Roland Corporation

Mitsuhiro Umeta

Satoshi Otsuka

Minoru Fujisawa

Masashi Nishikawa

Fumio Rokkaku

Takenori Yamamori

Tadao Kikumoto

Toshio Yamabata

Koji Hara

A method, operation position sensor device for an electronic musical, and musical instrument for detecting an operation position of an operation member in an electronic musical instrument. A determination is made of an amount of measured light resulting from the depression of the operation member has changed in excess of a predetermined difference value a number of times. A determination is made of a difference value of clock counts measured at a last two determinations that the measured light changed in excess of the predetermined difference value in response to determining that the amount of the measured light has changed in excess of the predetermined difference value the number of times. The difference value is converted to a key depression speed. A sound generation command is issued based on the key depression speed to a sound source.

Position sensing device

An electronic musical instrument is controlled to receive key operation messages from a keyboard, sequencer or the like so as to control the data in such a manner that the disadvantages of a first-in first-out system and a map system are diminished and the newest data can be obtained rapidly. A reading device sequentially reads musical pitches out from a first memory so that it can be decided whether the values indicated on note-on/off flags in a second memory have the same state as the flags in a third memory. A command is issued to generate and/or truncate (or mute) musical tones based on key-depression (i.e., key state) data for the musical pitches registered in the second memory, if the flags are not identical with each other. On the other hand, the key-depression data are discarded without issuing any command if the flags are the same.

Electronic musical instrument

A performance information recording/playing apparatus corrects recording/playing errors in performance information which is reproduced from or recorded to a recording media by a performance information playing/(recording) device in accordance with event information. The performance information recording device includes a state information generating device which generates state information indicating a state of musical tone for a predetermined musical tone after a change has occurred in event information which represents a change in the predetermined musical tone, and a recording device for recording the event information and the state information in a recording media sequentially. The performance information playing device includes a playing device for playing event information which represents a change in a predetermined musical tone and state information which indicates a state of a musical tone for the predetermined musical tone, this information having recorded in a recording media. Further, the performance information playing device includes an event information correcting device for correcting errors in the event information, which is reproduced from the recording media, based on the state information which is reproduced in the same manner.

Performance information recording/reproducing apparatus having

An automatic musical playing playing system including an automatic playing apparatus and a sound generating unit incorporated in combination therewith, the apparatus comprising: a first memory for storing musical playing data arranged to be sequentially preread; a calculator for calculating an actual length of time required to play music based on the preread musical data and/or for calculating an actual quantity of playing information in said data; a comparator for deciding whether or not the actual length of time is less than a predetermined length, and/or whether or not the actual quantity is less than a predetermined quantity; a first reading device for sequentially prereading from the first memory the musical data prior to an actual timing for playing, in a case where the above decisions are affirmative; and an output for outputting the preread musical data wherein the above unit comprises: an input for receiving the preread musical data; a second memory for temporarily storing said data from the input; a second reading device for sequentially reading from the second memory means said data at a predetermined timing; and a musical tone-generator which generates and/or mutes musical tones for playing music according to said preread musical data.

Automatic data-prereading playing apparatus and sound generating unit in

An automatic musical playing system includes an automatic playing apparatus and a sound generating unit. The playing apparatus includes: a first memory for storing musical playing data arranged to be sequentially preread; a calculator for calculating an actual length of time required to play music based on the preread musical data and/or for calculating an actual quantity of playing information in such data; a comparator for deciding whether or not the acutal length of time is less than a predetermined length of time, and/or whether or not the actual quantity is less than a predetermined quantity; a first reading device for sequentially prereading from the first memory, the musical data prior to an actual time for playing when the comparator decision/decisions is/are affirmative; and an output for outputting the preread musical data. The sound generating unit includes: an input for receiving preread musical data; a second memory for temporarily storing data from the input; a second reading device for sequentially reading from the second memory, data according to a predetermined timing; and a musical tone-generator which generates and/or mutes musical tones for playing music according to the preread musical data.

An envelope-generating apparatus for an electronic musical instrument is disclosed. The apparatus which generates an envelope signal for a musical tone includes a rate detector for detecting the actual rate-of-change of the envelope signal at an instant before quick-attenuation of the signal is to commence, and a quick-attenuation controller for first setting a predetermined attenuation rate for the envelope signal based on the actual rate-of-change detected by the rate detector and thereafter controlling quick-attenuation of the envelope signal. The apparatus further could include a level detector for detecting an actual envelope signal level at an instant before quick-attenuation commences. Also, in place of the rate detector, a musical pitch-detector for detecting the actual pitch of a musical tone being generated could be provided, or a characteristics-detector for detecting musical tone characteristics of a newly generated tone, or volume-detector means for detecting the total tone volume of all musical tones being generated could be provided. Such different detectors provide different data utilized by the apparatus or instrument to optimize the quick-attenuation process by accelerating it without causing any noticeable click noise.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Mitsuhiro Umeta