JP2006119662A - Arpeggio sound generator and medium which records program to control arpeggio sound generation and can be read by computer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate arpeggio sounds having affluent expression power by enhancing the function of arpeggio of an electronic musical instrument. <P>SOLUTION: A track arpeggio pattern in which a plurality of track data is made into one set and the arpeggio pattern is constituted for each track data is used. Each track data hold the data of "timbre numbers" to set timbre for every track data. The arpeggio pattern is made of the data equivalent to one sound generation consisting of other "timing", "gate time", "key number", "octave" and "velocity". An arpeggio key region is set on a keyboard. The note number of a key being pressed in the arpeggio key region is assigned to a key number. By an interrupting processing, data of first and second arpeggio patterns are read, a pitch is determined on the basis of the note number corresponding to each key number, and two arpeggio music sounds are generated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention controls an arpeggio sound generator and an arpeggio sounding device that sound an arpeggio at a pitch determined from pitch information input from a keyboard or the like based on an arpeggio pattern that determines the timing of arpeggio (distributed chord) sound generation The present invention relates to a computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some electronic musical instruments can produce arpeggios with a simple operation as a form of automatic accompaniment. In other words, a plurality of arpeggio patterns are stored in advance, and one arpeggio pattern is selected from among them, and a specified key range on the bass side of the keyboard is pressed, so that the arpeggio pattern is obtained from the note number of the key pressed. In response to this, a plurality of note numbers are generated, and the musical tones of the note numbers are pronounced in a predetermined order. In other words, an arpeggio accompaniment can be performed by simply pressing a plurality of keys simultaneously or appropriately within a predetermined key range without having to perform an arpeggio performance fingering.

  An arpeggio pattern is a set of data that defines the sound generation timing, length, volume, or octave shift of the pitch of the arpeggio's constituent sounds. From a plurality of arpeggio patterns, such as preset ones and user-set ones Select and use.

  It should be noted that there is no prior art document information to be disclosed because there is no document known invention related to the present invention that the applicant knows at the time of filing the patent.

  However, since the conventional electronic musical instrument can select only one arpeggio pattern prior to performance, there is a problem that only one type of arpeggio effect can be expressed during performance, and the performance becomes monotonous. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to produce an arpeggio with rich expressive power by enhancing the function of the arpeggio.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arpeggio sound generation device comprising pitch information input means for inputting pitch information for determining pitches of constituent sounds of an arpeggio, an arpeggio pattern for determining at least the sounding timing of constituent sounds of an arpeggio, and musical sounds. Track arpeggio pattern storage means for storing a track arpeggio pattern in which a plurality of types of track data having timbre information for specifying a timbre are set; pitch information input by the pitch information input means; and the track arpeggio pattern storage Musical tone generating means for generating, based on a track arpeggio pattern stored in the means, a plurality of arpeggio musical tones corresponding to the track data with the tone color of the timbre information corresponding to the track data. And

  According to the arpeggio sound generator according to claim 1 configured as described above, a plurality of types of arpeggio effects corresponding to a plurality of track data can be simultaneously obtained, and a tone corresponding to each track data can be obtained. You can also enjoy a variety of musical performances with more expressive arpeggio pronunciation. In addition, since the track arpeggio pattern is a set of multiple track data, a combination of arpeggio patterns corresponding to each track data can be set in advance. You can enjoy the performance without considering the condition.

  A computer-readable medium recording the program according to claim 2 of the present invention is a medium recording a program for controlling the arpeggio pronunciation by a computer, and includes pitch information for determining the pitch of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio. A track arpeggio pattern in which a plurality of types of track data including a step of inputting, the input pitch information, an arpeggio pattern that determines at least the timing of sound generation of the arpeggio constituent sounds, and timbre information that specifies the tone color of a musical tone are set And a step of generating a musical tone of a plurality of arpeggios corresponding to the track data with the timbre of the timbre information corresponding to the track data, and a program for executing by the computer, By executing this program, the same operation as in claim 1 is performed. Effect can be obtained.

  According to the execution of the arpeggio sound generator according to claim 1 or the program recorded in the medium according to claim 2, a plurality of types of arpeggio effects corresponding to a plurality of track data can be obtained simultaneously, The sound can be adapted to the sound, and arpeggios with rich expressiveness can be produced, allowing you to enjoy a variety of musical performances. In addition, since the track arpeggio pattern is a set of multiple track data, a combination of arpeggio patterns corresponding to each track data can be set in advance. You can enjoy the performance without considering the condition.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. First, a reference embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic musical instrument to which the arpeggio sound generator of the present invention is applied. The CPU 1 controls the entire electronic musical instrument using a working area of the RAM 3 based on a control program stored in the ROM 2. When playing the keyboard, the CPU 1 takes in the note number, key-on signal, etc. from the keyboard 4 through the detection circuit 4a and sets the note number, velocity and note-on / note-off for the tone generator circuit 5, thereby generating sound processing and muting. Process. The tone generator circuit 5 generates a tone signal of a tone color set based on the note number, note-on, and velocity set by the CPU 1, and the effect circuit 6 applies various effects to the tone signal generated by the tone generator circuit 5. And a musical tone is generated by the sound system 7. Also, by setting the note number and note off, the musical sound signal is attenuated or stopped and muted.

