JP4318441B2 - Karaoke equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a karaoke sing-along machine which enables a singer to review later which part of a karaoke song is sung well and which part is not sung well. <P>SOLUTION: The singing voice of the singer is scored in parallel to playing of the karaoke song. Score marks 52 determined at specified intervals on the basis of the scoring result are displayed over lyrics to be scored by being suerimposed on a lyrics telop 51 displayed on a monitor. The score marks are classified by red, yellow, and green according to evaluation, so the singer is able to intuitively know which part is sung well and which part is not sung well by viewing the score marks displayed in time series on the lyrics telop. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  This invention is a karaoke apparatus having a singing scoring function.InRelated.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, some karaoke apparatuses have a scoring function for scoring the skill of a singer. The scoring function that has been put to practical use from the past generally displays a scoring result after the end of a karaoke song (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
In addition, it has been proposed to display a scoring result in real time during the performance of a karaoke song (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-49183
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-10-161673
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the karaoke device that displays the scoring results after the performance of the karaoke song is over, the singer knows the skill of singing the whole song, but what part of the song is good and which part is bad I could not know.
[0006]
Moreover, even if it is a karaoke apparatus which displays a scoring result during singing of a karaoke song, since one display was changed according to the skill of the singing at that time, it changed with the progress of the karaoke song, There was a drawback that it was not possible to look back on the skill of past singing, that is, which part was good and which part was bad.
[0007]
  This invention is a karaoke device that can look back over which part of a karaoke song can be sung well and which part did not sing wellTheThe purpose is to provide.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The invention of claim 1 is a performance means for performing karaoke music,Lyrics display means for displaying lyrics telop of karaoke songs;Singing voice input means for inputting singing voice, reference data output means for outputting reference data in synchronization with the performance of the karaoke song, and the singing voice and the reference data are compared with each other so that the performance of the karaoke song is performed in parallel. Then, a scoring means for scoring the singing voice, and a scoring mark representing a scoring result of the scoring means, at regular intervals,At a position that follows the color change position of the lyrics telop on or near the lyrics telopAnd scoring result display means for displaying in time series.
[0009]
  In the present invention, in parallel with the performance means playing the karaoke music, the scoring means scores the singing voice, and the scoring results are output continuously or at a predetermined interval in time series. Then, the scoring result display means displays the scoring results output in this time series.As a scoring markCorresponding to the progress of karaoke songsAt regular intervalsDisplay in chronological order. Displaying in association with the progress of the karaoke song means that the scoring result is displayed so that the scoring result for any song of the karaoke song can be seen later, for example, in correspondence with the lyrics of the karaoke song If the scoring result is displayed, the target part of the scoring result can be determined by the lyrics. Moreover, if the scoring result is displayed in association with the melody display such as a score, the target portion of the scoring result can be determined by the melody.In addition, since the scoring result is displayed as a mark instead of characters or graphs, there is an advantage that the scoring result can be intuitively understood even during singing.
[0010]
  Also,In the present invention, a scoring mark indicating the scoring result is displayed in association with the lyrics telop. Lyric telops are line feeds and page breaks corresponding to the progress of karaoke songs, and are wiped to guide the singing. If the scoring results are displayed in association with this, it is possible to display in an easy-to-understand manner to the singer which part of the song can be sung well and which part cannot be sung well. In addition, since the scoring result is displayed as a mark instead of characters or graphs, there is an advantage that the scoring result can be intuitively understood even during singing.
[0011]
  Claim2The invention of claim1In the invention, the scoring result display means displays the scoring marks in chronological order at regular intervals on the display axis of the lyrics telop or in parallel with the display axis in association with the characters of the lyrics telop, When one character in the lyrics telop is extended for the predetermined time or longer in the progress of the karaoke song, a plurality of scoring marks associated with the character are displayed vertically shifted with respect to the display axis of the lyrics telop. And
  Claim3The invention of claim 12In the invention, the performance means is provided with a rewind means for rewinding the performance of the karaoke song and replaying the already played part, and the scoring result display means displays the scoring result after the start point of the replay. The display is erased.
  A technique for rewinding the performance of a karaoke song is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-99044 of the present applicant. When rewinding a performance by applying such a technique, the display of the scoring result given in the previous song is deleted (the previous scoring result display remains). As a result, the rewinding performance can be performed, and the scoring can be performed again from the performance resuming position.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This karaoke apparatus not only performs the operation in the normal mode of outputting the background video / lyric telop to the monitor while generating the music of the karaoke song, but also executes the operation in the scoring mode. The scoring mode of this karaoke device is a function that scores the singing skill almost in real time, and displays the scoring result as a scoring mark on the lyrics telop, which part is good and which part is good You can look back later to see if the singing was not good.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the karaoke apparatus. The karaoke apparatus is composed of a CPU 10 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus and various devices connected thereto. A hard disk 11, a RAM 12, a sound source 13, a mixer (effector) 14, a grader 19, an MPEG decoder 20, a synthesis circuit 21, and an operation unit 23 are connected to the CPU 10. The hard disk 11 stores music data for playing karaoke music, video data for displaying a background video on a monitor, and the like. The RAM 12 includes an area for reading out programs and music data, and a scoring log area for recording scoring results and the like in the scoring mode is set.
