Abstract: A video game controller and a method of operating the controller are provided. The controller includes: a guitar-shaped housing comprising a body portion and a neck portion; a console interface for coupling with a game console; a tremolo arm extending from the body portion of the housing, said tremolo arm being rotatable about a first axis; and an angular detector coupled to the console interface for detecting angular rotation of the tremolo arm.

Abstract: A plurality of key switches are disposed in a predetermined arrangement, such as a matrix arrangement, and a tone generator includes a memory for storing tone (waveform) data corresponding to the key switches. Sampling section acquires an audio signal from an external source, cuts out tone data from the acquired audio signal and writes the cut-out tone data into the memory in association with the key switches. Any one of the key switches is designated on the basis of switch operation by a user or on the basis of automatic performance information, so that, of the tone data stored in the memory, the tone data corresponding to the designated key switch is sounded, i.e. audibly reproduced.

Abstract: A portable electronic musical device has a keyboard disposed in a housing connected to a strap and a support plate connected thereto for suspension of housing by strap on shoulders of a person while housing is simultaneously supported on waist of person to allow person to easily move from one geographical position to another while playing instrument. Housing is pivotally connected to support plate by at least one member defining an axis around which housing is rotatable to playing of instrument and to facilitate viewing of hands of person and keys of keyboard while user is playing instrument. To further facilitate playing of instrument and visibility of hands and keys housing is curved with keyboard generally aligned therewith.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for shifting pitch to target pitch without detecting the original pitch directly, and for extracting the pitch of the audio waveform exactly. A phase compensator extracts 2 or more frequency channels each having frequency components of a harmonic overtone whose frequency is 1 or more times as higher than frequency of a fundamental tone of the original sound, from the frequency channels from which the frequency components are extracted by fast Fourier transform. The phase compensator calculates a scaling value to be used for converting the fundamental tone to another target fundamental tone, and performs phase compensation in accordance with the scaling value. A pitch shifter performs pitch scaling in accordance with the scaling value onto the audio data resultant from inverse fast Fourier transform onto the phase compensated frequency components. Thus, audio data representing the target fundamental tone are generated.

Abstract: Key switches are arranged to form plural rows, and light emitting elements are provided in corresponding relation to the key switches. For each of the rows, any operated key switch is detected, and, on the basis of such detection, the light emitting elements are sequentially illuminated so that an illuminated position reciprocates between the operated key switch and the key switch located at a predetermined position of the row the operated key switch belongs to. In synchronism with illumination of the key switch located at a predetermined position of the row, at least one of tones allocated to the row is generated. When duration of operation of the operated key switch is greater than a predetermined time, the light emitting elements located in a predetermined range may be illuminated in accordance with a predetermined pattern, and an effect may be imparted to a tone corresponding to the operated key switch.

Abstract: A modular docking station receives a variety of electronic modules, such as a tuner, effects processor, signal conditioner, signal distributor, and signal converter, for use with a musical instrument, such as a guitar. A base unit has a flat bottom portion and an angled top portion. A plurality of pushbutton switches are disposed in the angled top portion of the base unit. The electronic module is controlled by the pushbutton switches through the base unit. A plurality of electronic modules, each with a different electrical function, are interchangeable into the receptacle of the base unit. One electronic module is selected for inserting into the base unit to make mechanical and electrical contact. Each electronic module includes a display area and a plurality of indicators for the various electrical functions of the electronic module. The base unit has a connector for connecting to the musical instrument.

Abstract: A piezo-electric sound pickup device for a stringed instrument having a wood or other shapeable material for a casing that is slightly larger than the standard gap between the wing and leg of the instrument bridge. The sound pickup device can be sanded to the proper dimension to properly fit this wing to leg gap. The installation of the pickup after proper sizing does not change the tone of the instrument and does not require further shim installation.

Abstract: The sound reproducer (100) generates and outputs, when any external situation such as a running sound is recognized by an external input rhythm detecting section (110), generates external rhythm information concerning the recognized running sound. When the external rhythm information is acquired, a rhythm setting section (173) of a processing section 170) generates set rhythm information for setting a rhythm of a music corresponding to the rhythm of the running sound. Because of this feature, even when a running state of the vehicle changes, the sound reproducer (100) can reproduce a rhythm of a music with a rhythm corresponding to the running state. Because of this feature, the music can be reproduced in better conditions in correspondence to the external situation.

Abstract: An apparatus is to analyze music data of a musical performance including note events of triplets as well as note events like triplets, and to display the note events in triplet notation properly in view of the general rhythmic tendency of the musical performance. Music data representing a musical performance is analyzed by counting the number of note events which occur as a regular rhythm pattern and the number of note events which occur as a triplet, so that the performed music as a whole is judged to be either in a triplet-shy rhythm or in a triplet-rich rhythm. Then fuzzy triplet detecting time windows detect triplet candidate notes. Thus detected fuzzy triplet note events are flexibly decided to be notated in a regular rhythm pattern form or in a triplet form depending on whether the performed music as a whole is in a triplet-shy rhythm or in a triplet-rich rhythm. The notes are displayed in the decided form of notation to provide a good-looking and easily understandable music score.