  In the arpeggio mode, the user can set any key range of the keyboard 4 as the arpeggio key range, and the note number (pitch information) detected in this arpeggio key range is the pitch of the arpeggio component sound. Used to determine Then, a note number, velocity, and note on / note off are set in the tone generator circuit 5 based on a note number detected in this arpeggio key range and an arpeggio pattern described later, thereby performing arpeggio sounding and muting. The note number detected outside the arpeggio key range is used to generate a musical tone as a normal keyboard performance. The arpeggio key range can be set by selecting a dividing point that divides the keyboard 4 into two parts, the bass side and the treble side, and using this dividing point as the arpeggio key range, or the pitch range of the arpeggio key range. There are methods such as selecting directly.

  Further, the CPU 1 takes in input data from the switch 8 disposed on the operation panel via the detection circuit 8a, and performs various processes according to the operation of the switch 8, such as switching to the arpeggio mode. In addition to the switch 8, a so-called GUI (Graphical User Interface) using the liquid crystal panel of the display circuit 9 is used together with the user's input operation such as selection of an arpeggio pattern.

  The CPU 1 sets the input tempo information in the timer 10, and the timer 10 generates a clock signal (tempo clock) according to the set tempo. The CPU 1 performs an interrupt process for each clock signal. Arpeggio pronunciation processing. In this embodiment, the clock signal has 96 clocks corresponding to one beat of a quarter note, and one bar length is 384 clocks.

  The external storage device 11 is a hard disk device, a floppy disk device, a CD-ROM device, a magneto-optical disk device or the like, and can also be used for inputting and storing various data such as an arpeggio pattern. The interface 12 is a communication interface with a MIDI device or an external computer, and can exchange various data such as an arpeggio pattern with another MIDI device or an external computer.

  FIG. 2 shows the format of the arpeggio pattern. The arpeggio pattern uses five sets of “timing”, “gate time”, “key number”, “octave” and “velocity” as one sound corresponding to one musical sound, and sounds corresponding to one measure. Only one number of pronunciation data is stored up to the last “end data”. “Timing” is data representing the clock value corresponding to the tone generation start timing of the musical sound, and “Gate time” is data representing the time length (clock value) from key-on to key-off of the musical sound to be generated.

  “Key number” is data for determining the pitch of a musical tone to be generated. That is, a register corresponding to this “key number” is set in the RAM 3 in advance, and the note number detected in the arpeggio key area is stored in the register, so that the note number for the data of “key number” is determined according to a predetermined rule. Assign. Then, in the arpeggio sound generation process, the note number assigned to the “key number” in the arpeggio pattern is read from the register and used as a note number for determining the pitch of the musical sound that produces this note number. Note that the note number does not always become the pitch of the musical sound itself because there is processing such as octave shift.

  For example, when the number of keys that can be detected in the arpeggio key range is set to four, the “key number” is a number from “1” to “4”, and this “key number” value corresponds to the pitch change pattern of the arpeggio. Thus, it is determined in advance for each piece of pronunciation data. Further, in this embodiment, the rule is that the note numbers of keys pressed in the arpeggio key range are assigned in order from the younger “key number” in order from the note number on the bass side.

  “Octave” is data for designating how many octaves are changed when a pitch designated in the arpeggio key range is changed in units of octaves. For example, when the note number assigned to the “key number” is C3 and the value of “octave” is stored as “0”, the sound of the C3 is sounded at the timing of sounding the pitch of the C3. If the value of “Octave” is stored as “+1”, the sound is generated at the pitch of C4 that is shifted up by one octave at the timing of generating the pitch of C3. .

  “Velocity” is data representing the velocity value (data used for volume control etc.) of a musical sound to be generated. When the arpeggio function of this embodiment is used on a keyboard capable of detecting a velocity value, the velocity value corresponding to each key detected at the time of pressing the key is ignored while ignoring the data relating to the “velocity”. May be.

  Next, an example of an arpeggio pattern and an arpeggio pronunciation will be described based on a specific example of the arpeggio pattern shown in Table 1 below. In the table, “timing” represents timing, “gate” represents gate, “key” represents key number, “oct” represents octave, and “vel” represents velocity. The length of the arpeggio pattern is one measure (384 clocks), and as can be seen from the timing value, the arpeggio pattern in this example is a pattern that is generated every quarter note.

