Computers and other data processing systems are increasingly used by the general public to compose or modify music in the form of digital audio data. Digital audio processing software is e.g. available from APPLE Inc. under the product names GarageBand (for home use) and Logic Pro (for professional use). Such Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) or data processing systems allow the user to build a piece of music. Some DAWs or processors offer specific functionality to allow the user to build a piece of music without the need for musical knowledge. In such a DAW or processor, all the user has to do is to arrange small music building blocks, each containing a specific musical phrase played by a certain instrument.
However, creating a piece of music from elementary building blocks is cumbersome for inexperienced users and distracts from the artistic endeavour of composing a new piece of music or a song in a desired style with conventional accompaniments.
Pre-recorded accompaniments are made available in known systems in different musical styles or genres, each being possibly recorded with different instruments. The user can select a particular accompaniment and then additionally record his musical performance in vocal or in instrument style. The available choices of musical styles and accompaniments are conventionally displayed in hierarchical selection menus, which may be invoked as a drop-down list, a button matrix, a file browser etc. and where the desired item has to be selected by a series of operations, e.g. clicking a sequence of alphanumerical control buttons. Again the selection of the accompaniments and instruments with such menus is cumbersome and distracting from the creative effort.
In addition, the task of verifying a selected accompaniment (pre-listening) and changing or replacing its musical genre or the instruments used is not provided for in the prior art systems or requires complex handlings.