔLi = | Li−Li−1 | and ΔFi = | Fi−Fi−1 | You. The comparator compares ΔLi and ΔFi with predetermined thresholds Lr and Fr, respectively, and outputs a control signal that becomes “1” when the threshold value is exceeded and “0” when the threshold value is exceeded. Here, each threshold value is determined so that an invalid sample can be determined from various types of actually measured data. Then, when the control signal is "1", the filters 504a and 504b invalidate the current pitch difference data Fi and the volume difference data Li.
As a result, it is possible to invalidate a sample whose change is larger than that of the previous sample and to properly evaluate the singing ability of the singer.

  Next, the combining unit 50C combines the difference data Diffa and Diffb at the same time by referring to the measurement time data Ti to generate combined difference data Diffc. The synthetic difference data Diffc is composed of synthetic reference melody state data Mi ′, synthetic singing state data Si ′, synthetic pitch difference data Fi ′, and synthetic volume difference data Li ′, in addition to the measurement time data Ti and the duration data ΔT. You.

  Here, assuming that each data constituting the difference data Diffa is represented by adding a suffix “1” and each data relating to the difference data Diffb is appended with a suffix “2”, the combined reference melody state data Mi ′ is represented by Mi1 and Mi2. As a logical sum, the synthetic singing state data Si 'is calculated as a logical sum of Si1 and Si2. The synthesized pitch difference data Fi 'and the synthesized volume difference data Li' are calculated according to the following equations according to Mi1 and Mi2 and Si1 and Si2.

1) When Mi1 * Mi2 * Si1 * Si2 = 1 In this case, the scoring performed by any scoring unit is a valid singing section and a period in which the singer is singing. Therefore, an average value of the difference data is calculated.
Fi ′ = (Fi1 + Fi2) / 2
Li ′ = (Li1 + Li2) / 2

2) Mi1 * Si1 = 1, Mi2 * Si2 = 0
In this case, the scoring performed by the second scoring unit 50B is performed during a non-singing section or a period during which no singing is being performed. On the other hand, the scoring performed by the first scoring unit 50A is a period during which the singer is singing in the effective singing section. Therefore, the difference data Diffb is ignored.
Fi '= Fi1
Li '= Li1

3) Mi1 * Si1 = 0, Mi2 * Si2 = 1
In this case, the scoring performed by the first scoring unit 50A is performed during a non-singing section or a period during which no singing is being performed. On the other hand, the scoring performed by the second scoring unit 50B is a period during which the singer is singing in the effective singing section. Therefore, the difference data Diffa is ignored.
Fi '= Fi2
Li '= Li2

By configuring the synthesizing unit 50C in this manner, for example, in a mixed singing section of a duet song, when a male singer sings correctly and a female singer does not sing, a portion where a female singer did not sing Is excluded from the scoring, and the singing ability of a male singer who sings correctly can be used as both singing skills.
In addition, in a single singing section of a duet song, singing voices that should not be sung originally are not to be scored, and accurate scoring results can be obtained based only on originally planned singing voices.

  Next, the evaluation unit 50D includes a storage unit and the like (not shown), and calculates a scoring result based on the difference data Diffa, Diffb or the combined difference data Diffc. When the difference data Diffa, Diffb or the combined difference data Diffc is input, the difference data Diffa, Diffb, or the combined difference data Diffc is stored in the storage unit (that is, the difference data storage area 322 of the RAM 32). In this case, the CPU 30 controls which data of Diffa, Diffb or Diffc is stored in the storage unit. This accumulation is performed at any time during the performance of the music.

  When the performance of the music is completed, the evaluation unit 50D sequentially reads out the difference data stored in the storage unit, accumulates the difference data for each musical element of pitch and volume, and gives a score based on each accumulated value. Find the subtraction value for Then, each subtraction value is subtracted from the full score (100 points) to obtain a score for each music element, and the average value of these is output as a scoring result.

