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

• US 7,626,113 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kuroda, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): Benson; Walter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan; Kawing
• Application Number:
  US11/248,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20060081119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 846/22, 846/23, 846/24, 846/25, 846/47, 846/59, 846/92
• 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
• 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 colour or musically desired dynamic range compression or expansion
• 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
• 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 synthesis method for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing a first component value train and a second component value train of a tone pitch or tone amplitude of original waveform data that are obtained from a variation value train of the tone pitch or tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the first component value train being obtained by smoothing of said variation value train of the one of the tone pitch and tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the second component value train being obtained on the basis of a difference between said variation value train and said first component value train, 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 of said first and second component value trains 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 train of values of at least one of said first and second component value trains read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion or contraction control by said first step;

a third step of generating the variation value train of one of the tone pitch and tone amplitude on the basis of an arithmetic operation between said first and said second component value trains 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.

2. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first step performs one of expansion and 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.

3. A tone synthesis method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first component value train corresponds to a swell variation component in the variation value train, and said second component value train corresponds to a fluctuation variation component in the variation value train.

4. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to perform a tone synthesis procedure for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing a first component value train and a second component value train of a tone pitch or tone amplitude of original waveform data that are obtained from a variation value train of on the tone pitch or tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the first component value train being obtained by smoothing of said variation value train of the tone pitch or tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the second component value train being obtained on the basis of a difference between said variation value train and the first component value train, 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 of said first and second component value trains 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 train of values of at least one of said first and second component value trains read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion or contraction control by said first step;

a third step of generating a variation value train of the one of the tone pitch and tone amplitude on the basis of an arithmetic operation between said first and second component value trains 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.

5. A tone synthesis apparatus for synthesizing a tone using a storage section storing a first component value train and a second component value train of a tone pitch or tone amplitude of original waveform data that are obtained from a variation value train of on the tone pitch or tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the first component value train being obtained by smoothing of said variation value train of the tone pitch or tone amplitude of the original waveform data, the second component value train being obtained on the basis of a difference between said variation value train and said first component value train, 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 of said first and second component value trains 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 train of values of at least one of said first and second component value trains read out from said storage section or having the time axis subjected to the expansion or contraction control by said first section;

a third section that generates a variation value train of the one of the tone pitch and tone amplitude on the basis of an arithmetic operation between said first and second component value trains 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.