JP2006171331A - Karaoke system equipped with noise gate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output a noise-free voice by a karaoke system equipped with a noise gate by preventing noise from being added when a digital signal is converted into an analog signal. <P>SOLUTION: A karaoke commander 20 is equipped with the noise gate 117 which cuts off an analog signal within a range specified as noise from an analog signal output from a DA conversion part 115 and amplified by a preamplifier 116. When no karaoke performance is carried out during a wait for music selection, a voice control part 101 controls the noise gate 117 to cuts off an analog signal as noise. When a karaoke performance is carried out, on the other hand, the voice control part 101 controls the noise gate 117 to permit the analog signal to pass. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In the karaoke apparatus having a noise gate, the present invention includes the noise added by the DA converter when the karaoke is not performed by controlling the output of the analog signal to which the noise is added when the digital signal is converted into an analog signal. The present invention relates to a technique for reducing the influence on the sound selection at the time of karaoke performance and the sound output at the time of performance due to the control of the noise output during karaoke performance.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a digital audio processor configured to remove noise generated when there is no external input or when the output level of a signal processed internally is very low. In such a digital audio processor, by detecting the volume level of the input signal inside the digital audio processor and operating the noise gate, the noise output is stopped by stopping the output of the digital signal when the input signal is not input. It is off (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, the signal from which noise has been removed is converted to analog and output. An example of various devices including such a digital audio processor is a karaoke device that performs karaoke performance using a MIDI signal corresponding to music data.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-200351 (pages 3, 4 and 1)

  However, in the karaoke apparatus as described above, the noise contained in the digital output signal is removed by detecting the volume level of the input signal and operating the noise gate inside the digital audio processor as described above. For this reason, when converting a digital signal into analog, the internal noise of the DA converter itself is added as new noise even if there is no signal, so that the added noise is further amplified at the time of output. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the present invention is to output an analog signal to which noise is added when converting a digital signal into analog in a karaoke apparatus having a noise gate. By controlling, when the karaoke is not performed, a signal including noise added by the DA converter is not output, and at the time of karaoke performance, the output of the noise is controlled, so that the karaoke performance is selected and the sound is output to the sound. The purpose is to provide a technique for reducing the influence.

  A karaoke apparatus having a noise gate according to claim 1 for solving the above-described problem detects the start and end of karaoke performance using a note-on signal and a note-off signal included in a MIDI signal, and During performance, the noise gate is controlled to block analog signals that are noise. Specifically, a karaoke apparatus equipped with a noise gate is configured to perform karaoke performance based on a MIDI signal corresponding to a music piece, a MIDI signal acquisition unit capable of acquiring a MIDI signal, and an input signal from a microphone. The digital conversion part which digitally converts and produces | generates a digital signal, the input part which can receive the input of a digital signal, the digital audio processing part, the analog conversion part, and the analog signal output part are provided. The digital audio processing unit performs audio processing on the “MIDI signal” acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit together with the “digital signal” generated by the digital conversion unit to generate a digital signal after the audio processing. The analog conversion unit analog-converts the digital signal after audio processing generated by the digital audio processing unit to generate an analog signal, and the analog signal output unit outputs the analog signal based on the generated analog signal. The karaoke apparatus includes a noise gate, a karaoke performance determination unit, and a noise gate control unit. The noise gate can block the analog signal in the range specified as noise from the analog signal between after being output from the analog converter and before being output at the analog signal output unit. The determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has been started when the first note-on signal is detected from the MIDI signal acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit, and when the last note-off signal is detected from the MIDI signal thereafter. It is determined that the karaoke performance has ended. When the karaoke performance determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has started, the noise gate control unit controls the noise gate to pass the analog signal. On the other hand, when the karaoke performance determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has ended, the noise gate control unit controls the analog signal to be cut off by the noise gate.

  According to such this invention, there exist the following effects. In other words, when karaoke performance is not being performed, such as waiting for music selection, the noise gate is controlled to block the analog signal that is noise, so that the noise can be cut off and silenced as long as there is no microphone sound. . Even if the volume of the amplifier is increased, the noise is cut off, so that the amplified noise is not output at a high volume and is quiet. On the other hand, when a karaoke performance is being performed, the analog signal is controlled to pass through a noise gate. For example, the analog conversion unit uniquely adds the karaoke performance song and the microphone signal to the analog conversion unit. Even if the analog signal of the noise is output, the analog signal of the karaoke performance and the microphone sound is sufficiently larger than the analog signal of the noise, so the influence of the noise on the volume during the karaoke performance is small. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a quiet karaoke environment free from noise when karaoke is not performed.

  Moreover, according to this invention, there exist the following effects. That is, in a karaoke apparatus having a conventional configuration, the noise gate is detected after detecting the volume level of the input signal in order to operate the noise gate by detecting the volume level of the input signal inside the digital audio processor as described above. Since it takes time to operate, there is a problem that the head of so-called karaoke performance occurs. On the other hand, according to the present invention, since the noise gate is controlled using the note signal, it is possible to turn off the operation of cutting off the analog signal that is noise caused by the noise gate before the karaoke performance is started. It is possible to prevent the karaoke performance from being cut off.

  When the MIDI signal is composed of a plurality of parts including a vocal part, it can be considered that the non-performance time is determined as follows. That is, (b) it can be considered that the last note-off signal of a part other than the vocal part is determined as non-performance time. Specifically, it is conceivable that the karaoke performance determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has ended when the last note-off signal of a part other than the vocal part is detected.

