Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2001-10-23
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S626000, C084S637000, C084S659000, C084S662000, C084S669000, C084SDIG002
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307140
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus of a voice signal or tone signal for outputting vocal harmony.
A processing apparatus for detecting, in real time, the pitch of a user's input voice signal (a lead voice signal), and for adding a harmonic voice signal to the voice signal to be output is well known and is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 11-133990. The pitch of the input voice signal is changed, and the resultant signal is output through a loudspeaker as a harmonic voice. At this time, various sound effects are added to the harmonic voice signal to provide a variety of harmonic voice variations.
In order for this apparatus to be provided as a product, a further improvement is needed relative to the alteration of the sound quality of a lead voice signal, the alteration of sound quality and the conversion of the pitch for a harmonic voice signal, and the production of a user interface for easily performing the alterations and the pitch conversion and for applying sound effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To resolve the above problem, it is one object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus of a voice signal or a tone signal that can easily perform a clear timbre change for an input signal and perform various input signal pitch conversions, or can easily apply sound effects to an input signal.
In a first aspect of the invention, a music apparatus is constructed for receiving an input signal composed of either of a voice signal and a tone signal and for processing said input signal based on a timbre change command signal to generate at least one channel of an output signal. The music apparatus comprises a reference pitch designation section that designates a reference pitch, and an output signal generation section receptive of said input signal, said timbre change command signal and said reference pitch designated by said reference pitch designation section for changing a timbre of said input signal in accordance with said timbre change command signal, and for changing a pitch of said input signal above or below said reference pitch in accordance with said timbre change command signal, thereby generating the output signal having the changed timbre and the changed pitch. Preferably, the output signal generation section changes the pitch of the input signal above the reference pitch when the timbre of the input signal is changed by converting an original formant of the input signal to a female formant, and the output signal generation section changes the pitch of the input signal below the reference pitch when the timbre of the input signal is changed by converting an original formant of the input signal to a male formant.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since at the same time as the timbre of the input signal is changed, the pitch of the output signal is altered so that it is higher or lower than the designated reference pitch, the change in the timbre is more easily discerned than it is when the pitch of the input signal is adjusted to that of the reference pitch. As an example of the clear difference that can be provided by the alteration of sound quality, when the quality of the input voice is changed to generate a lead or a harmonic voice signal, by a formant conversion into female voice, the pitch of the input signal is raised until it is higher than the reference pitch, while for a formant conversion into male voice, the pitch is reduced until it is lower than the reference pitch.
In a second aspect of the invention, a music apparatus is constructed for receiving an input signal composed of either of a voice signal and a tone signal and for processing said input signal in accordance with a timbre change command signal to generate at least one channel of an output signal. The music apparatus comprises a pitch detection section that detects a pitch of said input signal, and an output signal generation section receptive of said input signal, said timbre change command signal and said pitch of said input signal that is detected by said pitch detection section for changing a timbre of said input signal based on said timbre change command signal and for increasing or decreasing said pitch of said input signal based on said timbre change command signal, thereby generating said output signal having the changed timbre and the changed pitch. Preferably, the output signal generation section increases the pitch of the input signal when the timbre of the input signal is changed by converting an original formant of the input signal to a female formant, and the output signal generation section decreases the pitch of the input signal when the timbre of the input signal is changed by converting an original formant of the input signal to a male formant.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the pitch of the input signal is changed at the same time when the timbre is changed, the alteration of the timbre can be more clearly distinguished. As an example of the clear difference that can be provided for the alteration of sound quality, when the quality of the input voice is altered to generate a lead voice signal or a harmonic voice signal, by formant conversion into female voice, the pitch is raised, while for formant conversion into male voice, the pitch is lowered.
In a third aspect of the invention, a music apparatus is constructed for receiving an input signal composed of either of a voice signal and a tone signal and for processing said input signal in accordance with a chord designation signal to generate at least one channel of an output signal. The music apparatus comprises a pitch conversion table stored for use in conversion of a pitch according to a chord, a pitch determination section receptive of at least the chord designation signal which designates a chord for referring to said pitch conversion table to determine a pitch of said output signal based on the designated chord, and an output signal generation section receptive of said input signal for changing a pitch of said input signal to the pitch determined by said pitch determination section thereby generating said output signal having the determined pitch. Preferably, the music apparatus comprises a plurality of pitch conversion tables corresponding to a plurality of harmony types which can be selected to determine a particular harmonic relation between said input signal and said output signal, wherein said pitch determination section refers to a pitch conversion table corresponding to the selected harmony type to determine a pitch of said output signal, and said output signal generation section generates said output signal having the determined pitch in parallel to said input signal to establish the particular harmonic relation therebetween.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, even when many chords are designated, by using the pitch conversion table, only a simple structure is required to determine the pitches of a variety of harmonic voices.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, a music apparatus is constructed for receiving an input signal composed of either of a voice signal and a tone signal and for processing said input signal in accordance with a kit designation signal to generate at least one channel of an output signal. The music apparatus comprises a memory section that stores a plurality of parameter kits, each of which is constituted by a plurality of parameters used for characterizing said output signal and each of which includes at least a parameter used for controlling a pitch of said output signal, a parameter output section receptive of said kit designation signal that designates one of the parameter kits for referring to said designated parameter kit to output therefrom at least said parameter used for controlling the pitch of said output signal, and an output signal generation section that receives said input signal and that changes a pitch of said input signal based on at least said parameter that is output by said parameter output section, there
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Witkowski Stanley J.
Yamaha Corporation
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