Abstract: Two tone generators having different tone generation systems, e.g., PCM type and FM type, are provided. There are tone generation modes designating combination of tone generation in these tone generators and one can be selected from among them. There are, for example, a simple mixing mode, a delay mode in which start of tone generation in one tone generator is delayed from that in the other and a crossfade mode in which a tone signal is generated first in one tone generator and tone generation is switched to the other tone generator and envelope levels of output tone signals of the two tone generators are crossfaded during a switching period. Delay time in the delay mode and switching time in the crossfade mode can be variably controlled in accordance with a key scaling and/or other factors. A tone may be generated at a sampling frequency synchronized with a pitch in one tone generator and at a sampling frequency which is not synchronized with the pitch in the other tone generator.

Abstract: When picking of a string is performed, the vibration of the string is detected accurately and quickly. When a fret operation position is changed during generation of a musical tone caused by the string picking, the pitch of the musical tone is changed to the one corresponding to the new fret operation position without generating a new musical tone. When the same string is stroked successively, the succeeding musical tone is generated while keeping the reverberation of the previous musical tone. The musical tone once generated will be stopped from being generated upon elapse of a predetermined time from the beginning of the tone generation, irrespective of the type of its timbre. When a fret operation state is changed to an open-string operation state after the string picking, the generation of the musical tone being generated stops at that timing.

Abstract: Apparatus for converting an input note signal of the type having a rapid rise and a slow exponential decay into an output note signal which, from the shape of its envelope, appears to be a time reversed version of the input note signal includes a device which forms a normalized envelope signal, En, and a gain modification device which modifies the instantaneous gain applied to the note signal as a function of the instantaneous amplitude of En. Ideally, the function is proportional to the inverse of the square of the instantaneous amplitude of the normalized envelope signal, En. The gain modification device in accordance with a first embodiment includes an analog-to-digital converter fed by En which addresses a ROM lookup table containing data words corresponding to gain amplitudes.

Abstract: An envelope-generating apparatus for an electronic musical instrument is disclosed. The apparatus which generates an envelope signal for a musical tone includes a rate detector for detecting the actual rate-of-change of the envelope signal at an instant before quick-attenuation of the signal is to commence, and a quick-attenuation controller for first setting a predetermined attenuation rate for the envelope signal based on the actual rate-of-change detected by the rate detector and thereafter controlling quick-attenuation of the envelope signal. The apparatus further could include a level detector for detecting an actual envelope signal level at an instant before quick-attenuation commences.

Abstract: A waveform data looping system has waveform data sampled for a predetermined time period and stored in a first memory. Data read-out is started at a looping start point in the time period and, after a readout at an end point is completed, the readout is again started at the starting point, repeatedly. The system includes a processing device for dividing the data stored in the first memory into two sections at an intermedial point of the predetermined time period, multiplying the data in the preceding section such that a data value at the start point is 0% and that at the intermedial point is 100% and that between the start and the intermedial points varies between 0% and 100% and the data in the subsequent section such that the data at the intermedial is 100% and that at the end point is 0% and that between the intermedial and end points varies between 100% and 0%, and adding the multiplied preceding data section and the multiplied subsequent data section.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument can execute a musical performance with two timbres mixed together by operating a single key, for example. Of the two timbres, a master timbre is set in normal mode and is stored in a first memory, while a slave timbre is selected in tone mix mode and is stored in a second memory. Each timbre can be altered as desired. To alter the master timbre, timbre switches are operated after the mode is temporarily changed to normal mode. To alter the slave timbre, the timbre switches are operated in tone mix mode. When the tone mix mode is set, this electronic musical instrument can permit a player to easily alter tone parameters such as the volume, pitch and attack delay time of each timbre.

Abstract: An electronic material instrument includes a tone generator for synthesizing tones by using a number of time-division multiplexed (TDM) modules, an input unit for programming a connection configuration (tone synthesis algorithm) for the modules of each module pair, and a processing unit for converting the input program into control data for each module and transferring the control data to the tone generator. In one embodiment, each module pair is selectively operative in an addition mode, a phase mode or a ring modulation mode, independently of the modes selected for the other module pairs. It is thus possible to attain a tone synthesis desired by the user, and to make the best use of the capacity of the tone generator.