  By the way, the songs sung by the karaoke apparatus include battle songs provided for two singers to compete for singing ability. When singing a battle song, the selector 48 is set to the straight mode, the first scoring unit 50A and the second scoring unit 50B perform scoring separately, and difference data Diffa and Diffb are generated. In this case, the evaluation unit 50D can be represented by a block diagram shown in FIG.

As illustrated, the evaluation unit 50D includes first to fourth evaluation function operation units 510 to 540, first and second comparison units 550 and 560, a random number generation unit 570, and a determination unit 580. . Here, the first and second evaluation function calculation units 510 and 520 perform scoring using the evaluation function Q1 (X) to calculate scoring results Q1a and Q1b. Further, the third and fourth evaluation function calculation units 530 and 540 perform scoring using the evaluation function Q2 (X) to calculate scoring results Q2a and Q2b. The evaluation function Q1 (X) and the evaluation function Q2 (X) are different from each other. For example, if the evaluation function Q1 (X) evaluates with emphasis on the volume difference, while the evaluation function Q2 (X) evaluates with emphasis on the pitch difference, the evaluation functions Q1 (X), Q2 ( X) is represented by the following equation.
Q1 (X) = k1 * Fi + k2 * Li
Q2 (X) = k3 * Fi + k4 * Li
However, it is assumed that k1> k3 and k2 <k4.

The scoring results Q1a, Q1b, Q2a, Q2b are represented by the following equations.
Q1a = 100− (k1 * Fi1 + k2 * Li1)
Q1b = 100− (k1 * Fi2 + k2 * Li2)
Q2a = 100− (k3 * Fi1 + k4 * Li1)
Q2b = 100− (k3 * Fi2 + k4 * Li2)

Next, the first comparing unit 550 compares the scoring results Q1a and Q1b, and calculates the magnitude relation therebetween. There are three types of comparison results, Q1a large, Q1b large, and coincidence. By the way, in the first comparing section 550, when Fi1 = Fi2 and Li1 = Li2, or when the following equation is satisfied, Q1a = Q1b.
k1 / k2 = (Li2-Li1) / (Fi1-Fi2)
In this case, since the same scoring result is obtained, it is not possible to determine the superiority of the singing ability. However, the battle song is sung by the singer and the surrounding audience to enhance the karaoke atmosphere according to the result of the determination. Therefore, if the determination result is a draw, even if the song is sung with great effort, it will lack interest. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the third and fourth evaluation function calculation units 530 and 540 are provided so that the singing ability can be evaluated by the second evaluation function Q2 (x).

  Next, the second comparing section 560 compares the scoring results Q2a and Q2b, and calculates the magnitude relation therebetween. As the comparison result, there are three types: large Q2a, large Q2b, and coincidence. Next, the random number generator 570 generates a binary random number and outputs the least significant bit as a random number M. The random number may be generated using, for example, an M-sequence code generation circuit.

  Next, the determination unit 580 determines the singing ability based on the comparison result of the first and second comparison units 550 and 560 and the random number M. First, when the comparison result of the first comparing section 550 indicates that Q1a is large or Q1b is large, the determination is performed based on these. When Q1a is large, a determination result is generated that the singer sung by the microphone 47a wins the microphone 47a, and when Q1b is large, the singer sung by the microphone 47b wins.

  Next, when the comparison result of the first comparison unit 550 indicates a match and the comparison result of the second comparison unit 560 indicates a large Q2a or a large Q2b, the comparison result of the second comparison unit 560 A determination is made based on this. More specifically, a determination result is generated that, when Q2a is large, the singer who sings with the microphone 47a wins, and when Q2b is large, the singer sings with the microphone 47b wins.

  Next, when both the first and second comparison units 550 and 560 indicate a match, the determination unit 580 makes a determination based on the random number M. Specifically, when the random number M is "1", the singer who sings with the microphone 47a wins, and when the random number M is "0", the singer sings with the microphone 47b wins. Generate

  Thus, when a battle song is sung, even if the evaluation by the evaluation function Q1 (x) is the same for two singers, it is possible to determine the singing ability by the evaluation function Q2 (x). Even if the evaluations by the evaluation functions Q1 (x) and Q2 (x) are the same, it is possible to give priority to the random numbers M. As a result. Singing ability can always be assigned, and the atmosphere of singing can be enhanced.