  If the note numbers B3, C3, E3, and G3 are pressed in the arpeggio key range, C3 is assigned to the key number “1” (key = 1), and E3 is assigned to the key number “2” (key = 2). , G3 is assigned to the key number “3” (key = 3), and B3 is assigned to the key number “4” (key = 4) (in low note order). In the example of Table 1, the key value is set to only “1” or “2”, and this arpeggio pattern is played with only two note numbers from the bass side of the key pressed in the arpeggio key range. It is a pattern that determines the height.

  Since the first and second beats in Table 1 both have key = 1, the pitch is determined by the note number C3 assigned to this key = 1. Since the first beat is oct = + 0, as shown in FIG. 5, the first beat has the pitch of C3 as it is. However, since the second beat is oct = + 1, the pitch of C4 is one octave higher than C3. Since the third and fourth beats are both key = 2, the pitch is determined by the note number E3 assigned to the key = 2, and the third beat is oct = + 0. However, since the fourth beat is oct = + 1, the pitch of E4 is one octave higher than E3.

  As described above, the note number of the key pressed in the arpeggio key range is referred to by the key number, and the note number is sounded as it is according to the arpeggio pattern, or the note number is octave shifted. That is, the note number of the pressed key is pitch information that determines the pitch of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio.

  In addition to the arpeggio pronunciation function, this electronic musical instrument has a groove function for adding subtle grooving and groove feeling (expression like a song when a musician performs) to the performance data created by the user. Yes. The arpeggio pattern also represents the time-sequential sounding timing of musical sounds, and has a format similar to performance data. Therefore, the arpeggio pattern can be changed by the groove function.

(Groove function)
Here, the groove function will be described. The groove function changes the data of “timing”, “gate time” and “velocity”, which are musical elements in the arpeggio pattern, so that it fits in the performance style (swing, beat rock, other song genres), for example The arpeggio pattern is changed based on the groove pattern data as shown in FIG.

  By the way, the performance data input by the user, such as playing the keyboard, may deviate the tone generation timing of the musical tone from the exact beat position. "Quantize") is known. Also in the groove function of this embodiment, first, the arpeggio pattern is quantized and the quantized arpeggio pattern is changed. In addition, it is possible to substantially prevent quantization by a “groove function user setting value” described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the groove pattern has “quantized value” data (data specifying 16th notes, 8th notes, 4th notes, etc.) for specifying the beat that is the reference for quantization. The groove pattern has “groove data” of the number of sets corresponding to the “quantize value” corresponding to each reference beat. For example, in the case of a groove pattern of 4 bars and 1 bar, the quantized value is 16 sets for 16th notes, 8 sets for 8th notes, and 4 sets for 4th notes. The processing unit based on the beat position specified by the “quantize value” is called “grid”.

  One set of groove data is “clock shift” that indicates the number of clocks for moving the tone generation timing back and forth, “gate time rate” that indicates the rate of increase / decrease of the tone time of the tone, and a value that increases or decreases the velocity of the tone Is composed of “velocity offset” data.

  Also, in this embodiment, the effectiveness of the groove function including quantization can be adjusted by a setting value ("groove function user setting value") set by the user. This "Groove function user setting value" includes "Quantize strength" as a value that determines the amount of quantization, and a value that determines how much the clock shift value set in the groove pattern is applied to the sound to be generated “Groove timing”, “Groove gate time” as a value that determines how much the gate time rate value set in the groove pattern is applied to the sound to be sounded, and velocity offset set in the groove pattern There is “groove velocity” as a value that determines how much of the value of the sound is applied to the sound to be generated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the groove pattern, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of changing the arpeggio pattern by the groove function. A specific example of the groove function will be described with reference to FIG. Note that “Quantize Value” is “quarter note”, and “Quantize Strength”, “Groove Timing”, “Groove Gate Time” and “Groove Velocity” in “Groove Function User Settings” are all “ 0.5 ”.

  The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 corresponds to the time (clock) for one measure, and the vertical axis corresponds to velocity. First, FIG. 7A shows the original arpeggio pattern. The tone of the first grid has a timing of 0 clock (the beginning of a bar), a gate time of 48 clocks, and a velocity of 30. In addition, the music of the second grid has a timing of 24 clocks from the second beat, a gate time of 24 clocks, and a velocity of 20. Also, the musical sound of the third grid has a timing at the beginning of the third beat, a gate time of 48 clocks, and a velocity of 30. In addition, the music of the fourth grid has a timing of 24 clocks from the fourth beat, a gate time of 24 clocks, and a velocity of 30.

  When the above arpeggio pattern (Fig. 7 (A)) is quantized, the timing shifts by the amount of "quantized strength" ("0.5") multiplied by the deviation from the standard beat of each musical sound. . That is, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the first grid and the third grid are not displaced so that they are in the same positions, but the timings of the second grid and the fourth grid are 12 clocks (24 clocks × 24 clocks), respectively. 0.5) shifted forward and quantized.