[0016]
The sound source 13 forms a musical sound signal in accordance with music data (note event data or the like) input by the music sequencer 31 executed by the CPU 10. The formed tone signal is input to the mixer 14. The mixer 14 gives an effect such as echo to the plurality of musical sound signals generated by the sound source 13 and the singing voice signal of the singer input via the microphone 17 -A / D converter 18. Mix the signal with an appropriate balance. The mixed digital audio signal is input to the sound system 15. The sound system includes a D / A converter and a power amplifier, converts an input digital signal into an analog signal, amplifies it, and emits sound from the speaker 16. The effect of the mixer 14 on each audio signal and the balance of mixing are controlled by the CPU 10.
[0017]
The singing voice signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 18 is also input to the grader 19. The grader 19 compares the frequency of the input singing voice signal with the reference to determine the amount of deviation, and inputs this to the CPU 10 as deviation data. As the reference, guide melody data included in the song data is used.
[0018]
In this embodiment, the scoring device 19 compares the pitch (frequency) of the singing voice signal with the reference pitch, and determines the difference, but the object to be compared is not limited to the pitch. . For example, the volume and rhythm may be compared, or these multiple elements may be compared.
[0019]
The background video data 41 stored in the HDD 11 is encoded in the MPEG2 format, and the background video reproduction program 33 executed by the CPU 10 reads it and inputs it to the MPEG decoder 20. The MPEG decoder 20 converts the input MPEG data into an NTSC video signal and inputs it to the synthesis circuit 21. The synthesis circuit 21 is a circuit that synthesizes lyrics telop and various OSDs on the video signal of the background video. The synthesized video signal is displayed on the monitor display 22.
[0020]
The operation unit 23 includes a panel switch interface, a remote control receiving circuit, and the like, and inputs an operation signal to the CPU 10 according to the operation of the panel switch and the remote control device by the user. The CPU 10 detects this operation signal by the operation input processing program 35 and executes a corresponding process. The operation input processing program 35 is included in the system program.
[0021]
The panel switch and the remote control device are provided with various key switches for selecting a song number and selecting a mode such as a scoring mode. Also, an RW button is provided for rewinding (rewinding) the performance portion during the performance of the karaoke song.
[0022]
When a song number is input with a panel switch or a remote control device, the operation input processing program 35 detects this and transmits it to the sequencer 30 as a request for a karaoke song. In response, the sequencer 30 reads the song data of the karaoke song identified by this song number from the song data storage area 40 of the hard disk 11. The sequencer 30 includes a song sequencer 31 and a lyrics sequencer 32, and the lyrics sequencer 32 includes a character pattern creation program 32a. The music sequencer 31 reads the data of tracks such as performance data tracks and guide melody tracks in the music data, and controls the sound source 13 with this data to generate performance sounds of karaoke music. The lyrics sequencer 32 reads the data of the lyrics track in the song data, creates a lyrics telop image pattern based on the data, and outputs the image pattern to the synthesis circuit 21. Further, the background video reproduction program 33 reads predetermined background video data in accordance with an instruction from the sequencer 30 and inputs it to the MPEG decoder 20.
[0023]
Here, the music data stored in the hard disk 11 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the song data includes a musical sound track for playing a karaoke song, a guide melody track for generating a guide melody, a lyrics track for displaying a lyrics telop, and a break in the song. The mark data track is written with mark data to be indicated. The song data has a header, audio data, audio data control track, etc. in addition to this, but it is omitted in this figure for the sake of simplicity.
[0024]
Each track is described according to the MIDI format, and includes event data and timing data indicating the read timing of each event data, as shown in FIG. The timing data can be composed of duration data indicating the time interval between the event data, absolute time data indicating the absolute time from the start time of the music, and the like. The event data of the musical tone track and the guide melody track is composed of note event data indicating the pitch, volume, on / off, etc. of the musical tone. By inputting the note event data to the sound source 13, the sound source 13 Sounds or mutes the musical sound corresponding to the data. The musical sound track is composed of a plurality of tracks (parts) for generating musical sounds of a large number of musical instruments, and the guide melody track guides the main melody track for guiding the main melody and the upper / lower hammer melody. It consists of top / bottom hammer melody tracks.
[0025]
Also, mark data indicating various break points in the karaoke song is written in the mark data track. Mark data includes the first chorus mark written at the beginning and the first chorus, the interlude mark written at the first chorus and the interlude, the second chorus mark written at the second chorus and the second chorus, and the second chorus. There is an ending mark or the like written at the separation between the eyes and the ending, and a rust start mark and rust end mark written at the start / end points of rust in each chorus. This mark is synchronized with the musical tone generated by the performance track and the guide melody track, and is described as a system exclusive message.
[0026]
On the other hand, the event data of the lyric track is sequence data in which the lyrics telop of this karaoke song is implemented with system exclusive data. As shown in FIG. is doing. The event data is page break data, lyrics display data, and the like.
The lyric display data is composed of various data for displaying one line of lyric telop. The page break data is data that divides the lyric display data in units of one line by two to four, and the lyrics telop of the lyric display data divided by the page break data is simultaneously displayed on the monitor 22 as one page. The lyrics separated by the page break data generally correspond to musical phrases of karaoke songs.