  In addition, (b) when the vocal guide melody is longer than the musical instrument part, it is considered that the last note-off signal of the vocal part is judged as not playing. Specifically, as in claim 2, the karaoke performance determination unit is in a position where the last note-off signal of the vocal part in the MIDI signal is played after the last note-off signal of a part other than the vocal part. In this case, it may be determined that the karaoke performance has ended when the note-off signal of the vocal part is detected.

  In a karaoke apparatus having a conventional configuration, the noise gate is operated in the middle of each part such as a vocal part in order to operate the noise gate by detecting the volume level of the input signal inside the digital audio processor as described above. In some cases, the sound quality of each part may change depending on the presence or absence of noise included in the analog signal. On the other hand, according to the present invention, since the noise gate is operated based on the note-on signal or note-off signal of a part such as a vocal part, the sound quality of each part changes depending on the presence or absence of noise included in the analog signal. Without causing a sense of incongruity in the output sound due to switching of the operation of the noise gate. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine the start of non-performance using the note-off signal of a specific part included in the MIDI signal. For example, the output based on the input signal from the microphone can be performed halfway. There is no end.

  By the way, for example, when the input signal from a microphone or the like is delayed, the analog signal conversion unit generates an analog signal so that a part of the input signal is positioned after the note-off signal of the vocal part. May be output. Then, the noise gate is operated by the note-off signal of the vocal part, so that the signal after the operation of the noise gate is not output among the delayed input signals.

  Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to control the operation of the noise gate corresponding to the delay time of the microphone echo. Specifically, as in claim 3, the audio processing unit can perform delay processing on the digital signal received by the input unit during audio processing, and the audio processing unit can perform delay processing on the digital signal. In the case where it is applied, it is conceivable that the noise gate control unit performs control so as to delay the operation of the noise gate in accordance with the delay time by the delay processing. For example, the noise gate control unit performs control so as to delay the operation of the noise gate by a predetermined time corresponding to the delay time by the delay processing. That is, the noise gate control unit controls the operation of the noise gate in a stepwise manner in accordance with the delay time by the delay processing.

  If the operation of the noise gate is delayed according to the delay time of the delay processing applied to the input signal in this way, for example, when the delay processing such as microphone echo is applied to the input signal, the vocal part notes It is possible to prevent a part of the input signal from being output due to the operation of the noise gate due to the off signal.

  By the way, in the karaoke apparatus as described above, for example, various volume settings such as a microphone volume, a music volume, and a main volume can be set independently. In such a case, for example, when the microphone volume is set to be smaller than the music volume, there is a possibility that the singing voice input from the microphone is blocked together with noise and is not output.

  Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to set a signal level threshold value that is determined to be noise in accordance with the volume setting of a microphone or the volume setting of a karaoke performance. Specifically, as described in claim 4, during the audio processing, the above-described audio processing unit performs volume setting for the MIDI signal acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit and the digital signal received by the input unit It is possible to set the volume for the volume, and furthermore, a digital signal is generated by synthesizing the MIDI signal after the volume setting and the digital signal after the volume setting, and the volume setting is set for the combined digital signal. In addition, based on the threshold of the signal level that can be set by the noise gate control unit, the above-described noise gate is output from the analog conversion unit and before being output from the analog signal output unit. The analog signal in the range specified as noise below the threshold can be cut off from the analog signal between, and the noise gate controller Therefore, the larger one of the volume setting value for the set MIDI signal or the volume setting value for the digital signal set by the audio processing unit and the volume setting value for the combined digital signal set by the audio processing unit. It is conceivable to set a threshold according to the total value.

  In this case, for example, the noise gate is operated in correlation with the volume setting for a MIDI signal such as a music volume, the volume signal for a digital signal such as a microphone volume, and the volume setting for a synthesized digital signal such as a main volume. Can be maintained at a certain ratio, for example, when the microphone volume is set smaller than the music volume, the singing voice input from the microphone is judged as noise and is not output because it is blocked by the noise gate. Can be prevented.

  By the way, in the above-mentioned karaoke apparatus, the output of the power amplifier connected to the karaoke apparatus is silent when the noise gate is operating. In such a case, it cannot be determined whether the karaoke apparatus is operating normally, and the user makes an erroneous determination that the sound cannot be heard due to the small output, and the user outputs a sound from the karaoke apparatus. In order to confirm the presence or absence of the power amplifier, the volume setting of the power amplifier may be changed to change the above volume setting.For example, when karaoke performance starts when the volume of the power amplifier is set to a high level, the speaker connected to the power amplifier There is a risk of loud output.

  Therefore, when the volume of the power amplifier is large, it can be considered to mute the sound output from the karaoke apparatus. Specifically, as in claim 5, the analog signal output unit can amplify the analog signal output from the analog conversion unit based on a settable volume value, and output the analog signal. An analog signal input blocking unit capable of blocking an analog signal output from the analog signal output unit, and an analog signal input control unit capable of acquiring the volume value from the analog signal output unit. When the volume value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the analog signal input control unit controls the analog signal input blocking unit to block the analog signal output from the analog conversion unit from being input to the analog signal output unit, When the acquired volume value is less than the predetermined value, the analog signal input control unit controls the analog signal input blocking unit to output an analog signal analog signal output unit. It is considered that so as not to block the input.

