Baldwin Piano & Organ Company

D. H. Baldwin Company

Dale M Uetrecht

Walter Munch

Carlton J Simmons, Jr

Robert B Cotton, Jr

David A Bunger

Russell L Withington

Joseph L Kappes

Carlton J Simmons

An electronic digital timing control apparatus for controlling different durations for two sequential events in alternation, especially in environmental systems. The timing control apparatus is programmable and contains a single oscillator and a binary counter which counts a predetermined fixed number of output cycles from the oscillator. At one end of the first count, tuning components for the oscillator are switched in order to change the oscillator frequency and thereby the duration for the next count for the next corresponding event.

Electronic digital dual sequential timing control apparatus for

The present invention is an electronic piano that includes various 'easy play' features that enable a person with little musical training to play the piano producing music similar to that of a skilled musician. The 'easy play' feature automatically creates musical and rhythmic piano accompaniment patterns in response to playing either one key (One Finger Chord mode) or a chord (Funchords mode) with the left hand. The player plays the melody of the desired tune with the right hand. Instead of having to move the fingers of the left hand to play complex piano accompaniment patterns, as with a conventional piano, the player only needs to play a note or chord, and move the finger or fingers of the left hand to a different playing key or keys to change chords and patterns. In the standard piano mode, this instrument resembles an acoustic piano in function. The invention also includes a set of pushbutton switches which control the 'easy play' features of the instrument. The features in the invention include: Funchords, One Finger Chord, Dynamic Pro Harmony, Harmony Dynamic Adjustment, Minor Touch Strip, Arpeggio Touch Strip, Style Selector, Style Expanders, Coupler, Manual Advance, Staccato, and Memory.

Automatic piano

A tone generator system for an electronic organ, which incorporates N programmable generators (where N is less than 12, and typically 7) which forms a system having the ability to sound notes of N different nomenclature tones at one time. A microprocessor controls the assignment of particular notes to each of the programmable generators, in accordance with the played keys of the keyboard(s) (and the tab switches, in the event that a partial footage is selected). Each of the programmable generators is connected to a chain of dividers and gates which are also under the control of the microprocessor. The information ascertained by the microprocessor from the keyboard(s) (and the tab switches) is used to control the selection of gates which control the passage of tone signals from appropriate dividers in the chains of dividers to an audio output system. More than one note of a particular nomenclature can be simultaneouly gated from the divider chain of a particular programmable generator.

Electronic organ having an improved tone generator system

A two-phase, period-proportional voltage-controlled oscillator circuit is provided for clocking an analog delay line which can be used, for example, in an electronic musical instrument. The voltage-controlled oscillator circuit provides two clock output signals of opposite phase and having a period directly proportional to the control voltage, i.e., the frequency of the two clock signals is inversely proportional to the control voltage. Since the delay provided by the analog delay line is directly proportional to the period of the clock signals, the delay is directly proportional to the control voltage thereby eliminating a source of distortion in a delay modulation system.

Period proportional two-phase voltage controlled oscillator

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for use in musical instruments. In particular, the invention is useful for identifying a chord played on a keyboard of a musical instrument, such as the accompaniment manual of an electronic organ, and for identifying the root and the type of chord being played. Pursuant to the invention, a microprocessor used in conjunction with the instrument selectively causes the associated circuitry of the pedal and/or accompaniment keyboard of the musical instrument to play automatically in an appropriate octave either the identified root or a sequence of notes which is compatible with the identified root and chord. A pedal override feature is also provided which overrides the chord identification invention when the musician plays one or more pedal notes.

Chord identification system for electronic musical instruments

A multiple octave generator system for providing tones in an electronic organ permits the production of both ensemble and celeste effects by providing the appropriate amounts of detuning among cascaded ranks of divide-by-two locked octave type tone generators. The generator system programs from the ranks adjacent octaves of generator into groups having slightly overall stretched tuning which, when combined with an unstretched rank, closely resemble pipe organ celeste tuning. This permits the celeste beat rate of the lower octaves to be increased to a more desirable rate without causing the beat rate of the upper octaves to become too fast.