  Then, with respect to the quantized arpeggio pattern of FIG. 7B, the timing is changed as shown in FIG. 7C based on the groove pattern of FIG. 6 and the “groove function user set value”. The gate time is changed as shown in (D), and the velocity is changed as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the timing, gate time, and velocity are changed for each grid by the following equation. The “groove function user setting value” (groove timing, groove gate time, and groove velocity) is common to each grid.

  However, tN is the new timing, tO is the old timing, CS is the clock shift, GvT is the groove timing, gN is the new gate time, gO is the old gate time, GTR is the gate time rate, GvGT is the groove gate time, and vN is the new velocity. , VO is the old velocity, VOF is the velocity offset, and GvV is the groove velocity.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing the structure and operation of the main part in the embodiment. A plurality of types of arpeggio patterns and groove patterns are stored in the ROM 2 or RAM 3, respectively. When the user sets the arpeggio mode, a plurality of arpeggio patterns and a plurality of groove patterns can be selected. Each arpeggio pattern and groove pattern are distinguished by a number or the like, and each arpeggio pattern and groove pattern is selected by selectively inputting this number and storing it in the RAM 3. The RAM 3 is provided with an arpeggio flag indicating the selected state of the arpeggio pattern. The value of the arpeggio flag is “0” when no arpeggio pattern is selected, “1” when one is selected, In a state where two are selected, “2” is set.

  In this embodiment, two arpeggio patterns can be selected, and a desired groove pattern can be selected corresponding to each selected arpeggio pattern. Then, based on the input groove function user setting value and the selected groove pattern, the selected arpeggio pattern is changed as in the above specific example. The changed arpeggio patterns are stored in the RAM 3 as a first changed arpeggio pattern and a second changed arpeggio pattern, respectively. Note that the groove pattern may not be selected corresponding to claim 1, and in this case, the groove function is not used.

  When the first and second modified arpeggio patterns are stored, the timing of the first one-tone data (FIG. 2) in the modified arpeggio pattern is stored in the timing1 flag and the timing2 flag for storing “timing” in each modified arpeggio pattern, respectively. Set the value. If the groove function has not been changed, the timing value of the first one-tone data in the selected arpeggio pattern is set.

  In the arpeggio mode, when a key depression is detected in the arpeggio key range of the keyboard 4 by the key release process, the note number of the depressed key is assigned to the key number as described above, and the arpeggio performance (interrupt processing) ) To control the timing1 flag, gate1 flag, timing2 flag, and gate2 flag, and based on the key numbers and velocities of the first and second modified arpeggio patterns (or the two originally selected arpeggio patterns if not changed) To generate a musical tone with a pitch corresponding to the key number. Thereby, arpeggio pronunciation is performed with two types of arpeggio patterns.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a main loop of the control program in the embodiment, and FIGS. 9 to 11 are flowcharts of a subroutine and an interrupt process. The operation of the embodiment will be described based on each flowchart. In the following description and flowcharts, flags used for control are represented by the following labels, and the flags and their stored contents are represented by the same label unless otherwise specified.

arpeggio: a flag indicating the selected state of the arpeggio pattern timing 1: a flag for storing a “timing” value in the selected first arpeggio pattern or the first modified arpeggio pattern timing2: the selected second arpeggio pattern or second A flag that stores a “timing” value in the modified arpeggio pattern of gate1: a flag that stores a “gate time” value in the selected first arpeggio pattern or the first modified arpeggio pattern gate2: a second selected Flag that stores the “gate time” value in the arpeggio pattern or the second modified arpeggio pattern time: flag that indicates the number of clocks from the start of arpeggio sounding to the present run: whether an arpeggio sounding start instruction has been made or not Flag indicating

  First, when the CPU 1 starts the processing of the main routine of FIG. 8 by turning on the power or the like, “0” is set to each of the arpeggio, timing1, timing2, gate1, gate2, time, and run flags in step S1, etc. Perform initial settings. Next, in step S2, it is determined whether or not the arpeggio mode is selected. If the arpeggio mode is selected, the arpeggio setting process of FIG. 9 is performed in step S3, and the process proceeds to step S4, where the arpeggio mode is selected. If not, the key press / release process of FIG. 10 is performed in step S4, and the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, other processing such as operation detection of the panel switch 8 and processing corresponding to the operation is performed. Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not termination is designated by power off or the like. If not specified, the process returns to step S2. Note that the arpeggio mode selection processing is performed by the other processing in step S5, and it is determined in step S2 whether or not the arpeggio mode has been selected.