<C: Operation of Embodiment>
Next, the operation according to the present embodiment will be described. In this example, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the singer is singing in the section to be sung and the singing state data Si = 1.

<C-1: When singing a battle song>
First, a case where two singers sing a battle song will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the battle tune of this example is composed of prelude / interlude sections t1 and t5 and first to third singing sections t2 to t4 as shown in FIG. In this case, since it is necessary to score for each singer, the selector 48 is set to the straight mode as shown in FIG.

  When the singing of the battle song is designated by operating the remote controller 51, the CPU 30 detects this based on a signal from the remote controller receiving unit 33. Thereafter, the CPU 30 reads out a plurality of character data from the HDD 37 and displays them on the monitor 46. The singer selects a favorite character from the characters displayed on the monitor 46 by operating the remote controller 51. Thereafter, the CPU 30 displays characters to be played in the upper left and upper right corners of the screen of the monitor 46. In this case, the size of the character changes according to the input level of the singing voice. Therefore, the singer can confirm his or her own character by speaking into each of the microphones 47a and 47b.

  The same reference melody data #A is supplied to the first scoring unit 50A and the second scoring unit 50B shown in FIG. Accordingly, when the singing voice signals V1 and V2 are input to the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B, the first scoring unit 50A and the second scoring unit 50B generate difference data Diffa and Diffb. I do. In this case, since it is necessary to perform the scoring for each singer, the evaluation unit 50D generates a scoring result based on the difference data Diffa and a scoring result based on the difference data Diffb, and determines the singing ability based on this. The determination is made for each singing section, and the overall superiority is determined at the end of the song. Then, an animation is displayed on the monitor 46 based on the determination result.

  Here, the display operation of the monitor 46 in each of the singing sections t2 to t4 will be described. When detecting the singing section based on the presence or absence of the guide melody data in the music data, the CPU 30 reads out the moving image data from the HDD 37 and displays it on the monitor 46. The moving image data in this case represents a scene S1 in which each character is fighting, as shown in FIG. The character used here matches the input level of the microphone with that represented by its size. Therefore, the CPU 30 reads the moving image data from the HDD 37 based on the character set specified by the operation of the remote controller 51 described above.

  Next, at the end of each of the singing sections t2 to t4, moving image data representing the winning or losing of the character is displayed based on the determination result generated by the determining unit 580. For example, if two singers fight against each other using a boy and a girl, and the singing power of the song sung using the girl character is superior, as shown in FIG. The scene S2 is displayed on the monitor 46. Therefore, the CPU 30 reads the moving image data from the HDD 37 based on the combination of the determination result and the character.

<C-2: When singing a normal song>
Next, a case where one singer sings a normal song will be described. In this case, the difference data may be generated by one of the scoring units, but in the present embodiment, the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B simultaneously process the difference data in order to reduce noise. And scoring is performed based on the average value.
Therefore, the selector 48 is set to the mix mode, and the same reference melody data #A is supplied to the first scoring unit 50A and the second scoring unit 50B. Then, the combining unit 50C calculates an average value of the difference data Diffa and the difference data Diffb, and outputs the result as combined difference data Diffc.

In general, since the noise component is random noise, averaging reduces the component by 3 dB. On the other hand, the signal component does not change even if the average is taken. Therefore, the SN ratio of the synthesized pitch difference data Fi ′ and the synthesized volume difference data Li ′ in the synthesized difference data Diffc is improved by 3 dB as compared with those of the difference data Diffa and the difference data Diffb.
As a result, in the A / D converters 501a and 501b, it is possible to reduce a noise component generated due to an error generated at the time of quantization and an error at the time of detecting a pitch, and to score the singing ability with high accuracy. It becomes possible.