  In this way, if the volume setting by the volume of the power amplifier is large, it is muted, so even if the user operates the volume to check the presence of noise and changes the above volume setting, for example, Even when the volume setting of the power amplifier volume is increased, karaoke performance does not start and a loud sound is not output from the speaker connected to the power amplifier.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the karaoke system 1000. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of the audio control unit of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing MIDI data, and FIG. 4 shows each track and MIDI standard byte string constituting MIDI data. It is explanatory drawing.

[First embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the karaoke system 1000 according to the present embodiment is configured such that a plurality of karaoke commanders 20 can communicate with each other via a LAN. The karaoke commander 20 corresponds to “a karaoke apparatus having a noise gate” in the claims. Although only two karaoke commanders 20 are not shown in FIG. 1, in practice, a large number of karaoke commanders 20 are connected via a LAN. The karaoke commander 20 is connected to the host PC 21 via a telephone line, and can receive distribution of various information such as music information from the host PC 21. The karaoke commander 20 and the host PC 21 may be connected via the Internet.

[Description of configuration of karaoke commander 20]
The karaoke commander 20 includes a front panel 1, a commander main body 30, microphones 22 and 23, a DVD player 24, a monitor 25, a power amplifier 103, and a speaker 104, and is configured to perform karaoke performance based on a MIDI signal corresponding to music. Has been.

  Among these, the front panel 1 is provided on the front surface of the karaoke commander 20, and includes a power switch 1a, a music code input switch 1b, a key change switch (not shown), and a 7-segment LED 1c for displaying an input music code. Etc. Further, the front panel 1 includes a one-chip CPU 1 d therein, and the one-chip CPU 1 d is connected to the main control unit 7 of the commander main body 30.

  The commander body 30 includes a main control unit 7 for controlling the operation of the karaoke commander 20 as a whole, a LAN interface 2 for connecting the karaoke commander 20 to the LAN, a modem 3 for connecting the karaoke commander 20 to the host PC 21, and a DVD player 24. A video input unit 4 for inputting an input signal from the main control unit 7, a microphone amplifier 5 for amplifying an audio signal input from the microphones 22 and 23, and an AD conversion unit for digitally converting the input signal from the DVD player 24 6. A / D conversion unit 111 that digitally converts the audio signal that has been input from the microphones 22 and 23 and then amplified by the microphone amplifier 5, and the video signal output from the main control unit 7 is decoded into the MPEG format and sent to the monitor 25. Output video output MPEG decode 8, accompaniment content and lyrics of performance music Hard disk (HDD) 10 for storing song data, video data, etc., voice control unit 101, song data output from voice control unit 101, voice signal from microphone digitally converted by AD conversion unit 111, and AD conversion unit 6 The digital audio processing unit 102 that performs various digital audio processing on the input signal from the DVD recorder 24 digitally converted by the DA, the DA conversion unit 115 that converts the digital audio processing signal by the digital audio processing unit 102 into analog, and DA conversion A preamplifier 116 that amplifies the analog signal converted by the unit 115 and outputs it to the power amplifier 103, a noise gate 117, and a volume that adjusts the volume of the analog signal analog converted by the DA conversion unit 115 and outputs it to the noise gate 117 118 etc. It is provided. The main control unit 7 and the audio control unit 101 are connected by USB.

[Description of Configuration of HDD 10]
In addition to an area for storing various programs, the HDD 10 includes an area for storing song data (see FIG. 3) for performing karaoke performance.

[Description of Main Control Unit 7]
The main control unit 7 has a function of controlling the entire karaoke commander 20 as shown in FIG. The main control unit 7 is connected to another karaoke commander 20 via the LAN interface 2 and the LAN. Further, the main control unit 7 is connected to the host PC 21 via the modem 3 and a telephone line. The main control unit 7 is connected to the video input unit 4, the video output MPEG decode 8, the HDDs 10 and 11, and the audio control unit 101. The main control unit 7 includes a serial I / O 7b.

  The main control unit 7 configured as described above transmits the video data acquired from the DVD player 24 via the video input unit 4 and the video data read from the HDDs 10 and 11 to the video output MPEG decode 8 to perform decoding processing. Thus, the decoded data can be output as video on the monitor 25. Further, the main control unit 7 can read out MIDI data corresponding to the karaoke performance from the HDDs 10 and 11 and transmit the read-out MIDI data to the audio control unit 101 via the serial I / O 7b.

[Description of Configuration of Voice Control Unit 101]
The voice control unit 101 includes a microcomputer 101a therein and has a function of acquiring music data (MIDI signals) from the HDDs 10 and 11 via the main control unit 7. The audio control unit 101 has a function of outputting the acquired MIDI signal to the digital audio processing unit 102 and instructing the digital audio processing unit 102 to perform digital audio processing on the music data. Furthermore, the voice control unit 101 determines that the karaoke performance has started when the first note-on signal is detected from the acquired MIDI signal, and then detects the last note-off signal from the MIDI signal. It has a function of determining that the performance has ended. In addition, the voice control unit 101 transmits a PLAY signal to the noise gate, so that when it is determined that the karaoke performance has started, the voice control unit 101 controls the noise gate 117 to detect the analog signal in the range identified as noise from the analog signal. On the other hand, when it is determined that the karaoke performance is finished, the noise gate 117 has a function of controlling the analog signal to be cut off. Further, the audio control unit 101 transmits a volume control signal to the volume 118, thereby controlling the volume 118 and converting the volume of the analog signal analog-converted by the DA conversion unit 115 (see “audio detection adjustment” in FIG. 2). It has a function to adjust.

