With Striking Devices Patents (Class 84/12)
  • Publication number: 20140130652
    Abstract: A sound generation mechanism, provided with a string for generating a vibration sound in response to striking by a hammer, is automatically played in accordance with performance data. The performance data include striking data (note-on event data) for designating timing at which the string should be struck by the hammer, velocity data indicative of an intensity of the striking, and muting data (soft pedal data) for controlling muting. A controller determines drive start timing of the hammer in accordance with the velocity data in such a manner that the string is struck by the hammer at the timing designated by the striking data and performs control such that the drive start timing is advanced in accordance with the muting data. Thus, the string is struck at the striking timing designated by the striking data, but also muting control is performed in accordance with the muting data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko OBA, Rei FURUKAWA, Yuji FUJIWARA
  • Patent number: 4811644
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an electronic musical instrument which has a circuit for calculating a harmonic function corresponding to a fundamental wave. The electronic musical instrument is provided with a circuit for generating, as the harmonic function, an in-tune function corresponding to an in-tune harmonic, a circuit for generating a phase function which imparts an arbitrary frequency number log to the in-tune harmonic and a circuit for multiplying the in-tune function and the phase function, whereby a tone close to a natural tone of an acoustic musical instrument can be created at a relatively low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1989
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Tadashi Matsushima
  • Patent number: 4628787
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sound source apparatus which is composed of a plurality of sound component pattern generators each capable of providing a predetermined pattern, and a sound component picking circuit for sweeping the plurality of sound component pattern generators repeatedly in such a rapid sequence that the sound component thus provided and taken may constitute a musical sound at a desired pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1986
    Assignee: The Daiei, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuo Nozawa
  • Patent number: 4422362
    Abstract: A musical tone is synthesized by frequency modulation which realizes a desired fixed formant. A first accumulator repeatedly adds a constant corresponding to a center frequency of the fixed formant at a regular time interval to generate phase angle data of a carrier. A second accumulator repeatedly adds a constant corresponding to a fundamental frequency of a selected note at a regular time interval to output a carry out signal each time the accumulated value has exceeded a predetermined modulo number. By resetting the first accumulator repeatedly by this carry out signal, the phase angle data of the carrier is brought into a harmonic relation with the fundamental frequency. By effecting frequency modulation using this phase angle data of the carrier and the fundamental or harmonic frequency of a selected note, a musical tone in which harmonic components of the selected note are controlled in accordance with the desired fixed formant is synthesized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1983
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanobu Chibana
  • Patent number: 4233874
    Abstract: An octave conversion system of the fundamental frequency of an audible tone signal produced by electrically picking up mechanical vibration of a musical instrument in which the audible tone signal and an audible modulation signal having a frequency in a preselected relation to the fundamental frequency of the tone signal are applied to a multiplier which is preferably constituted by a voltage-controlled amplifier. When the modulation signal has a frequency half that of the tone signal, the tone signal is one-octave down-converted, while, when the modulation frequency is equal to the tone signal frequency the tone signal is one-octave up-converted. With this frequency conversion system the fundamental wave component of the octave-converted tone signal has the same envelope as that of the original tone signal. This frequency conversion system is advantageous in attaining small size versions of electric musical instruments and extension of inherent compasses of electric musical instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1980
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Rokurota Mantani
  • Patent number: 4223583
    Abstract: An electronic tone generator of a type in which an audio signal of controlled waveform is generated from a stored master data list of digitally coded words incorporates apparatus for changing the harmonic structure of the waveform with time during the generation of the audio signal. The master data list is computed by generating two data lists of words defining different waveforms and multiplying the two lists together repeatedly while shifting one list relative to the other list by at least one word. The resulting master data list changes with each multiplication following a shift, producing a changing waveform in which the musical frequencies are harmonically related, the waveshape being free of intermodulation distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1980
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ralph Deutsch
  • Patent number: 4096778
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing vibrato has several analog shift registers with at least 2.sup.9 stages whose inputs receive tone signals from an electronic musical device such as an organ or guitar and are connected to each other. The outputs of the shift registers are connected to a common amplifier. Each shift register receives tone signal transporting pulses from a discrete voltage-controlled high-frequency oscillator, and the inputs of the high-frequency oscillators receive control signals from discrete voltage-controlled low-frequency oscillators whose outputs transmit variable-frequency signals. The output signals of the low-frequency oscillators have different frequencies and are out of phase with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1978
    Assignee: WERSI-electronic GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft fur elektronische Bauelemente
    Inventor: Wilfried Dittmar