[0027]
The lyric display data includes display on timing, display off timing, character string data, color 1 data, color 2 data, wipe data (wipe function), and the like. The character string data includes the number of display points of each text, display coordinates, data between characters in addition to text data of characters. Here, “wipe” is a process of smoothly changing the text color of the lyrics telop from left to right in accordance with the progress of the singing, according to the wipe data (wipe function) shown in FIG. Done. Color 1 data and color 2 data are character colors before and after wiping the text of the lyrics telop.
[0028]
The lyrics telop is displayed at t = 0 in the wipe function of FIG. 6D, and is displayed for a time of ts with color 1 and then t₁ The wipe starts. Based on this wipe function, the wipe proceeds and t₂ To finish wiping all characters. After that, after all te is displayed in color 2, this lyrics telop is deleted. The creation and wiping process of the lyrics telop image is performed by the character pattern creation program 32a, and the display start and deletion of the telop is performed by the synthesis circuit 21.
[0029]
In the performance of the karaoke music in the normal mode, the sequencer 30 generates the karaoke performance sound and the display processing of the lyrics telop as described above. In the scoring mode, in addition to this, the scoring mode processing program 34 Such processing is executed.
[0030]
First, the contents of the screen display in the scoring mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is displayed on the monitor 22 during karaoke performance in the scoring mode. The background image 50 is displayed on the entire screen of the monitor 22, and the lyrics telop 51 is displayed on the superimposed image by superimposing synthesis, as in the normal mode karaoke performance.
In the scoring mode, a scoring mark 52 is further displayed on the lyrics. The scoring mark 52 is a ball-shaped mark displayed side by side on the lyrics telop corresponding to the progress of the song. The grader 19 and the scoring mode processing program 34 score the singer's skill in singing every predetermined time (for example, every 150 ms) and use the scoring result as a scoring mark on the lyrics corresponding to the singing target song. Will be displayed.
[0031]
In this embodiment, the skill of singing is determined by the magnitude of the deviation (cent value) between the singing frequency of the singer and the pitch indicated by the reference (guide melody data), depending on the degree of the deviation. Then, the scoring mark is determined based on the scoring mark determination table as shown in FIG. 4A, and the scoring mark is displayed at the position of the lyrics of the singing target song.
[0032]
Here, in the scoring mark determination table of FIG. 4A, the red mark (large deviation), orange mark (middle deviation), yellow mark (small deviation), green mark (no deviation) according to the magnitude of deviation. The ball-shaped mark of the color is displayed. In this table, easy mode, normal mode, and hard mode are modes for setting the difficulty level (severity of scoring). When shifting from the normal mode to the scoring mode, this difficulty level mode can be selected at the same time. it can.
In addition, since it is not necessary to alert a singer when he can sing well, it is also possible not to display a green mark.
[0033]
Moreover, although the shape of the mark is a ball shape, the shape of the mark is not limited to a spherical shape, and may be a character shape such as a pig.
Further, the magnitude of the deviation (scoring result) is distinguished by the color of the mark, but this distinction may be made by the shape and size of the mark. Further, distinction by color, shape, and size may be used together.
[0034]
In this scoring mark determination table, the scoring device 19 outputs deviation data representing the frequency deviation between the singing voice signal and the reference every 50 ms, and the scoring mode processing program 34 integrates this deviation data three times, and every 150 ms. This is a table for determining and displaying scoring marks. Therefore, the shift amount of the red mark (large shift) in the easy mode is 300 or more when there is a shift of 100 cents (semitone) or more on average. If the marking mark display interval is other than 150 ms, the value may be increased or decreased according to the display interval.
[0035]
In the upper part of the screen, a scoring mode display 58 which is an OSD indicating the scoring mode, the mode display 53 of the easy mode, the normal mode or the hard mode, a microphone input level 56, a guide melody setting 57, and the number of repeated operations 59. And a scoring meter 54 is displayed.
[0036]
The guide melody setting 57 is an indicator for displaying the volume of the guide melody and the selected content of the guide melody track of the song data. The user can switch the setting of the guide melody by operating the guide melody button on the remote controller or the operation panel, and the setting is reflected on the display of this indicator. As shown in FIG. 4C, the guide melody is set to “OFF”, “(Main melody) volume 1”, “(Main melody) volume 2”, “(Main melody) volume 3”, “(Up There are six types: “Hamo Melody” Volume 3 ”and“ (Lower Halo Melody) Volume 3 ”. Each time the guide melody button is turned on, the above setting is toggled.
[0037]
The repetitive operation count 59 indicates the number of times that the user rewinds the performance by operating the RW (rewind) button and repeatedly performs a part of the song. The rewind function will be described later.
[0038]
The scoring meter 54 is a bar graph-like indicator that displays the skill of the singing throughout the song. In the scoring mode, the karaoke song is divided into 30 sections, the skill of singing is determined for each section, and the determination result of each section is displayed in the section evaluation mark display area 55 of each section set on the scoring meter 54. Corresponding section evaluation marks (55) are sequentially displayed. As shown in FIG. 4 (B), there are seven types of section evaluation marks. Which section evaluation mark is displayed is determined according to the progress of the performance in accordance with the scored result of the section. Each time a song is evaluated, the mark displayed in the display area 55 of that section is updated.
