Tone Synthesis Or Timbre Control Patents (Class 84/659)
  • Patent number: 5559301
    Abstract: A touchscreen interface for a sound processing system, such as music synthesizers, which has a display panel and a touch sensitive panel overlying the display panel, includes an icon which represents an adjustable parameter used by the processing system. The processing resources supply a variable adjustment display to the display panel in response to a touch on the position of the icon, using pop-up slider or pop-up knob motif. The variable adjustment display overlies the interface display and has a size on the touch sensitive panel larger than the size of the icon to facilitate manipulation of the variable using a finger over a significant range of values. The variable adjustment display pops up when touched to obscure a portion of the graphical display used for the interface. When the variable is adjusted using the touch sequence, the variable adjustment display is removed, and the interface display is left unobscured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Korg, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus K. Bryan, Jr., Alexander J. Limberis, John S. Bowen, Daniel A. Phillips
  • Patent number: 5554814
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has a composite sound source for generating a musical tone, and includes a first synthesizing circuit for creating a variety of timbres of the musical tone having a superior quality and a second synthesizing circuit for creating another variety of timbres of the musical tone having an inferior quality. The instrument admits designation information effective to designate one of the first and second synthesizing circuits to be activated and effective to designate a timbre to be created by the designated one of the first and second synthesizing circuits. A detector operates when the second synthesizing circuit is designated for providing a detection signal if the designated timbre can be also created by the first synthesizing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Takuya Nakata
  • Patent number: 5554813
    Abstract: In a closed wave guide network having a bidirectional signal transmitting channel section and a signal junction section, signal delay time is variably controlled by a first parameter group so as to control the resonance frequency characteristics of the wave guide network. A signal excitor is connected to the wave guide network so that an excited signal is supplied to the network. The excitation frequency of the excitor is controlled in accordance with a second parameter group. There are also provided a combination determination section which, in correspondence to the pitch of a tone to be generated, determines a combination of the first parameter group to be used in the wave guide network and the second parameter group to be used in the excitor, and a parameter generator which, in accordance with the combination determined by the combination determination section, generates and supplies individual parameters of the first and second parameter groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Kakishita
  • Patent number: 5543578
    Abstract: Synthesizer models for emulating musical instruments can be improved using an analysis model that compares the output signal of the model to a recording of a desired sound and derives a residual signal that can be used to correct the model. When the original model is a good one, the residual signal is small and takes much less memory to store than is required for a sampled sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Mediavision, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan J. Colvin, Sr., Perry R. Cook, Daniel Gochnauer
  • Patent number: 5521328
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument simulating a wind instrument is fundamentally configured by a loop circuit at least containing a linear portion and a non-linear portion. The linear portion simulates a pipe portion of the wind instrument, while the non-linear portion simulates a breath-blowing portion of the wind instrument so as to produce an excitation signal, which is supplied to the linear portion. By an interaction between the linear portion and the non-linear portion which is carried out while a signal circulates through the loop circuit, a sounding characteristic of the wind instrument is simulated. In order to accurately simulate a jet reed instrument (e.g., organ pipe), there are further provided a delay circuit and an edge tone generator. The delay circuit imparts a delay time to the output signal of the linear portion, and then, a delayed signal is supplied to the non-linear portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Kakishita
  • Patent number: 5519167
    Abstract: In a musical tone synthesizing apparatus, employed by an electronic musical instrument, an excitation signal circulates through a waveguide to form a musical tone signal corresponding to a synthesized musical tone. The waveguide is configured by a loop circuit containing an adder, a delay circuit, a filter and an amplifier. A delay time used for the delay circuit is determined in response to a tone pitch of a musical tone to be produced, while a filter coefficient used for the filter is determined in response to a tone color of the musical tone to be produced. A multiplication coefficient used for the multiplier is generated in accordance with one of the tone pitch and delay time; or the multiplication coefficient is computed on the basis of the tone pitch and a decay rate which is set by a performer. In addition, a different multiplication coefficient can be generated in response to a state of an envelope waveform of the musical tone to be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kunimoto, Hideyuki Masuda, Toru Kitayama
