JP4263263B2 - Reservation terminal that can reserve desired songs in the karaoke device by adding user's favorite performance orders - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus having a favorite performance control function that can be selected and adjusted according to a user's preference, such as a performance key of karaoke accompaniment music, a performance tempo, or the addition of a chorus effect. The present invention relates to a music selection reservation system related to performance control function presets.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A typical commercial karaoke apparatus has a favorite performance control function that can be selected and adjusted according to the user's preference, such as performance keys for karaoke accompaniment music, performance tempo, or addition of a chorus effect. In a recent online karaoke system, karaoke accompaniment music is described as digital musical score digital data according to the MIDI format, and performance sounds of various musical instruments are synthesized and output by a MIDI synthesizer of the karaoke apparatus. In the case of this type of karaoke apparatus, various kinds of favorite performance control functions applying digital signal processing are installed, and new ideas will be incorporated in the future.
[0003]
Note that the same preference performance control function cannot be used for all songs registered in the karaoke database. Key adjustment and tempo adjustment are common items as basic functions, but there are songs that can be used for the chorus effect and some songs that cannot be used. The chorus effect can only be produced by a piece of music for which some sort of chorus effect addition data is attached to the karaoke data. Further, data for adding chorus effects is later supplemented to karaoke data of existing music. New functions of preference performance control that are developed one after another will be introduced from a small number of music suitable for the function, and will be applied to more music if the reputation is good. Such an operation has been made.
[0004]
By the way, the user performs selection and adjustment operations for the function items of the preferred performance control in the following procedure. When the order of the songs you requested is reached and you are ready to play the songs, the name of the song appears on the display. At this stage, preference input from the remote control or the main body operation panel is performed for the performance key, performance tempo, or chorus effect. Since a default value is determined for each function item of the preference performance control, the user does not necessarily need to input a preference for each function item. It is only necessary to perform preference input for a function item that you want to set differently from the default value.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When playing music that can be used with various kinds of preference performance control functions, check the contents and default values of those function items, and enter the preference like that, considering which item you want to change, It is not easy to finish this by the timing of singing. It is difficult unless you are a regular customer who is skilled in this work. For general users, the performance starts with default values without understanding, or the performance starts halfway through the work, and it is often impossible to sing comfortably from the beginning of the song.
[0006]
As is well known, there is a karaoke apparatus that can use a personal remote control for karaoke regular customers. The personal remote control has a function of presetting many request numbers (song IDs) of favorite songs of the user who owns the personal remote control. Further, for preset music, preference input values of basic functions common to all music such as key and tempo can be preset. According to this type of remote control, it is not necessary to perform key adjustment and tempo adjustment at the start of performance. However, it is effective only for items of predetermined key and tempo, and other various chorus effects, guide melodies, sound quality conversion effects, performance omission designation, scoring, lyric ruby, etc. After all, it will be set at the start of the performance. Therefore, many of the above problems are preserved.
[0007]
This invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the purpose thereof is that there are many types of functional items for preference performance control, and the functional items that can be used for each music are different, An object of the present invention is to provide a karaoke apparatus in which preference input can be performed by slowly considering them in advance when selecting a song.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The reservation terminal according to the present invention is capable of reserving a desired song in the karaoke apparatus by adding a performance order desired by the user, and is specified by the following items (1) to (11).
(1) A reservation terminal that includes a communication means, a user input means, a display means, a table of contents database for karaoke database registered songs, and a control means, and accesses the table of contents database to search for songs (2) The table of contents database aggregates the song ID, song name, artist name, and function item data for each song in association with each other. (3) The function item data relates to the preferred performance control function over a plurality of items in the karaoke device. Indicate the function items that can be used in the music (4) The communication means can communicate with the karaoke device (5) The user input means can accept the operation input by the user (6) Display The means displays information under the control of the control means. (7) The control means performs the first to third processes when the desired song is specified by the user input. (8) In the first process, the song name / artist name / function item data of the specified song is extracted from the table of contents database, and the favorite function menu based on the song name / artist name and the function item data is displayed on the display means. are allowed, it (9) preference function menu for accepting user input for changing the default value in the preference function menu, each function item, to write a default value for each function item (10) second process, the The performance order data is created based on the default value change information received in the first process. (11) The third process is the process ID and the second process when the user inputs a reservation instruction. The created performance order data is associated with each other and transmitted from the communication means to the karaoke apparatus.