<C-3: When singing a duet song>
Next, a case where male and female singers sing a duet song will be described. In a duet song, there are generally a male singing section in which only men sing, a female singing section in which only women sing, a mixed singing section in which men and women sing simultaneously, and a prelude / interlude section in which both do not sing. In the hybrid section, since both sing at the same time, it is necessary to score the singing power in each of the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B. On the other hand, in the male singing section or the female singing section, scoring can be performed by generating difference data in one of the sections, but in the present embodiment, in order to improve the scoring accuracy, this is performed. Also in this case, difference data is generated using both the scoring units, and the difference data is averaged by the combining unit 50C to obtain combined difference data.

  This point will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In this example, it is assumed that a man sings with the microphone 47a and a woman sings with the microphone 47b. FIG. 11A shows an example of the progress of a duet song. The duet music in this example progresses in the order of a prelude section T1, a male singing section T2, a female singing section T3, a mixed singing section T4, and an interlude section T5. FIG. 11B shows the mode of the selector 48, and FIG. 11C shows the display of a character. Note that #M will be described as reference melody data for the male part and #W will be described as reference melody data for the female part. The CPU 30 determines each singing section based on section information in the song data.

  First, since the prelude section T1 and the interlude section T5 are not original singing sections, there is no guide melody and they are excluded from scoring. Therefore, the switching mode of the selector 48 may be either the slate mode or the mix mode, but is set to the slate mode so that the microphones 47a and 47b can be easily checked. By the way, men and women cooperate to sing duet songs. For this reason, the predetermined male and female characters are displayed on the monitor 46. In particular, only when the singer wants to change the character, the character is changed by operating the remote controller 51. In this example, the microphone 47a corresponds to a male character, and the microphone 47b corresponds to a female character.

  In the prelude section T1 and the interlude section T5, the characters Ca and Cb are displayed on the upper left and upper right of the monitor 46, as shown in FIG. Here, assuming that the singer speaks toward the microphone 47a, the male character Ca increases and changes to the character Ca '. As a result, if the female singer utters the voice toward the microphone 47a, it can be recognized that the microphone has been mistaken.

  Next, in the male singing section T2, the selector 48 is set to the mix mode. In this case, the CPU 30 controls so that the input terminal X1 of the selector 48 is connected to the output terminals Y1 and Y2, and the input terminal X2 of the selector 48 is opened. Therefore, the male singing voice signal V1 output from the microphone 47a is supplied to the first scoring unit 50A and the second scoring unit 50B. In this section, the reference melody data #M is supplied to the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B. Therefore, the male singing voice signal V1 and the reference melody data #M of the male part are compared by the two scoring units 50A and 50B, and the average value is generated in the synthesizing unit 50C. The evaluation unit 50D scores the section based on the combined difference data Diffc from the combining unit 50C. In this case, the combined difference data Diffc has an improved SN ratio as compared with the difference data Diffat and Diffb.

  This section is a singing section only for men, but a singer who is not used to singing may not know this. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the character Cbs in which the size of the female character Cb is reduced is displayed on the monitor 46 so that the singer can recognize that the section is a section where a male sings. In this case, the data of the character Cbs is generated by the CPU 30 performing image reduction processing based on the data read from the HDD 37. It should be noted that the size of the character Cbs does not change even if it is uttered toward the microphone 47b.

  Next, in the female singing section T3, the selector 48 is set to the mix mode as in the male singing section T2. However, the connection state inside the selector 48 is different from the male singing section T2. In this case, the CPU performs control so that the input terminal X2 of the selector 48 is connected to the output terminals Y1 and Y2, and the input terminal X1 of the selector 48 is opened. Therefore, the male singing voice signal V1 is not output from the selector 48. In the section where only one of the two singers is to sing, both singing voice signals are not mixed and output to the output terminals Y1 and Y2, and the input from the other microphone is opened, for example, This is because, when the male clapping in the singing section T3, the clapping is performed as noise, and the singing ability of the female cannot be properly evaluated.

