Abstract: Improved techniques for presenting sound effects at a portable media device are disclosed. The sound effects can be output as audio sounds to an internal speaker, an external speaker, or both. In addition, the audio sounds for the sound effects can be output together with other audio sounds pertaining to media assets (e.g., audio tracks being played). In one embodiment, the sound effects can serve to provide auditory feedback to a user of the portable media device. A user interface can facilitate a user's selection of sound effect usages, types or characteristics.

Abstract: A system for creating and manipulating digital media integrates a graphics tablet, a touchpad, and a synthesizer chipset. The graphics tablet includes a tablet surface, a grid of wires located under the tablet surface, and a graphics tablet chipset. The graphics tablet chipset includes an interface operably connected to the grid of wires for sending power to a stylus when the stylus is positioned over the tablet surface and receiving a signal from the stylus used to determine a position of the stylus with respect to the tablet surface. The touchpad is positioned on the tablet surface such that the touchpad also detects the position of the stylus simultaneously with the graphics tablet. The synthesizer chipset creates digital sounds based on input from the touchpad. The position of the stylus is output to a graphics tablet chipset output, and the digital sounds are output to a synthesizer chipset sound output.

Abstract: In a digital mixer, a storage stores operating data including a plurality of parameters for controlling states of audio signals of a plurality of channels. A signal processor performs a mixing process of the audio signals based on the operating data. A plurality of channel strips are mounted on an operating panel in correspondence to the plurality of the channels. Each channel strip includes operators arranged for controlling a corresponding channel. A display controller displays a panel imitation portion imitating an appearance of the operating panel and including a plurality of channel strip imitation images which imitate the plurality of the channel strips and which are arranged in a positional relationship corresponding to a positional relationship of the channel strips arranged on the operating panel. A parameter setter sets a value of a specific parameter of a channel corresponding to a channel strip upon detecting that the channel strip has been manipulated.

Abstract: Electronic music apparatus includes: a tone generator section for generating a tone signal in response to operation of a performance operator unit; an external input section for receiving a tone signal from the outside; a mixer section for generating mixed tone signals by mixing the tone signal generated by the tone generator section and the tone signal received via the external input section; an external output section for outputting the tone signal, generated by the tone generator section, to the outside before that tone signal is mixed with the tone signal received via the external input section; and an audio output section for audibly outputting the mixed tone signals from the mixer section. Because the tone signal received via the external input section is not fed to the external output section, no unwanted howl is produced even where a plurality of the electronic music apparatus are connected together.

Abstract: Disclosed is a piano sound source apparatus for adding a piano sound source providing a plurality of sinusoidal oscillation frequencies and a noise source providing a plurality of noise oscillation frequencies to output a composite tone. The apparatus includes an oscillation control unit that controls the frequency and amplitude of each of sine waves corresponding to the sinusoidal oscillation frequencies on the basis of time, an amplitude control unit that controls the amplitude of each of the sine waves corresponding to the sinusoidal oscillation frequencies in accordance with the intensity of the composite tone, and a mixing-proportion control unit that controls the amplitude of each of the noise oscillation frequencies in accordance with the intensity of the composite tone to control the mixing proportion of the amplitudes of the noise oscillation frequencies and those of the sine waves corresponding to the sinusoidal oscillation frequencies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for representing, storing, and rendering audio data. An audio file enables users to store and exchange sampled audio waveform data along with additional data used to generate or synthesize an audio output closely approximating the original waveform data. The audio file used to generate a piece of music may include note events, synthesis parameters, instruments and track information, and other information for shaping music notes, as well as playback characteristics for emulating a desired ambiance. A rendering apparatus may implement a process for selecting the representation of audio data most likely to provide the best fidelity for the given playback circumstances. The combined audio format also provides a greater degree of compatibility for audio players with different playback capabilities.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for automatically mixing a plurality of audio channels by adjusting respective gains of the audio channels using a control signal based on an aggregate of input levels of respective audio signals of the audio channels; and reducing the gain of a given one of the audio channels when an input level of the audio signal of that audio channel exceeds a threshold, irrespective of whether the control signal would permit the gain to rise higher.

