Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a percussion detecting apparatus, which is excellent in percussion feeling, and the percussion sounds of which are very small, in electronic percussion instrumental system. The percussion detecting apparatus is provided with a head prepared from a net-like raw material composed of a first net and a second net, the net-like raw material being obtained by such a manner that both the nets having been woven in accordance with plane weaving manner wherein the longitudinal and transverse fibers cross at right angles are laminated in such a way that the weave pattern directions thereof intersect obliquely with each other; and a head sensor which is in contact with the center position of the under side in the head and detects percussion with respect to the head as electric signal.

Abstract: An interactive drum set includes a storage device for storing data representing sounds of a plurality of background music styles, sounds of a plurality of drum beat sequences, and sounds of a plurality of percussion instruments. The drum set also includes a plurality of drum plates for receiving user-directed forces, each of the plurality of drum plates being associated with the data representing sounds of one of the plurality of percussion instruments. A sensor disposed at each of the plurality of drum plates detects the user-directed forces and generates a signal indicative of the user-directed forces. A triggering device operatively connected to each sensor outputs a trigger signal when the signal of the sensor exceeds a threshold value. A user-interface device responsive to user commands supplies signals indicative of a user's selection of at least one background music style and/or at least one drum beat sequence.

Abstract: A sustainer is provided for prolonging the vibrations of strings of a stringed musical instrument. The instrument has at least one magnetic pickup means responsive to the vibrations of the strings. The pickup produces an output signal in response to the vibrations of the instrument strings. At least one control potentiometer provides the capability to control at least one parameter of the output signal. The sustainer comprises a string driver transducer capable of inducing vibrations in the strings, a sustainer amplifier having an input which accepts the pickup output signal, and an amplifier circuit which amplifies the pickup output signal to form a drive signal. The sustainer amplifier also has an output, from which the drive signal transfers sufficient energy to the string driver transducer to sustain the vibrations of the strings. A power supply provides electrical energy to the sustainer amplifier.

Abstract: An audio apparatus extracts information of a musical performance from an acoustic signal having a frequency and an amplitude, which time-vary during the musical performance. In the audio apparatus, a filtering device has a plurality of filters which are set with different cutoff frequencies so as to pass different frequency ranges of the acoustic signal. A pitch detecting device is connected to the filtering device for processing the acoustic signal to detect therefrom a pitch. A controlling device operates according to the detected pitch fed back from the pitch detecting device for selecting one of the filters set with one of the different cutoff frequencies adapted to the pitch of the acoustic signal so that the pitch detecting device can detect the pitch based on the acoustic signal filtered by the selected filter. Further, the envelope detecting device has a plurality of envelope followers corresponding to the plurality of the filters.

Abstract: The invention relates to the provision of a sustainer that is compatible with single coil pickups and stacked, single coil pickups. In this regard, feedback is substantially eliminated by processing and altering the direct electromagnetic radiation emitted by the driver. Another aspect of the invention provides a musical instrument, and a sustainer for a musical instrument that overcomes the problems with shifting forces between magnetic fields that are present in some known prior art devices and that are worsened when the driver is placed between the neck pickup and the bridge pickup. Another aspect of the invention is to provide suitable drive force and battery life with half as many batteries of some known sustainers, thereby providing a high efficiency switching amplifier. Another aspect of the invention provides that the sustainer can be enabled or disabled by one momentary contact switch, thereby providing that the major components of the sustainer are responsive to a transition in a control signal.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a percussion detecting apparatus, which is excellent in percussion feeling, and the percussion sounds of which are very small, in electric percussion instrumental system. The percussion detecting apparatus is provided with a head prepared from a net-like raw material composed of a first net and a second net, and the net-like raw material being obtained by such a manner that both are nets having been woven in accordance with plane weaving manner wherein the longitudinal and traverse fibers cross at right angles are laminated in such a way that the weave patter directions thereof intersect obliquely with each other; and a head sensor which is in contact with the center position of the under side in the head and detects percussion with respect to the head as electric signal.

