Abstract: The present invention relates to percussion instruments. In particular, it relates to a signal processor for detecting characteristics of vibration of a percussion pad due to a particular strike on the pad. It provides a musician more opportunity for creativity in the sound a listener a percussion instrument can hear. It provides a signal processor for a percussion instrument. The signal processor comprises a singular input signal acquiring means to acquire a singular input signal corresponding to a physical vibration of a percussion surface over time, a signal analyser to analyse the input signal for a characteristic of a strike on the surface which caused the vibration, and a command signal providing means to provide a command signal according to the characteristic.

Abstract: An electronic device and a corresponding method for analyzing and playing sound signals are provided. The electronic device includes a microphone, a processor, and a speaker. The microphone receives a sound and generates a sound signal according to the sound. The processor is coupled to the microphone for analyzing the sound signal to obtain an analysis parameter, determining a dynamic range parameter according to the analysis parameter, and adjusting the sound signal according to the dynamic range parameter. The speaker is coupled to the processor for playing the adjusted sound signal.

Abstract: A tone generation control device sets a setting value for crosstalk cancellation. When vibration generated in a target striking surface is detected, a value indicative of the degree of crosstalk that the target received from comparison striking surfaces is calculated. The calculated value is displayed regardless of whether a tone generation instruction has been output. Meanwhile, setting values used for crosstalk cancellation for the respective striking surfaces are also displayed. Therefore, the user can observe and understand as to whether the vibration generated at the target is vibration caused by crosstalk received from the comparison striking surface, such that setting values to be used for crosstalk cancellation can be suitably set.

Abstract: A tone generation control device sets a setting value for crosstalk cancellation. When vibration generated in a target striking surface is detected, a value indicative of the degree of crosstalk that the target received from comparison striking surfaces is calculated. The calculated value is displayed regardless of whether a tone generation instruction has been output. Meanwhile, setting values used for crosstalk cancellation for the respective striking surfaces are also displayed. Therefore, the user can observe and understand as to whether the vibration generated at the target is vibration caused by crosstalk received from the comparison striking surface, such that setting values to be used for crosstalk cancellation can be suitably set.

Abstract: A multi-channel noise reduction system provides improved noise reduction with direct instrument tracking of all channels. In a two channel noise reduction system, both channels detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly with one channel of dynamic noise reduction between the guitar and the input of a guitar amplifier to eliminate the noise of the instrument and another channel of noise reduction connected in the effects loop of the guitar amplifier. Multiple channels of noise reduction can be implemented with separated threshold controls and with low level expansion and dynamic filtering being combined so as to detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly. A buffer amplifier can be used to feed the direct guitar signal to the detectors of the noise reduction system and the input of a stereo guitar system.

Abstract: Electronic wind instrument includes: a breath flow detector detecting a flow of breath blown by a user; a tone generator forming a tone signal; a control section controlling the tone generator on the basis of an output signal of the breath flow detector; and a zero point compensation section that, when a predetermined condition has been satisfied, compensates a zero point of the output signal of the detector on the basis of the output signal generated by the detector at the time point the predetermined condition has been satisfied. The predetermined condition is satisfied when it is detected that a zero point compensation switch operable by the user has been turned on, that no performance is being executed by the user, that a value indicated by the output signal of the detector has decreased below a predetermined threshold value, or that the wind instrument has been turned on.

Abstract: A volume adjusting apparatus includes a sound collecting unit configured to collect noise data of a surrounding environment, an analyzing unit configured to extract a feature value indicating a feature of the noise data collected by the sound collecting unit and a feature value indicating a feature of supplied musical tune data, and a control unit configured to generate volume adjustment information for adjusting playback volume of the musical tune data based on the feature value of the noise data and the feature value of the musical tune data and adjusts the playback volume of the musical tune data based on the volume adjustment information.

Abstract: A multi-channel noise reduction system provides improved noise reduction with direct instrument tracking of all channels. In a two channel noise reduction system, both channels detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly with one channel of dynamic noise reduction between the guitar and the input of a guitar amplifier to eliminate the noise of the instrument and another channel of noise reduction connected in the effects loop of the guitar amplifier. Multiple channels of noise reduction can be implemented with separated threshold controls and with low level expansion and dynamic filtering being combined so as to detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly. A buffer amplifier can be used to feed the direct guitar signal to the detectors of the noise reduction system and the input of a stereo guitar system.

