Yamaha Corporation

Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha

Koichi Kozuki

Kazuhisa Okamura

Tetsuji Ichiki

Shigeru Yamada

Tatsuhiro Koike

Eiichiro Aoki

Akira Nakada

Teruo Hiyoshi

Eisaku Okamoto

Takuya Nakata

Toshio Sugiura

So Tanaka

Takashi Hirakata

Hitoshi Makita

Shingo Kawasaki

Ichiki Tetsuji

An electronic musical instrument having a pitch designating unit capable of designating pitches of a plurality of tone signals to be generated, a plurality of tone signal generating channels for selectively generating and outputting a plurality of tone signals having a different pitch designated by the pitch designating unit, a mixing unit for mixing tone signals generated by the plurality of tone signal generating units, a plurality of resonance signal generating units each having a different resonance frequency characteristic, for receiving a mixed tone signal from the mixing unit and generating and outputting a plurality of different resonance signals, and an input level controller provided on the input side of the plurality of resonance signal generating units, for controlling a level of the mixed tone signal from the mixing unit for each resonance signal generating unit, in accordance with a pitch of each of a plurality of tone signals to be generated, and supplying the level controlled mixed tone signal to each resonance signal generating unit. The electronic musical instrument also has a sostenuto pedal detector, and when the sostenuto pedal is depressed, the input level controller may further adjust the level of the level controlled mixed tone signal corresponding to a pitch or pitches of generated tone signals.

Electronic musical instrument with resonance sounds

A reverberation-imparting device includes a delay line for storing a signal to which a reverberation effect is to be imparted. The delay line has at least one reading location determining timing for reading out the signal stored therein. An address generator generates basic reading address values for determining the at least one reading location. The basic reading address values are modulated by at least two different random numbers generated by a random number generator to determine reading address values. At least two signals read from the delay line are cross-faded, based on the modulated reading address values, such that the at least two signals are alternately intensified and attenuated with a predetermined phase difference. In a preferred application of the invention, the cross-faded at least two signals are output and delivered to a suitable reverberation-imparting device.

Reverberation - imparting device capable of modulating an input signal

In a waveform memory, data representing a silent state, e.g., zero value data, is stored in a predetermined first address area and waveform data is stored in a second address area. In response to designation of tone generation, the data representing a silent state is read from a desired number of address locations and, thereafter, tone waveform data is read from a second address area. By this control, time during which the data representing a silent state is read out, i.e., delay time, is determined by the number of address locations and, therefore, absolute time of the delay time is not constant but corresponds to an amount progress of the address signal, i.e., its phase amount. Accordingly, phase relation in a key-on delay can be made independent from tone pitch. For realizing an ensemble effect, the above control is performed in at least two channels in such a manner that, in a first channel, tone waveform data is immediately read out in response to the designation of start of tone generation whereas, in a second channel, the number of address locations for reading out the data representing a silent state is set to a number other than zero thereby is delayed from the designation of start of tone generation.

Tone generation device capable of varying delay time length at the start

When a new tone is to be assigned to a certain channel, an amplitude level of a preceding tone signal which is being produced in this channel is detected and a damp rate is determined on the basis of the detected amplitude level. Tone volume of the preceding tone signal is rapidly attenuated in accordance with the damp rate thus determined and, thereafter, generation of a new tone signal is started. The damp rate thereby is variably controlled in accordance with the magnitude of tone volume level of the preceding tone signal during a damp control and both optimum prevention of a click noise and a very quick rapid attenuation control corresponding to the tone volume level can be realized. The invention is applicable not only to a damp control of tone volume of a tone but also to a damp control of an envelope shape signal used for other control purposes.

Damp control in an electronic musical

An envelope waveform generation apparatus comprises an envelope waveform signal generator for forming an envelope waveform signal, a specific position setting member for setting a specific position, a position comparator and a key OFF controller. When a key OFF event is detected, the position comparator compares a position and/or level on the envelope waveform with those of the specific position, and the key OFF controller decays the level of the envelope waveform signal in the shape of a predetermined key OFF waveform, or delays key OFF processing by the envelope waveform signal generator on the basis of the comparison result.

Envelope waveform generation apparatus

There are provided a waveform generating section for generating waveform sample data at a frequency corresponding a designated pitch, a coefficient generating section for generating n coefficients that correspond to a desired interpolation characteristic, a characteristic-controlling section for changing the coefficients to be generated in the coefficient generating section so as to variably control the interpolation characteristic, and an interpolation operation section for operating the coefficients with n digital waveform sample data generated sequentially from the waveform generating section and synthesizing operated data to produce one sample data. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to control the interpolation characteristic and therefore a resultant filter characteristic in accordance with a desired mode, when generating a tone signal of a smooth waveform by waveform interpolation operation utilizing digital filter operation. For example, the interpolation characteristic can be controlled in accordance with a pitch or tone range so that a filter characteristic to be obtained as the result of the interpolation operation can be prevented from shifting as a pitch or tone range changes. Further, by controlling the interpolation characteristic in correspondence with a specific tone range, such characteristic can be established as to reliably eliminate an aliasing noise.

Tone signal generating device for interpolating and filtering stored

A device(timer) is provided for measurement of lapse time from a predetermined portion of a first tone assigned to a tone production channel. When a new(second) tone generation request is given to the tone production channel the tone being generated is force-dumped. The time required for force-dump, namely the waiting time until the new musical tone is generated is decided based on the count value of the timer. Upon the lapse of this waiting time the new musical tone is generated at the above-mentioned channel. Thereby the waiting time is best controlled.

