Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-03
2003-03-25
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S668000, C084SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06538190
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, and an information record medium on which an audio information reproduction program to enable such a reproduction is recorded and which can be read by a computer, and more particularly relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing the audio information, which can reproduce two or more audio information continuously without intermittence while maintaining a constant rhythm. The present invention also relates to a program storage device such as an information record medium for storing a program and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to perform such an audio information reproduction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A club or salon referred to as a so-called “club” in Japan is very popular in which young persons mainly enjoy a dance in time to a music composition having a nimble rhythm. In such a club, in order for the persons to enjoy the dance, it is preferred that a plurality of music compositions are continuously played while a constant rhythm is maintained, even between different music compositions.
Here, the “rhythm” implies such a structure that a strength and a weakness of a tone are periodically repeated in a certain music composition (namely, a beat).
A plurality of music compositions are outputted to the inside of the club as an editor for editing the combination of music compositions (hereafter, this editor is referred to as a “disc jockey”) selects and synthesizes the music compositions respectively outputted from a plurality of reproducing apparatuses, in the actual spot or scene.
At this time, as an actual method of continuously reproducing and outputting two music compositions, the disc jockey drives two reproducing apparatuses, for example, by using the following procedure.
(i) While a first reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce and output one music composition from an information record medium such as an optical disc, a second reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce another music composition. Then, another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey by using a headphone or the like without outputting it into the inside of the club.
(ii) Then, a reproducing speed of the second reproducing apparatus is set such that, while another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey, the time period required for one beat in another music composition coincides with that in the one music composition (which is currently being reproduced and outputted). Then, a head portion of another music composition is searched (i.e., a so-called “head search” is performed).
(iii) When the one music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted approaches an end thereof, a reproduction level of the one music composition is gradually dropped (a so-called “fade-out” is performed). Along with this, another music composition is reproduced from the head portion thereof while it is matched with the beat timing of the one music composition. Then, the reproduction level for another music composition is gradually increased (a so-called “fade-in” is performed), so that another music composition is outputted to the inside of the club.
(iv) When the reproduction level of another music composition becomes equal to a proper reproduction level, the reproduction of the one music composition, which has been reproduced and outputted, is stopped. Then, the first reproducing apparatus is ready for further another music composition to be continuously reproduced after another music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted.
After that, as the disc jockey repeats the procedure (i) to the procedure (iv), the plurality of different music compositions can be reproduced continuously without the intermittence while the rhythm is maintained constant.
In the above-mentioned series of operations, the “beat” implies each portion of the strengths and weaknesses of the tones repeated in the cycles of the rhythms of each music composition, and it is composed of a strong beat and a weak beat. The “strong beat” implies a strong portion of the bar or beat in a flow of the rhythm (typically, this portion corresponds to a first beat on a staff, and this is a portion represented by a motion of a conductor in which a baton is brought down from top). Moreover, the “weak beat” implies a weak portion of the bar or beat in the flow of the rhythm.
At this time, for example, a double time uses a strong beat and a weak beat. A triple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat and a weak beat. A quadruple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat, a middle beat and a weak beat. Thus, in the continuous reproduction of the music compositions, it is desirable to start the reproduction of another music composition such that the timings of the strong beats of the one and another music compositions to be continuously reproduced are coincident with each other.
On the other hand, as a method of mechanically carrying out such a continuous reproduction, there is a connection reproduction method using a memory, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open Publication No. Sho. 60-166892.
However, in the case where the above mentioned continuous reproduction is performed manually by the disc jockey, an operation on a large number of switches etc., is required in fact. This results in such a problem that the reproduction output cannot be appropriately continued unless the disc jockey is a well trained and experienced person for the operation.
This point leads to a problem that the business as the club cannot be maintained if there is no such a well trained and experienced disc jockey.
On the other hand, according to the above mentioned method using the mechanically carry out the connection reproduction, there may be a case that the connection portions of two music compositions cannot be connected while maintaining the rhythm of those music compositions, since the disclosed technique does not consider the timing of the beat or the time period required for one beat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, which can connect and reproduce two music compositions rhythmically without intermittence through a relatively simple operation done by a person, who is not well trained or experienced for the connection reproduction, as well as a program storage device for storing a program such as an information record medium and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to function as such an audio information reproducing apparatus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first apparatus for reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The first apparatus is provided with: a detecting device such as a BPM (Beat Per Minute) detector etc., for detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing device such as a sub CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc., for reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period.
According to the first apparatus, while said another time period is controlled to be coincident with said one time period, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms there
Amemiya Naomi
Chiba Kensuke
Eguchi Hiroyasu
Funada Takeaki
Inoshita Gen
Pioneer Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Witkowski Stanley J.
LandOfFree
Method of and apparatus for reproducing audio information,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of and apparatus for reproducing audio information,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of and apparatus for reproducing audio information,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3036163