Abstract: A joystick control (20) mounted on the body (12) of an electric guitar (11) adjacent to the customarily picked section of the strings (16) provides convenient simultaneous independent gain control of two pickup signals. A pick may be held between the thumb and first finger of the picking hand while the joystick handle assembly (23) is manipulated by any free finger or fingers of that hand. This system allows smooth, quick, easy manual selection of two independent instrument voices, alternately or simultaneously in any proportion, with minimal disturbance to the player's picking. Picking strings while varying the signals' volume levels can produce desirable timbre changes, swells, and tremolo. A waveform polarity switch (19) optionally reverses the polarity of one pickup signal. When the signals are out of phase, the change in tone of their combined voice as the joystick travels is complex.

Abstract: The automatic musical instrument contains a main body provided with a sliding saddle member and a sliding operation piece. The sliding operation piece is provided with a reflecting pattern consisting of light reflecting regions and light absorbing regions. The sliding saddle member is provided with a infrared emitting diode and two phototransistors inside. When the sliding operation piece is slidably moved in contact with the sliding saddle member, infrared light emitted from the infrared emitting diode is reflected by the reflecting pattern. Then, the phototransistors receive the reflected light and output pulse signals A and B. The high speed processor built in the main body calculates the sliding speed, the sliding direction and the sliding time on the basis of the pulse signals A and B. Also, the high speed processor controls the movement of the character image displayed on the screen on the basis of one of the sliding speed, the sliding direction and the sliding time.

Abstract: An automatic player piano is a combination between an acoustic piano and an electronic system serving as a recorder and an automatic player; while a user is fingering a piece of music on the acoustic piano, the player strongly depresses some keys and softly depresses other keys so as to give artistic expression to the tones, and the depressed keys give rise to hammer motion at different values of hammer velocity; since the hammer velocity is proportional to the loudness of tones, the controller is expected exactly to determine the hammer velocity; the hammers travel on linear trajectories and parabolic trajectories depending upon the hammer velocity so that the controller estimates the hammer velocity by using different methods, whereby the controller can produce music data codes exactly expressing the tones to be produced.

Abstract: A system and method for capturing turntable expressions using generated high-powered and low-powered signals to transduce the absolute position and velocity information of forward and reverse movements of a turntable stylus.

Abstract: A device for mixing the outputs of two sensors. The device includes a first input for receiving a signal from at least one first sensor, a second input for receiving a signal from at least one second sensor, a low pass filter for passing signal components of the first input signal below a first frequency, a high pass filter for passing signal components of the second input signal above a second frequency and a mixing circuit for combining the signals passed by the low pass filter and the high pass filter to form a combined output signal. The mixing device may be incorporated into a pre-amplifier for use with an electrified acoustic guitar, or other acoustic stringed instrument, having an under saddle sensor and a second sensor attached to a body portion of the guitar, such as the soundboard. In this way, lower frequencies are taken from the under saddle sensor and higher frequencies are taken from the body/soundboard sensor.

Abstract: The present invention is a musical synthesizer that can respond to a pitch wheel control by generating realistic slide-step-slide and slide-step portamento pitch curves. The musical synthesizer responds to a pitch wheel control in a context sensitive manner. When a first note-on occurs the pitch wheel behaves in the standard fashion. However, when a second-note on occurs, if the pitch wheel is still being held after the second note-on then the effects of the pitch wheel are disabled. The result is a clean slide-step portamento curve. In addition, the effects of the pitch wheel are delayed slightly relative to the raw pitch wheel signal. The result is that if the pitch wheel is released slightly before a second note-on occurs then the delayed pitch wheel signal will still be at substantially the previous held value when the second note-on occurs. The result is a clean slide-step portamento curve.

Abstract: A string instrument, such as a guitar, includes a sound box with saddle, a neck with tuning pegs and strings extended under tension between the saddle and the tuning pegs, providing a bridge of least two legs under which there are at least two separate piezoelectric transducers that are connected to an electrical circuit for the amplified reproduction of the sound of the instrument.

Abstract: In a waveform data processing apparatus, a transfer section reads out waveform data of multiple tracks stored in a first storage device in data units, and transfers the read waveform data to a second storage device having an access speed higher than an access speed of the first storage device. A reproduction section reads out the waveform data of the tracks from the second storage device for every sampling period, and which reproduces an audio signal according to the read waveform data. A control section replaces old waveform data which has been read from the second storage device by new waveform data which is read from the first storage device, whereby the audio signals of the tracks are continuously reproduced.