Abstract: A preselector for a musical instrument includes a memory that stores data for controlling sound parameters emitted by the musical instrument when read from memory in response to actuation of a finger or pedal bar switch. For each independent parameter to be controlled, there is a set of lighted momentary push-button switches that determines the magnitude of that parameter. These values are written into the memory during a first mode at an address determined by the number of depressions of any actuating bar, such as a finger bar or toe bar. The lights behind the switches indicate the magnitude of the parameter. Alternatively, a variable potential converted to a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter can be used to define the magnitude of the parameter. Just before performance after the values of all the parameters have been written into the memory in the sequence in which they are to be used, an address counter is reset to its initial value.

Abstract: A tone visualizing apparatus for visualizing an inputted audio signal to thereby display an image corresponding to this audio signal includes at least a detector, image display (such as a CRT display unit) and display controller. The detector detects characteristics of the audio signal such as envelope, chord, spectrum signal components, number of zero-cross points and energy of the audio signal. The image display displays an image based on given image information which can be generated from a video tape recorder (VTR), a video disk unit or an image memory constituted by a semiconductor memory. The display controller controls the image display so that a display parameter of the image will be controlled based on the detected characteristics of the audio signal. For example, the display parameter can be set as size, brightness or colors of the image. Thus, the image is controlled so that the impression of the image will be matched with that of the audio tone.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a keyboard, includes a plurality of keys, a plurality of musical tone signal generation systems, a touch detector for producing touch data representing a key touch accompanied by a key depression, a panel operation unit for setting a touch sensitivity representing a sensitivity with respect to a key touch for each of the musical tone signal generation systems, and a register unit for modifying the touch data in accordance with the touch sensitivity corresponding to each of the musical tone signal generation systems. Different tone groups are assigned to the musical tone signal generation systems, and a musical tone signal which has a tone color belonging to the corresponding musical tone group and a pitch corresponding to a key depression is produced from each of the musical tone signal generation systems. Each musical tone group includes at least two tone colors having a common attribute.

Abstract: A sound field control device is capable of producing a sound field effect tone which has a tonal effect providing a listener with a feeling of presence and includes a sound field effect tone generation circuit for generating a sound field effect tone on the basis of sound field information supplied from a source. The sound field effect tone is sounded simultaneously with reproduction of the source signal and a reproduced sound field produced on the basis of the source signal is controlled by this sound field effect tone. In one aspect of the invention, the sound field effect tone generation circuit includes a convolution operation circuit which subjects a signal derived from left and right signals from the source signal to convolution operation with sound field data derived on the basis of the sound field information from the source signal.

Abstract: A reproducing piano is provided which is capable of reproducing the notes of a chord or a sequence of multiple intensity notes within several groups of common intensity. This is accomplished by sorting the notes into a plurality of groups and then assigning intensity levels to the various groups so that notes within a group will be played at the same intensity. A limited number of solenoid driver circuits are multiplexed among the solenoids according to the grouping of notes, thereby providing faithful reproduction of the music, but at a lower cost than by individual control of each key.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument extracts a pitch from an input waveform signal by a pitch extracting circuit, and directs a sound source circuit to generate a musical tone at the pitch based on the extracted pitch. The sound source circuit electronically generates musical tones at the pitches according to the performance. The pitch extracting circuit obtains fundamental period of the input waveform signal by detecting the time interval (t1) between these first two zero-cross points after two positive peak points of the input waveform signal are detected, by detecting a time interval (t2) between first two zero-cross points after two negative peak points of the input signal waveform are detected, or by detecting both the time intervals (t1, t2).

Abstract: A technique for imparting an emotionally expressive microstructure to the respective notes in the score of a musical composition constituted by successive notes whose notation gives the nominal value for each note in regard to its pitch and duration. The techinque includes the steps of entering into a digital computer data representing the nominal pitch and duration of each of the successive notes in the musical score to be processed therein; processing the notes in the computer to contour the amplitude of each note in accordance with its relationship to the succeeding note in the score; and generating and audibly reproducing tones representing the amplitude-contoured notes in the processed score to impart expression to the reproduced music derived therefrom.

Abstract: A music synthesizer is constructed according to a modular scheme with plural, substantially interchangeable voice units. During operation, these voice units are used to simulate different instruments. The voice units operate under control of a master computer, and take waveform data from a common memory through a common digital data bus. The actions of each voice unit in simulating a note are controlled according to a plurality of control parameters. These control parameters are derived by interpolating between plots of each control parameter versus time for a weak actuation (soft note) and a strong actuation (hard note) condition. The synthesizer is arranged to simulate the effects caused by the interactions between closely spaced excitations of the same instrument such as closely spaced strikes upon a drumhead, by varying the qualities of the sound. The synthesizer may also serve as a mixer or as a multichannel signal processing device.