The voice control unit 101 corresponds to a MIDI signal acquisition unit, a karaoke performance determination unit, and a noise gate control unit.
[Description of Configuration of Digital Audio Processing Unit 102]
The digital audio processing unit 102 is connected to a CPU (not shown) that controls the operation of the entire digital audio processing unit 102 by a ROM (not shown), a RAM (not shown), a MIDI sound source unit 112, and an equalizer (not shown) via a bus. ), The music effect unit 113, the vocal effect unit 114, and the volumes 102a, 102b, and 102c are connected. A voice processing function is also included. The volumes 102a, 102b, and 102c are configured such that the volume can be set by the main control unit 7 based on the input from the front panel 1.

In the ROM, an application program for controlling the operation of the digital audio processing unit 102 is stored.
The MIDI tone generator 112 forms a (digital) tone signal based on the tone track data of the song data. The song data is read from the HDDs 10 and 11 by the CPU of the digital audio processing unit 102 via the CPU of the main control unit 7 during karaoke performance. The musical tone track is composed of a plurality of tracks, and the MIDI sound source unit 112 simultaneously forms a plurality of parts of musical tone signals based on this data. The musical tone signal formed by the MIDI sound source unit 112 is a karaoke performance sound, and these are input to the equalizer via the music effect unit 113.

  On the other hand, the singing voice signal or sound signal input from the microphones 22 and 23 is amplified by the microphone amplifier 5, converted into a digital signal via the AD conversion unit 111, and input to the vocal effect unit 114 and the frequency analysis unit. . The vocal effect unit 114 gives an acoustic effect such as echo to the singing voice signal and outputs it. The singing voice signal (see “Mic Volume” in FIG. 2) whose volume is adjusted by the volume 102a after being output from the vocal effect unit 114 is output by the volume 102b after being output from the music effect unit 113. The music signal corresponding to the karaoke performance sound (see “music volume” in FIG. 2) is mixed, and the volume (see “main volume” in FIG. 2) is adjusted by the volume 102c, and then the analog signal is output by the DA converter 115. Is output to the speaker 104 through the power amplifier 103 after passing through the preamplifier 116 and the noise gate 117.

[Description of Configuration of Power Amplifier 103 and Speaker 104]
The power amplifier 103 has a function of amplifying the analog signal. The speaker 104 has a function of outputting an analog signal amplified by the power amplifier 103.

The power amplifier 103 and the speaker 104 correspond to an analog signal output unit.
[Description of Configuration of Noise Gate 117]
The noise gate 117 includes an audio detection IC 117a and a mute unit 117b, and has a function of cutting off an analog signal in a range specified as noise from the analog signal output from the DA converter 115 and amplified by the preamplifier 116. .

The mute unit 117b has a function of outputting / blocking the analog signal output from the preamplifier 116 to the power amplifier.
The sound detection IC 117a has a function of controlling the mute unit 117b based on the analog signal output from the volume 118 to output / shut off the analog signal output from the preamplifier 116 to the power amplifier.

[Description of noise gate control processing]
Below, the processing procedure of the noise gate control process which the audio | voice control part 101 performs is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the noise gate control processing.

This noise gate control process is executed while the karaoke commander 20 is activated.
First, in step S105, it is determined whether there is a song selection. If there is a song selection (S105: Y), the process proceeds to S125 described later. On the other hand, if there is no music selection (S105: N), the process proceeds to S110.

  In S110, it is determined whether or not a karaoke performance is being performed. When the karaoke performance is being performed (S110: Y), the noise gate 117 is invalidated (S115), and this process is terminated. On the other hand, when the karaoke performance is not being performed (S110: N), the noise gate is validated (S120), and this process is terminated.

Further, in S125 that is shifted when it is determined that there is a music selection in the previous S105, music data corresponding to the music selection is acquired from the HDDs 10 and 11 via the main control unit 7.
In the subsequent S130, the music data acquired in the previous S125 is converted into a MIDI transfer byte string (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  In subsequent S135, the first note-on signal of the guide melody and the last note-off signal of the guide melody are detected from the MIDI transfer byte sequence converted in S130 with reference to the processing result of the note data output processing described later. To do.

In S140, the MIDI transfer byte string converted in S130 is transferred to the digital audio processing unit 102.
In subsequent S145, the converted MIDI transfer byte string is transmitted to the digital audio processing unit 102 while confirming each signal, and it is determined whether or not the signal being confirmed is the first note-on signal of the guide melody. When the signal being confirmed is the first note-on signal of the guide melody (S145: Y), the noise gate 117 is invalidated (S160, see FIG. 6B), and the process proceeds to S150. On the other hand, if the signal being confirmed is not the first note-on signal of the guide melody (S145: N), the process proceeds to S150 as it is.

  In subsequent S150, the converted MIDI transfer byte sequence is transmitted to the digital audio processing unit 102 while confirming each individual signal, and it is determined whether or not the signal being confirmed is the last note-off signal of the guide melody. If the signal being confirmed is the last note-off signal of the guide melody (S150: Y), the noise gate 117 is validated (S165, see FIG. 6B), and the process proceeds to S155. On the other hand, if the signal being confirmed is not the last note-off signal of the guide melody (S150: N), the process proceeds to S155 as it is.

