Plural Speakers Patents (Class 84/DIG1)
  • Patent number: 6127618
    Abstract: A microphone signal is branched into a microphone sound effect generation signal path and a direct sound signal path via a microphone volume controller. The microphone signal branched to the microphone sound effect generation signal path is level-adjusted by a microphone sound effect volume controller, and then supplied to a microphone sound effect generating circuit, so that a microphone sound effect signal is generated. The microphone sound effect signal and a music signal supplied from a music signal input terminal are additively combined together by combining circuits and are output from a music signal output terminal. The microphone sound branched to the direct sound signal path is output from a microphone signal output terminal, independently of the microphone sound effect signal, improving the separation between the microphone sound signal and a microphone sound effect signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Motohiro Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 5814752
    Abstract: A musical instrument amplifier system (FIGS. 1 and 2) with a frequency selective crossover circuit (10) using passive band pass filters (36, 44) to separate the amplified signals from the power amplifier (14) of an amplifier system (12) into low frequency signals on an output connector (42) for a specially adapted bass audio speaker (38) while the higher frequency signals are applied to another speaker (46). The crossover circuit (10) is selectively connected with the normal speaker output (24) in lieu of the speaker (38) to add frequency crossover capability to any amplifier system. In another musical instrument amplifying system (88), the crossover circuit (FIG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Inventor: Paul E. Rivera
  • Patent number: 5789693
    Abstract: An electronic piano, comprises: a sound box having a configuration as in a stringed piano; an electronic keyboard carried by the sound box; an amplifying system; and, a control system for the electronic keyboard and the amplifying system. In a configuration corresponding to an upright piano, the sound box has first and second tweeters mounted through the top and directed upwardly, first and second mid-range speakers mounted through the rear wall and directed rearwardly, and first and second woofers directed angularly toward respective front-bottom corners of the sound box. The front wall has two openings through which sound reverberating inside the sound box is emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Van Koevering Company
    Inventor: Robert D. Lawson
  • Patent number: 5741992
    Abstract: A chorus apparatus creates an artificial chorus sound in parallel to a live vocal sound. A pickup collects a live vocal sound and converts the collected live vocal sound into a corresponding vocal sound signal. A generator device generates a chorus sound signal representative of an artificial chorus sound in synchronization with the vocal sound signal. A plurality of output devices are installed separately from each other to define different sound sources. One of the output devices receives the vocal sound signal and acoustically reproduces therefrom the live vocal sound. Another of the output devices receives the chorus sound signal and acoustically reproduces therefrom the artificial chorus sound so that the live vocal sound and the artificial chorus sound can be mixed as if sounded from different sound sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichi Nagata
  • Patent number: 5543579
    Abstract: There is provided an effector for providing a musical tone with an effect such as a delay, a reverberation, a chorus and the like. The effector is capable of providing a feeling of listening such that the direct tone and the effect tone unites with each other, and in addition providing a feeling of expanse effective in a sound field. An effect tone signal is divided into a low register component and a high register component. The low register component is mixed with a musical tone signal (direct tone) entered through an input terminal and then outputted. The high register component is outputted in the form of stereophonic signal as it is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Masazumi Morinaga, Kousuke Takata
  • Patent number: 5521330
    Abstract: A sound control device and method which increase the width of sound of sound data by controlling and outputting the phase of the sound data, in which the phase of the generated sound data is uniformly shifted over the entire frequency band of the related sound data and in which this sound data shifted in phase and the above described generated original sound data are output to different sound systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koji Kuwano
  • Patent number: 5369224
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument is provided with an input implement for inputting performance information which designates a tone pitch of a musical sound to be produced during the course of performance. A tone generator of a monaural type generates a monaural tone signal having the designated tone pitch. A distributing circuit is connected to the tone generator for distributing the monaural tone signal selectively to a plurality of range channels assigned to different tone pitch ranges. A plurality of acoustic image formers are provided in the respective range channels for processing the distributed monaural tone signal to impart thereto stereophonic spread and location in different manners associated to the different tone pitch ranges. A stereo sound system is connected to the range channels for producing the musical sound having the imparted stereophonic spread and location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Tomomi Miyata
  • Patent number: 5313014