In addition to the above basic requirements, the present invention can be implemented by appropriately combining the following requirements.
(A) The main body apparatus including the karaoke database and the performance processing means, and the reservation operation section, the reservation display section, and the reservation terminal including the reservation reception means are separately configured as a device. The device and the reservation terminal are coupled by data transmission means.
(A) The reservation terminal has a table of contents database of songs registered in the karaoke database, searches corresponding music data from the table of contents database in accordance with a search input from the operation unit, and outputs it to the display unit To do.
(C) Registering karaoke data distributed from the host device via the communication medium in the karaoke database, and collecting the function item data distributed from the host device in the storage unit.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
=== Basic configuration and operation of karaoke apparatus ===
A system configuration of a karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This figure mainly represents the hardware configuration of the karaoke apparatus 1. A large number of karaoke apparatuses 1 and a host apparatus 2 are connected by a telephone line 3 to constitute a computer network.
[0011]
The description will proceed mainly with the configuration of the karaoke apparatus 1. The system control unit 4 is the center of a computer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls the karaoke apparatus 1. The system control unit 4 is connected to the telephone line 3 via the modem 5 and communicates with the host device 2. The main components of the karaoke data distributed from the host device 2 to the karaoke device 1 are accompaniment music generation data expressed in MIDI format data and the like, and lyric drawing data that is synchronized with the accompaniment in time. Karaoke data is managed in units of music using the music ID as a key. Karaoke data of a large number of songs distributed from the host device 2 is stored in the hard disk device 6. In addition to storing karaoke data of new music distributed from the host device 2 in the hard disk device 6, karaoke data of old music is provided as a CD-ROM, and the CD-ROM is provided as a changer-type CD-ROM. The player 7 is loaded.
[0012]
The main body of the karaoke apparatus 1 has a user interface operation panel 8 including a display and a keyboard, and a remote control receiver 9 corresponding to a remote control transmitter (not shown) is also attached. The operation panel 8 and the remote control receiving unit 9 are coupled to the system control unit 4 through the operation control unit 10, and the karaoke user inputs various operation inputs such as music selection by the operation panel 8 of the main body or the remote control transmitter. The response information of the device with respect to the operation content and operation input is displayed on the operation panel 8.
[0013]
In this embodiment, a dedicated reservation terminal 20 is provided separately from the user interface system of the operation control unit 10 of the main body of the karaoke apparatus 1. The interface unit 11 of the main body and the interface unit 21 of the reservation terminal 20 are coupled by a wireless transmission path using infrared rays, for example.
[0014]
Reproduction of music is performed through the following route under the control of the system control unit 4. The karaoke data of the designated music ID is read from the hard disk device 6 or the CD-ROM player 7. The MIDI data of the accompaniment music generation data is sequentially input to the synthesizer 12 and converted into an audio signal, which is output from the speaker 14 via the mixing amplifier 13. In the mixing amplifier 13, the singing voice signal from the microphone 15 is mixed.
[0015]
In synchronization with this audio output, the system control unit 4 sequentially converts the lyric drawing data into a character string and writes it into the video RAM 16, and adds a color changing process indicating the progress of the song to the lyric character string. The bitmap image data created in the video RAM 16 is read by the video control unit 17 and displayed on the CRT display 18. In parallel with the above karaoke performance process, the lyrics background image is displayed on the display 18. The background video is reproduced and output from the CD-ROM player 7, superimposed on the lyrics image in the video RAM 16, and output.
[0016]
=== Preference performance control function ===
In this embodiment, the karaoke apparatus 1 has the following function items as a favorite performance control function that can be selected and adjusted according to the user's preference. The description in parentheses suggests the contents of selection / adjustment.