Abstract: An electronic cymbal apparatus which significantly shortens the vibratory response of the prolonged resonating acoustical tone produced by the percussive impact on an electrically conductive striking surface thereby enabling the pick-up of such shortened vibratory response by a transducer, such as, without limitation, a piezoelectric transducer. The electronic cymbal apparatus utilizes conventional cymbal substrates, such as, without limitation, in the form of a broad-brim hat wherein the use of conventional cymbal substrates allows the musician to employ conventional acoustical "striking" techniques while playing the electronic cymbal apparatus.

Abstract: A table-type electronic percussion instrument is constructed by a table board, legs, pads as well as a musical tone generation circuit and a speaker system. Herein, the table board has a specific shape such as a pentagon-like shape which enables multiple persons to seat. The table board is supported by the legs and is constructed by a base material having a high rigidity and a dressing board like a plywood. The dressing board covers a surface of the base material through which holes are formed. The pads are arranged on a surface of the dressing board to match with locations of the holes. Sensors are provided inside of the holes and are attached to a backside of the dressing board. So, the sensors are arranged to detect striking force which is imparted to each of the pads by the persons. The musical tone generation circuit is provided beneath the table board to convert electric signals of the sensors to musical tone signals. The speaker system is located beneath the table board to generate musical tones (e.g.

Abstract: An electronic drum has a drum pad beaten with sticks and a pad structure, a sensor board attached to the pad structure and an piezoelectric element attached to the sensor board form in combination the drum pad; the sensor board is formed of cellular vinyl chloride with an internal loss or tangent-delta equal to or greater than 0.02 so that the vibrations propagated to the sensor board have a constant amplitude.

Abstract: A foldable electronic percussion synthesizer assembly is disclosed that includes two fixed drum heads that are permanently mounted on the synthesizer housing and two movable drum heads that are mounted on respective movable support arms. Each support arm pivots the movable head between a folded position where its striking surface is juxtaposed to and faces the striking surface of a fixed drum head and an unfolded position where the striking surfaces of the fixed and movable head are substantially coplanar and separated from each other. The assembly includes vibration isolation means for each drum head that reduces crosstalk. A latch member is pivotably mounted to the vibration isolation means on the movable drum head to support the movable drum head in the unfolded position and secure the movable drum head on the fixed drum head in the folded position.

Abstract: In an electronic musical apparatus having an acoustic instrument manually operable to commence an acoustic vibration and a tone generator responsive to the acoustic vibration to generate a musical tone having a pitch corresponding to that of the acoustic vibration, a pitch detecting device utilizes a pickup for picking up the acoustic vibration to convert the same into a waveform signal. Further, a first detector operates according to a fast algorithm for processing the waveform signal so as responsively produce a first output representative of the pitch of the acoustic vibration, and a second detector operates in parallel to the first detector for processing the same waveform signal according to a slow algorithm so as to stably produce a second output representative of the pitch of the acoustic vibration.

Abstract: In a power amplifier, a control device employing a dual ganged potentiometer is connected in the feedback circuits of successive amplifier stages to increase the gain of the front end stage while simultaneously reducing the gain in a subsequent stage when the control is turned down. A distortion circuit, such as a tube compression circuit, is coupled between the stages. When the control is turned down, the compression circuit is activated at a lower level that effectively reduces the output power of the second stage. Presence and resonance controls may be provided to tailor high and low frequency damping factor of the second stage and function until the compression circuitry is activated. A ripple reduction filter is provided in a filtered supply for the drivers in the second or power amplifier stage.

Abstract: The vibration of a vibratory element, caused by applying thereto a shock, is detected by a vibration sensor and provided as an electric shock signal to a resonance circuit. The resonance frequencies and resonance decay time of the resonance circuit can freely be adjusted. By setting the resonance frequencies and resonance decay time of the resonance circuit to arbitrary values, desired frequency components are extracted from the electric shock signal and output as a sound signal of an electronic musical instrument.

Abstract: A stringed instrument having a device for sustaining the vibration of a string; the stringed instrument being a musical instrument having plural strings with the mass and tension of each string being different, which has a pickup unit for detecting the vibration of a string, an amplifying unit for amplifying an electric signal detected by the pickup unit, an electromagnetic driver for emitting magnetic energy to drive a string by a driving signal output from the amplifying unit, and an excitation balance matching unit for providing well-balanced excitation to each of the plural strings and/or a magnetic flux emission controlling unit for increasing the quantity of magnetic flux emission in the direction of a string.