Multiple octave generator tuning system

A string chorus generator in an electronic musical instrument that accepts a single audio input signal, applies it to three separate delay lines, and provides delay modulated outputs to be used in producing an ensemble musical effect resembling a group of strings in a string orchestra. Each of the three delay line channels is identical and comprises an analog shift register driven by a high frequency voltage-controlled oscillator along with appropriate filters and buffers. The frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator of each channel is controlled by the filtered output of a microprocessor, thereby providing precise control over the modulation of each voltage-controlled oscillator. The modulating waveshape is generated by using a lookup table within a microprocessor and comprises a sine wave of 6.25 Hz superimposed on another, larger amplitude, sine wave of 0.78 Hz. In order to provide an even chorus effect, in one embodiment period-proportional voltage controlled oscillators are used so that the high frequency modulation component of each waveshape has the same modulating effect on the audio signal at all times, regardless of the instantaneous amplitude of the low frequency modulation component. In another embodiment, the values stored in the lookup table are chosen so that distortion does not occur when frequency-proportional voltage-controlled oscillators are used.

Chorus generator system

Simultaneously played notes on a keyboard are automatically provided with different voice timbres. The assignment of voices to notes is by relative frequency-scale position within the chord. If four or more notes are played, the notes are scanned along the musical scale and the three lowest notes played and the highest note are sounded in different voices with the solo voice assigned to the highest note. Assignment of voices occurs automatically when fewer than four keys are played. Time division multiplex digital logic signals representative of the played keys are applied to a memory circuit and a comparator circuit. If the information stored in the memory from the previous scan cycle is unchanged the comparator provides an enabling signal to a monostable and enable logic circuit. A priority selector circuit provides logic information to the monostable and enable logic circuit which outputs this information and information representative of the total number of keys played. This information is combined with the octave information and the note time slot information in four programmable counter circuits which divide four input frequencies from a rate scaler frequency generator to produce the four tone signals. Also, the four programmable counter circuits provide control voltages corresponding to the played notes which are applied to voltage controlled gates and filter circuits which provide the necessary voicing to produce different orchestral effects on different notes. The resulting orchestral effect can be enhanced from an ensemble standpoint by controlled detuning of the four output frequencies.

Polyphonic electronic music system

Delay line oscillator

An electronic musical instrument using continuous tone generators capable of simulating the sounds of a conventional acoustical piano. The instrument includes a gating circuit featuring a timed switch travel circuit having a double-time constant for improved control of the dynamic range from the keyboard, and a soft pedal controlling the keying voltage to produce more realistic emulation of the dynamic effects of an acoustical piano. The gating circuit produces a double-time-constant envelope of nearly harmonically related signals for a more realistic piano timbre. The tone spectrum is also controlled as a function of signal level by means of a resistor matrix feeding selected inputs of an active ladder filter, in order to reproduce timbre variation with dynamic level.

Electronic piano

A multiple-stage active RC distributed filter having multiple inputs and a single output for producing filtering of large groups of notes for tone coloration in electronic musical instruments. Output signals from the keying circuits may be applied to selected input stages of the filter through a resistor matrix to produce the desired tone coloration. Voicing may be further modified by one or more compensation networks at the filter output.