[0017]
1 ... Key adjustment (b / standard / #)
2. Tempo adjustment (-/ Standard / +)
3. Back chorus (ON / OFF)
4 ... Sound synthesis harmony (ON / OFF synthesized sound level adjustment)
5 ... Sound synthesis unison (ON / OFF synthesis sound level adjustment)
6 ... Voice quality conversion (Mode selection for male → female or female → male, etc. Conversion intensity level adjustment)
7 ... Guide vocal (none / weak / standard / strong)
8 ... Guide melody (none / weak / standard / strong)
9 ... Telop color change (Yes / No)
10 ... Guide ruby (yes / no)
11 ... Performance skip mode (Prelude omitted / No. 1 only / Up to No. 2 / Interlude omitted / After skip omitted)
12 ... Scoring (None / Yes)
13 ... Singing advice (None / Yes)
14 ... Score display (None / Yes)
15 ... Singing recording (None / Yes)
16 ... Lighting control (None / Yes)
It should be noted that the function of the preferred performance control for each item described above is already known, and it is not directly related to the gist of the present invention by what data processing and control the function is realized. Therefore, in this specification, the contents of these functions will not be described in detail. The karaoke apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can execute these 16 item preference performance control functions, and can selectively use these 16 item functions for each piece of music registered in the karaoke database. It is.
[0018]
=== Reserved terminal 20 ===
As described above, the reservation terminal 20 is a cordless device that communicates with the karaoke apparatus 1 by infrared communication, and is externally a portable information terminal such as a notebook computer having a liquid crystal display 22 and an operation panel 23. A terminal control unit 26 including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM is a computer that is the center of the reservation terminal 20. The terminal control unit 26 communicates with the karaoke apparatus 1 via the interface unit 21 and performs processing for displaying various information on the display 22 via the display control unit 27. An operation panel 23 and a remote control receiving unit 24 corresponding to a remote control transmitter (not shown) are coupled to the terminal control unit 26 via the operation control unit 25, and the user can use the operation panel 23 or the remote control. Various operations such as music selection, preference input, and music search are performed by the transmitter.
[0019]
=== Karaoke database and function item data ===
There are a total of 10,000 songs of karaoke data in several CD-ROMs loaded in the CD-ROM player 7 and the hard disk device 6, and the whole is managed by the system control unit 4 as a karaoke database.
The concept of the data format of karaoke data for one song is shown in FIG. As described above, the main part of the accompaniment music generation data is MIDI format data, and some music pieces are accompanied by ADPCM-encoded chorus data. The lyric drawing data includes timing defining data for adjusting to the progress of the accompaniment during reproduction. These are the main bodies of karaoke data, which have a header.
In order to realize this in many items such as “Self-synthesizing harmony”, “Self-synthesizing unison”, “Sound quality conversion”, “Guide vocal” among the 16 items of preference performance control listed above. It is necessary to add predetermined control data to the accompaniment music generation data in advance. In this specification, such control data is also regarded as a part of accompaniment music generation data.
[0020]
In the header, a unique music ID is entered as a key. Attribute entry fields such as song name, artist name (singer name), composer, lyricist, and genre are in the header, and the corresponding attribute data is entered in each field. As is well known, when reproducing karaoke data of a song, attribute data such as a song name and an artist name is displayed on the display at the beginning of the accompaniment music. Also, attribute data is used for the song search processing of the karaoke data group.
[0021]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the header also has a function item data entry field. This function item data is data describing in a predetermined format which one of the 16 favorite performance control functions of the music corresponds to which (can be used).
[0022]
The header information for all songs registered in the karaoke database is collected in the hard disk device 6, and the system control unit 4 manages this. Further, the system control unit 4 transfers the aggregated header information to the reservation terminal 20 in a timely manner. Upon receiving this, the terminal control unit 26 aggregates the header information into the electronic table of contents format and stores it in the RAM, and stores the function item data for each song in the RAM in an appropriate format. It is used as an information source for the preference function menu described below.
[0023]
When the karaoke data of the new music is distributed from the host device 2, the system control unit 4 updates the karaoke database and also transfers the header information for the new music to the reservation terminal 20, and the terminal control unit 26 The RAM information is also updated. In addition, new preference performance control items can be used for existing music in the karaoke database, and when karaoke data is updated for that purpose, the header information is also transferred to the reservation terminal 20, and the terminal control unit 26 The RAM information is updated.