Abstract: A plurality of waveforms are time-divisionally obtained from a waveform generator in one sampling period under the control of a controller. The sampling period is equally divided into a plurality of module periods. Each module period is also divided to correspond to the number of waves which are obtained time-divisionally. The waveform generator includes a selector which uses waveform data produced in a preceding module in the sampling period as that for waveform generation in the following module.

Abstract: A musical sound analyzer and synthesizer uses a model that considers a sound to be composed of two types of elements: a deterministic component plus a stochastic component. The deterministic component is represented as a series of sinusoids, with an amplitude and a frequency function for each sinusoid. The stochastic component is represented as a series of magnitude spectral envelopes. From this representation, sounds can be synthesized that, in the absence of modifications, can behave as perceptual identities, that is, they are perceptually equal to the original sound. In addition, stored representations of sounds can be easily modified in a musical synthesizer to create a wide variety of new sounds.

Abstract: A tone generation control unit has four waveform read/write channels for selectively the reading or writing data in a waveform memory. A plurality of waveform signals stored in the waveform memory are converted into analog signals to be subjected to timbre and tone volume control through voltage-controlled filters and voltage-controlled amplifiers before being fed to a mixing adder. An output signal of the mixing adder is converted into a digital signal which is stored in the waveform memory again through processing of the tone generation control unit. The stored converted output from the mixing adder is later used again as a new sound source waveform which is operated on to produce tones.

Abstract: Initial touch data or after touch data is obtained by operating a play input unit, such as keys or strings. A musical tone whose timbre or volume changes by the touch data is obtained. A tone generator has a plurality of sound source lines. Desired waveform data is selected by the touch data for each line. Only one type of the selected waveform data that is segmented at a touch split point is outputted for each line. The musical tone may be detuned by finely staggering the reference frequency, for each line. An envelope waveform may be applied to the musical tone for each line.

Abstract: An electronic keyboard instrument has a plurality of key displacement sensors disposed in relation to respective keys of a keyboard. Each sensor detects a continuously variable key displacement induced by the key operation to provide an analog signal indicative of the displacement. An analog-to-digital converter digitizes the analog signal at a predetermined sampling rate to derive a stream of digital samples of key displacement. A control, which operates based on a predetermined tone control algorithm receives and analyzes the stream of digital samples. According to the analysis, tone parameters such as envelope and vibrato are produced for controlling the characteristics of a tone, so that a tone having a very dynamic key touch response is developed. In a preferred embodiment, there are provided a plurality of tone control algorithms adapted to process the stream of key displacement samples in manners different from one another.

Abstract: During percussion performance, percussion data corresponding to states of percussion sequentially detected by percussion-detection section and tone pitch data corresponding to the sequentially struck percussion members are stored. The stored percussion data and tone pitch data are sequentially read out to generate musical tones, each having a tone pitch corresponding to the tone pitch data, in accordance with the percussion data. Parameters of musical tones to be generated or being generated are controlled in accordance with instructions of a parameter indication section provided on a striking member.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system of sound generating units for generating musical sounds according to a sequential order in electronic musical instruments such as instruments comprising a keyboard, an electronic drum apparatus, a rhythm machine or an automatic performing or accompanying apparatus. Consecutive note-on messages are processed to identify musical tones generated by the same notes, whereafter the same tones are superposed. This enables a well balanced generation of sounds between the sound generating units as the units generate sounds in a circulative sequence in response to performance controlling messages that are received by the units, according to a preferential order. The system of the present invention further provides a good reproduction of volume changes in composite musical tones, which changes are due to attenuation caused by a new note-on message that alters the volume of a musical tone as such tone is generated in response to a previous note-on message.

Abstract: A variable delay circuit for delaying an input signal and being capable of changing length of this delay is provided and various modulation effects are imparted by this delay. When change in the delay length has been designated, a decay envelope is imparted to a delay output tone signal corresponding to the delay length before the change and then a rise envelope is imparted to a delay output signal corresponding to the delay length after the change. Generation of a click noise during the change in the delay length thereby is prevented. Alternatively, when the delay length is to be changed, a decay envelope is imparted to a delay output signal corresponding to the delay length before the change and, simultaneously, a rise envelope is imparted to a delay output tone signal corresponding to the delay length after the delay and the two signals are combined.

