Casio Computer Co., Ltd.

Naoaki Matsumoto

Hitoshi Kato

Keiji Yuzawa

Kenichi Tsutsumi

Jun Yoshino

Naofumi Tateishi

Takehiko Kayahara

Hitoshi Ando

Hiroko Ohno

Makoto Fukuda

An electronic musical instrument has a tone generation mode selecting switch capable of selecting a tone generation mode associated with an arbitrary one of a keyboard instrument play mode, a stringed instrument play mode and a wind instrument play mode, and a CPU for controlling the tone generation mode for a tone generator in accordance with the selection. This electronic musical instrument serving as a so-called tone generator module, can be driven by a MIDI signal supplied to a MIDI circuit from an external unit.

Electronic musical instrument having a plurality of tone generation modes

When picking of a string is performed, the vibration of the string is detected accurately and quickly. When a fret operation position is changed during generation of a musical tone caused by the string picking, the pitch of the musical tone is changed to the one corresponding to the new fret operation position without generating a new musical tone. When the same string is stroked successively, the succeeding musical tone is generated while keeping the reverberation of the previous musical tone. The musical tone once generated will be stopped from being generated upon elapse of a predetermined time from the beginning of the tone generation, irrespective of the type of its timbre. When a fret operation state is changed to an open-string operation state after the string picking, the generation of the musical tone being generated stops at that timing. When this change occurs, it is selectable whether the generation of the musical tone is to be stopped or its pitch is to be changed to the one corresponding to the open-string operation state. The generation musical tone can freely be stopped from being generated through a manual operation.

Electronic stringed instrument

When picking of a string is performed, the vibration of the string is detected accurately and quickly. When a fret operation position is changed during generation of a musical tone caused by the string picking, the pitch of the musical tone is changed to the one corresponding to the new fret operation position without generating a new musical tone. When the same string is stroked successively, the succeeding musical tone is generated while keeping the reverberation of the previous musical tone. The musical tone once generated will be stopped from being generated upon elapse of a predetermined time from the beginning of the tone generation, irrespective of the type of its timbre. When a fret operation state is changed to an open-string operation state after the string picking, the generation of the musical tone being generated stops at that timing. When this change occurs, it is selectable whether the generation of the musical tone is to be stopped or its pitch is to be changed to the one corresponding to the open-string operation state. The generated musical tone can freely be stopped from being generated through a manual operation.

Electronic stringed instrument with control of musical tones in response

A plurality of sound source apparatuses are mutually connected so as to function as if they are a single sound source apparatus. The number of polyphonic channels is increased in accordance with the number of sound source apparatuses connected. In connecting these apparatuses, it is necessary to designate a polyphonic channel region in use for each sound source apparatus. The region may be set by specifying the upper and lower limits of polyphonic channels of setting a machine number of each sound source appartaus. Alternatively, the region may be automatically set.

Sound source apparatus

Combinations of operation data such as timbre data, effect data, and the like, which are designated for a musical performance, are stored in a memory. The operation data is read out from the memory, and a musical tone signal corresponding to the readout operation data is generated and a musical tone is produced. Operation data is an operation mode can be transferred to, e.g., a normal mode, and a musical tone signal corresponding to the readout operation data can be generated and a musical tone can be produced in the normal mode. Operation data set in the normal mode can also be transferred to the operation mode. Part of the combined operation data can be easily updated.

Electronic musical instrument with data modification means for modifying

Electronic stringed instrument of the type for controlling musical tones

A musical tone generating device generates musical tones of a frequency in accordance with pitches which are extracted from input waveform signals by a pitch extracting means. When a pitch extracted by the pitch extracting means varies within a range of a predetermined musical interval difference, an average of the currently extracted pitch and the previously extracted pitch is calculated and the frequency of the musical tone is defined on the basis of the calculated average which serves as a current pitch. On the other hand, when the currently extracted pitch exceeds the above-mentioned range, the frequency of the musical tone is defined on the basis of the currently extracted pitch. In this manner, an undesirable influence to the sound frequency caused by any unnecessary variations or fluctuations in the pitch is decreased or eliminated, thereby enabling producing of a steady sound frequency. In addition, when the pitch is intentionally altered, the frequency of the musical tone is instantly changed in response to the pitch alteration.

Electronic device of a type in which musical tones are produced in

An electronic musical instrument having an autoplay function comprises a memory device where musical data is stored, a musical tone signal generating circuit for generating musical tone signals in response to musical data read out from the memory device, and a controller for reading out musical data from the memory device and feeding the readout data to the musical tone signal generating means in a timed relation to the progress of music. To repeat the autoplay of a musical piece, the controller is arranged to read out musical data from the start address in synchronism with the tempo of a musical piece or at the timing of the first beat in a bar after the readout of the last musical tone data.

Electronic musical instrument having autoplay function

When autoplay data stored in a memory is readout at a predetermined regular rate, the timing of a key operation executed under the guidance of a melody guide function is compared to its corresponding regular timing, and the rate of the data readout from the memory is corrected according to the result of the comparison, the corrected readout rate being subsequently changed back to the initial rate. This control is effected by a CPU.

Electronic musical instrument with play guide function

Data for a plurality of musical pieces is preset in a ROM pack and also on a tape recorder. Musical piece data read out from the ROM pack or tape recorder is supplied from a control section to melody generators, a chord generator, a bass generator and a rhythm generator. Melody data, chord data, and rhythm data obtained from these generators are coupled through an amplifier to a loudspeaker.

Auto-playing apparatus

When a desired rhythm is selected by a rhythm key group, corresponding rhythm data is set in a rhythm register in a CPU. Meanwhile, accompaniment pattern data is set in bass, backing and arpeggio registers by operation of corresponding bass, backing and arpeggio switches. The data set in the registers are supplied as address data to an arpeggio memory section, a backing memory section and a base memory section, so that corresponding rhythm data, tone color data and accompaniment data are read out.

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Tokyo, Japan

Naoaki Matsumoto