Abstract: An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a multiplexed keyboard and a programmable microcomputer interfaced between the keyboard and a system of capture tone generators. The loading circuitry for the microcomputer, which is interposed between it and the keyboard multiplexer output, monitors the serial data stream and transmits only key change information to the microcomputer. The microcomputer controls the assignment and deassignment of tone generators for the accompaniment, solo and pedal manuals based on the key change information transmitted to it. Fill note information is taken from the captured accompaniment keyers and compared with the series of binary words for the current scan of the manuals in order to produce a keydown pulse when there is identity of pitch between the captured accompaniment tone generators and the scanning of the solo manual.

Abstract: A digital semiconductor circuit for an electronic organ has a plurality of control inputs addressed via a keyboard and corresponding in number to the number of keys of the organ keyboard, and a plurality of audiofrequency signal inputs addressed with periodic electrical oscillations by an oscillator system. Each control input is associated with a respective key of the keyboard and each audiofrequency signal input is permanently assigned with a respective tone frequency of the highest octave of the organ. The control signals serve to address the control inputs by the keys of the keyboard corresponding to logical levels "1" and "0." The circuit further includes a number t of divider stages in a frequency divider at least equal to a number q of the octaves in the organ keyboard. A number u of a plurality of AND gates in a given group of AND gates is greater than the number q of the octaves in the organ keyboard.

Abstract: A timekeeping signal source for an electronic timepiece produces a highly accurate timekeeping signal which is stable in frequency with respect to both temperature variations and long-term drift. The timekeeping signal is produced by phase lock control using a high frequency reference signal from a crystal-controlled high-frequency oscillator. Phase lock control can be performed continuously or on an intermittent basis, in order to reduce power consumption. In addition, the timekeeping rate can be adjusted with a resolution within one period of the high frequency reference signal, by variation of a numeric value stored in digital memory means.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument in which harmonic coefficients stored corresponding to tablet signals are read out and synthesized by using a discrete Fourier transfer to form a desired musical sound. The format of cut back by a combination of a tone to be cut back, a key number and harmonic coefficient is predetermined, and based on the predetermined tone and key number respectively detected by tone detecting means and key number detecting means, the harmonic coefficient of the predetermined combination is read out, thereby to effect cutting back of the predetermined tone.

Abstract: An electric guitar transducer mounting permitting rapid interchange and replacement of transducers in an electric guitar. An electric guitar of any desired contour is formed with an opening extending from the front face through to the back of the guitar body, with this body opening dimensioned to accommodate any one of the generally available transducers (pickups) employed with electric guitars. A sleeve is formed dimensioned to fit within the guitar body opening, and provided with an entry opening from the back of the guitar body to receive a module containing a transducer. The sleeve is formed with electrical terminals engageable with the module and electrically coupled to the wiring in the conventional electric guitar body. The module is formed with a selectively removable top plate engaging and securing a given transducer in the module for selective positioning in the sleeve.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument which can be manufactured at low cost using a system of generating frequency information corresponding to the note of each key as a frequency number on a non-real time basis. The electronic musical instrument is provided with a frequency number memory for storing the frequency number corresponding to the note of each key and delivering the frequency number corresponding to key information from a key assignor, means for executing an operation in units of the delivered frequency number a plurality of times and transferring the operation result to a buffer memory upon each execution of the operation, and a memory for storing the results of the operation executed the plurality of times.

Abstract: A percussion generator for an electronic musical instrument, such as an electronic organ, wherein the percussion generator is responsive to a time division multiplexed serial data stream produced by scanning the keys of the keyboard. A control pulse is produced each time that a new key on the keyboard is depressed, and this pulse, which has a duration equal to or greater than a plurality of scans of the keyboard, is employed to produce a burst of keydown pulses in the data stream. The percussion generator is responsive to the serial data stream and each of the aforementioned control pulses to produce keydown pulses in the appropriate time slots of the data stream in a plurality of successive sequences thereof and then terminate the keydown pulses even though the associated keys remain depressed.

Abstract: This invention discloses a tone control for an electromagnetic pick-up for a stringed musical instrument wherein the electromagnetic pick-up comprises at least a pair of coils and a magnet, comprising means for gradually switching the mutual connection between the coils from parallel to series or vice versa, the switching means comprising at least a ganged pair of rheostats of high rated resistance wherein at one extreme of travel of the sliding members of the ganged potentiometers the coils are connected in parallel and at the other extreme they are connected in series, and at intermediate positions a combination of parallel and series connection output components is outputted.

Abstract: The present invention relates to economically fabricated means for the generation and processing, member selection, and acoustic radiation of pluralities of individual tone currents originating from at least one high frequency source and formed by note-information temporarily transferred through key depression, from permanent electronic memories to temporary memories in small numbers of standard tone units, in precise duplication of properties of pipe organ sound.There is described an electronic transfer organ for duplicating twenty-six known properties of pipe organ sound. The illustrative, inventive instrument employs completely standardized circuitry except for automatically programmable memories for each organ voice, which contain all the information required to form, switch and variously decouple all the notes in that voice.

