Tone data generation method and tone synthesis method, and apparatus therefor

• US 20060081119A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kuroda, Junji
• Granted Patent: US 7,626,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/659
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0575 using a data store from which the envelope is synthesized tones synthesized from a data store G10H7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/165 Humanizing effects, i.e. causing a performance to sound less machine-like, e.g. by slightly randomising pitch or tempo
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/201 Vibrato, i.e. rapid, repetitive and smooth variation of amplitude, pitch or timbre within a note or chord discontinuities, note sequences or separate note onsets during the variation G10H2210/161; tremolo, i.e. stepwise pitch alternation G10H2210/191
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/315 Dynamic effects for musical purposes, i.e. musical sound effects controlled by the amplitude of the time domain audio envelope, e.g. loudness-dependent tone color or musically desired dynamic range compression or expansion crossfading or envelope processing per se G10H2250/025
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/061 Spint organ, i.e. mimicking acoustic musical instruments with pipe organ or harmonium features; Electrophonic aspects of acoustic pipe organs or harmoniums; MIDI-like control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/145 Sound library, i.e. involving the specific use of a musical database as a sound bank or wavetable; indexing, interfacing, protocols or processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/025 Envelope processing of music signals in, e.g. time domain, transform domain or cepstrum domain
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/461 Gensound wind instruments, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a wind instrument, controlling specific features of said sound spint wind instruments G10H2230/155; mouth or breath sensors G10H2220/361; natural aerodynamic noise synthesis, e.g. wind G10H2250/431
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/641 Waveform sampler, i.e. music samplers; Sampled music loop processing, wherein a loop is a sample of a performance that has been edited to repeat seamlessly without clicks or artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/02 in which amplitudes at successive sample points of a tone waveform are stored in one or more memories

Abstract

Based on the understanding that time-varying characteristics of a tone element, such as an amplitude and pitch, in waveform data acquired through a live performance of a musical instrument include a variation component intended or controllable by a human player and a variation component not intended or non-controllable by the human player, the present invention allows the two components to be adjusted/controlled separately and independently of each other, so as to achieve effective and high-quality control. Discrete variation value train is acquired for at least one particular tone element in original waveform data, and the acquired variation value train is separated, in accordance with a time constant factor, into a “swell” value train of a relatively great time constant and a “fluctuation” value train of a relatively small time constant. The “swell” value train and “fluctuation” value train are variably controlled independently of each other. In this way, high-quality control can be performed on tone elements, such as an amplitude and pitch, included in the sampled waveform data.

Claims

1. A tone data generation method comprising:

a first step of acquiring a discrete variation value train for at least one particular tone element in original waveform data; and

a second step of extracting, from the variation value train, at least one time-serial component value train in accordance with a time constant factor,

wherein the variation value train of the particular tone element is expressed using at least the component value train extracted by said second step.

2. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second step separates and extracts, from the variation value train, at least first and second component value trains of different time constant characteristics and expresses the variation value train of the particular tone element using a combination of said first and second component value trains.

3. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second step generates said first component value train on the basis of smoothing of the variation value train and generates said second component value train on the basis of an arithmetic operation between the variation value train and said first component value train.

4. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises:

a third step of variably controlling at least one said component value train in terms of at least one of a value and time axis;

a fourth step of generating tone data including the particular tone element on the basis of the component value train variably controlled by said third step.

5. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said fourth step includes:

a step of generating the variation value train of the particular tone element on the basis of the component value train variably controlled by said third step; and

a step of generating said tone data including the particular tone element and having a characteristic variably controlled by said third step using at least the generated variation value train.

6. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one particular tone element is an amplitude of the original waveform data.

7. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one particular tone element is a pitch of the original waveform data.

8. A tone data generation method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first step time-serially divides the original waveform data into a plurality of segments, determines, for each of the divided segments, a representative value for one particular tone element and then generates the discrete variation value train for the one particular tone element on the basis of the representative values of individual ones of the segments.

15. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said component value train is at leas one of a component value train corresponding to a swell variation component in the variation value train and a component value train corresponding to a fluctuation variation component in the variation value train.