Abstract: A music synthesizer is constructed according to a modular scheme with plural, substantially interchangeable voice units. During operation, these voice units are used to simulate different instruments. The voice units operate under control of a master computer, and take waveform data from a common memory through a common digital data bus. The actions of each voice unit in simulating a note are controlled according to a plurality of control parameters. These control parameters are derived by interpolating between plots of each control parameter versus time for a weak actuation (soft note) and a strong actuation (hard note) condition. The synthesizer is arranged to simulate the effects caused by the interactions between closely spaced excitations of the same instrument such as closely spaced strikes upon a drumhead, by varying the qualities of the sound. The synthesizer may also serve as a mixer or as a multichannel signal processing device.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function includes a first memory for pre-storing plural rhythm tone kinds, rhythm selecting switches each capable of designating one of said rhythm tone kinds and a rhythm tone generator having plural channels. The selected rhythm tone kind is assigned to each channel of the rhythm tone generator. A rhythm tone corresponding to the selected rhythm tone kind is generated by each channel so that continuous rhythm tones will be generated by plural channels based on time division system. In addition, before playing a rhythm performance, rhythm patterns can be arbitrarily programmed and then stored into a second memory by operating the rhythm selecting switches and other switches corresponding to the predetermined rhythm tones of plural musical instruments.

Abstract: A method of scaling a harmonic coefficient is employed, and envelope smaller in number than the number of harmonic orders are produced. One of the envelope is selected for each harmonic order and output as a scaling value. This enables the production of a musical tone imitative of a desired one, decreases the number of envelope generators needed, and permits simplification of the entire system configuration and signal processing.

Abstract: An apparatus for achieving the effect of air movement in instruments during replication and sounding of complex musical instruments by separating unstable frequency components, the quasi-periodic components, from stable fundamental and harmonic components, the periodic components, of compound voice waveforms, storing the respective component information pertaining to the quasi-periodic and periodic components in separate memory locations, and recombining the quasi-periodic component with one or more periodic components in appropriate fashion to form and sound the compound voice waveforms.

Abstract: Tone forming channels generate tone signals corresponding to tone pitch information assigned thereto with characteristics responsive to tone element control signals supplied thereto. An assignment order setting section selects desired channels and establishes an order of assignment of the selected channels. An assignment section sequentially changes, at each timing of generation of a tone, a channel to which a tone to be generated should be assigned in accordance with the established assignment order. In the channels whose assignment order has been established, tones whose tonal quality are different from one another are formed. A group setting section divides the tone forming channels into plural groups. The assignment section performs, group by group, assignment of a tone to be generated to any of channels in each group. Tones of different tonal quality are formed between different groups.

Abstract: For imparting a sostenuto effect to a series of sounds produced by key depressions successively repeated in an electronic musical instrument, a searching device searches a first memory device for a first memory channel which has already stored a note information identical with the note information produced on the basis of the repeated key depression, and, then a setting device is actuated in the presence of aforementioned first channel and operative to copy the sostenuto information indicative of the instruction of imparting the sostenuto effect from a second channel paired with aforementioned first channel having already stored the identical note information to the second channel paired with another first channel where the note information produced by the repeated key depression is newly stored, thereby imparting the sostenuto effect between tones produced by repeated key depressions.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument of the waveshape memory type including at least one waveshape memory for storing and reproducing sample values of a musical sound wave to be generated, the waveshape memory stores the sample values of the complete waveshape of a musical tone with a shaped envelope.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument shaped like an electric guitar sounds individual notes that are synthesized to sound like an electric guitar. These notes may either be selected randomly selected by a player or from segments of prearranged musical tracks. The instrument provides for maintaining the tempo of manually played or preprogrammed notes, synchronizing the transitions between sequentially selected musical tracks, overlaying manual notes on the tracks, and a number of electric guitar-like sound effects including vibrato, chorus, overdrive, slurs and soft picks.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has plural keys each capable of designating different tone pitch and touch response. When any key is depressed by player, touch response information is generated in response to touch intensity or depressing pressure of the depressed key. Based on the touch response information, initial-touch response effect or after-touch response effect is applied to a musical tone of depressed key or musical tones of simultaneously depressed keys. The touch response information is corrected such that the generated musical tones will not be heard un-natural. In addition, by controlling the depressing pressure of key, an automatic performance pattern consisting of predetermined accompaniment pattern and rhythm pattern can be designated and changed.