Abstract: A method of scaling a harmonic coefficient is employed, and envelope smaller in number than the number of harmonic orders are produced. One of the envelope is selected for each harmonic order and output as a scaling value. This enables the production of a musical tone imitative of a desired one, decreases the number of envelope generators needed, and permits simplification of the entire system configuration and signal processing.

Abstract: Tone forming channels generate tone signals corresponding to tone pitch information assigned thereto with characteristics responsive to tone element control signals supplied thereto. An assignment order setting section selects desired channels and establishes an order of assignment of the selected channels. An assignment section sequentially changes, at each timing of generation of a tone, a channel to which a tone to be generated should be assigned in accordance with the established assignment order. In the channels whose assignment order has been established, tones whose tonal quality are different from one another are formed. A group setting section divides the tone forming channels into plural groups. The assignment section performs, group by group, assignment of a tone to be generated to any of channels in each group. Tones of different tonal quality are formed between different groups.

Abstract: For imparting a sostenuto effect to a series of sounds produced by key depressions successively repeated in an electronic musical instrument, a searching device searches a first memory device for a first memory channel which has already stored a note information identical with the note information produced on the basis of the repeated key depression, and, then a setting device is actuated in the presence of aforementioned first channel and operative to copy the sostenuto information indicative of the instruction of imparting the sostenuto effect from a second channel paired with aforementioned first channel having already stored the identical note information to the second channel paired with another first channel where the note information produced by the repeated key depression is newly stored, thereby imparting the sostenuto effect between tones produced by repeated key depressions.

Abstract: A toy musical instrument has a microprocessor which records in memory a plurality of songs. A moveable part of the toy musical instrument is used to open and close a sound switch so that the next note of each song is played with each closing of the sound switch. The length of each note is determined by the length of time that the sound switch is closed, and the interval between notes is determined by the interval between closings of the sound switch.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument of the waveshape memory type including at least one waveshape memory for storing and reproducing sample values of a musical sound wave to be generated, the waveshape memory stores the sample values of the complete waveshape of a musical tone with a shaped envelope.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument shaped like an electric guitar sounds individual notes that are synthesized to sound like an electric guitar. These notes may either be selected randomly selected by a player or from segments of prearranged musical tracks. The instrument provides for maintaining the tempo of manually played or preprogrammed notes, synchronizing the transitions between sequentially selected musical tracks, overlaying manual notes on the tracks, and a number of electric guitar-like sound effects including vibrato, chorus, overdrive, slurs and soft picks.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has plural keys each capable of designating different tone pitch and touch response. When any key is depressed by player, touch response information is generated in response to touch intensity or depressing pressure of the depressed key. Based on the touch response information, initial-touch response effect or after-touch response effect is applied to a musical tone of depressed key or musical tones of simultaneously depressed keys. The touch response information is corrected such that the generated musical tones will not be heard un-natural. In addition, by controlling the depressing pressure of key, an automatic performance pattern consisting of predetermined accompaniment pattern and rhythm pattern can be designated and changed.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument of the waveshape memory type including at least one waveshape memory for storing and reproducing sample values of a musical sound wave to be generated, the waveshape memory stores the sample values of the complete waveshape of a musical tone with a shaped envelope.

Abstract: A global envelope is input by a user and stored in a global envelope memory. At the respective envelope-controlled sine wave generators are generated envelope functions of the respective orders by modifying the input global envelope. The envelopes of component wave signals of a plurality of orders are independently controlled by the envelope functions having the respective orders in the generators, and a musical tone signal is synthesized by combining the envelope-controlled component wave signals.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument can be provided with a control unit capable of arbitrarily shifting a tone pitch of a key within a keyboard from its reference tone pitch. This control unit includes a plurality of pitch-bend switches to which predetermined pitch values are respectively assigned. Each of these pitch-bend switches has a shape which can be easily operated by a player with high speed. The tone pitch of each key can be incremented or decremented by the predetermined pitch value from its reference tone pitch when the switches are operated by the player.

Abstract: The key scaling apparatus for an electronic musical instrument having a keyboard includes a memory unit having plural memory areas associated respectively with plural notes or note groups represented by plural keys or key groups of the keyboard; manipulator knobs for producing desired musical tone preparing instruction signals determining the characteristics of the musical tone to be produced; registering means for writing, in those memory areas corresponding to a desired note or note group designated by an operated key, the instruction signals produced by the manipulated knobs; and control means for controlling, when a performance mode is designated, the musical tone to be produced bearing the characteristics as designated by the instruction signals read out from the related memory areas upon operation of a key.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument is provided with plural control switches; a musical tone generating circuit having plural musical tone generating channels generating musical tones in accordance with the operation of the plural control switches; a circuit for indicating the number of tones indicating the number of tones generated by the operation of the manipulators; and an assignment control circuit assigning the operated manipulator to the musical tone generating channels equal in number to the number of tones designated by the circuit for indicating the number of tones and controlling the generation of the musical tones relative to the operated manipulators. Thus, the number of tones generated from the musical tone generating circuit in response to the operation of the manipulators can arbitrarily be set for each manipulator or for each manipulator group, with enjoyment of various performances of the musical instrument.