9. A tone synthesis method for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing at least one component value train extracted, in accordance with a time constant factor, from a variation value train of one particular tone element in original waveform data, said tone synthesis method comprising:

a first step of performing, in accordance with a desired tone generating time length, expansion or contraction control on a time axis of at least one said component value train to be read out from said storage section, to thereby obtain the component value train having a time length corresponding to the desired tone generating time length;

a second step of variably controlling a value of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion/contraction control by said first step;

a third step of generating the variation value train of the particular tone element on the basis of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or controlled by said first step or said second step; and

a fourth step of generating a tone for the tone generating time length, using the variation value train and other tone-element-related data.

10. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said storage section stores at least first and second component value trains of different time constant characteristics separated and extracted from the variation value train of the particular tone element, and

where said third step generates the variation value train of the particular tone element on the basis of the at least first and second component value trains read out from said storage section or controlled by said first step or said second step.

11. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said first variation value train is obtained on the basis of smoothing of the variation value train of the particular tone element, and said second component value train is generated on the basis of an arithmetic operation between the variation value train and said first component value train, and

wherein said third step generates the variation value train on the basis of an arithmetic operation between said first and second component value trains variably controlled.

12. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said first step performs expansion/contraction control on respective time axes of the at least first and second component value trains independently of each other, and said second step variably controls respective values of the at least first and second component value trains independently of each other.

13. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the particular tone element is an amplitude of the original waveform data.

14. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the particular tone element is a pitch of the original waveform data.

16. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said component value train is at leas one of a component value train corresponding to a swell variation component in the variation value train and a component value train corresponding to a fluctuation variation component in the variation value train.

17. A program for causing a computer to perform a tone data generation procedure, said tone data generation procedure comprising:

a first step of acquiring a discrete variation value train for at least one particular tone element in original waveform data; and

a second step of extracting, from the variation value train, at least one time-serial component value train in accordance with a time constant factor,

wherein the variation value train of the particular tone element is expressed using at least the component value train extracted by said second step.

18. A tone data generation apparatus comprising:

a first section that acquires a discrete variation value train for at least one particular tone element in original waveform data; and

a second section that extracts, from the variation value train, at least one time-serial component value train in accordance with a time constant factor,

wherein the variation value train of the particular tone element is expressed using at least the component value train extracted by said second section.

19. A program for causing a computer to perform a tone synthesis procedure for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing at least one component value train extracted, in accordance with a time constant factor, from a variation value train of one particular tone element on original waveform data, said tone synthesis procedure comprising:

a first step of performing, in accordance with a desired tone generating time length, expansion or contraction control on a time axis of at least one said component value train to be read out from said storage section, to thereby obtain the component value train having a time length corresponding to the desired tone generating time length;

a second step of variably controlling a value of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion/contraction control by said first step;

a third step of generating the variation value train of the particular tone element on the basis of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or controlled by said first step or said second step; and

a fourth step of generating a tone for the tone generating time length, using the variation value train and other tone-element-related data.

20. A tone synthesis apparatus for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing at least one component value train extracted, in accordance with a time constant factor, from a variation value train of one particular tone element on original waveform data, said tone synthesis apparatus comprising:

a first section that performs, in accordance with a desired tone generating time length, expansion or contraction control on a time axis of at least one said component value train to be read out from said storage section, to thereby obtain the component value train having a time length corresponding to the desired tone generating time length;

a second section that variably controls a value of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion/contraction control by said first section;

a third section that generates the variation value train of the particular tone element on the basis of at least one said component value train read out from said storage section or controlled by said first section or said second section; and

a fourth section that generates a tone for the tone generating time length, using the variation value train and other tone-element-related data.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing tone synthesizing data of a data structure composed of at least a first component value string and a second component value train obtained by separating a time-serially discrete variation value train for at least one particular type of tone element among various types of tone elements in original waveform data,

wherein said first component value train comprises a swell variation value train indicative of a variation component of a relatively great time constant in the variation value train, and

wherein said second component value train comprises a fluctuation variation value train indicative of a variation component of a relatively small time constant in the variation value train.