  • Patent number: 5512703
    Abstract: The electronic musical instrument includes a detecting unit, an excitation signal generator and a tone generator. The detecting unit detects body action to produce an action signal representative of the detected body action. The detecting unit includes a sensor element directly attached to a given part of a player's body for detecting the body action of that part. The excitation signal generator produces an excitation signal according to the action signal. The tone generator is one of a delayed feedback type, receives the excitation signal, and generates a musical tone signal according to a designated tone pitch. The tone generator includes a delay element for delaying the excitation signal by a given time corresponding to the designated tone pitch, and a feedback path for feeding back the delayed excitation signal to the delay element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Usa
  • Patent number: 5508473
    Abstract: A music synthesizer simulates the musical tones of wind instruments. The synthesizer includes a vopex noise generator, an edge tone nonlinearity function driven by the differential between a blowing pressure signal and a feedback signal from the resonator. The vopex noise generator feeds its noise output signal back into itself so as to generate a noise "votex". The vopex noise generator furthermore modulates the spectral content of the generated noise fluctuates in a manner that is period synchronous with the resonator output signal. As a result, the noise vopex signals mimic the turbulence associated with air blown into wind instruments by switching between structured and chaotic modes of operation in a manner that is period synchronous with the resonator output signal. The transfer characteristic of the edge tone nonlinearity function is dynamically controlled by the noise signal so as to change the operating point of the edge tone nonlinearity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Patent number: 5504270
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for analyzing and reducing or increasing the dissonance of an electronic audio input signal are realized by identifying the partials of the audio input signal by frequency and amplitude. The dissonance of the input partials is calculated with respect to a set of reference partials according to a procedure disclosed herein. One or more of the input partials is then shifted, and the dissonance re-calculated. If the dissonance changes in the desired manner, the shifted partial may replace the input partial from which it was derived. An output signal is produced comprising the shifted input partials, so that the output signal is more or less dissonant that the input signal, as desired. The method may be used with computerized sound processing equipment, e.g., MIDI-based equipment. The input signal and reference partials may come from different sources, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Inventor: William A. Sethares
  • Patent number: 5500486
    Abstract: A tone synthesis system employs a filtered delay loop which is excited by an excitation signal. The excitation signal corresponds to the impulse response of a body filter to the system which is to be simulated. High quality tone synthesis can be achieved without the necessity of providing a complicated body filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1996
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Julius O. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 5498836
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a plurality of parameters to be used by a physical model tone signal synthesizer electronically simulating a tone generating mechanism of a natural musical instrument. In accordance with musical performance signals such as dynamics and tone color entered by a player, musical instrument playing parameters such as breath and embouchure, or bow speed and bow pressure, are generated by using correlation functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Okamoto, Satoshi Usa
  • Patent number: 5495072
    Abstract: An automatic performance apparatus comprises a performance data storage track for storing sequential performance data for controlling musical tones to be sequentially generated according to progress of a music piece, a plurality of element data storage tracks for storing sequential data consisting of at least one type of element data such as pitch data, timing data, and the like, constituting performance data, panel switches for designating the element data storage tracks or a type of data to be written in and/or read out from the element data storage tracks, and a CPU for sequentially reading out and synthesizing the element data from the element data storage tracks, and writing the synthesized data in the performance data storage track as new performance data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kumagi
  • Patent number: 5481067