  Thus, when the female singing voice signal V2 is supplied to the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B, the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B perform comparison based on the reference melody data #W. . When the comparison result is averaged by the combining unit 50C and output as the combined difference data Diffc, the evaluation unit 50D scores the section based on the combined difference data Diffc. Also in this case, similarly to the male singing section T, the synthetic difference data Diffc has an improved SN ratio compared to the difference data Diffat and Diffb.

  In addition, in order to make the singer recognize that this section is a female-only singing section, contrary to the male singing section, a character Cas in which the size of the male character Ca is reduced is displayed on the monitor 46. The singer recognizes that the section is a section where a woman sings (see FIG. 11C). In this case, the data of the character Cas is generated by the CPU 30 performing image reduction processing based on the data read from the HDD 37. Note that the point that the size of the character Cas does not change even when uttered toward the microphone 47a is the same as the point that the size of the character Cbs does not change in the male singing section.

  Next, in the mixed singing section, the selector 48 is set to the straight mode. In this case, the CPU 30 controls the input terminal X1 and the output terminal Y1 of the selector 48 to be connected, and controls the input terminal X2 to be connected to the output terminal Y1. Therefore, the male singing voice signal V1 is supplied to the first scoring unit 50A, and the female singing voice signal V2 is supplied to the second scoring unit 50B. In this section, reference melody data #M and #W are supplied to the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B, respectively. Therefore, different difference data Diffa, Diffb are output from the first and second scoring units 50A, 50B. The synthesizing unit 50C calculates an average value of both, and generates synthetic difference data Diffc.

  Here, assuming that a woman does not sing in a part of the section, the synthesis unit 50C does not calculate the average value during the period, but calculates the sound generated by the first scoring unit 50A. The high difference data Fi1 and the volume difference data Li1 are output as combined difference data Diffc. This makes it possible to perform comprehensive scoring based on the male singing ability.

  In the hybrid singing section, characters Ca and Cb of normal size are displayed on the upper left and upper right of the monitor 46. In this case, the sizes of the characters Ca and Cb change according to the level of the singing voice.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the battle tune, scoring is performed by using a plurality of evaluation functions to determine the superiority or inferiority, so that the number of draws can be reduced, and the scoring results by any of the evaluation functions are consistent. In this case, since the priority is determined using the random number M, the draw can be eliminated at all.
Since the input levels of the microphones 47a and 47b are displayed as the size of the character, the volume can be known at a glance. Further, it is possible to easily determine the type of microphone to be sung.

Further, based on the combination of the music data and the operation of the remote controller 51, the CPU 30 controls the switching of the selector 48 and the reference guide melody data supplied to the first and second scoring units 50A and 50B. By effectively utilizing the second scoring units 50A and 50B, it is possible to calculate an accurate and appropriate scoring result.
That is, when one singer sings, a scoring result can be obtained based on the synthesized difference data Diffc with an improved SN ratio. In a duet song, the operation of the synthesizing unit 50C depends on the nature of the singing section. By switching, accurate and appropriate scoring results can be calculated.

<D: Modification>
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications as described below are possible.
(1) For example, in the embodiment, the case of performing a karaoke performance of a duet song has been described as an example. In this case, the scoring processing unit 50 may be extended to a system corresponding to the number of parts, and guide melody may be prepared by the number of tracks corresponding to the number of parts.
(2) Further, instead of obtaining the average value of each music element as the scoring result as in the embodiment, the score of the pitch, volume or rhythm may be output as the scoring result for each music element.

(3) In the grading process, the grading is performed collectively after the song is completed. However, the basic evaluation may be performed in units of phrases and musical notes, and the results may be totaled after the tune is completed. Further, the scoring result may be displayed on the monitor 46 for each phrase unit, and the final scoring result may be displayed after the end of the music.
(4) In the embodiment, the average value of the scores obtained for each vocal part in the duet music is output. However, the average value may be output individually, or both may be output. . In the case of outputting individually, the scoring result may be calculated by the evaluation unit 50D based on each of the difference data Diffa and Diffb.
(5) In addition, the user's enjoyment can be further increased by adopting various display modes such as highlighting the score of the highest scoring result among the plurality of singing voices.

