Music sound correcting apparatus and music sound correcting method capable of achieving similar audibilities even by speaker/headphone

• US 5,939,656 A
• Filed: 11/18/1998
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Suda, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US09/193,984
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• Field of Search: 84/615-620, 84/622-633, 84/644, 84/653-665, 84/678-690, 84/692-711, 84/735-746, 84/670, 84/718-721, 84/DIG. 9 , 84/DIG. 26, 381/63-65
• US Class Current: 84/630
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0091 Means for obtaining special acoustic effects combined with modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/295 Spatial effects, musical uses of multiple audio channels, e.g. stereo Helmholtz resonance effects G10H2210/275; reverberation or echo G10H2210/281
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/09 Filtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/26 Reverberation

Abstract

A music sound correcting apparatus for correcting a music sound signal entered thereinto to selectively supply the corrected music sound signal to a speaker and a headphone, is provided with a jack into which a plug of the headphone is inserted, and a detector for detecting whether or not this plug of the headphone is inserted into the jack. When the detector detects that the plug is not inserted into the jack, a frequency of the entered music sound signal is changed so as to be properly reproduced by the speaker. On the other hand, when the detector detects that this plug is inserted into the jack, the entered music sound signal is corrected so as to be properly reproduced by the headphone in such a manner that a sound image produced based upon the entered music sound signal is localized to a predetermined position. As a result, preferable music sound can be reproduced even when the speaker is used and the headphone is employed irrespective of a small amount of hardware.

Claims

1. A music sound correcting apparatus for correcting a music sound signal entered thereinto to selectively supply the corrected music sound signal to a speaker and a headphone, comprising:

a jack into which a plug of said headphone is inserted;

a detector for detecting whether or not said plug of the headphone is inserted into said jack;

first correcting means for correcting said entered music sound signal to be properly reproduced by the speaker when said detector detects that said plug is not inserted into said jack; and

second correcting means for correcting said entered music sound signal to be properly reproduced by the headphone when said detector detects that said plug is inserted into said jack.

2. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first correcting means includes equalizing means for changing a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said entered music sound signal.

3. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said entered music sound signal comprises a left-channel input signal and a right-channel input signal;

and

said equalizing means includes;

a plurality of first bandpass filters for filtering said left-channel input signal, wherein each of said first bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said left-channel input signal; and

a plurality of second bandpass filters for filtering said right-channel input signal, wherein each of said second bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said right-channel input signal.

4. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second correcting means includes sound image localizing means for localizing a sound image formed based upon said entered music sound signal at a preselected position.

5. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said first correcting means includes equalizing means for changing a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said entered music sound signal.

6. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said entered music sound signal comprises a left-channel input signal and a right-channel input signal;

and

said equalizing means includes;

a plurality of first bandpass filters for filtering said left-channel input signal, wherein each of said first bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said left-channel input signal; and

a plurality of second bandpass filters for filtering said right-channel input signal, wherein each of said second bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said right-channel input signal.

7. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said entered music sound signal comprises a left-channel input signal and a right-channel input signal;

and

said sound image localizing means includes;

a left-channel sound image localizing filter for applying a left-channel external-ear transfer function to said left-channel input signal;

a right-channel crosstalk component filter for deriving a crosstalk component from said right-channel input signal;

a right-channel delay device for delaying the crosstalk component derived from said right-channel crosstalk component filter by an inter aural time difference;

a left-channel adder for mixing the signal filtered from said left-channel sound image localizing filter with the signal delayed by said right-channel delay device;

a right-channel sound image localizing filter for applying a right-channel external-ear transfer function to said right-channel input signal;

a left-channel crosstalk component filter for deriving a crosstalk component from said left-channel input signal;

a left-channel delay device for delaying the crosstalk component derived from said left-channel crosstalk component filter by the inter aural time difference;

a right-channel adder for mixing the signal filtered from said right-channel sound image localizing filter with the signal delayed by said left-channel delay device.

8. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said first correcting means includes equalizing means for changing a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said entered music sound signal.

9. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said entered music sound signal comprises a left-channel input signal and a right-channel input signal;

and

said equalizing means includes;

a plurality of first bandpass filters for filtering said left-channel input signal, wherein each of said first bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said left-channel input signal 1; and

a plurality of second bandpass filters for filtering said right-channel input signal, wherein each of said second bandpass filters passes a unique frequency band of said right-channel input signal.

10. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said second correcting means further includes reverberation adding means for applying a reverberation component to said entered music sound signal.

11. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said entered music sound signal comprises a left-channel input signal and a right-channel input signal;

and

said reverberation adding means includes;

a left reverberating apparatus for applying a reverberation component to said left-channel input signal; and

a right reverberating apparatus for applying a reverberation component to said right-channel input signal; and

wherein

said sound image localizing means includes;

a left-channel sound image localizing filter for applying a left-channel external-ear transfer function to said left-channel input signal;

a right-channel crosstalk component filter for deriving a crosstalk component from said right-channel input signal;

a right-channel delay device for delaying the crosstalk component derived from said right-channel crosstalk component filter by an inter aural time difference;

a left-channel adder for mixing the signal filtered from said left-channel sound image localizing filter, the signal delayed by said right-channel delay device and the signal applied the reverberation component by said left reverberating apparatus;

a right-channel sound image localizing filter for applying a right-channel external-ear transfer function to said right-channel input signal;

a left-channel crosstalk component filter for deriving a crosstalk component from said left-channel input signal;

a left-channel delay device for delaying the crosstalk component derived from said left-channel crosstalk component filter by the inter aural time difference;

a right-channel adder for mixing the signal filtered from said right-channel sound image localizing filter, the signal delayed by said left-channel delay device and the signal applied the reverberation component by said right reverberating apparatus.

12. A music sound correcting apparatus for correcting a music sound signal entered thereinto to selectively supply the corrected music sound signal to a speaker and a headphone, comprising:

first storage means for storing an equalizing process program and a sound image localizing process program;

second storage means, a content of which is rewritable;

a jack into which a plug of said headphone is inserted;

a detector for detecting whether or not said plug of the headphone is inserted into said jack;

control means for transferring said equalizing process program read from said first storage means to said second storage means when said detector detects that said plug of the headphone is not inserted into said jack; and

for transferring said sound image localizing process program read from said first storage means to said second storage means when said detector detects that said plug of the headphone is inserted into said jack; and

a digital signal processor for processing said entered music sound signal such that when said equalizing process program is transferred to said second storage means by said control means, said entered music sound signal is corrected in accordance with said equalizing process program to be properly reproduced by the speaker, and when said sound image localizing process program is transferred to said second storage means by said control means, said entered music sound signal is corrected in accordance with said sound image localizing process program to be properly reproduced by the headphone.

13. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said equalizing process program changes a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said entered music sound signal.

14. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said sound image localizing process program localizes a sound image formed in response to said entered music sound signal to a preselected position.

15. A music sound correcting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said first storage means further stores thereinto a reverberation adding process program used to add a reverberation component to said entered music sound signal;

when said detector detects that said plug of the headphone is inserted into said jack, said control means transfers said sound image localizing process program and said reverberation adding process program read from said first storage means to said second storage means, and then said digital signal processor corrects said entered music sound signal in accordance with said sound image localizing process program and said reverberation adding process program to be properly reproduced by the headphone.

16. A music sound correcting method comprising the steps of:

detecting whether or not a plug of a headphone is inserted into a jack;

executing a first correction to an inputted music sound signal to be properly reproduced by a speaker when a detection is made such that said plug of the headphone is not inserted into the jack; and

executing a second correction to the inputted music sound signal to be properly reproduced by the headphone when a detection is made such that said plug of the headphone inserted into the jack.

17. A music sound correcting method according to claim 16, wherein

said first correction is to change a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said input music sound signal.

18. A music sound correcting method according to claim 16, wherein

said second correction is to localize a sound image formed in response to said input music sound signal to a predetermined position.

19. A music sound correcting method according to claim 18, wherein

said first correction is to change a frequency characteristic of music sound produced in response to said input music sound signal.

20. A music sound correcting method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

adding a reverberation component to said input music sound signal.