Abstract: A sound effects device is used with a guitar having an electromagnetic pickup for inducing feedback into an original signal source for creating a unique musical sound. The device comprises a coil winding which is placed on a hand or wrist of a player for maneuvering the hand in proximity to the guitar pickup. In an alternate arrangement, the coil is affixed to a stand and the guitar is maneuvered by the player for placing the guitar pickup close to the coil. The player thus creates new and pleasing sounds by changing relative positions of the guitar and device in proximity to each other thus allowing for an enhanced unrestricted performance.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument comprises an electromagnetic pickup having a permanent magnet and a string signal detecting coil wound around the permanent magnet and magnetically combined with the permanent magnet, an electromagnetic force producing unit having a driving coil to produce a magnetic force and being placed in the neighborhood of the electromagnetic pickup, and an adjusting unit provided with a part of a current flowing in the driving coil of the electromagnetic force producing unit and disposed at a place magnetically combined with the string signal detecting coil of the electromagnetic pickup. One induced electromotive force caused by magnetic flux from the adjusting unit and another induced electromotive force caused by magnetic flux from the electromagnetic force producing unit negate each other in the string signal detecting coil.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument having a device for sustaining the vibration of the string including an electromagnetic pickup for converting the vibration of the string to an electric signal, an amplifying device for amplifying the electric signal, and an electromagnetic driver for converting the amplified signal to a driving force to thereby drive the string. The electromagnetic pickup and the electromagnetic driver are placed at a right angle or a predetermined angle of inclination relative to each other so that induced electromotive forces caused by magnetic flux from the electromagnetic driver negate each other or do not occur in the electromagnetic pickup to thereby reduce the magnetic feedback in the device.

Abstract: The cymbal system comprises a cymbal member mountable on a cymbal stand, the cymbal member having a playing feel approximating that of a conventional cymbal. A transducer is affixed to a surface of the cymbal member for translating any substantial percussive impact on the cymbal member to electrical signals. These electrical signals are converted into MIDI "note-on" messages serving as trigger messages. At least one conductive element is mounted on the cymbal member. A MIDI interface system is included which detects the alternation in an electrical signal between two stable states in response to a user's manipulation of the conductive element, each stable state representing a digital signal. The MIDI interface system also includes a software system for recognizing and then interpreting the digital signal into MIDI SYSEX messages, or note off and note on messages, serving as MIDI choke/send messages.

Abstract: A musical instrument such as a guitar including a structure such as a guitar body and a vibratory element such as one or more guitar strings mounted to the structure is provided with a pickup for detecting vibrating motion of the vibratory element and providing a pickup signal representing such vibration and having a predetermined phase relationship thereto. A driver is provided for applying a drive force to the vibratory element or string so that the drive force has a predetermined phase element relationship to a drive signal. A feedback circuit accepts the pickup signal and provides a drive signal to the driver in such fashion that the drive force supplied by the driver is substantially in phase with the vibration. Thus, the feedback circuit may be arranged to accept the pickup signal and convert the pickup signal to the drive signal so that, for at least some frequencies of the pickup signal, the drive signal differs in phase from the pickup signal.

Abstract: An electronic keyboard instrument having a performance pad, a detector, a memory, and a sound system. The detector detects a key touch of a key depressed to assign a percussion tone to the pad. The memory stores the key touch detected by the detector with the percussion tone of the depressed key. The sound system produces the stored percussion tone in accordance with the key touch stored in the memory.

Abstract: A breath controller for musical instruments includes a mouth piece for blowing the air into an air chamber. Blowing the air makes an air pressure increase in the air chamber, thus an elastic member is displaced corresponding to the air pressure. At the same time, the displacement of a reflection surface changes an amount of light to reflect an emitted light from a light-emitting element to a light-receiving element. The light-receiving element then controls a signal corresponding to the amount of light, thus making the signal change to a musical tone signal.

Abstract: A vibration of a string is picked up by a pickup to be converted to an electric signal. A pitch extracting circuit obtains pitch data expressing a pitch or a duration of the string vibration from the electric signal. A musical tone generating circuit generates a musical tone having a corresponding tone pitch in accordance with the pitch data. An envelope extracting circuit extracts an envelope from the eletric signal detected by the pickup and supplies a signal expressing the envelope to a multiplier. The extracted envelope signal is multiplied to the musical tone signal by a multiplier after a predetermined timing has been past. In other case, the extracted envelope signal is mixed with a synthe-envelope signal at a desired ratio, thereafter the mixed envelope signal is imparted to the musical tone signal by multiplying processing.