  In the arpeggio setting process in FIG. 9, the arpeggio flag is set to “1” in step S11, the process for the input operation by the user is performed in step S12, the arpeggio key range is determined, and the process for the input operation by the user is performed in step S13. And a process of selecting the first arpeggio pattern. Next, in step S14, it is determined whether the groove pattern is set to be used by performing processing for the input operation by the user. If not, the process proceeds to step S17. If it is used, the process proceeds to step S15. The process which selects the groove pattern of is performed. In step S16, the first arpeggio pattern is changed based on the first groove pattern, and the first changed arpeggio pattern is stored as a first changed arpeggio pattern in a predetermined area of the RAM 3, and the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the first timing value of the selected arpeggio pattern or the first modified arpeggio pattern when the groove pattern is used is set in the timing1 flag, and the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S18, it is determined whether or not it is set to select the second arpeggio pattern by performing a process for the input operation by the user, and if not selected, the arpeggio setting process is terminated. If the second arpeggio pattern is to be selected, “2” is set to the arpeggio flag in step S19, the process for the input operation is performed in step S101, and the process for selecting the second arpeggio pattern is performed. move on. In step S102, it is determined whether or not the groove pattern is set to be used in the same manner as described above. If it is not used, the process proceeds to step S105. If it is used, the second groove pattern is selected in step S103. Do. Then, in step S104, the second arpeggio pattern is changed based on the second groove pattern, stored as a second changed arpeggio pattern in a predetermined area of the RAM 3, and the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the first timing value of the second selected arpeggio pattern or the second changed arpeggio pattern when the groove pattern is used is set in the timing2 flag, and the arpeggio setting process is terminated.

  Each data (timing, gate time, key number, octave, velocity) of the selected arpeggio pattern or changed arpeggio pattern is read sequentially by updating this pointer using the predetermined pointer. When the data is read as in the case where the timing value is set to timing1 or timing2, the pointer is set to the next data (the gate time in the above example).

  With the above processing, the first arpeggio pattern and the second arpeggio pattern can be selected. Further, the first arpeggio pattern and the second arpeggio pattern can be changed based on a desired groove pattern. In the above-described embodiment, there are various selection methods depending on the combination of the arpeggio pattern and the groove pattern, but selecting the first and second arpeggio patterns corresponds to selecting a plurality of arpeggio patterns.

  The arpeggio pattern used for arpeggio pronunciation in the following processing is the selected arpeggio pattern itself if it is not changed by the groove pattern, and the changed arpeggio pattern (changed arpeggio pattern) if changed by the groove pattern. It is. Therefore, in the following description of the flowchart, both the arpeggio pattern when not changed and the changed arpeggio pattern are simply referred to as “arpegio patterns” unless otherwise specified.

  In the key release processing of FIG. 10, it is determined whether or not there is a key depression in step S21. If there is no key depression, the process proceeds to step S28. If there is a key depression, it is determined whether or not arpeggio = 0 in step S22. judge. If arpeggio = 0, no arpeggio pattern has been selected, so a tone generation process corresponding to the key pressed in step S23 (a process corresponding to a normal keyboard performance) is performed, and the process proceeds to step S28. If it is not arpeggio = 0, it is determined in step S24 whether or not the key is pressed in the arpeggio key range, and if it is not pressed in the arpeggio key range, the same processing is performed in step S23. If there is, in step S25, run = 1 is set, and the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the note number corresponding to the key that has been pressed is set corresponding to the key number that has not been assigned from the younger one (next key number). In step S27, the time flag is set to "0" (time = 0) and proceed to step S28.

  Whether or not multiple keys are pressed at the same time in the arpeggio key range, or when multiple keys are pressed sequentially, this key release process is repeated each time a key is detected. Thus, for the key numbers (for example, “1” to “4”) determined in advance, the pressed note numbers are assigned from the lowest key number in order from the lowest tone. Also, run = 1 while the key is depressed in the arpeggio key range. It should be noted that if no key is pressed in the arpeggio key area in the processing after step S28 described below, run = 0.

  In step S28, it is determined whether or not there is a key release. If there is no key release, the key release process is terminated, and if there is a key release, it is determined whether or not run = 1 in step S29. If run = 1, the key release is performed in a key range other than the arpeggio key range (all key ranges when not in the arpeggio mode), so the mute process corresponding to the key released in step S201 is performed to perform the key release process. finish. If run = 1, it is determined in step S202 whether or not the key is released in the arpeggio key range. If the key is not released in the arpeggio key range, the same processing as described above is performed in step S201. The key number corresponding to the note number released in step S203 is released, that is, the key number is released, and the process proceeds to step S204.

  Here, as a result of the processing in step S203, there is no corresponding note number in the key number to which the released note number has been assigned, so nothing is pronounced at the sounding timing at which this key number is designated. That is a rest. Note that the processing in step S203 may be performed such that keys other than the keys that have been released (keys that are still pressed) are reassigned to the key numbers in the order of the lower notes.

  In step S204, it is determined whether or not there is a key pressed in the arpeggio key range. If there is a key pressed in the arpeggio key range, the key release process is terminated, and the key pressed. If there is not, the run flag is set to “0” (run = 0) in step S205, and the read position of each arpeggio pattern is set to the top (pointer to the top) in step S206, and the key release processing is terminated. That is, when there is no key depression in the arpeggio key area, the timing for reading the data of the arpeggio pattern is set at the beginning and the timing is set in the timing1 flag or the timing2 flag to prepare for the start of the next arpeggio.