  In subsequent S155, it is determined whether or not the signal being confirmed is the last signal in the MIDI transfer byte sequence. If the signal being confirmed is not the last signal in the MIDI transfer byte string (S155: N), the process proceeds to S145, and the processes from S145 onward are executed again. On the other hand, when the signal being confirmed is the last signal in the MIDI transfer byte string (S155: Y), this process is terminated.

[Description of note data output processing]
Below, the process sequence of the note data output process which the audio | voice control part 101 performs is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG.

  This note data output processing is executed while the karaoke commander 20 is activated, and the processing result is obtained from the MIDI transfer byte sequence and the first note-on signal of the guide melody and the guide in S135 in the noise gate control processing described above. Used when detecting the last note-off signal of a melody.

First, in step S205, the step value interval between the current note and the next note in the track is detected.
In S210, it is determined whether or not the step value interval between the current note and the next note in the track detected in the previous S205 is smaller than the numerical value “24”.

  In S210, when it is determined that the above-described step value interval is larger than the numerical value “24” (S210: No), the process proceeds to S220 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the step value interval is smaller than the numerical value “24” (S210: Yes), the process proceeds to S212, and the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “4/5” is the sound. It is determined whether or not it is larger than the length value. If it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “4/5” is smaller than the value of the sound length (S212: No), the process proceeds to S240 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “4/5” is larger than the sound length value (S212: Yes), the sound length value is set to the above step value interval. The value is multiplied by the numerical value “4/5” (S214), and the process proceeds to S240 described later. “Sound length” refers to the time from note-on to note-off. Note-on refers to the timing when the guide melody sound is output at the set pitch, and note-off refers to the timing when the output of the guide melody sound is stopped and the pitch is turned off (FIG. 18). reference).

  In S220, when the above step value interval is determined to be larger than the numerical value “24” when the previous S210 is executed, it is determined whether or not the above step value interval is smaller than the numerical value “48”. to decide. When it is determined that the above-described step value interval is larger than the numerical value “48” (S220: No), the process proceeds to S230 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described step value interval is smaller than the numerical value “48” (S220: Yes), the process proceeds to S222, and a value obtained by multiplying the above-described step value interval by the numerical value “3/4” is obtained. It is judged whether or not it is larger than the value of the sound length. If it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “3/4” is smaller than the value of the sound length (S222: No), the process proceeds to S240 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “3/4” is larger than the sound length value (S222: Yes), the sound length value is set to the above step value interval. The value is multiplied by the numerical value “3/4” (S224), and the process proceeds to S240 described later.

  In S230, when the above step value interval is determined to be larger than the numerical value “48” when the previous S220 is executed, the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “2/3” is obtained. It is determined whether or not it is longer than the sound length. When it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “2/3” is smaller than the value of the sound length (S230: No), the process proceeds to S240 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value obtained by multiplying the above step value interval by the numerical value “2/3” is larger than the sound length value (S230: Yes), the sound length value is set to the above step value interval. The value is multiplied by the numerical value “2/3” (S232), and the process proceeds to S240.

  In S240, it is determined whether or not the above-described step value interval is smaller than the numerical value “192”. When it is determined that the above-described step value interval is larger than the numerical value “192” (S220: No), the process proceeds to S250 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described step value interval is smaller than the numerical value “192” (S240: Yes), the process proceeds to S242 to determine whether the above-described step value interval is smaller than the sound length value. To do. When it is determined that the above-described step value interval is larger than the sound length value (S242: No), the process proceeds to S246 described later. On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described step value interval is smaller than the sound length value (S242: Yes), the sound length value is changed to the above-described step value interval (S244), and the process proceeds to S246 described later. To do.

  Further, in S250, when the above-described step value interval is determined to be larger than the numerical value “192” when the previous S240 is executed, it is determined whether or not the sound length value is larger than the numerical value “192”. To do. When it is determined that the value of the sound length is smaller than the numerical value “192” (S250: No), the process proceeds to S246 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the sound length value is larger than the numerical value “192” (S250: Yes), the sound length value is changed to the numerical value “128” (S252), and the process proceeds to S246.

In S246, note-on is output.
In subsequent S248, a note-off command is created from the note-on command, and the created note-off command is registered in the note-off table together with the sound length information. Then, this process ends.

[effect]
Thus, according to the karaoke commander 20 of the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, when the karaoke performance is not performed due to the music selection waiting or the like, the noise gate 117 is controlled to block the analog signal including noise inherently added by the DA converter 115, so that the microphone sound does not enter. As long as noise can be cut off, silence can be achieved. Even if the volume of the power amplifier 103 is increased, the noise is cut off, so that the amplified noise is not output at a large volume and is quiet. On the other hand, when a karaoke performance is being performed, the noise gate 117 is inherently added by the DA conversion unit 115 and the analog signal of the karaoke performance music and microphone sound generated by the DA conversion unit 115. The analog signal of noise and all analog signals are allowed to pass through, but the noise is sufficiently small compared to the analog signal level of the music and microphone sound during karaoke performance, so it is added uniquely by the DA converter 115. It is possible to output an analog signal that is less affected by noise during karaoke performance.

