Abstract: A music selection apparatus includes a music data storage unit, an impression amount storage unit, a music selection priority level storage unit, and a music selection processing unit. The impression amount storage unit stores an impression amount obtained by quantifying a listener's impression of a piece of music, for each piece of music stored in the music data storage unit. The music selection priority level storage unit stores a music selection priority level indicating at least one of a reproduction history and a preference level of a piece of music, for each piece of music. The music selection processing unit performs a music selection process of selecting a piece of music to be reproduced from the pieces of music, using a distance between the pieces of music in an impression space and the music selection priority level, the impression space having coordinate axes composed of components of the impression amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a music search device for searching for a tune by using an impression quantity obtained by quantifying a listener's impression of such a tune. A tune database contains at least data of a plurality of tunes and a characteristic quantity obtained by quantifying characteristics of each tune. The tune database includes an adjustment table. A reference table storage section stores a reference table containing a previously obtained set of a characteristic quantity and an impression quantity for each of a plurality of sample tunes. When an adjustment input is received, an updating section adds to the adjustment table a set of a received impression quantity and a characteristic quantity of a tune associated with the received impression quantity, and updates the mapping function based on the adjustment table, to which the set of the impression quantity and the characteristic quantity has been added, and the reference table.

Abstract: The present invention provides a music search system for conducting music search, which allows the user to easily listen to music matched to situation. The music search system includes a music data storage section, a location acquisition section, a parameter converting section, a music search section, and a reproducing section. The music data storage section stores a plurality of pieces of music data so as to be associated with a corresponding one of music parameters. The location acquisition section acquires a situation parameter. The parameter converting section converts the situation parameter acquired by the location acquisition section into the music parameter. The music search section uses the music parameter resulted from conversion by the parameter converting section to search through the plurality of pieces of music data stored in the music storage section and selects a piece of music to be reproduced. The reproducing section reproduces the piece of music selected by the music search section.

Abstract: A candidate piece specifying unit 6 specifies, as a first candidate piece, a musical piece whose musical piece parameter includes a first factor that is larger than a first factor of a musical piece currently being played from among musical pieces, and specifies, as a second candidate piece, a musical piece whose first factor is smaller than the first factor of the musical piece currently being played from among the musical pieces. When data of a musical piece is reproduced by a playback unit 4, a display control unit 8 causes musical piece information regarding the first candidate piece and the second candidate piece to be displayed at positions on a display screen that reflect coordinate positions in an impression space formed by the factors of the musical piece parameter.

Abstract: A sound features extracting unit receives a sound signal of a music piece to extract sound features. A peak detecting unit detects a peak time when a cost function calculated by a cost function calculating unit indicates a maximal value, and a peak value thereof. A selecting unit selects a time property indicating sound critical points from the peak time and the peak value. This method allows the user to automatically retrieve sound critical points without having to listen to the sound in advance.

Abstract: The present invention provides a music search device for searching for a tune using an impression quantity obtained by quantifying a listener's impression of such a tune. A tune database contains at least data of a plurality of tunes and a characteristic quantity obtained by quantifying characteristics of each tune. The tune database includes an adjustment table. A reference table storage section stores a reference table containing a previously obtained set of a characteristic quantity and an impression quantity for each of a plurality of sample tunes. When an adjustment input is received, an updating section adds to the adjustment table a set of a received impression quantity and a characteristic quantity of a tune associated with the received impression quantity, and updates the mapping function based on the adjustment table, to which the set of the impression quantity and the characteristic quantity has been added, and the reference table.

Abstract: A candidate piece specifying unit 6 specifies, as a first candidate piece, a musical piece whose musical piece parameter includes a first factor that is larger than a first factor of a musical piece currently being played from among musical pieces, and specifies, as a second candidate piece, a musical piece whose first factor is smaller than the first factor of the musical piece currently being played from among the musical pieces. When data of a musical piece is reproduced by a playback unit 4, a display control unit 8 causes musical piece information regarding the first candidate piece and the second candidate piece to be displayed at positions on a display screen that reflect coordinate positions in an impression space formed by the factors of the musical piece parameter.

