Abstract: An electronic tone generation system comprises a plurality of portable handheld wireless transmitters, with each transmitter representing at least one music note and being operative to transmit a signal indicative of that at least one note. A receiver receives the signals from the transmitters, and control logic connected to the receiver is operative to determine the at least one note corresponding to a received signal and to determine at least one tone assigned to that at least one note. A tone generator produces tones in accordance with the determinations of the control logic.

Abstract: A sound synthesizer for a plucked string instrument simulates noises and transients produced before and after and during the transitions between notes. A particularly convincing synthesis of a plucked string instrument is produced by combining the transients into the final output. In particular, the transient tap tone and longitudinal vibration of the string resulting from the string pluck, and the damping tap tones resulting from the string damping, are all simulated. In one embodiment, the tap tone created upon attack and plucking of a string, is synthesized, and then used to stimulate a resonant circuit, thereby simulating both the pluck tap tone, and the transverse vibration of the string. In addition, the final damping transients which occur at the end of an articulated note are also simulated, using either an independent transient synthesis section, or by stimulating the resonant circuit with a tap tone, while simultaneously re-tuning that resonant circuit.

Abstract: A circuit automatically adjusts in response to an input audio signal to provide a dc control signal having the release characteristics of the input audio signal. The circuit has an input reference node for receiving a reference signal which is a function of the input signal, an output reference node for providing the dc control signal and an intermediate reference node between the input and output reference nodes. One or more diodes connected between the input and intermediate nodes permit forward conduction from the input node to the intermediate node. Components of a first signal path connected between the intermediate and output nodes provide a slow release time when the reference signal has a slow decay envelope.

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: When picking of a string is performed, the vibration of the string is detected accurately and quickly. When a fret operation position is changed during generation of a musical tone caused by the string picking, the pitch of the musical tone is changed to the one corresponding to the new fret operation position without generating a new musical tone. When the same string is stroked successively, the succeeding musical tone is generated while keeping the reverberation of the previous musical tone. The musical tone once generated will be stopped from being generated upon elapse of a predetermined time from the beginning of the tone generation, irrespective of the type of its timbre. When a fret operation state is changed to an open-string operation state after the string picking, the generation of the musical tone being generated stops at that timing.