  Moreover, according to the karaoke commander 20 of this embodiment, there exist the following effects. That is, in the karaoke apparatus having the conventional configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, each part such as a vocal part is operated in order to detect the volume level of the input signal and operate the noise gate inside the digital audio processor. In some cases, the noise gate is operated in the middle of the process, and the sound quality of each part may change due to the presence or absence of noise included in the analog signal. On the other hand, according to the karaoke commander 20 of this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the last note-off signal of the guide melody in the MIDI signal is played after the last note-off signal of the part other than the guide melody. If it is in the position, the karaoke performance is judged to have ended when the note-off signal of the vocal part is detected, and the noise gate 117 is operated based on the note-on signal and the note-off signal of the guide melody. The sound quality of each part does not change due to the presence or absence of noise included in the analog signal, and the output sound does not feel uncomfortable due to the operation switching of the noise gate 117.

  In addition, since the noise gate is activated using the last note-off signal of the guide melody, the operation of blocking the analog signal, which is noise by the noise gate 117, before the karaoke performance starts can be turned off, so-called It is possible to prevent the karaoke performance from being cut off.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It is possible to implement in the following various aspects.

(1) In the karaoke commander 20 of the present embodiment, in the noise gate control process, the last note-off signal of the guide melody is determined to be non-performance, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG. As illustrated in Fig. 5, it may be determined that the performance is not performed by the last note-off signal of the part other than the guide melody. Even in such a case, when the karaoke performance is not performed because of waiting for music selection or the like, the noise gate 117 is controlled to block the analog signal including noise inherently added by the DA converter 115. As long as there is no sound, the noise can be cut off and the sound can be silenced. Even if the volume of the power amplifier 103 is increased, the noise is cut off, so that the amplified noise is not output at a large volume and is quiet. On the other hand, when a karaoke performance is being performed, the noise gate 117 is inherently added by the DA conversion unit 115 and the analog signal of the karaoke performance music and microphone sound generated by the DA conversion unit 115. The analog signal of noise and all analog signals are allowed to pass through, but the noise is sufficiently small compared to the analog signal level of the music and microphone sound during karaoke performance, so it is added uniquely by the DA converter 115. It is possible to output an analog signal that is less affected by noise during karaoke performance.
On the other hand, when the karaoke performance is being performed, the noise gate 117 controls the analog signal to be cut off, so that when the sound is input from the microphones 22 and 23, the DA conversion unit 115 inherently adds it. Noise can be removed, and an analog signal containing no noise can be output.

  (2) In the karaoke commander 20 of the present embodiment, in the noise gate control process, for example, the operation of the noise gate may be delayed in proportion to the delay time of the microphone echo.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the karaoke commander 520 has the following differences from the karaoke commander 20 of the first embodiment. That is, the sound control unit 101 has a function of transmitting a delay time control signal for delaying the operation of the noise gate 117 to the sound detection IC 117a of the noise gate 117 based on various settings. The sound detection IC 117a of the noise gate 117 has a function of controlling the mute unit 117b and delaying its operation based on the delay time control signal transmitted from the sound control unit 101.

Note that the delay time in this case is calculated by the following equation (A).

(Delay time T1 of voice detection IC 117a)> (Echo delay time T2) × (Number of repeats N) Expression (A)

According to the karaoke commander 520 of the second embodiment (2), the following effects can be obtained. That is, for example, when delay processing is performed on the input signals from the microphones 22 and 23, the DA converter 115 performs analog processing so that a part of the input signal is positioned after the note-off signal of the guide melody. May generate a signal. Then, if the noise gate 117 is not operated by the note-off signal of the guide melody, all the input signals are output (see FIG. 10B), but the note-off signal of the guide melody as illustrated in FIG. 10A. Therefore, when the noise gate 117 is operated, a part of the input signal is not output. On the other hand, according to the karaoke commander 520 of the second embodiment (2), according to the delay time of the delay processing applied to the input signals from the microphones 22 and 23 as illustrated in FIG. Since the operation of the noise gate 117 is delayed, for example, when a delay process such as microphone echo is performed on the input signal, a part of the input signal is output by the operation of the noise gate 117 by the note-off signal of the guide melody. Can be prevented.

  (3) In the karaoke commander 520 of the second embodiment (2), in the noise gate control process, for example, the operation of the noise gate is delayed in proportion to the delay time of the microphone echo, but this is not limitative. Alternatively, the operation of the noise gate 117 may be delayed by determining the delay time by the port control by the voice control unit 101.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, the karaoke commander 620 has the following differences from the karaoke commander 520 of another embodiment (2). That is, the karaoke commander 520 includes a relay circuit 630.

  The relay circuit 630 includes relays 631, 632, 633 and capacitors 634, 635, 636, 637 that operate according to instructions from the voice control unit 101. One end of each of the relays 631, 632, 633 is grounded. The other ends of the relays 631, 632, 633 are connected to one ends of the capacitors 634, 635, 636, respectively. Further, the other ends of the capacitors 634, 635 and 636 and one end of the capacitor 637 are connected to the sound detection IC 117 a of the noise gate 117. The other end of the capacitor 637 is grounded. The relay circuit 630 configured as described above can charge and discharge the capacitors 634, 635, and 636 independently by operating the relays 631, 632, and 633 according to instructions from the voice control unit 101. Different voltages (eight steps in the present embodiment (3)) can be applied to the detection IC 117a.

  On the other hand, the voice detection IC 117a has a function of controlling the mute unit 117b and delaying its operation based on the echo delay time T2 corresponding to the voltage applied by the relay circuit 630.

The delay time T1 in this case is calculated with reference to a table as illustrated in FIG. 11B, using a value obtained by multiplying the echo delay time T2 and the number of repeats N.
According to the karaoke commander 620 of this another embodiment (3), the same operational effects as the karaoke commander 520 of the other embodiment (2) are obtained.

