Abstract: An electrical musical instrument includes a scale designator for sequentially and automatically designating a scale on the basis of prestored data of a music piece, and a musical tone signal generator for outputting a musical tone signal including a harmonic frequency on the basis of the scale designated by said scale designator or as a fundamental frequency. A voice detector detects an external voice and the detected voice is divided by a modulator into voice signals in a plurality of frequency ranges. The musical tone signal is modulated in units of corresponding frequency ranges on the basis of the voice signals divided into the plurality of frequency ranges.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a pan control function includes a pan device for deciding a synthesizing rate of the plural wave form elements in each of the musical tone output terminals independently. Static pan control fixes an image position of a musical tone, and dynamic pan control changes the image position with lapse of time. The dynamic pan control also includes EG pan control which changes the image position on a pre-stored orbit and bias pan control which changes the image position based on specified data during playing. In addition to an operator, such as a jog dial and a modulation wheel, key touch data or key number data can be used for the bias pan control. This musical instrument can synthesize a musical tone signal by combining the pan control functions to each wave form element, thereby forming very widened musical tones.

Abstract: A key matrix scanning apparatus is provided. The key matrix comprises a plurality of switches which are arranged at intersections of a plurality of input signal lines and a plurality of output signal lines. The scanning apparatus repeatedly and quickly discharges or charges the plurality of input signal lines at appropriate times within a one complete scanning cycle to establish a reference potential on these lines in preparation for readings of switch states. Therefore, the scanning apparatus can provide a high-speed scanning of switches with high reliability. A good number of switches can be coupled to be read by a single unit of key scanner without a substantial delay in the detection of the switch operation.

Abstract: A pole piece for an electric string instrument comprised of a block of ferrous material having a slot formed therein. The string of the string instrument passes over the pole piece in aligned relationship with the slot thereby allowing vibration in a zone which is substantially free of any intense magnetic flux lines.

Abstract: A guitar support apparatus is arranged to include a plurality of spaced tubular rails, with a first and second "U" shaped brace arranged parallel relative to one another, and each mounted to the right and left tubular rail to space the right and left tubular rails in a parallel relationship. The first brace includes a plurality of cylindrical cushions mounted about the rails to accommodate a guitar member mounted between the first and second "U" shaped brace, and includes spaced cushion pads on the tubular rails to receive the guitar thereon. A plurality of projection bosses and associated caps are arranged to position and maintain the guitar within the organization.

Abstract: A digital to analog converter comprising a differential amplifier formed of a pair of similar conductivity type field effect transistors, one transistor being connected to a load for driving the load in synchronism with a digital input signal, means for applying a reference voltage to the gate of the second transistor, and a third field effect transistor of conductivity type complementary to said one transistor, connected with its source-drain circuit in series with the source-drain circuit of the second transistor to a second reference voltage, and means for driving the gates of said one and third transistors together with said digital input signal, whereby the first and third transistors are synchronously and oppositely driven to conduct and cut off, thus ensuring substantially no current flow in the second transistor while the first transistor is conducting.

Abstract: An electronic percussion synthesizer assembly incorporates a novel structure for supporting the drum heads. The novel supporting structure comprises a spider assembly (83) comprised of a plurality of legs (150) joined at one end for defining a hub (152) and secured at their free ends to the perimeter of the drum head (65) on the underside thereof. The spider assembly (83) minimizes mechanical damping of the striking surface and, where a plurality of drum heads (62, 63, 64, 65) are used, also minimiizes "cross talk" between the drum heads. A novel foot pedal control (120) for altering the sounds produced by the drum head is also disclosed.

Abstract: Strings and frets are simulated in a resilient fingerboard controller for synthesizer-type musical instruments. Raised string-faces and fret-faces simulate the feel of conventional strings and frets. Embedded sensor strips connect to an external customized encoder. In operation, notes are selected in the manner of conventional guitar fret-stopping but with either hand or both hands simultaneously. The pitch of each note is under real time control of the player's finger tips via pressure exerted in either lateral direction against the simulated strings, bending the pitch upward in proportion to the amount of such pressure in either direction as is usual in stringed instruments, or, alternatively, bending the pitch up or down depending on the direction of the pressure. Optional fret-bend sensors enable proportional control over additional effects.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument capable of producing a key touch feeling resembling one in playing the piano by the provision of a hammer which is interlocked with a key, key-on data and touch data are generated in response to downward displacement of the key. In this type of electronic musical instrument, key-on data and touch data are also generated when the hammer is displaced upwardly and downwardly due to bounding of the hammer independently of the movement of the key. A touch control characteristic is established usually by using touch data generated in response to key-on data. When, however, second key-on data has been generated within a predetermined length of time after generation of preceding first key-on data, a touch control characteristic for the second on data is established by using first touch data generated in response to the first key-on data.

Abstract: A switching system for an electric guitar using bridge and fingerboard humbucker pickups and a single coil intermediate pickup wherein distinct groups of GIBSON tonality and FENDER tonality can be readily selected. The system uses a two-gang, five position switch for tone selection, the switch employing two, double contacting wipers; and, for mode selection either a toggle or push-pull double pole, double throw switch is utilized.