[0039]
Below the scoring meter 54, a delimiter mark 61 indicating the start point (or end point) of the first chorus, the second chorus, the chorus, etc. of the karaoke song is displayed. In addition, on the upper part of the scoring meter, a cursor 60, which is a red horizontal line indicating the currently playing section, is displayed corresponding to the progress of the performance of the karaoke song.
[0040]
In the division of the scoring meter 54, in addition to a method in which all songs from the beginning of the intro to the end of the ending are equally divided into 30 in time, for example, the number of notes (the number of event data of the guide melody track) is equalized. For example, it may not be equal in time. Further, the division target (the display target of the scoring meter 54) does not have to be the total performance time. For example, only a portion where a certain singing portion (guide melody data (event data)) exists may be a division target, or may be a part of a song such as only the first chorus. Furthermore, the number of divisions is not limited to 30.
[0041]
Here, the section evaluation mark will be described with reference to FIG. There are seven types of section evaluation marks, and 6 to 0 codes are assigned for recording in the scoring log. Of these, the blue mark (code 0) is an unevaluated mark representing a section that has not been evaluated yet. At the start of the performance of the karaoke song, all the sections are marked with this blue mark. The blue-green mark (code 1) is an evaluation mark indicating that the section is currently being played and singing is being evaluated. The 紺 mark (code 2) is a mark indicating that there is no section to be sung such as prelude, interlude, and postlude (not evaluated).
[0042]
A crown mark (code 6), a green mark (code 5), a pink mark (code 4), and a red mark (code 3) are section evaluation marks indicating evaluations for an actual song.
The crown mark is a section evaluation mark that is determined and displayed when there is no scoring mark red mark (large deviation), orange mark (middle deviation), or yellow mark (small deviation) in the section. It means that it was excellent.
The green mark is determined when there is no red scoring mark and the orange and yellow scoring marks are 5% or less of the time to be sung in the section, that is, the yellow counter value is 5% or less of the scoring counter value. -It is the section evaluation mark displayed, which means that the singing in this section is acceptable.
The pink mark is one or two red scoring marks, or the orange and yellow scoring marks are 5% or more of the time to be sung in the section, that is, the yellow counter value is 5 of the scoring counter value. This is a section evaluation mark that is determined and displayed when the percentage is greater than or equal to the percentage, and means that the singing in this section is an effort.
The red mark is a section evaluation mark determined and displayed when there are three or more red scoring marks, and means that the singing in this section is unacceptable.
If the singing voice is not input even though it should be sung (where there is a guide melody), the grading mark is not displayed as non-singing, but the determination of the section evaluation mark is the same as the red grading mark. Is treated as
[0043]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of processing of each program in the scoring mode. In this figure, a process for displaying a scoring mark is mainly described. When playing a karaoke song, the song sequencer 31 and the lyrics sequencer 32 operate synchronously. The music sequencer 31 reads out the event data of the performance track and inputs it to the sound source 13 to generate a musical sound. Also, event data of the selected guide melody track is read out and input to the sound source 13 to generate a guide melody. On the other hand, the lyrics sequencer 32 reads the event data (lyric display data) of the lyrics track, displays the lyrics based on the event data, and changes the character color of the lyrics according to the progress of the song based on the wipe function.
[0044]
The music sequencer 31 inputs the event data (pitch information) of the selected guide melody track as a reference to the scorer 19. In addition, the singing voice of a singer who sings according to the performance sound of the karaoke song and the display of the lyrics telop is input to the grader 19. The grader 19 compares the pitch detected from this singing voice with the reference pitch information, and outputs the deviation data, which is the comparison result (the cent value of the deviation amount), every 50 ms. This deviation data is read by the scoring mode processing program 34. The scoring mode processing program 34 totals deviation data of a plurality of times (usually 3 times = 150 ms), and determines which scoring mark is displayed based on the totaling result.
In the scoring mark determination table of FIG. 4A, the scoring mark is determined based on the total value of the deviation data. However, the scoring mark determination method is not limited to this, for example, the average value of the deviation data Alternatively, it may be determined based on the number of times data that is larger than a predetermined value is input.
[0045]
When the scoring mode processing program 34 determines a scoring mark, the scoring mode processing program 34 acquires the wipe position information at that time from the lyrics sequencer 32. Then, the display position of the scoring mark is determined based on this wipe position information. Then, the graphic pattern data of the created scoring mark is formed at this display position and output to the synthesizing circuit 21 so that the scoring mark 52 is displayed on the lyrics telop 51. At the same time, the determined grading mark and its absolute time are recorded in the grading log.
In addition, even if it is the singing section (section where a guide melody is pronounced) to be scored, the grading unit 19 outputs a non-singing signal when the singer's singing voice signal is not input. In this case, the scoring mode processing program 34 does not display a scoring mark because scoring is impossible.