Abstract: An electronic musical sound generator prevents a sound production sequence to be stopped from continuing to be produced even through the key is released. Even if an erroneous instruction is sent to prevent identification data from being compared, in other words, if a sound production sequence which should be stopped, continues to be produced because of failure to find the sound production sequence to be stopped, the production of the musical sound can be stopped due to the key release because a second decision block searches data in a storage block, regards a key having identification data different from the one sent as the released key, according to the sequence being produced and the key is number, and determines the sound production sequence to be stopped.

Abstract: Automatic player pianos and internet form a music performance system for a music session on the automatic player pianos through data communication between the automatic player pianos, and a communication time lag and mechanical time lag are unavoidably introduced between the data transmission and the data reception and between the data reception and tone generation; one of or both of the time lags are compensated by employment of an electronic tone generation, presumption of key positions or presumption of key event so that the slave automatic player piano generates the tones almost concurrently with the tones generated through the master automatic player piano.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with an embedded PCI 2.1 compliant bridge provides expanded functionality as system-level implementations of a PCI-to-PCI bridge, and enhances the level of integration possible. The embedded PCI-to-PCI bridge allows the creation of multi-function, multimedia add-on cards supporting multiple devices. Multi-function, multimedia subsystems that provide audio, graphics, MPEG, etc., are mapped into a bridged-to PCI-bus that keeps such traffic off the main PCI-bus. The advantage for the system or add-in card vendor is that the various multimedia chips that are combined can come from different sources, providing an optimized and highly customized combination of functions.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a digital processing device with smooth-clipping function and a digital musical tone synthesizing device using it. When one or a plurality of digital values are input to the digital processing device and a smooth-clipping mode is activated, an overflow during processing of the digital values is avoided as the internal resulting value of the device is scaled down before it is output. The scaling down of the internal resulting value is continuously increased in dependence on the increase of the value of the internal resulting value, such that an overflow is avoided. For example, if the digital processing device is performing a summation of two digital operands in a digital musical tone forming device, the time behavior of the resulting tone signal slope is smooth and thus the sound dynamics are improved and sound distortions are avoided during sound reproduction.

Abstract: A tone waveform reproduction apparatus, for an electronic musical instrument employing a plurality of samples in consonance with tone ranges, that can reduce a change in a timbre so that it will not be noticeable, and that can provide a natural transition of musical tones. An address generator generates a read address for a waveform memory. In the waveform memory are stored waveform data that differ for each timbre and each specific pitch range. A digital filter has a low-pass property and is controlled by a cutoff controller to adjust a timber or a tone quality. The cutoff controller generates a cutoff control signal for compensating for a discontinuity, at a point where tone ranges are switched, of reproduced frequencies of tone signals extracted from the waveform memory, and outputs the cutoff control signal fcn.

Abstract: The PC audio circuit described interfaces with and provides audio enhancement to a host personal computer of the type including a central processor, system memory and a system bus. The PC audio circuit includes a digital signal processor (DSP) for processing wavetable data and generating digital audio signals for a plurality of voices. The wavetable data is stored in the host computer's system memory and transferred in portions, as needed by the DSP, to a smaller, low-cost cache memory included with the PC audio circuit. The DSP processes several frames of data samples for an active voice before processing another voice. Processing in this manner alleviates concerns about the percentage use of system bus bandwidth and the maximum allowable system bus latency. These concerns are further alleviated by deriving frequency compensated wavetable data and storing it in system memory to be retrieved by the DSP for generating digital audio signals having high frequency ratios.

Abstract: An electric guitar amplifier which utilizes a digital signal processor to produce vacuum-tube-like distortion without certain unwanted audio artifacts created by previous digital realizations of nonlinear, high-gain functions. By virtue of a microprocessor-controlled digital signal processor embodiment, the invention gives the user programmable control over parameters normally associated with state of the art guitar amplifiers (e.g. tone controls, reverb controls, tremolo controls, etc.), as well as other musically useful parameters which are not normally included among the controls of a guitar amplifier (e.g. selection of preamp type, autovolume, reverberation type, autowah, etc.).