  The interrupt process in FIG. 11 is started by a clock signal from the timer 10, and first, it is determined whether or not run = 1 in step S31. If run = 1, no key is pressed in the arpeggio key area. In step S309, if run = 1, the key is pressed in the arpeggio key range, and in step S32, it is determined whether arpeggio = 0. If arpeggio = 0, the arpeggio pattern has not been selected, and the process proceeds to step S309. If arpeggio = 0, the arpeggio pattern has been selected, and it is determined in step S33 whether timing1 = time.

  If timing1 = time is not reached, the current timing (time) is not the timing of sounding in the first arpeggio pattern, so the process proceeds to step S37. If timing1 = time, the timing of sounding in the first arpeggio pattern is set. Therefore, in step S34, the data following the timing data of the first arpeggio pattern is sequentially read out, and the note number of the pitch corresponding to the key number (if there is an octave shift, the shifted note number; the same applies hereinafter) and velocity. The value and note-on are output to the tone generator circuit 5 to perform sound generation processing. Next, in step S35, the read gate time value is set in the gate1 flag, and in step S36, the next timing value is set in the timing1 flag, and the process proceeds to step S37.

  In step S37, it is determined whether or not gate1 = 0. If gate1 = 0, the musical sound generated by the first arpeggio pattern has reached the mute timing, and in step S38, the pitch corresponding to the key number is reached. The note number and note-off are output to the tone generator circuit 5 to mute them, and the process proceeds to step S301. If gate1 = 0 is not satisfied, the gate1 value is decremented by “1” in step S39 to advance the gate time count, and the process proceeds to step S301.

  In step S301, it is determined whether or not arpeggio = 2. If arpeggio = 2, only the first arpeggio pattern has been selected, so the process proceeds to step S309. If arpeggio = 2, the second arpeggio = 2 Since the arpeggio pattern is selected, it is determined in step S302 whether timing2 = time. Note that the processing of step S302 to step S308 is processing for the second arpeggio pattern, and is the same as the processing of step S33 to step S39 for the first arpeggio pattern.

  If timing2 = time is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S306. If timing2 = time, sound generation processing is performed on the pitch corresponding to the timing data of the second arpeggio pattern and the key number of the set based on the velocity value in step S303. Next, in step S304, the read gate time value is set to gate2, the next timing value is set to timing2 in step S305, and it is determined in step S306 whether gate2 = 0. If gate2 = 0, mute processing is performed for the pitch corresponding to the key number in step S307 and the process proceeds to step S309. If not gate2 = 0, the value of gate2 is decremented by “1” in step S308 and the process proceeds to step S309. .

  In step S309, automatic performance processing is performed. In other words, automatic accompaniment is performed in automatic performance processing, but automatic accompaniment is processing for generating musical sounds by sequentially reading time-series performance data based on a clock signal in the same manner as arpeggio sound generation, and is included in the interrupt processing. Yes. Note that the automatic performance processing in step S309 performs substantial processing when the automatic accompaniment mode is set. However, when the automatic accompaniment mode is set in the arpeggio mode, for example, the base and rhythm of the performance data are set. These tracks may be played to produce bass and rhythm sounds as well as arpeggio sounds.

  When the automatic accompaniment processing is completed, it is determined whether or not time <384 in step S310. If time <384, the time value is “1” in step S311 because the measure is in the middle of the interrupt processing. If time <384, the time for one measure has elapsed, so the time flag is set to “0” (time = 0) in step S312, and the interrupt process is terminated.

  With the above processing, two types of arpeggio pronunciation are performed based on the note number corresponding to the key pressed in the arpeggio key range and the first and second arpeggio patterns, so the arpeggio function is enhanced and expressive Arpeggio can be pronounced.

  In addition, since the arpeggio pattern can be changed to the changed arpeggio pattern by the groove pattern, the arpeggio function is enhanced and the arpeggio with rich expressiveness can be generated.

  The above embodiment is a reference example of the present invention. In this reference example, a plurality of arpeggio patterns are selected independently. However, as a configuration of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. A track arpeggio pattern (referred to as a “track arpeggio pattern”) is used in which a plurality of 1st to n-th plurality of track data are set as one set. Each track data of this track arpeggio pattern includes “track number” data indicating the track number and “tone number” data for setting the tone for each track data, and other “timing”, The data for one tone consisting of “gate time”, “key number”, “octave” and “velocity” is the same as in FIG.

  The control when this track arpeggio pattern is used is almost the same as in the above-described reference example. For example, the sound generation process and the mute process based on the arpeggio pattern from step S33 to step S39 in FIG. Run on each of the data. In this case, a flag for storing the timing data of each track is used for each track corresponding to the processing in steps S33 and S36 in FIG. Similarly, a flag for storing gate time data of each track is used for each track in correspondence with the processing of step S36, step S38 and step S39.