Abstract: The inventive system comprising a memory for storing the ADSR data, a clock controller for selecting the clock pulses, a counter for counting the output of the clock controller, a data switching means for buffering the output data of the memory, a holding means for holding the output of the data switching means, a comparator for comparing the output of the memory with the output of the holding means, and main controller. The main controller inputs a control signal to control the data access time in the memory and the outputs of the switching means and holding means. According to the present invention, the release data are outputted immediately after the putting off of the keyboard signal to produce more accurate ADSR data.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument of the waveshape memory type including at least one waveshape memory for storing and reproducing sample values of a musical sound wave to be generated, the waveshape memory stores the sample values of the complete waveshape of a musical tone with a shaped envelope.

Abstract: A global envelope is input by a user and stored in a global envelope memory. At the respective envelope-controlled sine wave generators are generated envelope functions of the respective orders by modifying the input global envelope. The envelopes of component wave signals of a plurality of orders are independently controlled by the envelope functions having the respective orders in the generators, and a musical tone signal is synthesized by combining the envelope-controlled component wave signals.

Abstract: An envelope extracting circuit extracts an envelope from the waveform sampled by a musical tone sampling circuit, and stores the envelope data into a memory. An envelope approximating circuit approximates the envelope data as stored in the memory by the function data such as linear or exponential function data. The original envelope is approximated by a limited number of function waveforms whose characteristics change at switching points.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument of the digital synthesis type that uses digital processing techniques to impart not only the desired harmonic structure and pitch, but also to impart the correct amplitude and envelope. Only after all of the harmonic structure processing, all amplitude scaling, and all panning/mixing has been performed in digital circuitry, are the four outputs converted by digital to analog converters into analog musical outputs. Part of the digital processing includes a digital scaling circuit using a barrel interpolator to scale each sample from 1/2 to 31/32 and a shift right register to scale each sample between 1 and 1/32,768.

Abstract: A tone signal applied from outside is sampled by a tone sampling device and the sampled waveshape data is written into a memory. During this writing operation and in parallel with the writing operation, a zero crossing point of the waveshape in terms of the sample data of the tone signal is detected. A final address detection circuit stores, each time a zero cross has been detected, a write address of the waveshape sample data with respect to the memory. Address data which is stored in the final address detection circuit when the writing of the waveshape sample data in the memory has been completed is detected as a final address of the sampled waveshape data. The waveshape data in the memory is read out either in a forward direction in a reverse direction using this final address as a start point or an end point and a tone signal corresponding to the sampled waveshape data is sounded. Such address constituting the start point or end point of reading, i.e.

Abstract: An electronic tone generator includes a signal-generating oscillator, a memory circuit for storing tone and time data for each note to be produced and two note producing circuits, each including a first programmable counter electrically connected to the memory circuit and the signal-generating oscillator and for variably dividing signals outputted by the signal-generating oscillator in order to sequentially produce notes of predetermined frequencies and durations according to the data read from the memory circuit. The note outputs of the two note producing circuits are interrelated to produce a music effect.

Abstract: An envelope shape generator generates envelope shape data for controlling a tone signal in the form of data in decibel representation. In performing a rapid attenuation control called "forcing damp" during attenuation of the envelope shape data generated by the envelope shape generator, the envelope shape data in decibel representation is rapidly attenuated with such a characteristic that inclination of attenuation becomes increasingly steeper. This is advantageous because inclination of a rapidly attenuating portion is modified to a substantially uniform inclination when the envelope shape data is converted to data in linear representation. There are also provided a detection circuit for detecting that the level of the envelope shape has dropped below a predetermined level corresponding to a minimum level at which a tone waveshape can be effectively represented and a circuit for rapidly attenuating the envelope shape in response to this detection. This contributes to elimination of noise.

Abstract: The automatic musical tone generating apparatus for generating musical tones with slur effect includes a pitch information storing device, a read-out device for reading out pitch information at a predetermined tempo from the pitch information storing device, a tone signal generating device for producing tone signals having pitches corresponding to the pitch information read out by the read-out device, a slur information storing device, a slur effect impartment detecting device for detecting, on the basis of the slur information stored in the slur information storing device, whether or not the slur effect is to be imparted to the musical tones corresponding to the read out pitch information, and a pitch information altering device for altering, when the slur effect impartment is detected, the read out pitch information to a pitch information gradually approaching to the pitch of the musical tone to be produced next and out-putting the altered pitch information to the tone signal generating device.

