Semi-Automatic Artificial Lips Device for Brass Instruments with Real-Time Pitch Feedback Control
We propose a semi-automatic artificial lips control device that allows a human performer to produce sound on a brass instrument without the need to vibrate their own lips. The device integrates position control that presses artificial lips toward the mouthpiece and aperture control via wire traction, together with a pre-calibrated motor table and acoustic feedback for pitch stabilization. In evaluations using a euphonium, we verified timbre, pitch range, and pitch stabilization, including harmonic modes. The results showed that the harmonic structure of tones produced by a human using the device can be comparable to those produced by a human player in the conventional manner. Pitch-range and pitch-stabilization tests confirmed that the system can generate practical musical intervals and achieve reliable harmonic mode changes. Furthermore, real-time acoustic feedback improved pitch stability during performance. These findings demonstrate that, rather than fully automating human performance, the proposed system provides a compact and reproducible framework for controllable brass sound generation and pitch stabilization using only three actuators.
Authors
- Gou Koutaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3414-1085)
- Hiroaki Sonoda
- Kouki Tomiyoshi
- Hikari Kuriyama
Institutions
- Kumamoto University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sensors
- Published
- 2026-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030984
- Primary Topic
- Music Technology and Sound Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00