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument incorporates at least two tone signal outputs and controls sound image localization of musical tones in accordance with localization data by changing the levels of at least first and second tone signals provided, respectively, to the tone signal outputs. The instrument includes a tone signal generator for generating a generated tone signal and an output control data production circuit receiving the localization data and providing tone signal volume data and a selection signal. A tone signal output level control receives the generated tone signal and provides the first and second tone signals to the tone signal output. The tone signal output level control has a multiplier for altering the generated tone signal responsive to said volume data to provide one of the first and second tone signals. The tone signal output level control provides a signal corresponding to the generated tone signal unaltered by any multiplication as the other of the first and second tone signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Taichi Kosugi, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5313013
    Abstract: A loop circuit including a delay element and an all-pass filter circulates a tone signal. A driving waveform is applied to the loop circuit. The delay element provides a delay time corresponding to the pitch of the circulating tone signal and the all-pass filter is capable of changing the phase of the tone signal corresponding to its frequency. Thus, the resulting musical tone can be controlled in accordance with touch, thereby enabling the simulation of vibration of pitch and the generation of non-harmonic components caused by touch in a natural musical instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Suzuki, Takaaki Muto
  • Patent number: 5198604
    Abstract: A resonant effect apparatus for an electronic musical instrument includes a plurality of resonant tone signal forming channels for forming a plurality of resonant tone signals different in their resonant frequency characteristics when applied with a musical tone to be generated and a plurality of acoustic conversion systems for acoustically converting each of the resonant tone signals to issue the converted resonant tone signals therefrom. In the resonant effect apparatus, a supply condition of the resonant tone signals to the acoustic conversion systems is controlled for control of a sound localization of the resonant tone signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Iwao Higashi, Yasuyuki Umeyama
  • Patent number: 5192824
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Takeo Shibukawa
  • Patent number: 5153362
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a pan control function includes a pan device for deciding a synthesizing rate of the plural wave form elements in each of the musical tone output terminals independently. Static pan control fixes an image position of a musical tone, and dynamic pan control changes the image position with lapse of time. The dynamic pan control also includes EG pan control which changes the image position on a pre-stored orbit and bias pan control which changes the image position based on specified data during playing. In addition to an operator, such as a jog dial and a modulation wheel, key touch data or key number data can be used for the bias pan control. This musical instrument can synthesize a musical tone signal by combining the pan control functions to each wave form element, thereby forming very widened musical tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Toda, Fumihiko Ojima
  • Patent number: 5127306
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing panned tones comprises tone generator for generating a plurality of tone signals, the tone generator including a plurality of channels each for generating one of the plurality of tone signals. The plurality of tone signals generated by the tone generator are grouped into a plurality of groups. A pan setting device is provided for setting, for each of the plurality of groups, a manner of how the respective groups are pan-controlled. A pan effecting device is provided for automatically pan controlling said each of the plurality of groups based on respective settings of the pan setting device so that tone panning effects are produced according to each of the plurality of groups. The pan setting device sets characteristic for each of the plurality of groups to move a location of a formed sound image periodically when the plurality of groups of tone signals is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Mitsuhashi, Teruo Jinbo
  • Patent number: 5086686
    Abstract: Keyboard instruments incorporating sound systems for generating musical tones are disclosed. In a first keyboard instrument, speakers are mounted near a keyboard, and are arranged upright to be directed to the keyboard on the front side, thereby allowing a performer to clearly grasp the sound quality of performance tones. In a second keyboard instrument, which comprises a Helmholtz resonator consisting of a resonance port and a cabinet, an electro-acoustic transducer mounted on the outer surface of the cabinet and a driver for driving the transducer so as to cancel an air counteraction from the resonator, the size of a sound system is reduced, and the frequency characteristics, especially the low-frequency reproduction characteristics of the sound system are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Misawa, Toshiyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5027687
    Abstract: A sound field control device is capable of producing a sound field effect tone which has a tonal effect providing a listener with a feeling of presence and includes a sound field effect tone generation circuit for generating a sound field effect tone on the basis of sound field information supplied from a source. The sound field effect tone is sounded simultaneously with reproduction of the source signal and a reproduced sound field produced on the basis of the source signal is controlled by this sound field effect tone. In one aspect of the invention, the sound field effect tone generation circuit includes a convolution operation circuit which subjects a signal derived from left and right signals from the source signal to convolution operation with sound field data derived on the basis of the sound field information from the source signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1991