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a plurality of first operation elements arranged to be operated for designating a tone pitch of a musical tone to be produced, a plurality of second operation elements arranged to be operated for selecting a tone color of the musical tone, and a musical tone signal production circuit to be applied with a first data indicative of operation of the first operation elements and a second data indicative of operation of the second operation elements, wherein a timer-interrupt signal is generated at a predetermined time interval, a first task requirement flag for processing the first data is set in response to the timer-interrupt signal, and a second task requirement flag for processing the second data is set at each time when the first task requirement flag is plural times, and wherein the first data is applied to the musical tone signal production circuit in dependence upon the first task requirement flag, and the second data is applied to the musical tone signal production
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Takeo Shibukawa
  • Patent number: 5471007
    Abstract: A signal synthesizer uses a digital waveguide network having at least a two dimensional matrix of waveguide sections interconnected by junctions to filter one or more excitation signals so as to generate an array of synthesized output signals. The digital waveguide network has sets of waveguide sections interconnected by junctions. Each waveguide section includes two digital delay lines running parallel to each other for propagating signals in opposite directions and each junction has reflection and propagation coefficients assigned to it for controlling reflection and propagation of signals in the waveguide sections connected to that junction. Except for junctions along boundaries of the digital waveguide matrix, each junction is at least a four-way junction that interconnect at least four waveguide sections so as to scatter and intermix signals in flowing through those waveguide sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Scott A. Van Duyne, Julius O. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 5466884
    Abstract: A musical sound synthesizer simulates interaction of a hammer having a compressible striking surface with a resonating medium. A digital waveguide resonator that simulates operation of a resonating medium and generates digital resonator waveforms representing signals propagating in said digital waveguide resonator. A hammer filter simulates the hammer striking the resonating medium and generates first and second hammer waveforms. The hammer filter includes a scattering junction that couples the hammer filter to the digital waveguide resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Scott A. Van Duyne, Julius O. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 5448009
    Abstract: A controller is arranged as a sub control unit between a CPU as a main control unit and a tone generator system. The main control unit outputs command data having a standard format as an instruction signal. The sub control unit generates and outputs instruction data as an instruction signal in a format according to the type of tone generator system on the basis of the command data. The tone generator system executes generation of a tone signal and processing associated with generation of the tone signal in accordance with the instruction data. The CPU can efficiently control tone generator systems of different types. Data transfer between the CPU and a plurality of tone generator systems of different types can be highly efficiently performed, and the processing load on the CPU can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Kudo
  • Patent number: 5442130
    Abstract: The musical tone synthesizing apparatus utilizes a loop circuit receptive of an input signal for looping the same with a given delay time to produce an output signal representative of a musical tone. The loop circuit includes a delay element for delaying the input signal and a feedback path for feeding back the delayed input signal to the delay element. A control unit is provided for controlling the delay element according to a designated pitch of a musical tone so as to set the delay time of the loop circuit to thereby determine the pitch of the musical tone. A generator generates the input signal containing various frequency components. A high-pass filter is connected precedingly to the loop circuit for selectively attenuating relatively lower frequency components of the input signal, which have periods longer than the set delay time of the loop circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Kitayama, Yoichiro Ogai
  • Patent number: 5438156
    Abstract: An acoustic wind instrument having a conical tube is simulated by two cylindrical tubes communicated to each other at each one end. A parallel connection of electrical signal transmission lines, each simulating a cylindrical tube constitute a synthesizer synthesizing the sound of the conical acoustic wind instrument. Each signal transmission line includes a shift register for giving a delay to the input signal, a multiplier for simulating sound reflection, and a filter for affording a tone color. An exciting signal is injected at the interconnection of the parallel connection through a junction circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Masuda, Toshifumi Kunimoto
  • Patent number: 5426262
