JPH11249674A - Singing marking system for karaoke device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain proper marking corresponding also to ad-libbed singing or siging based on a different version by comparing the reference interval and harmony interval of accompaniment music with a vocal interval in accordance with prescribed algorithm. SOLUTION: A central control part 11 detects the start of a set section to be marked and instructs a marking part 30 to start marking processing. The marking part 30 samples and analyzes a singing voice inputted from a microphone 15 and extracts a singing interval. Accompaniment music generation data are received through a data bus 40, the interval data of a main melody are extracted as a reference interval and the interval data of a part melody of a prescribed instrument are extracted as a harmony interval. Then the reference interval and the harmony interval are compared with the singing interval, the interval most close to the singing interval out of the reference interval and the harmony interval is adopted as a marking reference interval and the marking reference interval and the singing interval are mutually compared in each sound in the order of performance time series based on the prescribed algorithm and a prescribed point is marked in accordance with the coincidence of these intervals.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a singing scoring system in a karaoke apparatus, and more particularly, to a singing scoring system capable of properly evaluating singing ability in response to ad-lib singing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A scoring function is well known as an additional function of a karaoke apparatus. This scoring function extracts a pitch uttered by the singer by sampling the singer's voice signal input from the microphone. Compare this pitch with the reference pitch corresponding to the main melody in the karaoke data,
A score corresponding to the comparison result is given for each appropriate scoring section. Then, when the singing part ends, the scores are totaled to calculate a total score. As the total score, the score value as it is is displayed on a scoreboard or a display, or a video reflecting the total score such as a video including a predetermined message or a predetermined expression content is output to the display.

[0003]

Some karaoke users have a fairly high level of singing ability. These people have techniques to enliven the space by singing more comfortably for the listener. For example, singing a melody having a relationship between the main melody and a harmony sound in an ad-lib manner.

[0004] In addition, there are various versions of the original song of some karaoke songs, such as an album version, a single version, and a live version, which intentionally change the vocal melody. Professional singers sing and use different versions flexibly in singing situations.

However, how comfortable it is for the listener,
Even if it greatly excites the playing field, the conventional scoring function is to judge how faithfully the singer is singing to the main melody, so if you sing in ad lib or sing in a different version of the melody, the scoring result will not be of course good. Furthermore, if a user remembers a song that is a different version than for karaoke, it is quite possible that a person with poor singing ability will get a better scoring result. In this case, it is difficult to say that the singing ability and the expressive ability are properly evaluated.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a singing scoring system capable of obtaining an appropriate scoring result in response to singing by an ad lib or singing by a different version.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus which processes karaoke data of a designated karaoke music piece, generates accompaniment music and outputs it to a speaker. Means for sampling the vocal pitch of the singer by sampling the voice signal of the singer, means for acquiring a reference pitch corresponding to the main melody of the accompaniment music accompanying the karaoke data, and a relationship between the reference pitch and the harmony. A means for acquiring a certain harmonic pitch, a means for calculating a score corresponding to the degree of coincidence by comparing the harmonic pitch and the reference pitch with the utterance pitch according to a prescribed algorithm, and a predetermined calculation method. Means for calculating a total score by totalizing the scores based on the score, and a scoring result for outputting a scoring result corresponding to the total score to a display. Was singing scoring method characterized by comprising the shown means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the means for acquiring the harmony pitch employs a pitch corresponding to a predetermined musical instrument performance part attached to the karaoke data as the harmony pitch.

A third aspect of the present invention is a singing scoring method in which the means for acquiring a harmonic pitch acquires the harmonic pitch based on the reference pitch, wherein the harmonic pitch is used only as a scoring reference. A fourth aspect of the present invention is a singing and scoring system prepared as data along with the karaoke data.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS === Basic Configuration and Operation of Karaoke Apparatus === FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a karaoke apparatus employing a singing score system according to an embodiment of the present invention. CPU, R inside
A central control unit 11 including an AM and a ROM controls the karaoke apparatus 1 by performing data communication and various controls on the peripheral components via a data bus 40 and a control bus 50.

The hard disk drive 12 stores a large number of karaoke data for generating accompaniment music and lyrics images of the karaoke music. When the central control unit 11 receives a request input from the remote control transmitter 17 or the operation panel 18 via the operation control unit 19, the central control unit 11 sequentially processes the corresponding karaoke data according to the request input order. That is, karaoke data corresponding to the requested music is retrieved from the hard disk device 12, and accompaniment music generation data (such as MIDI data) is transferred to the synthesizer 13 to generate accompaniment music. The accompaniment music is mixed with the singing voice input from the microphone 15 by the mixing amplifier 14 and output to the speaker 16.

On the other hand, the lyrics rendering data in the karaoke data is transferred to the video RAM 20 in synchronization with the accompaniment music generation processing, and the lyrics images are sequentially developed into bitmaps. The video control unit 21 superimposes the lyrics image on the background video output from the video CD player 22 and outputs the superimposed lyrics image to the display 23.

The karaoke apparatus 1 also has a scoring function for scoring the singing state of a person singing along with the karaoke music and outputting the scoring result. In addition, the scoring system can appropriately evaluate the singing ability in response to singing by an ad lib or singing by a different version. Hereinafter, the scoring function will be described.

=== Operation of Scoring Function === When the user wants to use the singing and scoring function with the karaoke apparatus 1, a predetermined number of music pieces for performance reservation are transmitted from the remote control transmitter 17 or the operation panel 18 after a predetermined number. Press the operation key. Thereby, the operation command of the singing scoring function is transferred to the central control unit 11 via the operation control unit 19 and the data bus 40 together with the music number. Upon receiving the command, the central control unit 11 performs a performance reservation process on the assumption that the singing scoring function is activated when performing the performance process on the music. Of course, the singing scoring function may be activated by a user's billing procedure or the like. For example, a charging device is installed, and a singing scoring function is activated by inputting a predetermined fee to the charging device at an appropriate time, such as immediately before a musical piece to be scored is played or during a prelude.