Abstract: A music reproducing method and apparatus for mixing voices input from a microphone and music data displays various information which represents that a musical performance of a piece of music is entering an interlude inserted between singing -portions, i.e., choruses, or is entering a postlude after the choruses are terminated, the information being provided by a screen display or speaker output of the music reproducing apparatus. The information can inform the user of the end of a song when the musical performance enters the postlude, and can inform the user of the end of singing-portions in the song when the musical performance enters the interlude. The information can be related to the music or the like known to the user.

Abstract: The invention provides a performance recording/reproducing apparatus including a playing information recording device, a data discrimination device and a data transfer device. The data discrimination device discriminates a specific channel of playing data, which needs correction or modification from the others all merged on one of the tracks of the playing information recording device. The data transfer device transfers data of the specific channel to another track. The apparatus thus efficiently corrects or modifies only data of the specific channel and accordingly completes recording of performance in a short while.

Abstract: The device generates an audio signal from a sound source using a MIDI signal. The music data consists of many pieces of music stored in a memory device like a database in an on-line host computer or an external magneto-optical disc. The music generation processing operations are carried out by 2 microprocessors, each assigned a different set of functions to speed up the overall processing. The receipt and transfer of data to the sound source from the sequencer is carried out in parallel. The data is subsequently output in parallel and the contents of the buffer are monitored constantly to prevent overflow malfunctions. Clock time is divided to enable the generation of trigger signals to control tempo. By variation of the timing of the trigger signals in accordance with tempo data taken from the data stream, the tempo can be varied while reducing the reproduction time processing load.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical pickup for a stringed musical instrument, such as a guitar, fits in the bottom of the saddle slot of the instrument and provides an electrical output signal representing the vibrations of the strings of the instrument. The electrical output of the transducer is generated by a piezoelectric transducer element having an long, narrow piece of piezoelectric film with an electrode on each face. One electrode of the piezoelectric transducer element is attached to the conductive face of an elongated core. One conductor of a two-conductor electrical output lead is also attached to the conductive face of the core. The core provides electrical contact and a strong mechanical attachment for the output lead. A conductive contact strip is attached to the second electrode of the piezoelectric transducer element, and the second conductor of the output lead is attached to the contact strip.

Abstract: An improved string musical instrument is disclosed wherein a dynamic tone engendering structure provides adjustable filtering and conditioning of each of the variously tuned string's vibrational behavior. Acoustic energy transmission paths are provided for the overtone and fundamental tone components produced by the variously tuned strings, assuring even transmission of each string's particular acoustical energy to acoustical summing nodes where transducers convert acoustical energy to electrical energy. The present invention closely emulates the characteristic dynamic response and musical timbres found in a wide variety of traditional acoustic instruments.

Abstract: Analog electrical signals are converted to digital form by analog to digital sampling in accordance with a variable successive approximation technique that permits extremely wide dynamic range coupled simultaneously with extremely high bandwidth capabilities, low power consumption, and low cost. Each of multiple data (sample) points of the input analog signal are digitally compared to a variable reference generated according to the successive approximation process and changeable modes of that process so as to permit optimum efficiency of conversion at varying rates of acquisition of the input signal.

Abstract: A device for changing and controlling the rate of generating waveform data wherein rate changing data such as phase angle step data corresponding to steps, wherein each pair of contiguous steps has an interval smaller than a preset interval, are necessary. The necessary rate changing data of interval other than the preset rate changing data is obtained by effecting an interpolation from the preset rate changing data. Accordingly, it becomes unnecessary to store the rate changing data obtained by performing the interpolation, and thus, the quantity of the phase angle step data SD to the stored can be greatly reduced.

Abstract: The invention provides performance recording apparatus for separately recording plural event data, each corresponding to an electronic instrument, as plural channels of playing information onto playing information recorder. The apparatus includes channel converter for converting a channel discrimination code of newly received event data into another channel discrimination code, and merger for merging event data with the converted channel discrimination code with other event data which have already been recorded on the playing information recorder. Since any identical channel is not assigned to plural event data corresponding to different electronic instruments, playing information corresponding to plural channels is easily processed and stored on the playing information recorder.

Abstract: A method of performing an operational expression representing an operation on first and second operands used for computing various problem data and information relating to musical tones, the method comprising the step of representing problem data, which are to be processed, by using a representation system by which the first and second operands have the same sign, and by which the value of one of the first and second operands represented by bits having orders higher than those of bits used for representing the other of the operands is reduced by effecting a suppressing operation by using a suppressing parameter having a value larger than the value that can be obtained by the one of the first and second operands represented by the higher-order bits and the value of which is to be reduced, the step of computing mantissa part data of the thus represented problem data in accordance with power part data of the thus represented problem data, and the step of performing an carry operation if a carry is generated in t

Abstract: There is provided a coding device in which when a difference value between a sample value and a predictive value is quantized into a coding code of n bits, in the case of quantizing by a quantization unit which can output (2.sup.n-1 -1) coding codes corresponding to positive quantization representative values, (2.sup.n-1 -1) coding codes corresponding to negative quantization representative values, and an additional coding code corresponding to the quantization representative value of the difference value 0, the one remaining coding code is selective made to correspond to the positive or to the negative quantization representative values, respectively.