  (4) In a conventional karaoke apparatus, various volume settings such as a microphone volume, a music volume, and a main volume can be set independently. In such a case, for example, the microphone volume is higher than the music volume. When it is set to a small value, there is a possibility that the singing voice input from the microphone is blocked with noise and is not output. Therefore, for example, a threshold value for enabling the noise gate may be set according to the volume setting of the microphones 22 and 23 or the volume setting of the karaoke performance. Specifically, the voice control unit 101 executes the following threshold setting process.

[Explanation of threshold setting process]
Below, the processing procedure of the threshold value setting process which the audio | voice control part 101 performs is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. 13, and FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the threshold setting process.

This threshold value setting process is executed independently from the above-described noise gate control process while the karaoke commander 20 is activated.
First, in step S310, the microphone volume and the music volume are obtained from the setting value of the volume 102a and the setting value of the volume 102b, respectively.

  In subsequent S320, it is determined whether or not the microphone volume is larger than the music volume. When it is determined that the microphone volume is larger than the music volume (S320: Y), the set value of the volume 102c indicating the main volume is acquired, and the acquired main volume and the microphone volume are added (S330), The process proceeds to S350. On the other hand, when it is determined that the microphone volume is equal to or lower than the music volume (S320: N), the set value of the volume 102c indicating the main volume is acquired, and the acquired main volume and the music volume are added (S340). ), And the process proceeds to S350.

  In S350, using the addition value of the main volume and the microphone volume or the music volume in S330 or S340, the calculated value is calculated with reference to the table illustrated in FIG. 12C. Is set as a voice detection adjustment value (S360). Then, this process ends.

  In this way, as illustrated in FIGS. 12B and 12C, for example, the threshold value for operating the noise gate 117 is fixed in correlation with the volume settings of the music volume, microphone volume, and main volume. For example, when the microphone volume is set to be lower than the music volume, it is possible to prevent the singing voice input from the microphone from being blocked with noise and not being output.

  (5) Also, in the conventional karaoke apparatus, the sound gate is silent when the noise gate is operating. In such a case, the volume is set so that the user can confirm the presence or absence of noise. The above-described volume setting may be changed by operation. For example, when a karaoke performance is started when the music volume is increased, a high volume output may be performed. Therefore, if the volume is large, it may be muted.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the karaoke commander 720 has the following differences from the karaoke commander 20 of the first embodiment. That is, the sound control unit 101 has a function of acquiring the volume setting of the power amplifier 103 from the power amplifier 103. The audio control unit 101 also has a function of transmitting a mute signal for directly performing the operation of the noise gate 117 to the mute unit 117b of the noise gate 117 based on the volume setting of the power amplifier 103. The voice control unit 101 corresponds to an analog signal input control unit, and the mute unit 117b of the noise gate 117 corresponds to an analog signal input blocking unit.

  For obtaining the volume setting of the power amplifier 103, the power amplifier 103 may be configured as follows. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 16A, the operation positions and resistance values of the dual volumes VR1 and VR2 for adjusting the main volume of the power amplifier 103 are configured to be linked to each other. The resistance value is changed according to the set position of VR2, and the volume of the output sound relative to the input sound is changed by changing the resistance value of the volume VR1 arranged between the two amplifiers, and the reference voltage Vref and the volume VR2 are changed. Thus, a voltage corresponding to the set position of the volume VR1 is output from the volume VR2. The voltage output from the volume VR2 is applied to the sound control unit 101. On the other hand, the audio control unit 101 identifies the volume setting of the power amplifier 103 by converting the voltage output from the volume VR2 of the power amplifier 103 and applied to a numerical value.

  For obtaining the volume setting of the power amplifier 103, the power amplifier 103 may be configured as follows. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the set position of the main volume of the power amplifier 103 is converted into a voltage value, the converted voltage value is converted into a digital value by an AD conversion unit, and the voice control unit is operated by a microcomputer. Configured to send to the microcomputer. On the other hand, the sound control unit 101 specifies the volume setting of the power amplifier 103 from the digital value of the voltage value transmitted from the microcomputer of the power amplifier 103.

  In this way, as illustrated in FIG. 15, when the volume setting of the power amplifier 103 is large, the mute unit 117b of the noise gate 117 is directly controlled to operate the noise gate. Even if the volume setting is changed by operating the volume of the power amplifier 103 to confirm the above, for example, when the music volume is increased, the karaoke performance does not start and a high volume output is not performed.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the karaoke system of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the audio | voice control part of this embodiment. (A) is explanatory drawing (1) which shows MIDI data, (b) is explanatory drawing (2) which shows MIDI data, (c) is explanatory drawing (3) which shows MIDI data, (d ) Is an explanatory diagram (4) showing MIDI data. It is explanatory drawing which shows each track | truck and MIDI specification byte sequence which comprise MIDI data. It is a flowchart which shows a noise gate control process. It is a flowchart which shows a note data detection process. It is explanatory drawing explaining a noise gate control process. (a) is explanatory drawing explaining the conventional noise gate control processing, (b) is explanatory drawing explaining the noise gate control processing of another embodiment (1). It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the audio | voice control part of another embodiment (2). It is explanatory drawing explaining the noise gate control process of another embodiment (2), (a) shows the case where mute is validated, (b) shows the case where mute is invalidated, (c) is audio | voice. It is explanatory drawing regarding operation | movement of detection IC. (A) It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the audio | voice control part of another embodiment (3), (b) is explanatory drawing explaining the noise gate control process of another embodiment (3). It is explanatory drawing explaining the noise gate control processing of another embodiment (4), (a) is explanatory drawing (1) regarding operation | movement of audio | voice detection IC, (b) is explanatory drawing regarding operation | movement of audio | voice detection IC ( 2) and (c) are explanatory views (3) regarding the operation of the voice detection IC. It is a flowchart which shows a threshold value setting process. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the audio | voice control part of another embodiment (5). It is explanatory drawing explaining the noise gate control process of another embodiment (5). (A) It is a block diagram (1) which shows the detail of the power amplifier of another embodiment (5), (b) is a block diagram (2) which shows the detail of the power amplifier of another embodiment (5).