(6) In the embodiment, the first and second evaluation function calculation units 510 and 520 perform the calculation using the evaluation function Q1 (x), while the third and fourth evaluation function calculation units 530 and 540 Although the calculation using the evaluation function Q2 (x) was performed in the above, the first and second evaluation function calculation units 510 and 520 may be operated in a time-sharing manner, and one of them may be omitted. Similarly, the third and fourth evaluation function calculation units 530 and 540 may be operated in a time-sharing manner, and one of them may be omitted. Further, these functions may be performed by the CPU 30.

(7) In the embodiment, when singing a duet song, in the male singing section and the female singing section, the character corresponding to the singing voice signal for which no singing is scheduled is reduced in size and displayed on the monitor 46. However, an unsupported character may not be displayed on the monitor 46. In this case, the CPU 30 may detect the male / female singing section based on the music data and select a character to be displayed on the monitor 46 based on the detection result.

(8) In the embodiment, the first and second evaluation function operation units 510 and 520 are provided. However, when one of the evaluation function operation units is used and a determination is made that there is no superiority or inferiority, Alternatively, the priority may be determined by a random number generated by the random number generation unit 570.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the data format of the music data in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a music track of the music data. It is a figure showing composition of tracks other than a musical tone track of the music data. It is a figure showing the contents of the memory map of RAM in the karaoke device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a singing volume level and a character size in the karaoke apparatus. It is a block diagram showing the composition of the scoring processing part in the karaoke device. (A) is a diagram showing an example of a guide melody in the embodiment in a staff notation, (B) is a diagram showing pitch data and volume data of a reference based on the guide melody, (C) is pitch data of a singing voice, It is a figure which shows volume data and singing state data. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the evaluation part 50D when a battle song is sung in the karaoke apparatus. It is a timing chart in the case of singing a battle song in the karaoke apparatus. It is a timing chart at the time of singing a duet song in the karaoke apparatus.

Explanation of reference numerals

  30 CPU (control means, scoring means), 31 ROM, 32 RAM, 37 hard disk device, 38 sound source device, 46 monitor, 47a, 47b microphones (first and second microphones), 48 ... Selector (selection means), 49 DSP for voice processing, 50 ... scoring processing section, 501a, 501b ... A / D converter, 502a, 502b ... data extraction section (first and second extraction means), 503a, 503b ... Comparison sections (first and second comparison means), 510, 520... First and second evaluation function operation sections (first evaluation section), 550... First and second comparison sections (first evaluation section) 530, 540... Third and fourth evaluation function calculation units (second evaluation unit), 560... Second comparison unit (second evaluation unit), 570... Random number generation unit, 580.

Claims (2)

In a karaoke apparatus that performs a song based on song data and displays lyrics on a monitor,
Selecting means for mixing or selecting a singing voice signal fetched from the first microphone and a singing voice signal fetched from the second microphone and outputting from the first output terminal and the second output terminal;
First detecting means for detecting a singing volume based on the singing voice signal output from the first output terminal;
Second detection means for detecting a singing volume based on the singing voice signal output from the second output terminal;
The shape of the first character is changed and displayed on the monitor in accordance with the singing volume detected by the first detecting means, and the second character is displayed on the monitor in accordance with the singing volume detected by the second detecting means. Display control means for changing the size of the character and displaying the character on the monitor;
A karaoke apparatus, comprising: control means for controlling switching of the selection means and setting of the first and second characters in synchronization with each other based on the music data. When the control means detects that the song data is composed of a mixed singing section sung by two singers and a single singing section sung by one singer,
In the hybrid singing section, the selecting means is controlled so as to output the mixed singing voice signal from the first and second output terminals, and the singing volume detected by the first and second detecting means. The shapes of the first and second characters are changed in accordance with
In the single singing section, the singing voice signal from the first microphone is output from a first output terminal and the singing voice signal from a second microphone is output from the second output terminal. 2. The karaoke machine according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit is controlled and the shape of the corresponding character is changed according to a singing volume detected from the singing voice signal of the one singer. 3. apparatus.

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