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Masayuki Iwamatsu
  • Patent number: 5027689
    Abstract: A musical tone generating apparatus includes a position information generating device to generate musical instrument position information (PS) as plane coordinates values. This information (PS) is stored in a memory device, or selectively determined by a manual operation. The apparatus also includes an information converting device to convert information (PS) into musical tone parameter control information (PD). This control information (PD) controls musical tone source signals (S11, S12, and S13) to generate a sound field corresponding to the position of musical instruments arranged on a stage.This enables an operator to verify the musical instrument positions on a stage, thereby providing a feeling of being at a live performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1991
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Junichi Fujimori
  • Patent number: 4998960
    Abstract: A music synthesizer is constructed according to a modular scheme with plural, substantially interchangeable voice units. During operation, these voice units are used to simulate different instruments. The voice units operate under control of a master computer, and take waveform data from a common memory through a common digital data bus. The actions of each voice unit in simulating a note are controlled according to a plurality of control parameters. These control parameters are derived by interpolating between plots of each control parameter versus time for a weak actuation (soft note) and a strong actuation (hard note) condition. The synthesizer is arranged to simulate the effects caused by the interactions between closely spaced excitations of the same instrument such as closely spaced strikes upon a drumhead, by varying the qualities of the sound. The synthesizer may also serve as a mixer or as a multichannel signal processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: Floyd Rose
    Inventors: Floyd D. Rose, John C. Ragin, III, Ronald H. Randall, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4685134
    Abstract: A system capable of synthesizing multi-channel sound for a computer includes a sound generator for each audio channel. A circuit provides a programmable delay so that one generator produces sound in one channel that is delayed with respect to the sound in the other channel. Multiple generators may be provided in each channel with each such generator having an independently programmable delay circuit associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Charles M. Wine
  • Patent number: 4622878
    Abstract: A stereophonic electronic organ system having two electrical-acoustic channels each including a loudspeaker separated from the other, note generating means for producing for each note in a musical range two time-displaced electrical signals of substantially the same frequency corresponding to the note, and means for coupling one of the two signals for each note to one of the channels and means for coupling the other of the two signals to the other of the two channels. The two time-displaced signals for each note may be produced by providing two digital tone generators for each note and time-displacing one note from the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1986
    Assignee: CBS Inc.
    Inventor: Paul H. Sharp
  • Patent number: 4614144
    Abstract: A plastic card mounting an IC memory of a credit card size called a music card stores encoded digital music information including tone, musical interval, musical length and loudness of each musical note and pause, and said music information actuates a synthesizer which generates music sound signal. The music card also stores a character code for indicating title of music on said synthesizer. As music note is encoded and stored in a digital form, a small capacity of IC memory is enough for storing a long play music.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1986
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Iwao Sagara, Koichi Nakagawa, Shintaro Hotta
  • Patent number: 4413544
    Abstract: The present invention is a single channel string ensemble sound system for an electronic organ having a keyboard formed by a plurality of keys and a signal generating means responsive to the depression of the keys. The sound system comprises an electronic mixer, an amplifier, a first transducer and a second transducer, wherein the first transducer is driven by the output of the amplifier while the second transducer is driven approximately 180.degree. out of phase electronically by the same output, and wherein the second transducer is physically oriented in a plane approximately 90.degree. from the plane of the first transducer or speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: The Marmon Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald R. Sauvey
  • Patent number: 4347405
    Abstract: A system for reproducing a plurality of electro-acoustic signals each corresponding, for example, to a channel signal of a multichannel electronic keyboard instrument, includes an acoustic processing unit which comprises a plurality of electro-acoustic transducers, one for each signal, so arranged within a substantially sealed enclosure as to convert the electro-acoustic signals to corresponding acoustic signals and to mix them to produce a pair of composite sound signals each containing at least one dominant component corresponding to an applied electro-acoustic signal and sub-dominant components related to other applied electro-acoustic signals. In one embodiment, a pair of acoustic transmission paths are provided for coupling the composite sound signals to the left and right ears, respectively, of a listener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1982
    Assignee: CBS Inc.