Abstract: Bar codes representing sound information are printed on a marginal portion of a score. Prior to the performance, these bar codes are read out by a bar code reader, whereby chord data represented by these bar codes are successively stored in a memory provided in the body of a musical instrument. At the time of the performance, accompaniment sound corresponding to the stored chord data is automatically added to the melody performed by the player.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit for automatically altering in a controlled way the reproduced tones of an electronic piano comprises a main signal path for the fundamental tones and an overtone path including a plurality of tone altering electronic networks and field effect transistor amplifiers combining the networks. The circuit includes separate controls for manual adjustment of normal level gain, bass boost, overtone, output volume and gate control threshold. A mixer recombines the main path and the overtone path. A gate circuit may be provided to disable the overtone path when no signal is present in the main path over a predetermined minimum threshold. The entire device is constructed for mounting over the keyboard of the piano, with a panel for the controls which renders them readily accessible for regulation by the musician to obtain the desired improvement and alteration of the tones put out by the piano.

Abstract: Envelope curves for a large number of individual sounds to be digitally synthesized are generated by storing sample envelope shapes. The duration of the stored curves is varied by exercising control over the sampling of the stored envelopes. The smooth transition from one envelope curve to another is accomplished by sampling the new curve at a fast rate until substantially matching values of the previous and new curve are found and then proceeding with the sampling of the new curve at the desired rate.

Abstract: In the generation of an envelope waveshape of a musical note to be produced in response to a key depression, speed parameters of the envelope which are determined corresponding to the speed of its attack, decay and release are produced digitally. The envelope waveshape is obtained by calculations based on the speed parameters. The formation of the envelope waveshape of the musical note, its volume level control and its tone control can be achieved with simple arrangements.

Abstract: A power saving device for an electronic musical instrument in which when the electronic musical instrument is idle, or no key operation by an operator takes place for a given period of time, a power source is automatically turned off to thereby prevent wasteful power consumption.

Abstract: The watch comprises a plurality of stores, each containing a particular item of time data and each producing an output signal representing the data therein. A single operating button is displaceable by the user of the watch, on the one hand in the axial direction between a pushed-in position and a pulled-out position for which a switch is respectively open and closed, and on the other hand rotatably. Rotation of the button closes and opens two more switches by two cams rotationally displaced so that two pulse trains are produced with a phase relationship indicating the sense of rotation. A circuit processes these pulse trains to produce UP pulse for one sense of rotation and DOWN pulses for the other sense of rotation. These pulses are used to correct the value in a selected store. The particular store to which the correction signal is applied is selected by axially displacing the operating button from the pushed-in position to the pulled-out position a predetermined number of times.

Abstract: A predetermined frequency signal is amplitude modulated with a time window signal having a predetermined time width to simultaneously calculate a plurality of frequency components distributed over a predetermined frequency bandwidth and having the frequency component as a center component, and the plurality of frequency components thus calculated are used as partial tone components to form a musical tone signal. The frequency signal and the time window signal are formed by using a common function signal generator, on a time division basis, which produces the frequency signal and the time window signal. This construction makes it possible to form a musical tone having a great number of harmonic components at high speeds with a simple circuit construction.

Abstract: The disclosed organ employs keyboard-activated transfer of individualized tone and envelope-generating information from large memories for each distinctive set of a note's harmonics, to small memories in small circuits corresponding to each harmonic set. Selection of large memories programmed for different temperaments or voice types renders the organ playable as one or another type of organ (e.g., gothic, classical, romantic, theater) in a variety of temperaments (e.g., just-temperament, mean-tone, equal-temperament). Information transferred from any selected large memory causes a circuit common to one or more sets of a note's harmonics to sweep the harmonic data transferred to the small memories for all the note's harmonic sets, to generate respective currents representing attack and decay envelopes for all the note's harmonic sets.

Abstract: An automatic performing apparatus of an electronic musical instrument comprises a memory for storing musical note data representing progression of a music to be played and control data for controlling such a generation mode of music tones being generated as tone color and modulation effect. The generation mode of musical tone signals generated by a tone forming circuit in response to the musical note data read out of the memory is also automatically controlled by the control data read out of the memory.

Abstract: A touch responsive envelope control system is provided for use in an electronic musical instrument having a multiplexed keyboard, a plurality of assignable tone generators, each being assignable to producing a single note of one or more notes corresponding to one or more actuated keys of the keyboard and a keyer associated with each tone generating means for keying the generated tone with controlled attack time and decay rate and a controllable peak amplitude. The touch responsive system comprises a peak amplitude control system responsive to the actuation of each key for keying the associated tone with a peak amplitude corresponding to the intensity of actuation thereof. The peak amplitude control system includes an encoding circuit responsive to the actuation of each actuated key for producing an encoded intensity signal corresponding to the intensity of actuation thereof and a decoding circuit responsive to each encoded intensity signal for producing a corresponding peak amplitude control signal.

Abstract: Computer organ tone input for alterable stops is achieved by single-key input through a decoded keyboard which is couple to a logic network and optoelectrical output drive circuitry. The decoder circuitry activates selected optical emitters in an array which is mounted in the optical reader of a computer organ such that the decoder circuitry is electronically isolated from the computer organ. The invention eliminates the need for a tone card library, does not interfere with the sensitive circuitry of the organ and permits instantaneous reprogramming of alterable voices.