[0046]
Here, a method for determining the display position of the scoring mark will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5A, when the scoring mark is determined, it is assumed that the wipe position acquired from the lyrics sequencer 32 is A. This wipe position is obtained by the wipe function shown in FIG. Generally, the lyric telop wipe is performed prior to the performance (singing) so as to guide the singing. Therefore, when the wipe position is A, the position B is considered to be the performance position. That is, it can be considered that the music sequencer 31 is playing a song singing the lyrics displayed at the position B. On the other hand, the determination of the scoring mark is the scoring target for the current scoring mark due to the time required for scoring by the scoring machine 19 (50 ms) and the accumulation of misalignment data multiple times by the scoring mode processing program 34 (150 ms). When the grading mark is determined, the lyrics corresponding to the singing target song are displayed at the position of C that goes back from the performance position by this delay time, because it is delayed by about several hundred ms from the input of the singing voice (the first part). It is thought that the lyrics are. Therefore, the scoring mode processing program 34 is the scoring target position from the wipe position A acquired from the lyric sequencer 32 when the scoring mark is determined, and the position of C moved to the left by the time before the wipe and the time of the scoring delay. A scoring mark is displayed at this position.
[0047]
When the lyrics telop wipe is broken, a scoring mark may be displayed at the position moved by the above distance over two lines. Also, when the page of the lyrics telop is switched, the scoring mark cannot be displayed going back to the previous page, so the scoring mark immediately after switching the page should be displayed at the beginning of a new line. That's fine. It should be noted that the position where the page of the lyrics telop breaks is often interrupted once at the break of the phrase, so it is not too much to omit the display of the scoring mark at this point.
[0048]
Note that when there is an inquiry about wipe position information from the scoring mode processing program 34, if the lyrics sequencer 32 returns the previous wipe position from the wipe performance and the delay position due to scoring, the display position This calculation is unnecessary.
[0049]
FIG. 7B is a diagram for explaining a scoring mark display method when the progress of the wipe is stopped.
For example, in a scene where one pronunciation of the lyrics is sung and sung, the song progresses but the lyrics do not progress. In such a case, the music progresses and a plurality of scoring marks are sequentially determined. However, since the lyrics telop has not progressed, the display position of the scoring marks does not proceed and is determined at the same position. However, if the scoring marks are displayed so as to be completely overlaid, the scoring marks displayed earlier are completely hidden, and the past scoring marks cannot be looked back. Therefore, when a plurality of scoring marks are displayed when the wipe is not progressing, the display position of the new scoring marks is moved upward little by little. Thereby, even if a plurality of scoring marks overlap (at the left and right positions), they are shifted vertically, so that all of the plurality of scoring marks can be seen later.
[0050]
Here, the scoring log 42 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the scoring mark log records the absolute time (time from the start of the music) when the scoring mark is displayed and the contents of the mark. This makes it possible to redisplay the scoring mark when the performance of the song is rewound and repeated by reverse jump. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a scoring meter log. In this log, the start time and end time of each section and the evaluation of the section (section evaluation mark code) are recorded corresponding to the section numbers (1 to 30) of each section divided into 30.
[0051]
Hereinafter, the operation of the karaoke apparatus in the scoring mode will be described with reference to a flowchart.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a main operation when a karaoke piece is played in the scoring mode. If there is a request, the music data corresponding to this request is read (s1). Then, the total performance time of the music data is divided into 30 sections (s2). Then, the start time and end time of each divided section are recorded in the scoring log (FIG. 7B) (s3). Then, the mark data track of the music data is read, and a delimiter mark 61 is displayed at a delimiter position such as the start position of the first chorus and the second chorus on the scoring meter 54 (s4).
[0052]
Next, all the lyrics display data, which is the event data of the lyrics track, are scanned to determine the total number of characters in the lyrics, and the progress speed of the currently performed lyrics (wipe) is determined based on the ratio between the total number of characters and the performance time. Then, based on the progression speed of the lyrics, it is determined at which time interval the scoring mark is displayed (s5). That is, if scoring marks are displayed at short intervals in a song with slow progression of lyrics, the scoring marks overlap each other, and the visibility of each scoring mark deteriorates. In addition, if a scoring mark is displayed at a long interval in a song with a fast progression of lyrics, the scoring mark display is extended. Therefore, based on the number of characters of the lyrics and the performance time, the progress speed of the lyrics being played is determined, and based on this, the display (time) interval of the scoring marks is determined. The standard display interval is 150 ms.
[0053]
After that, the performance of the karaoke song is started, the song sequencer 31 reads the data of the performance track and the guide melody track according to the tempo clock and inputs them to the sound source 13, and the lyrics sequencer 32 reads the data of the lyrics track and reads the lyrics telop. A predetermined performance process such as forming is executed (s6). In parallel with this performance processing, the grader 19 and the scoring mode processing program 34 are also operated, and the scoring mark determination display processing (s7) and scoring meter determination display processing (s8) shown in FIG. 5 are executed. . The performance process (s6), scoring mark process (s7), and scoring meter process (s8) are executed in parallel until the music ends, and when the music ends (s9), the operation ends.