Electronic musical instrument which clears a first musical tone prior to

A musical tone generating apparatus generates musical tones based on a signal outputted from a sound source and an envelope generator. The signal outputted from the sound source is processed by a digital filter in accordance with filter information responsive to a key-on signal. Filter information generating circuit generates delay time information corresponding to the time period which the digital filter needs to process and output an inputted data. The envelope is imparted to the signal outputted from the sound source with a delay from a key-on timing which corresponds to the delay time information to realize precise envelope rise portions.

Electronic musical instrument with a filter device having a relay

An electronic musical instrument generates musical tones corresponding to a melody tone and a chord tone which are designated by a performer. In order to apply a specific musical effect or generate an ornament, a front percussive tone, or forefall, is automatically added to the melody tone, wherein this front percussive tone has the predetermined pitch difference with respect to the melody tone. This front percussive tone is additionally generated prior to the melody tone in the predetermined short period. Instead of this front percussive tone, it is possible to generate an additional tone which has the same tone name as any one of constituent tones within the chord tone but its tone pitch is different from that of the melody tone. When generating plural melody tones and plural additional tones, these tones are sequentially generated by a predetermined time difference in a pitch descending or ascending order.

Electronic musical instrument having automatic ornamental effect

An automatic key designating apparatus is used for an electronic musical instrument in order to automatically designating a desirable key in response to a chord progression consisting of several chords designated by a performer during a performance. This apparatus provides a chord designating unit (preferably, a keyboard) capable of sequentially designating chords and a memory capable of storing chord information concerning at least a current chord, a preceding chord and a previous chord which were sequentially designated. When it is detected that a predetermined specific chord progression is established in these three chords, key data corresponding to such chord progression is set. Based on this key data, a desirable key is automatically designated. Meanwhile, before setting the key data indicative of the finally determined key, a temporary key can be determined based on the previous and preceding chords. If it is judged that the current chord is on the scale concerning the temporary key, this temporary key is set as the key data. If not, the temporary key is replaced by a new key based on the three chords, which is to be set as the key data.

Automatic key designating apparatus

An automatic performance apparatus provides a performance data memory including plural storing areas each capable of storing different performance data independently. The performance data can be selectively written in and read from each storing area. Based on the performance data read from each storing area, a musical tone signal for an automatic performance is generated independently. When the performance data memory includes two storing areas, the performance data concerning two tunes or two parts can be stored. One of two automatic performances based on the performance data can be selectively played. In addition, two automatic performances can be also player simultaneouly, wherein a predetermined delay time can be provided between two automatic performances. Further, predetermined kinds of rhythm patterns are pre-stored in a rhythm pattern memory in order to perform the desirable rhythm pattern as an accompaniment of the automatic performance.

Automatic performance apparatus having plural memory areas

An electronic musical instrument efficiently uses plural tone generation channels to generate both manual performance tones and automatic rhythm performance tones. The tone generation channels normally are used for manual performance tone generation. Tone generation channels for automatic rhythm performance are selected when automatic rhythm performance is designated. The tone generation channels are selected on the basis of non-use or least significance. After a required number of tone generation channels are selected for automatic rhythm performance, musical tone channel assignment is made. When stopping of automatic rhythm performance subsequently is designated, each tone generation channel selected for automatic rhythm performance is designated to return to normal use for generation of manual performance tones.

Electronic musical instrument having an automatic rhythm performance

An electronic musical instrument producing a music having plural performance parts includes a generation channel unit including plural tone generation channels, a tone generation number designating unit, and a tone generation channel assigning unit. Each tone generation channel generates a tone of the music. The tone generation number designating unit designates a maximum simultaneous tone generation number to be given to each of the plural performance parts. The tone generation channel assigning unit assigns each of the plural performance parts to one or more available tone generation channels. The number of available tone generation channels is equal to the corresponding one of the designated maximum simultaneous tone generation numbers.

Electronic musical instrument with automatic performance apparatus

For use in or with an electronic musical instrument, an automatic rhythm performing apparatus is so constructed as to provide selectively automatic performance of various kinds of rhythms using tones of a plurality of rhythm section instruments. Each rhythm is constructed with a plurality of instruments, which are divided into several families. Plural rhythm patterns are provided for each of the rhythm instrument tones which constitute one kind of rhythm. Any one of the rhythm patterns is selected for each instrument, and such selection is available individually family by family of the instruments. Thus a variety of automatic rhythm performance can be realized with small scale pattern memories and simple selecting operations.

Automatic rhythm performing apparatus for electronic musical instrument

An electronic musical instrument comprises an accompaniment keyboard; a memory of a relatively small capacity storing a set of accompaniment data sequentially aligned and constituting accompaniment patterns; a read-out circuit to successively read out the accompaniment data from the memory at given clock pulse timings; a judging circuit to judge whether each accompaniment datum read out indicates a predetermined specific value; a random signal generator for generating, independently of the data-reading-out timings, random signals each differing in value with time; an accompaniment data determining circuit to determine the contents of each read-out accompaniment datum when the latter is judged to indicate the specific value in accordance with the signal randomly outputted just when a judgement is made; and a tone generation determining circuit to determine the generation of the accompaniment tone based on the key depression information coming from the accompaniment keyboard and also to function, when the read-out accompaniment datum does not indicate the specific value, to generate regular accompaniment pattern. The instrument performs automatic accompaniments on the read-out accompaniment patterns with random modification of a part of the pattern. Thus the automatic bass and chord accompaniment is realized in non-monotonous, variation-rich manner without a player's temporal manipulation.

Growing community of inventors

Hamamatsu, Japan

Koichi Kozuki