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument: is provided to perform an active control on the pitch of the musical tone to be generated, thereby simulating the pitch-rising phenomenon to be occurred in the performance of a non-electronic musical instrument such as a wind instrument, percussion instrument and stringed instrument. In case of the simulation of the wind instrument, this electronic musical instrument is mainly configured by an excitation-vibration circuit and a tube simulation circuit which are connected together by means of a junction. The tube simulation circuit is configured by a closed-loop circuit in which plural delay circuits and junction circuits are connected together in cascade-connection manner. Herein, the delay circuits simulate the propagation delay of the air-pressure wave to be transmitted through the tube of the wind instrument, while the junction circuits simulate the scattering manner of the air-pressure wave at the points at which the diameter of the tube is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Kitayama, Iwao Higashi, Tomoyuki Funaki
  • Patent number: 5391829
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument with an automatic performance function includes manual performance device, an automatic performance device and a control. The manual performance device, having a plurality of performance manipulators to be performed by a player, generates a manual performance musical tone having a tone color in response to the player's performing. The automatic performance device automatically generates automatic performance musical tones of a plurality of parts respectively corresponding to a plurality of tone colors. The control, in response to generation of the manual performance musical tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Hasebe, Yaushi Kurakake
  • Patent number: 5373098
    Abstract: A desired sound signal that is input from outside is amplitude-modulated or frequency-modulated with a signal of a predetermined characteristic which is generated from a signal generating source. A frequency characteristic controlling circuit controls the frequency characteristic of the modulated sound signal in accordance with a characteristic of a tone to be generated, and it outputs the controlled signal as a tone signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Kitayama, Iwao Higashi
  • Patent number: 5371317
    Abstract: The musical tone synthesizing apparatus synthesizes a musical tone signal in response to the wind instrument and the like to thereby simulate a resonance tube providing with several sound holes each opened or closed by each finger of a performer. Herein, the input signal is delayed by the predetermined delay time, and then the predetermined operational process corresponding to the signal-scattering operation is carried out on the delayed signal. The coefficient used in this operational process is varied in response to the open/close state of each sound hole. Thus, the operation result can simulate the musical tone to be sounded from the resonance tube of the wind instrument and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Hideyuki Masuda
  • Patent number: 5354947
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming musical tone signals includes a playing operator and a tone signal synthesizing section for simulating a natural musical instrument, wherein a part of the tone signal synthesizing section, that is a part selectable for tone synthesization with respect to a plurality of tones is provided as connectable from external, and wherein storage means for storing procedure and parameters for synthesizing a musical tone signal is further provided as connectable from external.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kunimoto, Yoichiro Ogai
  • Patent number: 5352849
    Abstract: A musical tone synthesizing apparatus is designed to simulate a physical phenomenon of a non-electronic musical instrument providing a sound generating element and an activating element. Herein, the sound generating element has its specific resonance characteristic, while the activating element imparts an excitation vibration to the sound generating element. This apparatus contains a plurality of loop circuits each including at least one delay element, wherein these loop circuits are connected together such that a signal picked up from one loop circuit is introduced into another loop circuit. This signal circulating through each loop circuit is delayed by a delay time which is controlled by a predetermined parameter corresponding to a desirable musical tone to be generated. In addition, an excitation signal, corresponding to the excitation vibration, is applied to at least one of the loop circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Kaoru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5350881
    Abstract: A striker designed to strike or be swung for playing music is provided with a musical sound-initiating command signal-generating device including switching members. When the striker strikes or swings, the switching members perform a switching action which triggers the transmitting of a musical sound-initiating command signal from the musical sound-initiating command signal-generating device. A desired musical sound is produced by a musical sound producing unit in response to the musical sound-initiating command signal. A number of different timbres can be selectively used for a musical tone, by operating a timbre-selecting switch provided on the striker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Kashio, Yoneaki Arai
  • Patent number: 5340938