[0054]
9 to 11 are flowcharts showing the scoring meter process.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing cursor display processing. When the music starts, 1 is set in the section number register m representing the playing section (s40), and a red cursor is displayed on the block (section evaluation mark display area) 54 indicated by the section number m (s41). . This display is continued until this section elapses (s42). When the section elapses, 1 is added to the section number register m (s44), and the cursor is moved to the block indicated by this section number m (s41). When m = 30 and the section ends (s43), the cursor is deleted (s45) and the operation is terminated.
Thus, the cursor is always displayed on the block corresponding to the currently playing section.
[0055]
10 and 11 are flowcharts showing the section evaluation mark display operation. When the song starts, 1 is set in the section number register n indicating the evaluation target section (s49), various counters are cleared (s50), and the section evaluation mark display area (block) 55 of the section number n is being evaluated. A mark (blue-green mark) is displayed (s51). Then, it waits until a scoring mark or a non-singing signal is input from the scoring mark processing module (s52, s60) or until this section has passed (s65).
[0056]
When a scoring mark or a non-singing signal is input (s52), 1 is added to a scoring counter that counts the number of scoring marks (s53), and the color of the scoring mark is determined (s54). If the color is green (no deviation), the process directly returns to the waiting routine of s52. If the color is orange (middle of deviation) or yellow (small deviation), 1 is added to the yellow counter (s55), and the process returns to the standby routine of s52.
[0057]
On the other hand, when the color of the scoring mark is red (large deviation) or a non-singing signal is input, 1 is added to the red counter (s56), and the count value of the red counter to which 1 is added, That is, the number of red marks (including a non-singing signal) appearing in this section is determined (s57). When the number of red marks is two or less, that is, one or two, a pink mark (necessary effort mark) is displayed as a section evaluation mark (in place of the mark during evaluation) even in the middle of the section ( s58). Thereafter, the process returns to the standby routine of s52. If the number of red marks is three or more, a red mark (failed mark) is displayed instead of the pink mark as a section evaluation mark (s59), and evaluation of this section is performed even during the section. End and proceed to s64. This is because when the mark is red, the evaluation of the section does not change. Note that the scoring mark is continuously determined and displayed even if the evaluation is completed in the middle of the section. The scoring mark processing module outputs a non-singing signal to the scoring meter processing module described in this flowchart when a non-singing signal is continuously input from the scoring device 19 three times.
[0058]
If the interval has elapsed without the count value of the red counter being 3, the process proceeds from s65 to s66. In s66, the rule section evaluation mark described with reference to FIG. That is, if there is no red, orange, or yellow scoring mark, it is determined as a crown (or star) mark (excellent), and there is no red scoring mark and the orange or yellow scoring mark sings within the section. If the power time is 5% or less, that is, if the yellow counter value is 5% or less of the scoring counter value, the green mark (passing mark) is determined, and if the red scoring mark is 1 or 2 (s57, s58), or when the orange and yellow scoring marks are 5% or more of the time to be sung in the section, that is, when the yellow counter value is 5% or more of the scoring counter value (requires effort) To decide.
However, if the time to be sung is less than 30% of the time of the entire section, the ratio of the yellow counter for determining either the green mark or the pink mark is changed from 5% to 10%, and a slight mistake is made. In order not to become a pink mark.
[0059]
The section evaluation mark determined in this way is displayed in the corresponding section evaluation mark display area 55 of the scoring meter 54 (s67). Then, 1 is added to the section number n indicating the evaluation target section (s69), and the process returns to s51.
At this time, if the current section is the last section (n = 30) and there is no next section (s68), the operation is terminated.
[0060]
Moreover, 1 is added to the section number n (s69), and when there is no place to sing in the next section specified by this section number, for example, in the section where there is no singing in an interlude or follower section (S71), a 紺 mark (no singing / not evaluated) is displayed in this section (s72), and the process returns to s68 to check whether or not there is a singing in the next section. The presence or absence of singing can be determined by checking the guide melody track in the song data.
[0061]
The process from s69 to s71 is repeated until a section to be sung is found, and when a section to be sung is found (s71), the section of the karaoke song that the sequencer 30 is performing is evaluated. It waits until it catches up with the section (section number n) (s73), and when the performance section enters the evaluation target section, it returns to s51 and restarts the evaluation. In addition, when the section is ended while repeating the processing of s68 to s71 (in the case of a subsequent section), this processing (scoring meter section) is performed when section number n = 30. The evaluation mark display process) is terminated.
[0062]
By the above processing, when the performance of the karaoke song enters the interlude, the non-evaluation mark is displayed before the performance until the end of the interlude, and the singer can know how far he can rest the singing. When the singing of the karaoke song is over and the sequel is followed, a non-evaluation mark is displayed until the end of the song, so that the singer knows that the singing is finished.
[0063]
With the above operation, the scoring mark can be displayed in parallel with the performance of the karaoke song (displaying the lyrics telop), and the section evaluation mark can be displayed on the scoring meter according to the progress of the section.
[0064]
Further, as described above, this karaoke apparatus has a rewind function. The rewind function is a function that allows a part (or all) of the karaoke song to be played repeatedly by turning on the RW button (rewind button) during the performance of the karaoke song. When the function is used, the scoring mark is also erased and redisplayed according to the rewind. In addition, it is possible to automatically jump to a section that has not been evaluated well in a section that has already been sung by using a rewind jump function.