  In the above reference example, the tone color of the tone to be generated is one type of tone color selected for keyboard performance, but if the above-described track arpeggio pattern is used, arpeggio pronunciation can be performed with a different tone color for each track. .

  In addition, it is difficult for a novice user to select another arpeggio pattern that is familiar with a certain arpeggio pattern from a plurality of arpeggio patterns when simultaneously sounding with a plurality of arpeggio patterns. However, using the above-mentioned track arpeggio pattern, a plurality of arpeggio patterns can be prepared in advance as a set with a plurality of track data, so that even beginner users can become familiar with each other as a flow of music. Arpeggio pronunciation can be easily performed using a plurality of arpeggio patterns, and a wider variety of arpeggio pronunciations can be realized with easy operations.

  When the track arpeggio pattern is used, the arpeggio pronunciation corresponding to the desired track may be set to be muted.

  In the above embodiment, for example, note numbers of keys pressed in the arpeggio key range are assigned to four key numbers “1” to “4”, and correspond to (assigned) the key numbers of the arpeggio pattern. The note number is used to determine the pitch of the arpeggio. Therefore, if the number of keys pressed is smaller than the number of key numbers (four), there may be key numbers to which note numbers are not assigned. However, since the arpeggio pattern may include a key number to which no note number is assigned as described above, a rest is used in such a case. Further, even if there is no rest, for example, a predetermined note number such as the highest sound or the lowest sound of the pressed keys may be duplicated and assigned to a plurality of key numbers.

  In addition, the key number is not used in the arpeggio pattern, but only the timing, gate time, velocity, etc. are used, the note number of the key pressed in the arpeggio key range and the order in which the key was pressed are stored, and this note number is stored. The pitches of each tone of the arpeggio pattern may be sequentially determined according to a predetermined rule that combines the order of the pitches and the order in which the keys are pressed. In this case, a plurality of rules for determining the pitch may be determined and a desired rule may be selected.

  In addition, although the arpeggio pattern and the groove pattern in the embodiment are data of one measure length, the data is not limited to this, and may be data of a plurality of measures length.

  In the embodiment, the user sets the arpeggio key range, but the arpeggio key range may be determined in advance.

  In the embodiment, when a groove pattern is selected, the data in the selected arpeggio pattern is changed using the groove pattern, and arpeggio pronunciation is performed based on the changed arpeggio pattern. During the execution of the arpeggio pronunciation, the groove pattern grid may be referred to according to the timing, and the groove effect may be applied to the tone to be sounded based on the data in the groove pattern.

  In the embodiment, the groove pattern is selected for each of the two arpeggio patterns. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the data of the two arpeggio patterns may be changed using the same groove pattern. In addition, two or more groove patterns are selected for one arpeggio pattern, two or more modified arpeggio patterns are created, and simultaneous arpeggio pronunciation is performed based on the plurality of created modified arpeggio patterns. May be.

  Also, when an arpeggio pattern is selected, a groove pattern that fits in with the selected arpeggio pattern (so-called “recommended groove pattern”) can be displayed so that beginners can easily change the arpeggio pattern. It may be.

  In the embodiment, two types of arpeggio music are simultaneously generated using two arpeggio patterns selected by the user based on pitch information (keypress pitch information) of a key pressed in the arpeggio range. However, the arpeggio musical sound may be generated by giving different key-pressing pitch information to the two selected arpeggio patterns.

  For example, among the key press pitch information in the arpeggio key range, the key press pitch information corresponding to the even number from the bass side is used for the first arpeggio pronunciation, and the key press pitch information corresponding to the odd number is the second key press pitch information. Used to pronounce arpeggios. Also, first and second key depression key ranges are set, and key depression pitch information in the respective key ranges is used for the corresponding first and second arpeggio pronunciations. Alternatively, a plurality of key depression pitch information depressed in the arpeggio key range is used for the first arpeggio sound generation, and the second pitch information is shifted using the pitch information shifted up or down by one octave of the depressed key. Arpeggio pronunciation may be performed.

  In the embodiment, the young “key number” is assigned to the key press pitch information in the arpeggio key range in ascending order, but not limited to this, for example, the young “key number” is assigned in order from the key pressed. You may do it.

  In the embodiment, the case where two types of arpeggio patterns or groove patterns are used is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of arpeggio patterns or groove patterns are used to generate a plurality of arpeggio sounds. You may do it.

  The format of the arpeggio pattern in the embodiment is a format of “event + absolute time” in which the generation time of an arpeggio musical sound generation event is expressed in absolute time in a song or measure, but is not limited to this, and the generation of a musical sound generation event A format of “event + relative time” in which the time is expressed by the time (duration indicated by the number of clocks) from the previous event may be used. The arpeggio pattern may be in the form of “pitch (rest) + note length” in which the arpeggio pattern to be generated is represented by the pitch and note length of a note or the rest and rest length. Alternatively, a so-called “solid method” in which a memory area is secured for each minimum resolution of a musical sound generation event (clock in the embodiment), and data such as a key number and velocity is stored in a memory area corresponding to the time at which the musical sound generation event occurs. Any format can be used.