    Abstract: In an apparatus capable of generating a tone by a plurality of different tone generation processing modes, the respective tone generation processing modes are arbitrarily assigned in units of tone generation channels so as to efficiently utilize the tone generation channels. In particular, as one of the tone generation processing modes, a waveform readout processing such as a PCM method is used. As another processing mode, a tone generation processing mode for converting an output obtained by mixing a modulation signal in a carrier signal at an arbitrary ratio in accordance with a predetermined functional relationship to generate a tone signal is used. In this mode, when the mixing ratio is set to be a predetermined value, the tone signal has a sine or cosine wave. Various tones such as a tone including a single sine or cosine wave component, a tone including harmonic components of high orders, and the like can be widely synthesized, and can be desirably assigned to the tone generation channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihiro Sugita, Hiroshi Iwase
  • Patent number: 5332862
    Abstract: A musical tone synthesizing apparatus includes a linear operation device, a non-linear operation device and a musical tone modification device. When the linear operation device receives a progressive wave signal, the device progresses and delays the signal, and outputs the progressed and delayed signal. The non-linear operation device varies the signal outputted by the linear operation device according to a musical tone control signal, and generates the varied signal as a new progressive wave signal. The musical tone modification device receives a plurality of signals extracted from the linear operation device or the non-linear operation device, creates a first signal and a second signal based on the plurality of signals, varying the first signal in accordance with the second signal, and provides the varied first signal as a musical tone signal to be synthesized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kakishita, Toshifumi Kunimoto
  • Patent number: 5315059
    Abstract: A preferential order of channel vacating is determined according to a musical character of musical tones having assigned channels, thus permitting a channel assignment which does not depart from the harmony of the musical tone. The greater the number of tones which are equivalent in musical character, the more readily channels can be vacated for new tones, and tones with fewer equivalent tones in musical character may remain assigned. The channel selection may also be limited for low envelope level tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Saito
  • Patent number: 5315058
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has an electronic sound source of a physical model simulating the sound mechanism of an acoustic mechanical instrument, in particular, a stringed instrument of the bowing type. The electronic sound source is controlled according to tone pitch information and tone information determining a characteristic of a musical tone to be generated. A keyboard is provided as a data input device by which tone pitch is designated and on which a performance manner is expressed via initial touch and after touch. A memory stores two sets of performance information, each set containing bowing force and bowing velocity information. An interpolating unit operates to access the memory for carrying out interpolation between the two sets of performance information according to the performance manner, and produces respective interpolated performance information regarding bowing force and bowing velocity information effective to control the artificial sound source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Okamoto, Satoshi Usa
  • Patent number: 5308918
    Abstract: The present invention provides a signal delay circuit for substantially steplessly changing a delay interval. The signal delay circuit is composed essentially of a delay controller, a first delay circuit, and a second delay circuit. The delay controller generates and outputs control data consisting of a real number bearing control information for controlling the delay interval, the real number consists of an integral portion and a fractional portion. The first delay circuit receives an incidental signal, delays the incidental signal for creating a first intermediate signal, and outputs the first intermediate signal, the first intermediate signal being delayed with respect to the incidental signal by an interval which is a product of a predetermined cardinal interval and the integral portion of the real number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Yamauchi, Toshifumi Kunimoto, Chifumi Takeuchi, Iwao Higashi
  • Patent number: 5298678
    Abstract: A musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus comprises a waveform signal transmission section, a musical tone control signal input section and a pitch control section. The waveform signal transmission section comprises a plurality of signal transmission units which are connected in cascade one by one and each of which comprises first and second signal lines respectively serving as forward and backward paths of a waveform signal and a node portion for feeding back an output from the first signal line to an input side of the second signal line. At least one of the first and second signal lines serves as a signal delay line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Iwao Higashi
  • Patent number: 5293311
    Abstract: An input data processor selects a value indicated by change border data, and uses this value as a reference value for determining whether a predetermined process is effected, and to change the currently used value indicated by the change border data to another value when the value of the input data becomes equal to a predetermined value. Namely, when the value of the input data is in the vicinity of a specific value, the detection of a change of the input data can be effected by using a resolution smaller than another resolution used for the detection when the value of the input data is not in the vicinity of the specific value. Detection of a change of the input data can be efficiently performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyomi Takauji