Abstract: A device for mixing the outputs of two sensors. The device includes a first input for receiving a signal from at least one first sensor, a second input for receiving a signal from at least one second sensor, a low pass filter for passing signal components of the first input signal below a first frequency, a high pass filter for passing signal components of the second input signal above a second frequency and a mixing circuit for combining the signals passed by the low pass filter and the high pass filter to form a combined output signal. The mixing device may be incorporated into a pre-amplifier for use with an electrified acoustic guitar, or other acoustic stringed instrument, having an under saddle sensor and a second sensor attached to a body portion of the guitar, such as the soundboard. In this way, lower frequencies are taken from the under saddle sensor and higher frequencies are taken from the body/soundboard sensor.

Abstract: An oscillator for digital music synthesis that provides a smooth waveform that is rich in harmonic content and whose shape is continuously and dynamically variable over a wide range of harmonically rich shapes. The oscillator is efficient in that it generates the shapes in a time consonant with sampling rates commonly used in music synthesis, and is generally free of discontinuities which would otherwise create audible alias components on subsequent signal processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for indicating the status of a track in a multi-track recorder is described. An indicator light capable of outputting different colored lights is used to indicate the status of a track in the multi-track recorder. The color and the blinking sequence of the indicator light indicates the status of the track.

Abstract: Device for treating signals. A device for treating signals having multiple inputs for the reception of signals, including adjustable elements for the treatment of signals, wherein the adjustable elements are connected with control elements for control purposes, with the control elements being provided on a control surface, wherein, in order to provide better overview of the control surface, the control surface includes, for the treatment of signals, an image display for each adjustable element for the actual adjustment thereof, with the control surface including additional control elements and additional displays which can be selectively associated with one of the adjustable elements, with the device including connections between each adjustable element, the additional control elements and the additional displays.

Abstract: A musical sound generating system not requiring a memory unit or interpolation device for generating a tone having a tone color including a large number of harmonic components. The tone is generated with few operations and ready predictability of tone color. The musical sound generating system includes an adder for phase modulating a carrier wave by adding modulating wave data to carrier wave phase angle data; a pseudo-sinusoidal wave operator for outputting a pseudo-sinusoidal wave in response to phase-modulated carrier wave phase angle data from the adder; and a multiplier for generating a tone signal by multiplying the pseudo-sinusoidal wave by amplitude coefficient data. The pseudo-sinusoidal wave operator controls modulation of the pseudo-sinusoidal wave in accordance with a function modulation coefficient that is supplied to the operator as an external parameter.

Abstract: A tone generating circuit for delivering power to a speaker modulated fourth harmonic audio square wave signal by its fundamental to produce a modulated audio signal within a selected frequency range. The tone generating circuit may be incorporated in a power delivering circuit that supplies a pulse width modulated audio signal to a speaker in one mode of operation, a fourth harmonic modulated audio signal in a second mode of operation, and a square wave audio signal in a third mode of operation.

Abstract: A programmable identification panel used in conjunction with an audio mixing sound system. The identification panel includes a changeable visual display, such as a liquid crystal display, for identifying a specific instrument or sound that has been assigned to a particular channel on the audio mixing device. The invention is particularly useful to audio engineers in that it helps to distinguish channel identification for multiple musical configurations.

Abstract: An effect imparting device is constructed such that effects of a first kind which are different from each other are imparted to at least two of a plurality of musical tone signals transmitted via a plurality of channels. At least two of the musical tone signals are mixed. An effect of a second kind is imparted to the resulting signal. The effect imparting device is adapted to bypass at least one of effect-imparting blocks. An electronic musical instrument can change one of the effects of the first kind corresponding to a tone color of at least one of the musical tone signals transmitted via the channels simultaneously when the tone color is changed, while changing of an effect of the second kind is inhibited. A plurality of output terminals are provided through which the musical tone signals of the channels and to which effects have been imparted can be output to an external device, in a manner independent of each other.