[0065]
Hereinafter, the operation of the CPU 10 when the RW button is pressed will be described with reference to FIG. When the RW button is turned on, all the musical sounds generated at that time are turned off (s20). This processing is executed when the operation input processing program 35 detects an on event of the RW button and notifies the sequencer 30 (music sequencer 31).
[0066]
Then, it is determined whether the operation is a jump operation or a rewind operation depending on whether the ON state of the RW button has continued for more than 1 second or turned off in less than 1 second (s21, s22). That is, when the on state continues for more than 1 second, it is determined that the operation is a normal rewinding operation, and when it is turned off in less than 1 second, it is determined that the operation is a jump operation for jumping in units of divided sections. When a jump operation is performed in scoring mode, it jumps automatically to the head of the section that was not evaluated well, not the head of the latest section.
[0067]
When a jump operation is performed, the section of the red mark (failed) closest to the performance time at that time is searched with reference to the scoring meter log (FIG. 7B) (s23). Then, a position that is 3 seconds after the start time of this section recorded in the log is set as the performance resumption time. The reason for going back 3 seconds is that if the performance is suddenly resumed from the beginning of the section, the singer cannot sing at the beginning of the section. The time to go back is not limited to 3 seconds.
[0068]
After determining the performance resumption time in this way, the lyric display data for displaying the lyrics at the performance resumption time is searched with reference to the timing data indicating the reading timing of the event data, and all the lyrics telops on this page are searched. While using the monitor 22 (s25), the wipe is advanced at a stretch until the performance resumption time (s26). Then, all the scoring marks displayed on the lyrics telop page are once displayed (s27). Thereby, it is possible to inform the singer of how the singing before the performance resumed was. Thereafter, the scoring mark after the performance resumption time is erased (s28), and the scoring mark log after the performance resumption time is erased (s29). Thereafter, the performance is started from the performance resumption time (s30).
The display position of each scoring mark can be re-determined by the method of FIG. 6 by referring to the wipe function at the respective display time, but the display position information is also recorded in the log of FIG. This redisplay can be made quicker.
[0069]
On the other hand, when the RW button is kept pressed for 1 second or longer, it is not a jump operation but a rewind of an arbitrary time, so the time during which the RW button is kept on is counted in s32. When the button is turned off (s22), a time corresponding to the time when the button was turned on is subtracted from the performance time at that time to obtain a performance restart time (s33). For example, a performance resumption time is obtained by subtracting four times the time that has been turned on. In this way, it is possible to perform high-speed rewinding by subtracting a time longer than the time during which it was turned on (note that the rewinding technique for karaoke performance is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-99044, which is a prior application of the present applicant). In detail). After calculating the performance resumption time, the process proceeds to s25.
[0070]
Even when the rewinding operation is performed, the display of the section evaluation mark and the log are not erased, but may be erased. Even when not erasing, if a new section evaluation mark is determined for the same section by rewinding, the display and log are overwritten.
[0071]
In this case, the newly determined section evaluation mark is compared with the one displayed and logged first, and the newly determined section evaluation mark is lower than the section evaluation mark displayed and logged first. If this is the case, it may be discarded without being overwritten.
[0072]
As explained in FIG. 6B, when only the singing progresses without the lyrics progressing, the scoring mark is moved up and displayed little by little, but the moving direction is lower. It may be. In this case, it is also possible to prevent the plurality of scoring marks from overlapping completely by changing the shape of the scoring mark little by little instead of moving the display position. For example, by gradually reducing the scoring mark, the scoring mark below can be seen.
[0073]
In this embodiment, the frequency of the singing voice signal is compared with the frequency indicated by the reference, and the singing is scored by the deviation, but the grading target is not limited to the singing frequency, Any element of the song, such as volume and singing rhythm, can be scored. Further, a plurality of elements may be scored individually or collectively.
[0074]
In this embodiment, the invention of the present application is applied to the function of the scoring mode of the karaoke device. However, the present invention can be applied to devices other than the karaoke device as long as the contents of scoring and evaluation are displayed in time series. For example, when applied to video games and arcade games that compete for the accuracy of musical instrument performance and dance steps, not only the accuracy of each moment but also what was good and bad in time series, during the game and at the end of the game It will be possible to look back later.
[0075]
<< Invention described in the embodiment >>
In the above embodiment, the following inventions are disclosed in addition to the inventions of claims 1 to 4 described in the claims.
[0076]
(1) The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scoring result display means is means for displaying the scoring result at a constant or arbitrary interval.
The time-series display of the scoring results can be applied to various forms such as a graph display, a character string display, a mark string display, etc., and by displaying them at a predetermined (constant or arbitrary) interval, It is possible to display the time-sequential scoring results without delay and without being difficult to see. The interval in the present invention includes both time intervals and distance intervals.
[0077]
(2) The karaoke apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scoring result display means controls a time interval at which the scoring mark is displayed according to a progress speed of the lyrics telop.
