Karaoke apparatus with tuning sub vocal aside main vocal

• US 5,811,708 A
• Filed: 11/19/1997
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/974,294
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 84/609-614, 84/625, 84/631, 84/634-638, 84/DIG. 4, 434/307 A
• US Class Current: 84/610
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/10 for obtaining chorus, celeste or ensemble effects continuous modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/366 with means for modifying or correcting the external signal, e.g. pitch correction, reverberation, changing a singer's voice
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/04 Chorus; ensemble; celeste

Abstract

A karaoke apparatus is constructed for playing a karaoke song according to song data jointly with a first vocal part and a second vocal part. In the karaoke apparatus, a generator device processes the song data to produce an orchestral accompaniment sound during the course of play of the karaoke song. A first input device collects a first singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to fit with the first vocal part. A second input device collects a second singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to support the first singing voice. An adjuster device adjusts at least a pitch of the second singing voice collected by the second input device according to reference data contained in the song data so as to fit the second singing voice with the second vocal part. A mixer device mixes the first singing voice collected by the first input device and the second singing voice fed from the adjuster device together with the orchestral accompaniment sound to thereby effect play of the karaoke song. The first singing voice may be of a main melody, while the second singing voice may be of a harmony melody or a back chorus.

Claims

1. A karaoke apparatus for playing a karaoke song according to song data jointly with a first vocal part and a second vocal part, comprising:

a generator device that processes the song data to produce an orchestral accompaniment sound during the course of play of the karaoke song;

a first input device that collects a first singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to fit with the first vocal part;

a second input device that collects a second singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to support the first singing voice;

an adjuster device that adjusts at least a pitch of the second singing voice collected by the second input device according to reference data contained in the song data so as to fit the second singing voice with the second vocal part; and

a mixer device that mixes the first singing voice collected by the first input device and the second singing voice fed from the adjuster device together with the orchestral accompaniment sound to thereby effect play of the karaoke song.

2. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first input device collects the first singing voice which is sung along a main melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the second input device collects the second singing voice which is sung along a harmony melody allotted to the second vocal part and made consonant with the main melody, and wherein the adjuster device adjusts the second singing voice according to reference data representative of the harmony melody.

3. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjuster device includes a muting section that mutes the second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the harmony melody.

4. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjuster device further comprises a harmony section that operates when the second singing voice is incorrectly not sung to miss note events contained in the harmony melody for modifying the first singing voice according to the reference data to fit with the second vocal part in place of the missing second singing voice.

5. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first input device collects the first singing voice which is sung along a solo melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the second input device collects the second singing voice which is sung along a chorus melody allotted to the second vocal part and made to back the solo melody, and wherein the adjuster device adjusts the second singing voice according to reference data representative of the chorus melody.

6. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the adjuster device includes a muting section that mutes the second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the chorus melody.

7. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the generator device includes a chorus section that generates a synthetic singing voice, and wherein the mixer device operates when the second singing voice is not sung for selecting the synthetic singing voice to fill the second vocal part in place of the second singing voice, and otherwise operates when the second singing voice is sung for muting the synthetic singing voice.

8. A karaoke apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a harmony device that creates a harmony singing voice which is derived from the first singing voice and which is made consonant with the first singing voice.

9. A karaoke method of playing a karaoke song according to song data jointly with a first vocal part and a second vocal part, comprising the steps of:

processing the song data to produce an orchestral accompaniment sound during the course of play of the karaoke song;

collecting a first singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to fit with the first vocal part;

separately collecting a second singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound in parallel to the first singing voice to support the first singing voice;

adjusting at least a pitch of the collected second singing voice according to reference data contained in the song data so as to fit the second singing voice with the second vocal part; and

mixing the collected first singing voice and the adjusted second singing voice together with the generated orchestral accompaniment sound to thereby effect play of the karaoke song.

10. A karaoke method according to claim 9, wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting the first singing voice which is sung along a main melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the step of separately collecting comprises collecting the second singing voice which is sung along a harmony melody allotted to the second vocal part and made consonant with the main melody, and wherein the step of adjusting comprises adjusting the collected second singing voice according to reference data representative of the harmony melody.

11. A karaoke method according to claim 10, wherein the step of adjusting further comprises muting the collected second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the harmony melody.

12. A karaoke method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of modifying the collected first singing voice according to the reference data to fit with the second vocal part in place of the second singing voice when the second singing voice is incorrectly not sung to miss note events contained in the harmony melody.

13. A karaoke method according to claim 9, wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting the first singing voice which is sung along a solo melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the step of separately collecting comprises collecting the second singing voice which is sung along a chorus melody allotted to the second vocal part and made to back the solo melody, and wherein the step of adjusting comprises adjusting the collected second singing voice according to reference data representative of the chorus melody.

14. A karaoke method according to claim 13, wherein the step of adjusting further comprises muting the collected second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the chorus melody.

15. A karaoke method according to claim 13, wherein the step of processing includes generating a synthetic singing voice to fill the second vocal part in place of the second singing voice when the second singing voice is not sung, and otherwise muting the synthetic singing voice when the second singing voice is sung.

16. A karaoke method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of creating a harmony singing voice which is derived from the first singing voice and which is made consonant with the first singing voice.

17. A machine readable medium for use in a karaoke apparatus having a CPU and playing a karaoke song according to song data jointly with a first vocal part and a second vocal part, the medium containing program instructions executable by the CPU for causing the karaoke apparatus to perform the steps of:

processing the song data to produce an orchestral accompaniment sound during the course of play of the karaoke song;

collecting a first singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound to fit with the first vocal part;

separately collecting a second singing voice which is physically sung along the orchestral accompaniment sound in parallel to the first singing voice to support the first singing voice;

adjusting at least a pitch of the collected second singing voice according to reference data contained in the song data so as to fit the second singing voice with the second vocal part; and

mixing the collected first singing voice and the adjusted second singing voice together with the generated orchestral accompaniment sound to thereby effect play of the karaoke song.

18. A machine readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting the first singing voice which is sung along a main melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the step of separately collecting comprises collecting the second singing voice which is sung along a harmony melody allotted to the second vocal part and made consonant with the main melody, and wherein the step of adjusting comprises adjusting the collected second singing voice according to reference data representative of the harmony melody.

19. A machine readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the step of adjusting further comprises muting the collected second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the harmony melody.

20. A machine readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the steps further comprise modifying the collected first singing voice according to the reference data to fit with the second vocal part in place of the second singing voice when the second singing voice is incorrectly not sung to miss note events contained in the harmony melody.

21. A machine readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting the first singing voice which is sung along a solo melody allotted to the first vocal part, while the step of separately collecting comprises collecting the second singing voice which is sung along a chorus melody allotted to the second vocal part and made to back the solo melody, and wherein the step of adjusting comprises adjusting the collected second singing voice according to reference data representative of the chorus melody.

22. A machine readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the step of adjusting further comprises muting the collected second singing voice when the same is incorrectly sung at a rest event of the chorus melody.

23. A machine readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the step of processing includes generating a synthetic singing voice to fill the second vocal part in place of the second singing voice when the second singing voice is not sung, and otherwise muting the synthetic singing voice when the second singing voice is sung.

24. A machine readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the steps further comprise creating a harmony singing voice which is derived from the first singing voice and which is made consonant with the first singing voice.