  The arpeggio tempo can be changed by changing the tempo clock (interrupt signal) cycle, modifying the timing data value according to the tempo without changing the tempo clock cycle, and processing once. Any value may be used such as changing the value for counting timing data (for example, the quantity to be reduced).

  In the above embodiment, the case where the arpeggio pattern, the groove pattern, and the control program are stored in the ROM 2 in advance has been described. For example, an arpeggio pattern, groove pattern, and control program are recorded on a CD-ROM, and these data are loaded from the CD-ROM device to the hard disk. The CPU 1 expands the HD control program in the RAM 3 and controls the arpeggio sounding operation based on the program in the RAM 3 as in the above embodiment. Thereby, it is possible to cause the CPU to perform the same operation as when the control program is stored in the ROM 2. In this way, new installation, addition or version upgrade of the control program can be easily performed. Further, a control program may be recorded on a floppy disk, a magnetic disk (MO), etc., and supplied to the RAM 3 or the hard disk.

  Further, the arpeggio pattern, groove pattern, and control program may be downloaded using the interface 12. In this case, for example, by connecting to a communication network such as a LAN (local area network), the Internet, or a telephone line and receiving arpeggio pattern, groove pattern and control program from the server computer via the communication network, Is recorded on the hard disk and the download is complete.

  The present invention is not limited to the keyboard-type electronic musical instrument as in the above embodiment, but may be in the form of a stringed instrument type, a wind instrument type, or the like. In addition to an electronic musical instrument with a built-in tone generator circuit and automatic performance function, the tone generator, sequencer, effector, and the like are separate devices, and each device is connected using communication means such as MIDI or various networks. It may be something like this.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electronic musical instrument. However, the arpeggio sound generator of the present invention can also be constituted by a personal computer and application software.

  In this case, the CPU of the personal computer performs control using the working area of the RAM by, for example, the OS installed on the hard disk, but the arpeggio pattern, groove pattern, and control program are downloaded from the external storage device as in the above embodiment. The software can be supplied to a hard disk or the like, and the CPU can perform the same operation as in the above-described embodiment. When an arpeggio pattern or groove pattern is selected, it can be easily controlled by data input processing corresponding to the operation of a keyboard, mouse, or the like. A sound source circuit can be configured by a sound board or the like mounted on a personal computer. Further, when using a personal computer in this way, it may be supplied via a network as described above.

  It should be noted that a storage device such as a ROM, RAM, hard disk, CD-ROM, magneto-optical disk, or communication network server computer on which a control program as described in the above embodiments is recorded is a storage device of the present invention. This corresponds to a medium on which the program of claim 2 is recorded.

It is a block diagram of the electronic musical instrument to which the arpeggio sounding device of the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the format of the arpeggio pattern in an Example. It is a figure which shows the format of the groove pattern in an Example. It is a figure which shows notionally the structure and operation | movement of the principal part in an Example. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the arpeggio pronunciation in an Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the groove pattern in an Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the change of the arpeggio pattern by the groove function in an Example. It is a flowchart of the main loop of the control program in an Example. It is a flowchart of the arpeggio setting process in an Example. It is a flowchart of a key release process in an Example. It is a flowchart of the interruption process in an Example. It is a figure which shows the format of the track arpeggio pattern of another Example.

Explanation of symbols

  1 ... CPU, 2 ... ROM, 3 ... RAM, 4 ... keyboard, 5 ... sound source circuit, 11 ... external storage device, 12 ... interface

Claims (2)

Pitch information input means for inputting pitch information that determines the pitch of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio;
A track arpeggio pattern storage means for storing a track arpeggio pattern in which a plurality of types of track data having arpeggio patterns for determining at least the sounding timing of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio and timbre information for specifying the tone color of the musical sound are stored;
Based on the pitch information input by the pitch information input means and the track arpeggio pattern stored in the track arpeggio pattern storage means, a plurality of arpeggio musical sounds corresponding to the track data are associated with the track data. A musical tone generating means that generates the timbre of the timbre information;
Arpeggio pronunciation device characterized by comprising. A medium recording a program for controlling arpeggio pronunciation by a computer,
Inputting pitch information that determines the pitch of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio;
Based on the input pitch information, an arpeggio pattern that determines at least the sound generation timing of the constituent sounds of the arpeggio, and a track arpeggio pattern in which a plurality of types of track data having tone color information that specifies the tone color of a musical tone are set, Generating musical sounds of a plurality of arpeggios corresponding to the track data with the timbre of the timbre information corresponding to the track data;
A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the program on the computer.

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