  • Patent number: 5286913
    Abstract: A musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus having a modulation function comprises a delay loop system including a delay circuit and a filter, a excitation signal input section, a control member and a filter characteristic control circuit. The excitation signal input to the delay loop system circulate therein, so that a musical tone signal is formed. The control member instructs modulation of a musical tone signal. The filter characteristic control circuit changes with time the characteristics of the filter in accordance with an output from the control member. So that pitch modulation accompanied with tone color modulation is effected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Iwao Higashi
  • Patent number: 5276272
    Abstract: In order to simplify the input operations for the simulation of the non-electronic musical instrument such as the wind instrument, input values are visually displayed on a display screen of a display unit. Herein, by operating an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen and the like, a tube shape, position and size of a tone hole of the wind instrument is visually drawn on the display screen in accordance with the predetermined plotting programs. In order to simplify calculations required for the computer simulation, the tube shape of the wind instrument, such as a conical shape, is divided into plural portions, each of which is simulated by another simple shape, such as a cylindrical shape. Then, parameters defining the simulated shape of each portion of the tube shape are generated in accordance with the predetermined algorithm, and these parameters are memorized in a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Hideyuki Masuda
  • Patent number: 5265516
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a manipulator which includes a hand manipulator and manipulation region capable of setting a reference point and/or reference axis, adapted for generating the musical tones of a rubbed string instrument. The distance from the reference point to the position of performance manipulation and/or the angle between the line connecting the reference point with position of performance manipulation and the reference axis may be calculated to produce parameters for controlling the musical tone signal, such as the bow pressure and the direction of the bow movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Usa, Tetsuo Okamoto, Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 5252776
    Abstract: A musical tone generating apparatus comprises an excitation signal generator, a signal processing device and loop gain controller. The signal processing device is electrically connected in a closed feedback loop with the excitation signal generator, via a delay unit. The loop gain controller controls gain of said closed feedback loop according to a lapse of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Takaaki Mutoh
  • Patent number: 5245129
    Abstract: A device(timer) is provided for measurement of lapse time from a predetermined portion of a first tone assigned to a tone production channel. When a new(second) tone generation request is given to the tone production channel the tone being generated is force-dumped. The time required for force-dump, namely the waiting time until the new musical tone is generated is decided based on the count value of the timer. Upon the lapse of this waiting time the new musical tone is generated at the above-mentioned channel. Thereby the waiting time is best controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Kozuki
  • Patent number: 5241127
    Abstract: The musical tone synthesizing apparatus simulating the musical tones of a natural musical instrument such as a piano. The apparatus contains a closed-loop circuit for simulating the vibration mechanism of the strings and a excitation circuit for generating excitation signals to the closed-loop circuit, so that the excitation circuit simulates the hammer striking the string. The apparatus also contains a scaling coefficient generating circuit for generating and supplying scaling coefficients to the excitation circuit, where the scaling coefficients represent the influence rate corresponding to the influence to be applied to the hammer by the string. In the excitation circuit, the excitation signals are multiplied by the scaling coefficients so that a slight difference of tone color is applied to the excitation signals with respect to tone pitch (or each key).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Kaoru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5241130
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprises a pitch designation device such as a keyboard, performance manipulators such as foot pedals, a tone color designation device such as tone color switches for designating a tone color, an effect designation device for selectively designating an effect as the effect assigned to at least one of the foot pedals on the basis of the selected tone color, and a tone generation control device for controlling the tone generation to be accompanied with the designated effect. That one pedal is assigned with a plurality of effects and a predetermined effect is automatically given correspondingly to the designation of the tone color of musical tone to be generated. For example, a sosenuto effect and a bright effect are selectively assigned correspondingly to the piano tone color and the non-piano tone color. Further, an intermediate output which increases continuously is generated when the pedal is pushed down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Yamah Corporation