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front panel, 1a ... Power switch, 1b ... Music code input switch, 1c ... 7 segment LED, 1d ... 1 chip CPU, 2 ... LAN interface, 3 ... Modem, 4 ... Video input unit, 5 ... Microphone amplifier, 6 ... AD conversion unit, 7 ... Main control unit, 7b ... Serial I / O, 8 ... Video output MPEG decoding DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Hard disk (HDD) 20,520,620,720 ... Karaoke commander, 21 ... Host PC, 22,23 ... Microphone, 24 ... DVD player, 25 ... Monitor , 30 ... Commander body, 101 ... Audio control unit, 101a ... Microcomputer, 102 ... Digital audio processing unit, 102a, 102b, 102c ... Volume, 103 ... Power amplifier, 104... Speaker, 111... AD conversion unit, 112... MIDI sound source unit, 113... Music effect unit, 114. ... Preamplifier, 117 ... Noise gate, 117a ... Audio detection IC, 117b ... Mute unit, 118 ... Volume, 630 ... Relay circuit, 631, 632, 633 ... Relay, 634, 635, 636, 637 ... capacitor, 1000 ... karaoke system

Claims (5)

A karaoke apparatus that performs karaoke performance based on a MIDI signal corresponding to a song,
A MIDI signal acquisition unit capable of acquiring the MIDI signal;
A digital converter that digitally converts the input signal from the microphone to generate a digital signal;
A digital audio processing unit that performs audio processing on the MIDI signal acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit together with the digital signal generated by the digital conversion unit to generate a digital signal after audio processing;
An analog conversion unit that generates an analog signal by converting the digital signal after the voice processing generated by the digital voice processing unit;
An analog signal output unit configured to output based on the generated analog signal output from the analog conversion unit;
A noise gate capable of blocking an analog signal in a range specified as being noise from an analog signal between after being output from the analog conversion unit and before being output at the analog signal output unit,
When the first note-on signal is detected from the MIDI signal acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit, it is determined that the karaoke performance has started, and then when the last note-off signal is detected from the MIDI signal, the karaoke performance is detected. A karaoke performance determination unit that determines that
When the karaoke performance determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has started, the noise gate is controlled to pass the analog signal, and when the karaoke performance determination unit determines that the karaoke performance has ended. A noise gate controller for controlling the analog signal to be blocked by the noise gate;
A karaoke apparatus provided with a noise gate. In the karaoke apparatus provided with the noise gate according to claim 1,
The MIDI signal is composed of a plurality of parts including a vocal part,
When the last note-off signal of the vocal part in the MIDI signal is in a position to be played after the last note-off signal of a part other than the vocal part, the karaoke performance determination unit A karaoke apparatus equipped with a noise gate, wherein the karaoke performance is judged to have ended when the last note-off signal is detected. In the karaoke apparatus provided with the noise gate according to claim 1 or 2,
The audio processing unit can perform a delay process on the digital signal received by the input unit during the audio processing,
The noise gate control unit controls to delay the operation of the noise gate in accordance with a delay time by the delay processing when the digital signal is subjected to delay processing by the audio processing unit. Karaoke device equipped with a noise gate. In the karaoke apparatus provided with the noise gate according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The audio processing unit can perform volume setting for the MIDI signal acquired by the MIDI signal acquisition unit and perform volume setting for the digital signal received by the input unit during the audio processing. In addition, it is possible to generate a digital signal by combining the MIDI signal after the volume setting and the digital signal after the volume setting, and to set the volume for the combined digital signal,
The noise gate is based on a threshold that can be set by the noise gate control unit, from an analog signal between after being output from the analog conversion unit and before being output at the analog signal output unit, below the threshold is The analog signal in the range specified as noise can be cut off,
The noise gate control unit is set by the audio processing unit whichever is greater between a volume setting value for the MIDI signal set by the audio processing unit or a volume setting value for the digital signal set by the audio processing unit. A karaoke apparatus comprising a noise gate, wherein the threshold value is set in accordance with a total value of a volume setting value for the combined digital signal. In the karaoke apparatus provided with the noise gate according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The analog signal output unit is capable of amplifying and outputting the analog signal output from the analog conversion unit based on a settable volume value,
An analog signal input blocking unit capable of blocking an analog signal output from the analog conversion unit from being input to the analog signal output unit;
The volume value can be acquired from the analog signal output unit, and when the acquired volume value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the analog signal input blocking unit is controlled to output the analog signal output from the analog conversion unit. An analog that prevents input to the analog signal output unit by controlling the analog signal input blocking unit when the acquired volume value is less than a predetermined value, preventing the input to the signal output unit A signal input control unit;
A karaoke apparatus provided with a noise gate.

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