Abstract: A music selection apparatus includes a music data storage unit, an impression amount storage unit, a music selection priority level storage unit, and a music selection processing unit. The music data storage unit stores data on pieces of music. The impression amount storage unit stores an impression amount obtained by quantifying a listener's impression of a piece of music, for each piece of music whose data is stored in the music data storage unit. The music selection priority level storage unit stores a music selection priority level indicating at least one of a reproduction history and a preference level of a piece of music, for each piece of music. The music selection processing unit performs a music selection process of selecting a piece of music to be reproduced from the pieces of music, using a distance between the pieces of music in an impression space and the music selection priority level, the impression space having coordinate axes composed of components of the impression amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a music search system for conducting music search, which allows the user to easily listen to music matched to situation. The music search system includes a music data storage section 19, a location acquisition section 16, a parameter converting section 17, a music search section 20, and a reproducing section 15. The music data storage section 19 stores a plurality of pieces of music data so as to be associated with a corresponding one of music parameters. The location acquisition section 16 acquires a situation parameter. The parameter converting section 17 converts the situation parameter acquired by the location acquisition section 16 into the music parameter. The music search section 20 uses the music parameter resulted from conversion by the parameter converting section 17 to search through the plurality of pieces of music data stored in the music storage section 19 and selects a piece of music to be reproduced.

Abstract: A play list generation device for generating a play list of a set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by are production device is provided. The play list generation device includes a condition input section for receiving a condition regarding a target; a transfer information stream acquisition section for acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target based on the condition; and a play list generation section for selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the set of audio information streams.

Abstract: A sound features extracting unit receives a sound signal of a music piece to extract sound features. A peak detecting unit detects a peak time when a cost function calculated by a cost function calculating unit indicates a maximal value, and a peak value thereof. A selecting unit selects a time property indicating sound critical points from the peak time and the peak value. This method allows the user to automatically retrieve sound critical points without having to listen to the sound in advance.

Abstract: The present invention implements a method and an apparatus for retrieving a sound data desired by the user on the basis of its subjective impression over the sound data. The subjective impression on the desired sound data is entered by the user and converted to a numerical value. A target sound impression value which is a numerical form of the impression on the sound data is calculated from the numerical value. The target sound impression value is then used as a retrieving key for accessing a sound database where the audio signal and the sound features of a plurality of the sound data are stored. This allows the desired sound data to be retrieved on the basis of the subjective impression of the user on the sound data.

Abstract: An audio reproducing apparatus comprises: audio decoding means for decoding an input audio signal frame by frame; data expanding/compressing means for subjecting data in a decoded frame to time-scale modification process; a frame sequence table which contains a sequence determined according to a given speed rate in which respective frames are expanded/compressed; frame counting means for counting the number of frames of the input audio signal; and data expansion/compression control means for instructing the dalta expanding/compressing means to subject the frame to one of time-scale compression process, time-scale expansion process, and process without time-scale modification process, with reference to the frame sequence table based on a count value output from the frame counting means, the data expanding/compressing means subjecting the audio signal to time-scale modification process in accordance with an instruction signal from the data expansion/compression control means.

Abstract: A play list generation device for generating a play list of a set of audio information streams in an order to be reproduced by are production device is provided. The play list generation device includes a condition input section for receiving a condition regarding a target; a transfer information stream acquisition section for acquiring a transfer information stream which represents a transfer of impressions given to the target based on the condition; and a play list generation section for selecting, from a first plurality of audio information streams stored in a database, a second plurality of audio information streams which give the target a transfer of impressions proximate to the transfer of impressions represented by the transfer information stream, and generating a play list including the selected second plurality of audio information streams as the set of audio information streams.

Abstract: A stereo ultradirectional microphone apparatus for detecting a sound to produce stereo sound signals, comprises: first and second ultradirectional microphones arranged side by side with a given distance in parallel for converting a sound into first and second sound signals respectively, first and second delays for delaying an output of the first and second microphones by a delay time .tau. respectively, and first and second subtractors for subtracting for subtraction between the first sound signal and an output of the second delay and subtracting for subtraction between the second sound signal and an output of the first delay. The delay time .tau. corresponds to a difference between the timings of a sound from a sound source in a direction making a clockwise angel .theta. from the front where a dead angel should be made. The subtraction provides the dead angle. Similarly, a dead angle on the side is also made to obtain a stereo characteristic.

Abstract: In an echo canceller, a first adaptive filter (1) estimates an impulse response of an echo path between reception and transmission side by an NLMS algorithm to synthesize a pseud echo, while a second adaptive filter (3) determines whether there is an echo path change or a double talk. A voice detector (8) detects a short time power of the received input signal (x) to determine whether far-end speech is present or absent. The voice detector controls the second adaptive filter (3) to execute adaptation of the second adaptive filter for renewal of an impulse response of an echo path when far-end speech is present and otherwise to suspend the adaptation of the second adaptive filter when far-end speech is absent, while a double talk detector (9) controls the first adaptive filter to execute or suspend adaptation of the first adaptive filter according to the determination results of the voice detector.