    Inventor: Takeo Shibukawa
  • Patent number: 5239123
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument capable of generating a musical tone sounded from a string instrument played with bow provides a memory and a bowing control for inputting bowing operation information indicative of a bowing direction, i.e., up-bow and down-bow. The memory pre-stores musical tone waveform data representative of musical tone waveforms generated by playing the string instrument with bow. Then, by reading out the musical tone waveform data by the speed corresponding to pitch information, a musical tone signal corresponding to the read musical tone waveform data is to be generated. Based on the bowing direction, the tone color of the musical tone signal is to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshio Fujita
  • Patent number: 5229536
    Abstract: In a musical tone synthesizing apparatus which synthesizes sounds of a non-electronic musical instrument containing a sound-generation element and an activating element, there is provided a loop circuit and an excitation circuit. In case of the piano, the sound-generation element and activating element respectively correspond to its string and hammer. On the basis of the operation of the activating element, the excitation circuit computes a relative displacement between the sound-generation element and activating element. Based on the computed relative displacement and its variation in a lapse of time, repulsion force applied between them is computed under consideration of the elastic characteristic and viscous characteristic of the activating element. Thereafter, the excitation circuit outputs an excitation signal, corresponding to the computed repulsion force, to the loop circuit so as to simulate the sound-generation mechanism of the non-electronic musical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Toshifumi Kunimoto
  • Patent number: 5223653
    Abstract: A musical tone synthesizing apparatus which is suitable for simulating and synthesizing the percussion instrument tone provides a closed-loop including at least an adder and a delay circuit. An input signal corresponding to a musical tone signal to be synthesized is supplied to the adder from an external device. The adder adds the input signal to its feedback signal. The output of adder is delayed by a delay time in the delay circuit, wherein delay time is controlled by a modulation signal. Then, delayed output of the delay circuit is fed back to the adder as the feedback signal. Thus, the output of adder or a signal propagating the delay circuit is picked up as a synthesized musical tone signal. Preferably, it is possible to provide a plurality of delay circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kunimoto, Chifumi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 5221803
    Abstract: A tone generating apparatus comprising a first tone signal generator including the same number of oscillators as a polyphonic number each for generating a tone signal of that tone component of tone components constituting a musical tone which has a relatively long tone-ON time; a first assigner for assigning tone generation to one of the oscillators of the first tone signal generator; a second tone signal generator including oscillators each for generating a tone signal of a different one of the tone components constituting a musical tone than the tone component having a relatively long tone-ON time, a quantity of the oscillators being less than the polyphonic number; and a second assigner for assigning tone generation to one of the oscillators of the second tone signal generator, whereby when a tone generation is specified, a tone signal output from one of the oscillators of the first tone signal generator assigned by the first assigner and a tone signal output from one of the oscillators of the second tone
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1993
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Gen Izumisawa, Yasushi Sato, Akiko Komatsu
  • Patent number: 5218156
    Abstract: A musical tone synthesizing apparatus comprising FM operators and connection control device. At least one of the FM operators comprises a waveform memory, phase data generation device, and output inversion device. The waveform memory stores fundamental waveform data. The phase data generation device generates phase data as an address signal for accessing the waveform memory on the basis of a musical tone designation signal and a modulation signal inputted from an external circuit. The output inversion device selects whether a waveform signal read out from the waveform memory is outputted after sign inversion, or is outputted directly. The connection control device arbitrarily combine connections of the FM operators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Akira IIzuka, Kenji Kawakami
  • Patent number: 5206448