Abstract: A PCI-based system and method for performing wavetable music synthesis which uses system memory to store wavetable data is provided. The system and method utilize the benefits of the PCI bus while mitigating the disadvantages introduced by having to arbitrate for a shared system bus. By using system memory for storing wavetable data, a more cost effective personal computer audio system can be produced. In the preferred embodiment a computer system is provided that includes a system memory storing wavetable data samples, a PCI bus, and a PCI-based audio synthesis device. The audio synthesis device includes a PCI bus interface, a synthesizer, and a plurality of buffers coupled to the PCI bus interface and the synthesizer for transferring wavetable data samples between system memory and the synthesizer. The number of buffers defines the maximum number of voices which can simultaneously be active. The operation of the buffers is controlled by a buffer manager.

Abstract: A pedal controller monitors a damper pedal incorporated in an acoustic piano, and reduces the amount of music data information represented by digital pedal position signals through an anti-aliasing filtering, a decimation and an interpolation without sacrificing the accuracy of the pieces of music data information.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument which generates musical tone signals based on playing information input from a key switch circuit 10, a key scan circuit 11 includes a decode circuit 22 to which the current status information and the previous status information read out from a scan data memory 21 are input, and if status information which cannot be processed is input, the decode circuit 22 converts it to status information which can be processed, and if there is no empty space in an output data buffer 24, the decode circuit 22 detects no status change. Such construction allows malfunction to be prevented with a simple construction.

Abstract: A computer system and method for performing wavetable music synthesis which uses system memory to store wavetable data and minimizes audio infidelity introduced by wavetable data access latency. The system comprises a system memory which stores wavetable data, an I/O bus coupled to the system memory, and a system audio device. The system audio device comprises an I/O bus interface coupled to the I/O bus, a synthesizer which generates sounds in response to the wavetable data, a plurality of buffers coupled to the I/O bus interface and to the synthesizer for buffering the wavetable data from the system memory, and a buffer manager coupled to the I/O bus interface, the synthesizer, and the plurality of buffers. The buffer manager manages transfers of the wavetable data from the system memory to the buffers and from the buffers to the synthesizer. The synthesizer generates a request to the buffer manager for wavetable data samples.

Abstract: In a sound (music) synthesis system, a transition between levels of a sound parameter (e.g. volume) is synthesized by fitting a cubic (third degree) spline function between two discontinuous parameter levels. This advantageously eliminates any sound artifacts (pops or clicks) which would otherwise be present due to abrupt changes in the parameter. The cubic spline is fitted (interpolated) to match both the parameter value and its derivative with respect to time at each of the adjacent parameter levels on either side of the transition. The transition thus is advantageously kept brief and in addition it is possible to deal with the situation when the parameter dynamically changes during the transition period, again without causing undesirable sound artifacts.

Abstract: A method for processing a digital signal produced by digitizing an analog signal such as a musical instrument sound signal, and an apparatus for producing sound source data. When the input signal contains a periodically repetitive waveform portion, the fundamental frequency and its high harmonic components of the input signal is extracted by a comb filter prior to signal processing which takes advantage of the periodicity of the input signal. The fundamental frequency or pitch is detected by performing Fourier transform to produce frequency components, phase matching these frequency components and performing inverse Fourier transform. When extracting a repetitive waveform portion or so-called looping domain, such looping domain having the highest similarity in waveform in the vicinity of both ends of the domain is selected.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an envelope signal generator for electronic musical instruments, and more particularly to an envelope signal generator that generates natural envelopes from which digital noises are removed substantially by obtaining a difference between a current value and a targeted value and then generating a corresponding value for compensating the difference.

Abstract: In order to accurately simulate the sounding system of the stringed instrument such as the violin and cello, an electronic musical instrument provides a performance unit such as a keyboard and a multi-channel sound source unit. As the sound source unit, there is provided a plurality of string sound generating circuits, each corresponding to each of plural strings provided in the stringed instrument, each of which forms a musical tone waveform signal having a different tone color. When performance information is created by operating the performance unit, one of the string sound generating circuits and its fingering position is selected on the basis of the preceding tone-generation assignment state, and then tone-generation corresponding to the created performance information is assigned to the selected circuit. Normally, plural musical tones can be sounded simultaneously in the stringed instrument.