Abstract: An in-vehicle drum simulator and mixer for enabling an automobile passenger to create and overlay percussive sounds onto the audio portion of a radio, tape player, cassette disk player, and the like. One or a plurality of touch sensors distributed in selected locations within the vehicle provide electronic input signals upon impact to a drum simulator which generates an output signal in relation to the particular impacted touch sensors. An audio mixer receives the drum simulator output signal and an output signal form the radio, or the like audio signal source, and overlays the drum sounds onto the radio output signal. Thus, the passenger can actively play along with the radio.

Abstract: Synthesizer models for emulating musical instruments are improved to take into account sympathetic string vibrations. One embodiment of the present invention scales an output signal from a sound synthesis model and uses the scaled signal as an input signal for a number of single-string emulations causing the single-string emulations to produce sound signals corresponding to sympathetic string vibrations. The output signals from the synthesis model and from all of the single-string emulations are added together. Another embodiment employs an octave's worth of single-string emulations to emulate the lower strings of an emulated instrument. Still another embodiment is a synthesizer which includes an input bus for accepting a sound signal, scaling means, a plurality of single-string emulations, and means for summing output signals from the string emulations. Embodiments preferably employ waveguide synthesis or the plucked string model to emulate single-strings.

Abstract: A sound processing system comprises a waveform distributor for distributing an input sound waveform, offset devices for executing an offset process for each of the waveforms received from the waveform distribution device, and a multiplication and addition device for multiplying the offset waveforms by predetermined coefficients and then adding the multiplied waveforms. Since the distributed waveforms are offset by the independent offset devices, highly varied sound can be produced by changing the coefficients of the offset devices and the multiplication and addition device, and also by changing these coefficients as time elapses.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having selectable monaural, stereo and multiple channel musical performance capability is disclosed which includes a performance data generating device; tone signal generating systems; sound producing systems; a mode indicating device; a selection device; and a distribution device. The tone signal generating systems generate musical tone signals based on performance data generated by the performance data generating device. The sound producing systems produce musical sounds based based on the musical tone signals. The selection device allocates performance data to a single musical tone signal generating system when the mode indicated by the mode indicating device is the first mode. The selection device allocates performance data to plural musical tone generating systems when the mode indicated by the mode indicating means is the second mode.

Abstract: A music synthesizer simulates the musical tones of bowed string and wind instruments. The synthesizer includes a noise generator which generates pulsed noise signals, as well as a resonant system or signal generator which generates deterministic or periodic signals. In one embodiment, the pulsed noise signals are combined with the periodic signals to generate an improved synthesized musical sound. In another embodiment, pulsed noise is added to an excitation signal for energizing a resonating system, which may or may not be dynamically coupled to the excitation generator, resulting in the generation of synthesized sound having appropriate noise characteristics for bowed string and wind instruments.

Abstract: An electronic music and sound mixing device, to be combined with a doll or a toy animal. The device comprising a mix ROM and a speech ROM for storing digital data of melodies, accompaniments and animal voices, a logical control circuit for controlling the operation of this device responsive to external signals to play a single song or all of the stored songs, once or continuously. The devices further include melody and accompaniment generators for treating the digital data read from the mix ROM and couples their output to a mix circuit which mixes the signals and shapes them into square waves for coupling to an amplifier for generating an audio output. The device can also output synchronized signals simultaneously to drive a motor to give facial expressions and limb movements to the toy animal in accordance with the song played.

Abstract: There are provided first and second tone signal generation channels for respectively generating tone signals having waveshape characteristics corresponding to parameters assigned thereto. Tone color change control information such as key touch data is applied to a parameter assigning circuit. The parameter assigning circuit selects two parameters from among three or more parameters which are different from one another and assigns the selected two parameters to the first and second tone signal generation channels respectively. Tone signals having different characteristics, which are determined by the assigned parameters, are generated from the respective channels. The tone color change control information is further applied to an interpolation circuit connected to the first and second channels. The interpolation circuit interpolates the generated tone signals in accordance with the tone color change control information. A result of the interpolation is outputted as a tone signal for a tone to be produced.