    Abstract: A musical tone generation device comprises a musical tone signal generator and a musical tone control device. The musical tone signal generator consists of an excitation circuit and a delay circuit which simulate the musical tone generation mechanism of a musical instrument. This generator has a hysteresis characteristic, so that the generator generates a musical tone signal having the hysteresis characteristic, in accordance with a musical tone control signal. While, the musical tone control device converts the musical tone control signal into other musical tone control signal which nullifies the hysteresis characteristic of the musical tone signal generator. Therefore, the musical tone signal generator generates musical tone signals without the hysteresis characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Toshifumi Kunimoto
  • Patent number: 5194684
    Abstract: Variable frequency sawtooth waveforms are often utilized as an excitation signal in a digital musical synthesizer. A problem exists at lower sampling rates in such systems due to an aliasing problem which occurs at frequencies near the Nyquist rate. Low pass filtering may be utilized to mask this problem; however, low pass filtering is very time consuming to implement in a ditigal signal processor. The method and apparatus of the present invention reduces the upper harmonic content of a sawtooth waveform by proportionally converting the sawtooth waveform to a triangle waveform in response to variations in the frequency of the sawtooth waveform. This is accomplished by adding a selectable offset to the sawtooth waveform and then taking the absolute value of the resultant waveform. By restoring this waveform to a zero offset, the sawtooth waveform excitation signal will be converted to a triangle waveform having a substantially reduced upper harmonic content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1993
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald J. Lisle, B. Scott McDonald
  • Patent number: 5192823
    Abstract: A musical tone control apparatus includes at least one stick to be held by a person's hand and at least one detector to be attached to a person's leg. The stick and detector are respectively equipped with sensors each detecting a physical parameter accompanied with a spatial displacement thereof. Preferably, the sensor is constructed by an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration as the physical parameter. Based on detection results of the sensors, a generation of a muscial tone is controlled when the stick and detector are swung with the swinging motions of the person's arm and leg. In addition, a switch is provided to the stick, by which a tone color of the musical tone to be generated is controlled in response to an operation of this switch. Preferably, the musical tone control apparatus can provide two sticks to be held by both hands and two detectors to be attached to both legs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Suzuki, Masao Sakama
  • Patent number: 5187313
    Abstract: A musical tone synthesizing apparatus simulating a wind instrument includes an excitation circuit simulating a reed operation of a mouth piece portion, a resonance circuit simulating a resonance tube and a musical tone control circuit. The excitation circuit produces an excitation signal based on an input signal and a reflected wave signal transmitted from the resonance circuit. The excitation signal is input to the resonance circuit. The resonance circuit includes a bi-directional transmission circuit and a junction unit which is inserted into the bi-directional transmission circuit. The junction unit caries out a scattering operation corresponding to a scattering operation of compression wave of air which is occurred in the vicinity of the tone hole of the resonance tube. The excitation signal propagates through the bi-directional transmission circuit in a forward direction as a progressive wave signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Toshihiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 5164530
    Abstract: A musical sound waveform generator includes a carrier signal generating unit, a modulation signal generating unit, a mixing controlling unit and a waveform outputting unit. The characteristics of the carrier signal from the carrier signal generating unit are determined such that the musical sound waveform generated by the waveform outputting unit is a sine wave or a cosine wave with a single frequency, where the mixing ratio of the modulation signal is made 0 by the mixing controlling unit. Therefore, the mixing controlling unit presets the mixing ratio of the modulation signal to be 0, making it possible to generate a musical sound waveform which is only a sine wave or a cosine wave of a single frequency. During the performance, the mixing ratio can, for example, be determined at a high value immediately after the start of sound generation and thereafter reduced to near 0 with time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Iwase
  • Patent number: 5160799
    Abstract: There is provided an electronic musical instrument capable of sounding plural musical tones, e.g., first and second musical tones, having different tone colors, to each of which the performer can impart a different pitch-bend-effect independently. As a means for imparting the pitch-bend-effect, there is provided a wheel-type control. In addition, this system also provides first and second modes. In the first mode, different variation widths of pitch-bend-effects are respectively imparted to the first and second musical tones on the basis of the control input given by operating the wheel-type control. In the second mode, the same variation width of pitch-bend-effect is imparted to the first and second musical tones on the basis of the control input given by operating the wheel-type control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Tozuka, Yasushi Kurakake, Kotaro Mizuno