[0024]
=== Reservation selection and preference input ===
When the ID (music number) of the desired music is input from the operation panel 8 of the karaoke apparatus 1 or the remote control transmitter in a predetermined procedure, the music ID is added to the reservation list. On the other hand, when an ID of a desired music is input from the operation panel 23 of the reservation terminal 20 or the remote control transmitter in a predetermined procedure, a preference function menu as illustrated in FIG. A user inputs a music ID. The terminal control unit 27 checks the table of contents information and the function item data on the RAM according to the song ID, displays the song name and artist name corresponding to the song ID, and performs the preferred performance control available for the song. Create and display a preference function menu describing function items.
[0025]
In the case of the music illustrated in FIG. 3, seven functions of “key adjustment”, “tempo adjustment”, “back chorus”, “voice synthesis harmony”, “voice synthesis unison”, “guide vocal”, and “performance skip” are available. Yes, each item selection / adjustment is displayed with default values. If the default values are acceptable for all items, the user need not do anything. If there is an item to be changed, the operation panel 23 is used to select / adjust the cursor with the item. This is a preference input. When the preference input is completed, press the confirmation key. Alternatively, when a predetermined time elapses, it is treated as if the confirmation key is pressed.
[0026]
When the confirmation key is pressed, the terminal control unit 26 creates performance order data based on the contents of the preference function menu changed by the preference input (or not changed with the default value). The performance order data is data for informing the system control unit 4 of the karaoke apparatus 1 of “the setting value of the item changed from the default value of the preferred performance control for the music”. Any representation format may be used.
[0027]
The reserved music ID received by the reservation terminal 20 is transferred to the karaoke apparatus 1 together with the performance order data, and is added to the reservation list managed by the system control unit 4. The system control unit 4 advances the performance processing in order from the top of the reservation list. That is, the karaoke data indicated by the music ID of the first rank in the reservation list is taken out of the database and prepared for performance. At the same time, the function item data (the default value of each item is known) and the performance order data (the change setting value from the default value is known) associated with the music ID is acquired, and the performance is executed according to these. Control the operation mode of the preferred performance control function.
[0028]
=== Others ===
In the above embodiment, the separate reservation terminal 20 that operates completely in parallel with the karaoke apparatus 1 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration example. The multitask function of the system control unit 4 in the karaoke apparatus 1 can also execute the karaoke data performance process and the reservation reception process substantially in parallel.
[0029]
When a separate reservation terminal 20 is provided as in the above-described embodiment, a touch display in which the display 22 and the operation panel 23 are integrated, and an electronic table of contents function and a reservation list browsing function are provided to further enhance the function. It is possible to realize a reservation terminal with high practicality of the function.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
According to the karaoke apparatus of the present invention, even if there are many kinds of functional items for preference performance control or the functional items that can be used for each music are different, they are slowly examined in advance at the time of music selection reservation. Can be input. Therefore, for general customers who are not familiar with the content of each function item of preference performance control, look at the preference function menu related to the music that they want to request and see what they are. How to change the settings can be done while enjoying enough time. Thus, it can be said that the original purpose of tasteful performance control can be achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a data format of karaoke data in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example of a preference function menu in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Karaoke apparatus 2 Host apparatus 4 System control part 20 Reservation terminal 22 Display (reservation display part)
23 Operation panel (reservation operation unit)
26 Terminal control unit

Claims (1)

A reserved terminal specified by the following items (1) to (11).
(1) A reservation terminal that includes a communication means, a user input means, a display means, a table of contents database for karaoke database registered songs, and a control means, and accesses the table of contents database to search for songs (2) The table of contents database aggregates the song ID, song name, artist name, and function item data in association with each song. (3) The function item data is a preference performance control function over a plurality of items in the karaoke apparatus. Indicate the function items that can be used in the music (4) The communication means can communicate with the karaoke device (5) The user input means can accept the operation input by the user (6) Display The means displays information under the control of the control means. (7) The control means performs the first to third processes when the desired song is specified by the user input. (8) In the first process, the song name / artist name / function item data of the specified song is extracted from the table of contents database, and the favorite function menu based on the song name / artist name and the function item data is displayed on the display means. are allowed, it (9) preference function menu for accepting user input for changing the default value in the preference function menu, each function item, to write a default value for each function item (10) second process, the The performance order data is created based on the default value change information received in the first process. (11) The third process is the process ID and the second process when the user inputs a reservation instruction. Corresponding the created performance order data and transmitting it to the karaoke device from the communication means

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