Abstract: A musical tone control apparatus is provided with a compensation device which compensates a magnitude of detected signals output from each sensor arranged on each finger. Therefore, even though adjacent fingers are involuntarily bent when a specific finger is bent by the intention of a player, an interference which is given to the specific finger from the adjacent fingers is compensated by the compensation device, so that musical tone control signals can be generated from a control signal generation device in accordance with the bending of the specific finger without the interference caused by the adjacent fingers.

Abstract: A musical tone generating apparatus includes a waveform generator for generating a musical tone signal corresponding to a desired musical tone based on a key-on event which occurs in a keyboard and an envelope generator for generating an envelope which controls the amplitude of the musical tone signal in response to the key-on event. When a key-on event occurs, the envelope generator compares the current value of the envelope with a predetermined value, and based on the result of this comparison, determines a initial value of the next envelope corresponding to the key-on event. Consequently, the musical tone generating apparatus can generate musical tones without generating a click noise even if the key-on event repeatedly occurs over time at short intervals.

Abstract: A digital sampling instrument is disclosed. The instrument provides the capability of accessing and outputting stored digital data within a single clock cycle. The instrument also provides improved volume scaling for sound generation and further eliminates redundant loading of a particular sound into a sound memory.

Abstract: A melody generating system is fabricated from a switch unit operative to produce an activation signal, an analog signal producing unit responsive to the activation signal and producing an analog melody signal carrying pieces of melody information used for reproducing a melody and a sound unit responsive to the analog melody signal for reproducing the melody, wherein the analog signal producing unit comprises an analog signal producing circuit integrated on a single semiconductor chip and responsive to the activation signal for producing a read out controlling signal and a memory circuit storing the pieces of melody information and responsive to the read out controlling signal for producing a digital melody information carrying signal, and the analog signal producing circuit is further responsive to the digital melody information carrying signal for producing the analog melody signal, so that a system supplier easily copes with a request for a new melody by changing the pieces of melody information stored in t

Abstract: In a MIDI signal processor for use with a CD player, MIDI data is extracted from predetermined subcode frame of a digital output signal of the CD player. The extracted MIDI data is rearranged into a set of bytes. A predetermined start bit is added to a head of each of the MIDI data bytes. A predetermined stop bit is added to an end of each of the MIDI data bytes. The MIDI data bytes with the start and stop bits are outputted in a serial manner.

Abstract: A variable delay circuit for delaying an input signal and being capable of changing length of this delay is provided and various modulation effects are imparted by this delay. When change in the delay length has been designated, a decay envelope is imparted to a delay output tone signal corresponding to the delay length before the change and then a rise envelope is imparted to a delay output signal corresponding to the delay length after the change. Generation of a click noise during the change in the delay length thereby is prevented. Alternatively, when the delay length is to be changed, a decay envelope is imparted to a delay output signal corresponding to the delay length before the change and, simultaneously, a rise envelope is imparted to a delay output tone signal corresponding to the delay length after the delay and the two signals are combined.

Abstract: A digital sampling instrument is disclosed. The instrument provides the capability of accessing and outputting stored digital data within a single clock cycle. The instrument also provides improved volume scaling for sound generation and further eliminates redundant loading of a particular sound into a sound memory.

Abstract: A tone generation system and method generates tone signals having complex harmonic components while reducing aliasing noise resulting from sampling of high frequency harmonics.In a first step, waveshape data which has been sampled with a second sampling frequency which is higher than a first sampling frequency is obtained. Then a predetermined tone synthesis modulation operation is performed, using this waveshape data as at least one of a signal to be modulated and a modulating signal. By performing this modulation operation in accordance with the higher second sampling frequency, occurrence of an aliasing component contained in a tone signal obtained as the output of the modulation operation in a frequency band below a frequency which is 1/2 of the first sampling frequency can be prevented. Then, the frequency band of the output signal of the modulation operation is limited to a frequency band below the frequency which is 1/2 of the first sampling frequency.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a performance operating member, a performance operation detection unit, a self vibration detection data forming unit, a tone generation control unit, and a tone signal generator. The performance operation detection unit forms performance operation detection data corresponding to an operation amount of the performance operating member. When the performance operation detection data of the performance operating member is obtained, the self vibration detection data forming unit forms self vibration detection data determined by a performance operation mounted based on previous performance operation detection data obtained by a previous performance operation of the performance operating member and by a first lapse time interval from when previous performance operation detection data were obtained until a present time.