Abstract: A waveshape memory stores a full waveshape of a tone from the start to the end of sounding of the tone or a portion thereof in plural periods. A tone wave signal produced by reading this waveshape memory is applied to a tone color circuit where its tone color is changed. The tone wave signal whose tone color has been changed and the tone wave signal whose tone color has not been changed are both multiplied with respective coefficients whereby these tone wave signals are weighted. The weighted tone wave signals are added together to provide a mixed tone signal. By controlling the coefficients, the tone color imparted on the mixed signal is variously determined. The coefficients for the tone color control are provided in accordance with key scaling, key touch or operation states of control knobs. Thus tone signals exhibiting a variety of tone color changes are obtained using not so many wave memories.

Abstract: The present electronic musical instrument can apply to various electronic musical instruments, such as an electronic wind instrument, electronic keyboard instrument and electronic string instrument. Pitch alteration width data with a predetermined pitch difference with respect to a tone being presently generated is stored in advance in a memory section, and by alternately performing the following two operations thereby to ensure a trill performance with a pitch having an arbitrary pitch alteration width by a simple pitch alteration operation. (1) A predetermined musical tone is generated at the presently-designated pitch by the pitch designation operation executed with respect to a pitch designating section. (2) A predetermined musical tone is generated at a pitch higher or lower than the presently-designated pitch, in accordance with the pitch alteration width data, by the pitch alteration designating operation executed with respect to a pitch alteration designating section.

Abstract: An envelope shape generator generates envelope shape data for controlling a tone signal in the form of data in decibel representation. In performing a rapid attenuation control called "forcing damp" during attenuation of the envelope shape data generated by the envelope shape generator, the envelope shape data in decibel representation is rapidly attenuated with such a characteristic that inclination of attenuation becomes increasingly steeper. This is advantageous because inclination of a rapidly attenuating portion is modified to a substantially uniform inclination when the envelope shape data is converted to data in linear representation. There are also provided a detection circuit for detecting that the level of the envelope shape has dropped below a predetermined level corresponding to a minimum level at which a tone waveshape can be effectively represented and a circuit for rapidly attenuating the envelope shape in response to this detection. This contributes to elimination of noise.

Abstract: A parameter generation circuit sequentially generates different tone forming parameters by timewise changing them in a predetermined sequence. A sequence control circuit performs a control so as to repeat the sequential generation of the different tone forming parameters in the parameter generation circuit. The sequentially generated tone forming parameters are applied to a tone forming circuit in which a tone signal having tone color characteristics based on these tone forming parameters is formed. The tone color characteristics of the tone signal formed undergo timewise change due to the timewise change in the tone forming parameters. By repeating the sequential generation sequence of the tone forming parameters, an adequate tone color variation can be realized notwithstanding that a relatively small number of tone forming parameters may be used.

Abstract: The automatic musical tone generating apparatus for generating musical tones with slur effect includes a pitch information storing device, a read-out device for reading out pitch information at a predetermined tempo from the pitch information storing device, a tone signal generating device for producing tone signals having pitches corresponding to the pitch information read out by the read-out device, a slur information storing device, a slur effect impartment detecting device for detecting, on the basis of the slur information stored in the slur information storing device, whether or not the slur effect is to be imparted to the musical tones corresponding to the read out pitch information, and a pitch information altering device for altering, when the slur effect impartment is detected, the read out pitch information to a pitch information gradually approaching to the pitch of the musical tone to be produced next and out-putting the altered pitch information to the tone signal generating device.

Abstract: Combinations of operation data such as timbre data, effect data, and the like, which are designated for a musical performance, are stored in a memory. The operation data is read out from the memory, and a musical tone signal corresponding to the readout operation data is generated and a musical tone is produced. Operation data is an operation mode can be transferred to, e.g., a normal mode, and a musical tone signal corresponding to the readout operation data can be generated and a musical tone can be produced in the normal mode. Operation data set in the normal mode can also be transferred to the operation mode. Part of the combined operation data can be easily updated.

Abstract: In preparing a musical tone by synthesizing tone waveforms from a plurality of tone waveform generators, touch response data representing parameters such as key depressing speed or string picking force is generated from a touch response data preparing unit. The obtained touch response data can be used to affect the musical tone. Touch curves can be independently designated to these tone waveform generators with a manually operating unit. A weighting device for modifying a touch curve by selecting loudness level and sensitivity is provided so that various touch curves can be attained from a single touch curve for weighting the musical tone.