Abstract: Method for storage, transcription, manipulation and reproduction of music on system-controlled musical instruments which faithfully reproduces the characteristics of acoustic musical instruments. The system comprises a music source, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a CPU-controlled plurality of instrument transducers in the form of any number of acoustic or acoustic hybrid instruments. In one embodiment, performance information is sent from a music source MIDI controller to the CPU, edited in the CPU, converted into an electrical signal, and sent to instrument transducers via transducer drivers. In another embodiment, individual performances stored in a digital or sound tape medium are reproduced at will through the instrument transducers, or converted into MIDI data by pitch/frequency detection/analyzation device for storage/editing/performance in the CPU.

Abstract: An electronic stringed instrument employs a plurality of sensors or monitors for instrument performance. Preferred sensors or monitors include a detector for detecting that a string of the instrument is vibrated, an apparatus for evaluating a string-vibration strength or a string touch, an apparatus for discriminating a fret operation position on a fingerboard or a fundamental frequency of a vibration of the vibrated string, a tremolo arm sensor, and a string-bending sensor. These performance input parameters are assigned to various control functions for musical tones generated by a sound source and/or various control functions for effects added to these musical tones by an effector. The function assignment is preferably programmable. In an operation, a music control apparatus controls the sound source and/or effector in response to a performance monitor so that musical tones for the strings can be distinguished from each other or effects for the musical tones can be distinguished from each other.

Abstract: A portable drum sound simulator is provided which includes an electronic drum sound generating means capable of generating a plurality of drum-like sound outputs and energizable in response to electrical trigger signals. Also included is a tone pitch varying means which varies by a plurality of steps the tone pitch of the drum-like sound outputs. A switch allows a user to select a desired drum-like sound output and another switch allows a user to select a desired tone pitch for the drum-like sound output. These two switches are each mounted on a respective drumstick each of which also includes a normally open electrical switch. These electrical switches are connected to the drum sound generating means and when closed causes a trigger circuit to develop a trigger signal which energizes the drum sound generating means so as to generate the drum-like sound output.

Abstract: A vibration of a string is picked up by a pickup to be converted to an electric signal. A pitch extracting circuit obtains pitch data expressing a pitch or a duration of the string vibration from the electric signal. A musical tone generating circuit generates a musical tone having a corresponding tone pitch in accordance with the pitch data. An envelope extracting circuit extracts an envelope from the electric signal detected by the pickup and supplies a signal expressing the envelope to a multiplier. Furthermore, a signal expressing the musical tone is supplied to the multiplier to be multiplied by the signal expressing the envelope. Thus a musical tone having a controlled envelope determined by the extracted envelope is generated.

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.

Abstract: A portable drum sound simulator, especially suitable for carrying by the user, includes a pair of drumsticks containing electrical switches which are actuated by change in motion. The switches are connected to a trigger circuit which initiates operation of a drum sound generator every time a switch is closed. The drum sound signal after amplification drives a loudspeaker. The circuits and loudspeaker are all contained in a small portable case. In an alternative embodiment, a radio receiver is included, whereby the simulator is selectively used as an independent radio, an independent drum sound simulator, or combining the radio signal with the operator produced drum signals.

Abstract: A sustainer for providing sustained sounds from a musical instrument has a feedback circuit for converting a pickup signal representing a vibration of a string or other vibratory element to a drive signal and applying drive forces to the vibratory element responsive to the drive signal. The sustainer is arranged to compensate for the phase lag of the pickup signal relative to motion of the vibratory element and to compensate for the phase lag of the drive forces provided by the driver relative to the drive signal. The feedback circuit may be arranged to provide a phase difference between the drive signal and the pickup signal such that the phase difference varies with frequency towards a drive signal leading phase difference with increasing frequency. This phase compensation provides enhanced response of the strings in the fundamental mode of vibration. The driver preferably is arranged so that the drive forces applied to the strings do not vary with lateral movement of the strings.