The progress speed of the lyrics telop in the present invention means the speed of progress of the karaoke song on the lyrics telop, in other words, the wipe speed of the lyrics telop. The time interval at which the scoring mark is displayed is controlled according to the progress speed of the lyrics telop. For example, by shortening the time interval for displaying the scoring marks when the speed of the lyrics telop is high, the scoring marks are not displayed sparsely, and the scoring can be performed with a high degree of time. In addition, when the progress of the lyrics telop is slow, by increasing the time interval for displaying the scoring marks, the scoring marks are not displayed too densely and overlapped.
[0078]
(3) In the invention of claim 2 or (2), the scoring result display means sets a plurality of scoring marks as a traveling direction of the lyrics telop at a location where the lyrics telop does not progress even if the karaoke song progresses. Is a karaoke device that displays while gradually moving in another direction or gradually deforming.
For example, when a single lyric is extended and sung, the karaoke song is played, but the lyrics telop is not. Even in such a place, since the song is sung in a long time, the scoring mark that marks this is determined and displayed. When a grading mark is displayed in association with the progress of the lyrics telop, the grading mark is displayed at the same position when the lyrics telop does not progress. In this case, since the scoring mark displayed earlier is hidden behind the scoring mark displayed later and cannot be seen later, in this case, in this case, the direction of progression of the lyrics telop is different. The image is displayed while gradually moving in the direction or gradually deforming. Thus, the previously displayed scoring mark is not hidden by the previously displayed scoring mark and can be viewed later.
[0079]
(4) In each of the above inventions, the reference data is a karaoke device that is data of a guide melody track included in song data used for performance of a karaoke song.
By using the guide melody data of the karaoke song as the reference data, it is not necessary to prepare the reference data separately, and the singing of the song can be scored simultaneously with the distribution (online distribution) of the karaoke song data. Moreover, since a general karaoke apparatus can sound a guide melody in parallel with the performance of a karaoke song, the singer can obtain a good scoring result by singing with reference to this. Become.
[0080]
(5) In each of the above inventions, the scoring means is means for comparing one or more of a plurality of singing elements including the frequency, volume and rhythm of the singing voice and reference data, and scoring the singing according to the degree of coincidence. A certain karaoke device.
There are various singing elements such as frequency, volume, rhythm, technical elements such as vibrato and fist, waveform elements such as voice quality, etc. By scoring one or more of these, karaoke songs It is possible to realize a scoring function suitable for improving the singing of
[0081]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the singing of the karaoke song is continuously scored, and the scoring result is displayed in time series in association with the progress of the karaoke song. Can be displayed so that it can be easily understood by the singer and can be confirmed later.
[0083]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of song data used in the karaoke apparatus
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display in the scoring mode of the karaoke apparatus
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining scoring marks, section evaluation marks, and guide melody settings displayed on the karaoke apparatus
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the flow of scoring mark display operation of the karaoke apparatus
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining a display position of a scoring mark of the karaoke apparatus
FIG. 7 shows a scoring log of the karaoke device
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a karaoke performance procedure of the karaoke apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a cursor display operation of the karaoke apparatus.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a section evaluation mark display operation of the karaoke apparatus.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a section evaluation mark display operation of the karaoke apparatus.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing when an RW (rewind) button is pressed in the karaoke apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... CPU, 11 ... Hard disk, 12 ... RAM, 13 ... Sound source, 14 ... Mixer, 15 ... Sound system, 16 ... Speaker, 17 ... Microphone, 18 ... A / D converter, 19 ... Grader, 20 ... MPEG decoder, 21 ... Synthesis circuit, 22 ... Monitor, 23 ... Operation part,
30 ... Sequencer, 31 ... Song sequencer, 32 ... Lyric sequencer, 32a ... Character pattern creation program, 33 ... Background video reproduction program, 34 ... Scoring mode processing program, 35 ... Operation input processing program,
40 ... song data storage area, 41 ... background video storage area, 43 ... scoring log,
50 ... Background video 51 ... Lyric telop, 52 ... Scoring mark, 53 ... (Difficulty) mode display, 54 ... Scoring meter, 55 ... Section evaluation mark, 56 ... Microphone input level display, 57 ... Guide melody setting, 58 ... Scoring mode display, 59 ... Repeat operation count display, 60 ... Cursor, 61 ... Separation mark

Claims (3)

A performance means for performing karaoke songs;
Lyrics display means for displaying a lyrics telop that changes color in synchronization with the progress of the karaoke song;
Singing voice input means for inputting singing voice;
Reference data output means for outputting reference data in synchronization with the performance of a karaoke song,
Scoring means for scoring the singing voice in parallel with the performance of the karaoke song by comparing the singing voice and the reference data;
Scoring result display means for displaying a scoring mark representing the scoring result of the scoring means in a time series at a position following the color changing position of the lyrics telop on or near the lyric telop at regular intervals;
Karaoke device equipped with. The scoring result display means displays the scoring marks in chronological order at regular intervals on the display axis of the lyrics telop or in parallel with the display axis in association with the characters of the lyrics telop,
When one character in the lyrics telop is extended for the predetermined time or longer during the progress of the karaoke song, a plurality of scoring marks associated with the character are displayed vertically shifted with respect to the display axis of the lyrics telop.
The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1 . The performance means includes rewind means for rewinding the performance of the karaoke song and replaying the already played portion,
3. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scoring result display unit erases the display of the scoring result after the start point of the replay.

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