When the performance process of the music is started, the central control unit 11 monitors the start of a section (usually a singing part) to be scored set in the karaoke data. When the start point is detected, the start of the scoring process is instructed to the scoring unit 30 which is a main part of the singing scoring function.

The scoring unit 30 extracts a singing pitch by sampling and analyzing the singing voice input from the microphone 15. Further, the accompaniment music generation data is received via the data bus 40, and the pitch data of the main melody in the data is acquired as a reference pitch. Further, pitch data of the melody of a predetermined musical instrument part in the accompaniment music generation data is extracted as a harmonic pitch.

Next, the reference pitch and the harmony pitch are compared with the singing pitch. First, the pitch closest to the singing pitch of the reference pitch and the harmonic pitch is adopted as the scoring reference pitch. The scoring reference pitch and the singing pitch are compared one by one in the performance time series based on a predetermined algorithm, and a predetermined score is given according to the degree of coincidence.

FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the degree of coincidence of the pitch and the score. Scoring pitch 100 with certain singing pitch 100
When closest to 00, adjacent intervals 201 and 202 can be dissonant. Therefore, when the singing pitch 100 coincides with the scoring reference pitch 200, the score is set to 100, and the singing pitch is set to an intermediate point 203, 20 between the adjacent pitches 201, 202.
If the score is out of 4, the score is 0. Then, the midpoints 203 and 204 and the scoring reference interval 200 are equally divided, and a score is given according to the position of the singing interval 100.
The scoring unit 30 transfers the scoring data including this score to the data bus 4.
0 sequentially.

The central control unit 11 sequentially stores the scoring data in an internal RAM, and when the scoring section ends, sums up the scoring data to calculate an overall score. Then, the total score is displayed on the display 23 as a scoring result. In this embodiment, the scoring result is displayed as a numerical value of the total score. It is also possible to set up a dedicated scoreboard etc. and display the total score there. In addition, a rank is set for each predetermined total score range, and a plurality of cut images (for example, animations for announcing the success or failure of an audition) including contents reflecting the scoring result are prepared on a video CD or the like. An appropriate video cut may be selected and displayed according to the rank corresponding to the total score.

It should be noted that one musical instrument part may be employed as a harmonic musical interval, or a musical interval corresponding to all musical instrument parts which are simultaneously sounded may be employed. Alternatively, a part to be adopted as a grading reference pitch may be specified in the karaoke data in advance, and the grading unit 30 may acquire the pitch of the part.

=== Others === In the above embodiment, the pitch corresponding to the predetermined musical instrument part in the karaoke data is adopted as the harmony pitch, but the pitch corresponding to the harmony pitch is generated from the reference pitch of the main melody. May be.

Alternatively, dedicated data used only as a scoring reference describing the melody according to the harmony pitch is prepared for each karaoke song, and when the scoring function is activated, the dedicated data of the corresponding harmony pitch is read. You may do so. If you want to activate the scoring function when playing a certain karaoke song, if this dedicated data is not available, only the pitch of the main melody will be adopted as the scoring standard as before, or the harmony pitch and reference pitch of the above-mentioned instrument part will be used. It is also possible to switch appropriately, for example, by adopting a generated harmonic pitch.

[0023]

According to the present invention, in addition to the main melody of the karaoke music, the melody based on the harmonic pitch is also adopted as a criterion for singing, so that an appropriate scoring result can be obtained corresponding to the singing by the ad-lib or the singing by the different version. of course,
The present invention can also be applied to music of a genre including more ad-lib elements, such as rap music, which has conventionally been difficult to score properly.

By adopting a pitch corresponding to a predetermined musical instrument part in the karaoke data as a harmony pitch, an advanced grading function is achieved only by acquiring accompaniment music generation data in the karaoke data as a grading reference pitch. be able to.

By generating a harmonic pitch based on a reference pitch, a pitch that accurately forms a chord with the main melody can be used as a scoring reference.

By separately preparing data describing the melody composed of harmonic pitches along with the karaoke data, it is possible to cope with a case where not all the pitches in the accompaniment music are composed of harmonics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a karaoke apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between a score and a degree of coincidence between a singing pitch and a scoring reference pitch in the karaoke apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Karaoke device 11 Central control unit 30 Scoring unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A karaoke apparatus that processes karaoke data of a specified karaoke song, generates accompaniment music, and outputs the accompaniment music to a speaker, and samples a singer's voice signal from a microphone to extract a vocal pitch of the singer. Means for acquiring a reference interval corresponding to the main melody of the accompaniment music attached to the karaoke data, and means for acquiring a harmony interval in a relation between the reference interval and a harmony, the harmony interval and the criterion Means for calculating a score corresponding to the degree of coincidence by comparing a pitch with the utterance pitch according to a prescribed algorithm; means for calculating a total score by summing the scores based on a predetermined calculation method And a singing result display means for outputting a grading result corresponding to the total score on a display. Method. 2. The singing scoring method according to claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring the harmonic pitch adopts a pitch corresponding to a predetermined musical instrument performance part attached to the karaoke data as the harmonic pitch. 3. The singing scoring method according to claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring the harmonic pitch acquires the harmonic pitch by generating the harmonic pitch based on the reference pitch. 4. The singing and scoring method according to claim 1, wherein the harmonic pitch is prepared along with the karaoke data as dedicated data used only as a scoring criterion.