Active ladder filter for voicing electronic musical instruments

Simultaneously played notes on a keyboard are automatically provided with different voice timbres. The assignment of voices to notes is by relative frequency-scale position within the chord. If four or more notes are played, the notes are scanned along the musical scale and the three lowest notes played and the highest note are sounded in different voices with the solo voice assigned to the highest note. Assignment of voices occurs automatically when fewer than four keys are played. One form of the system combines time multiplexed keying with priority coupling of the keying information to a plurality of voltage controlled oscillators through sample-and-hold memory circuits. Each oscillator has its own tone voicing circuits. In another preferred all-digital embodiment, the time division multiplex digital logic signals representative of the played keys are applied instead to a memory circuit and a comparator circuit. If the information stored in the memory from the previous scan cycle is the same as the information of the present cycle, thereby indicating no change in played keys, the comparator provides an enabling signal to a monostable and enable logic circuit. A priority selector circuit provides logic information representative of the three lowest keys played and the highest key played to the monostable and enable logic circuit. The monostable and enable logic circuit provides on four outputs information representative of the three lowest keys played and the highest key played and also information representative of the total number of keys played. This information is combined with the octave information and the note time slot information in four programmable counter circuits which divide four input frequencies from a rate scaler frequency generator to produce four tone signals having fundamental output frequencies f1 - fH corresponding to the three lowest notes and single highest note played. Also, the four programmable counter circuits provide control voltages corresponding to the played notes. The tone signals and control voltages are applied to voltage controlled gates and filter circuits which provide the necessary voicing to produce different orchestral effects on different notes. The resulting orchestral effect can be enhanced from an ensemble standpoint by controlled detuning of the four output frequencies, both within the chordal relationship and relative to other tones of corresponding pitch nomenclature under control of the same master oscillator. The outputs of the voltage controlled gate and filter circuits are applied to at least 2 output channels to avoid electrical cancellations when two programmable counters are assigned to the same note but slightly detuned.

Variable frequency generator for polyphonic electronic music system

An electronic organ in which all the tones of the musical gamut are obtained by operations on the output of a single tone signal source, utilizing digital techniques to divide the frequency of the tone signal by appropriate integers.

Single master tone generator

The present system is a capture action system for electronically recording stop tab configurations in an electric organ, and for recalling the stop tab configurations at will, by depressing of a single control piston for each desired configuration of stop tabs. The system includes provision for setting and recalling combinations of stop tabs associated with a single division of the organ, for example, the swell manual, but not affecting tabs in other divisions, and also includes provision for recording and recalling combinations of all tabs on the organ (general stop) without regard to division. The system further includes a divisional or general cancel function, for operated tab switches, resetting these to inoperative position, and reversible stop functions in which a control piston when actuated reverses the position of its associated stop tab, the reversible stops retaining their abilities to function within the divisional and general combinations. The system is capable of accommodating a maximum of 128 stop tabs, divided into five divisions of the organ, each of which may contain any desired fraction of the total number of stops of the organ, provided that the divisional stops are each allocated to only one division. In operation, tabs which are desired to be operable in combinations are actuated and a set piston and a recall piston are then operated, which stores the locations of the actuated pistons in a memory consisting of 23 channels. One of these channels is required for each general piston and one channel is required for one piston in each division. General and divisional cancel functions require no memory. The reversible stop function uses a temporary memory which is not the same as the memory used for combination stop. The present system is capable of cycling in .27 seconds and within .067 seconds of the start of this cycle all stop tabs have initiated motion. When the memory is read out tab actuating coils are multiplexed at a 60 Hz. rate, deriving power directly from a 60 Hz. power line transformer. The multiplexing reduces active drive elements and cabling to a fraction of the normal requirement, while achieving rapid actuation of the tabs. The system is normally in a stand-by condition in which the memory continues to recirculate at a very low rate and certain stand-by elements of the system are energized from batteries. Upon operating the latch for either read out or storage, a mode sequence control applies power from a power supply to all the elements of the system, accelerates the clock rate to a normal rate of 400 KHz., and sequences through the 128 tab positions of the system for one cycle, in the process either recording tab information or reading out tab information and setting the tabs, according as a set piston is or is not operated, the piston latch positions not being multiplexed but only the tab positions being multiplexed and continuous repetitive read-in and read-out not being required, but only a single read-out cycle or read-in cycle.

Organ capture action

A modulator for modulating an audio signal in response to a dc signal of adjustable level and concurrently in response to a sub-audio signal, in which the modulating signals do not appear in the output of the modulator nor intermodulate each other, the system including transistor pairs which respond differentially at the bases to the modulating signal and additively to the audio signal in response to application of the audio signal at the emitters.

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Colerain Township, OH, United States of America

Dale M Uetrecht