Abstract: A musical tone generating apparatus utilizing a data compression method. A musical tone is sampled and is converted into waveform data. These waveform data are compressed into compressed data by a linear predictive coding method and further by a differential quantization method. The number of bits of each of the compressed data is thus significantly smaller than that of the waveform data. Thereafter, a memory stores the thus compressed data corresponding to an attack portion of the tone and a selected part of a sustain portion of the tone. Hence, it is possible to remarkably reduce the memory storage. When generating a musical tone, the memory reads out the compressed data of the attack portion and thereafter repeatedly reads out the compressed data of the selected part. The read-out compressed data are sequentially decoded into the original digital data. Thus, the whole waveform of the musical tone is reproduced.

Abstract: Truncate processing is performed so that a new tone is not generated before the envelope waveform is finished but the new tone is produced after the volume of the previous tone is sufficiently diminished, by which the new tone can be produced with a satisfactory feeling of attack. Further, the envelope waveform is not abruptly interrupted and cleared in a moment but is decayed at a constant and high speed, thereby preventing the generation of noise such as a click. Moreover, demanded speed data is provided for each tone, by which it is possible to produce repective tones not at a demanded speed like the least common multiple but at an optimum speed for each tone and to make the previous tone generation proceed to the next tone generation without producing noise such as a click.

Abstract: A circuit for adding a resonance tone to a tone signal to be generated is provided. When a damper operator is not operated, the resonance tone is not added but an ordinary tone signal is generated. When the damper operator has been operated, the resonance tone is added so that a tone signal including the resonance tone is generated. An effect of a damper operator, i.e., loud pedal, in a piano, a natural musical instrument, is thereby simulated with high fidelity. The resonance tone may be produced by passing an ordinary tone signal through a filter. Alternatively, data obtained by sampling an actually produced tone of a piano, a natural musical instrument, when a damper operator, i.e., loud pedal, is ON may be stored in a memory and a resonance tone may be generated by reading out the stored data from the memory. The signal of the generated resonance tone may be sounded by itself or after mixing with an ordinary tone signal at a suitable mixing ratio.

Abstract: A method for achieving the effect of air movement in instruments during replication and sounding of complex musical instruments by separating unstable frequency components, the quasi-periodic components, from stable fundamental and harmonic components, the periodic components, of compound voice waveforms, storing the respective component information pertaining to the quasi-periodic and periodic components in separate memory locations, and recombining the quasi-periodic component with one or more periodic components in appropriate fashion to form and sound the compound voice waveforms.

Abstract: In a musical tone waveform producing apparatus having an operating device for receiving an instruction from a user, a waveform memory, a waveform control circuit for reading out tone-color waveform data from the waveform memory, an envelope memory, an envelope control circuit for reading out the envelope data from the envelope memory, and a multiplier for producing a resultant waveform, tone-color waveform data formed of a number of waveform data blocks each having an attenuation flag is prestored in the waveform memory and the attenuation flag is received by the envelope control circuit to produce attenuated envelope data while the attenuation flag is valid and to output the envelope data read out of the envelope memory while the attenuation flag is invalid. As a result, the resultant waveform has no undesirable noise component caused by the following tone-color waveform data.

Abstract: This eliminates the possibility of the generation of quantizing noise in a small amplitude portion of the waveform when it is compressed to an 8-bit quantized form. The present invention is effective when a percussive or like musical tone, provided in the form of a 16-bit quantized digital form is compressed to the 8-bit quantized form.

Abstract: A tone color of a tone to be generated is selected by a tone color selection switch and various parameters for realizing the selected tone color are generated. There are provided a first operator for designating a fine adjustment in a predetermined direction (e.g., increasing direction) with respect to a predetermined tone color determining element and a second operator for designating a fine adjustment in a direction opposite to the direction (e.g., decreasing direction) with respect to the predetermined tone color determining element. Operation data concerning the predetermined tone color determining element is formed in accordance with operations of the first and second operators. A parameter associated with the predetermined tone color determining element among the parameters for realizing the selected tone color is changed in accordance with this operation data.