Performance apparatus and tone generation method therefor

• US 20060236846A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Nishibori, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,371,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/603
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/066 for pitch analysis as part of wider processing for musical purposes, e.g. transcription, musical performance evaluation; Pitch recognition, e.g. in polyphonic sounds; Estimation or use of missing fundamental
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/221 Keyboards, i.e. configuration of several keys or key-like input devices relative to one another details of individual keys or key-like devices G10H2220/265; continuous keyboards or keyboards implementing specific musical scales, e.g. quartertone G10H2210/395; switch matrix keyboards, e.g. on guitar necks G10H2220/295
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/236 representing an active musical staff or tablature, i.e. with key-like position sensing at the expected note positions on the staff active keyboard representation on a touchscreen G10H2220/241
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/295 Switch matrix, e.g. contact array common to several keys, the actuated keys being identified by the rows and columns in contact

Abstract

A plurality of key switches are disposed in a predetermined arrangement, such as a matrix arrangement, and a tone generator includes a memory for storing tone (waveform) data corresponding to the key switches. Sampling section acquires an audio signal from an external source, cuts out tone data from the acquired audio signal and writes the cut-out tone data into the memory in association with the key switches. Any one of the key switches is designated on the basis of switch operation by a user or on the basis of automatic performance information, so that, of the tone data stored in the memory, the tone data corresponding to the designated key switch is sounded, i.e. audibly reproduced.

Claims

1. A performance apparatus comprising:

a plurality of key switches disposed in a predetermined arrangement;

a memory that stores a plurality of tone data corresponding to the key switches;

a sampling section that acquires an audio signal, cuts out tone data from the acquired audio signal and writes the cut-out tone data into said memory in association with the key switches; and

a tone generation section that audibly sounds any one of the tone data, stored in said memory, corresponding to a designated one of the key switches.

2. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sampling section detects a silent section of the audio signal and cuts out, as the tone data, at least part of the audio signal other than the detected silent section.

3. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sampling section extracts, from the acquired audio signal, a section having a particular pitch and cuts out the extracted section as the tone data.

4. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of key switches are arranged in given order, and said sampling section detects respective frequencies of individual ones of the tone data cut out from the audio signal and associates the individual tone data to said plurality of key switches in order of the frequencies.

5. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sampling section detects a start position of a phoneme in the audio signal and acquires, as the tone data, sound data having a predetermined length from the detected start position of the phoneme.

6. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the predetermined arrangement in which said plurality of key switches are disposed is a matrix arrangement.

7. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein individual X-coordinate locations in the matrix arrangement of the key switches correspond to mutually-different tone generation timing.

8. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein individual Y-coordinate locations in the matrix arrangement of the key switches correspond to mutually-different tone pitches.

9. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the individual Y-coordinate locations in the matrix arrangement of the key switches correspond to mutually-different tone data.

10. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a note table storing correspondency between said plurality of key switches and notes based on pitches of the tone data associated with the key switches.

11. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone generation section audibly sounds any one of the tone data corresponding to one of the switches designated in response to operation by a user.

12. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a storage section that stores ON/OFF states of said plurality of key switches in correspondence with a desired music performance, and a readout control section that reads out the ON/OFF states of said plurality of key switches from said storage section in response to a reproductive performance instruction, and

wherein said tone generation section audibly sounds the tone data corresponding to the key switches designated in accordance with the ON/OFF states read out via said readout control section.

13. A method for using a performance apparatus including a plurality of key switches disposed in a predetermined arrangement, and a memory that stores a plurality of tone data corresponding to the key switches, said method comprising:

a step of acquiring an audio signal;

a step of cutting out tone data from the audio signal acquired by said step of acquiring and writing the cut-out tone data into said memory in association with the key switches; and

a step of audibly sounding any one of the tone data, stored in said memory, corresponding to any designated one of the key switches.

14. A computer program containing a group of instructions for causing a computer of a performance apparatus to perform a tone generation procedure, said performance apparatus including a plurality of key switches disposed in a predetermined arrangement, and a memory that stores a plurality of tone data corresponding to the key switches, said tone generation procedure comprising:

a step of acquiring an audio signal;

a step of cutting out tone data from the audio signal acquired by said step of acquiring and writing the cut-out tone data into said memory in association with the key switches; and

a step of sounding one of the tone data, stored in said memory, corresponding to any designated one of the key switches.