Abstract: For reading the frets of a stringed electronic musical instrument, a plurality of resistance wire strings are secured to a nut end and a bridge of the instrument, with the strings superposing in parallel relationship over a plurality of conducting frets mounted on a fingerboard on the instrument. The voltages produced by depressing the strings to the conducting frets, after being inverted and linearized, are quantized to levels representative of the particular frets to obviate the effects of contact resistance, and decision voltage levels are selected so as to account for such contact resistance. To enable the signals to be fed as conventional information through a MIDI channel to a synthesizer for generating frequencies corresponding to the signals, an analog to digital converter is used. The different components, as well as the digitized linearized signals, are selectively controlled and fed, respectively, to a microprocessor.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument which is capable of attaining the tonal coloration and "feeling" of an acoustic instrument and wherein the pitch, timbre, and loudness of each sound which is produced can be controlled by the performer in real time in an accurate and repeatable manner as the instrument is being played. The instrument is comprised of a plurality of string-like members which simulate the strings of an acoustic instrument and wherein sounds of varying pitch are produced by depressing the strings against a fingerboard at different positions along their lengths. An audio oscillator means is associated with each string-like member for producing a frequency-controllable audio output signal, and means responsive to a control signal for varying the overtone content and amplitude of the audio output signal is provided. In order to generate the control signal, means accessible to the performer and capable of being moved to different control positions in an accurate and repeatable manner is utilized.

Abstract: An acceleration/deceleration control circuit for a stepping motor includes a plural stage up/down counter connected to a source of pulses of constant repetition rate. The up/down counter output is connected to a decoder, such as a digital/analog converter, and conventionally, the output of the decoder is coupled to a variable rate oscillator, whose frequency increases, for example, as the output voltage of the digital/analog converter increases, and vice versa. The variable rate output is provided as an input to the stepping motor. In the improved arrangement a series RC circuit is coupled to the output of the decoder and the input of the variable rate oscillator is connected across the capacitor.