    Inventor: Lanny C. Davis
  • Patent number: 4338849
    Abstract: The present invention relates to economically fabricated means for the generation and processing, member selection, and acoustic radiation of pluralities of individual tone currents originating from at least one high frequency source and formed by note-information temporarily transferred through key depression, from permanent electronic memories to temporary memories in small numbers of standard tone units, in precise duplication of properties of pipe organ sound.There is described an electronic transfer organ for duplicating twenty-six known properties of pipe organ sound. The illustrative, inventive instrument employs completely standardized circuitry except for automatically programmable memories for each organ voice, which contain all the information required to form, switch and variously decouple all the notes in that voice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1982
    Inventor: William D. Turner
  • Patent number: 4329902
    Abstract: A continuously varying electrical signal representing an original musical sound is divided at a selected mid-frequency of about 800 Hertz to provide upper and lower frequency signal bands which are then frequency-modulated with separate modulation signals that differ in frequency or amplitude or both, in order to produce a vibrato or tremulant effect and thereby enrich the harmonic content of the musical sound.In order to inject the vibrato or tremulant into each signal band, the modulation process utilizes a pulse sampling and delay circuit which minimizes clock pulse noise by selecting only the central part of each delayed pulse, and which also senses the original amplitude envelope of the unmodulated wave in order to augment the envelope that is recreated from the delayed pulses after they are recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1982
    Assignee: Beehler, Mockabee, Arant & Jagger
    Inventor: David A. Love
  • Patent number: 4189971
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument system comprising an electronic musical instrument body and a separate tone cabinet connected together by a cable. The electronic musical instrument body includes a plurality of tone coloring circuits to produce different musical tone signals, a musical tone signal selection circuit to select at least one of the output signals of these tone coloring circuits, and a musical effect selector; and the tone cabinet includes a musical effect imparting circuit to impart the selected musical tone signal or signals with a selected musical effect, a sound system having at least one loudspeaker connected to the musical effect imparting circuit, and a control circuit responsive to the musical effect selector for producing control signals to cause the musical effect imparting circuit to impart a selected musical effect to the selected musical tone signal or signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1978
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1980
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Rokurota Mantani
  • Patent number: 4134323
    Abstract: Spatially separated high frequency tonal effects from an electronic musical instrument having less tone generators than keys selectable. A high frequency speaker system is provided in addition to the normal audio system. The audio signals produced by the tone generator are applied to a high pass filter-amplifier circuit before application to a tweeter switch. Digital logic is provided to demultiplex the note generator capture signal for note generator assignment information. The demultiplexer information is applied to the tweeter switches to effect the activation of a tweeter switch and permit the sounding of the tweeter speaker. Thus it may be seen that the present invention permits the separate soundings of the high frequency range in a directional fashion, creating the movement of sound sources and changing spatial relationships in response to key activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1979
    Assignee: Allen Organ Company
    Inventor: Jerome Markowitz
  • Patent number: 4084474
    Abstract: A multiband speaker system means includes a high frequency section normally balanced with one or more lower freqency sections. A thermistor is serially associated only with the high frequency section whereby, for certain high power signal combinations, a lesser proportionate increase in output occurs in the high frequency section than the low frequency section. This not only makes possible a lower power rating, but also eliminates certain effects that are not musically desirable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1978
    Inventor: Donald James Leslie
  • Patent number: 4080861
    Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument, in particular an electronic organ, comprising a circuit for electrically modifying a musical tone by frequency modulation to provide an ensemble effect. The circuit comprises three series connected shift registers which operate as delay circuits and which are driven by three high-frequency oscillators. The oscillators are driven by three vibrato signals. The vibrato signals are out of phase with each other so that each of the clocks is driven by a differently phased signal. The outputs of the shift registers are filtered and are then recombined either electrically or acoustically or both so that a chorus effect is produced. Additionally, the output of the last shift register in the series combination may be fed back to the input of the first shift register in the series combination to introduce additional phase delay in the audio signal for richer ensemble effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1978
    Assignee: Thomas International Corporation
    Inventor: John Douglas Wholahan
  • Patent number: 4058045
    Abstract: A piano having a sound-enhancing system incorporating transducers, amplifiers and loud speakers, all incorporated into or upon the piano.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1977
    Assignee: Solosonic
    Inventors: Robert Parry Jennings, Kenneth Thomas Aaroe
  • Patent number: 4038898
    Abstract: A circuit for producing a chorus effect in an electronic musical instrument. The circuit includes N separate channels, where N is an integer greater than one, with each channel having an analog delay line to which a tone signal is applied. Each delay line frequency modulates the applied tone signal at a subaudio rate in response to changes in the frequency of clock pulses applied to the delay lines. The delay variations in one delay line are out of phase with the delay variation in every other delay line by a selected amount which is normally 360.degree./N. Clock pulses are generated by means including a nonlinear circuit to compensate for the nonlinearity in the frequency interval between tones in the musical scale. The outputs from the delay lines after filtering of the clock frequency components are utilized to produce the desired chorus effect output from the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1977
    Assignee: Norlin Music, Inc.
    Inventors: Alberto Kniepkamp, Douglas Moore
  • Patent number: 4010668
    Abstract: An acoustical system of magnetic pick-ups and connecting circuits are provided for an electric guitar, wherein the output of the pick-ups is amplified and fed into separate speakers. The system provides stereophonic effects in which the sound appears to move around the room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1977
    Inventor: John P. Plueddemann
  • Patent number: 4008641
    Abstract: A device for modulating a musical tone signal to produce a rotating sound effect. A first channel is coupled to an input for a musical tone and has an amplitude modulator therein. At least two further channels each having an amplitude modular therein are coupled to the input through a delay circuit. A frequency modulator is coupled to the amplitude modulator in the first channel and to the delay circuit means for frequency modulating the musical tone signals therein and phase shifters are coupled between the frequency modulator and the respective amplitude modulators in the further channels for shifting the phase of the musical tone signal in the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1977
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Takada, Tadao Sakai