FR1465620A - Advanced electronic organ - Google Patents

Description

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Advanced electronic organ. The present invention relates generally to electronic organs and more particularly to electronic organs comprising a transposition device.

Transposition devices for electronic organs are already known in which the transposition is carried out by means of a mechanical device, which allows lateral translation of the keyboard over a certain desired distance from one or more keys, the switching devices which cooperate with the keyboard and are located above the keys remaining stationary.

The object of the invention is a tone transposition device for electronic organs by which the transposition can be effected without any movement of the keyboard, but by simply actuating a button or a pull tab on a panel of the instrument. organ easily accessible for the performer.

The tone transposition device forming the subject of the invention is applicable to polyphonic electronic organs capable of playing all the most complicated chords, by means of one or more manual keyboards with or without keyboard-pedal; To restricted polyphony instruments and monodic instruments.

The invention therefore applies to organs and instruments using, to create the sounds, devices generating alternating currents at musical frequencies, whether or not they are abundantly provided with harmonics with simple amplification or with a combination of devices intended to modify the timbre of the sounds, whether these generators are linked in phase from octave to octave according to the principle of frequency division or frequency multiplication or else generators independent of each other a. By means of fully electronic systems with oscillator or by photo-electric, electromagnetic, electrostatic systems; b. By the use of systems with rotating, nant or movable organs of recordings, of photographs of sounds or vibratory movements, with discs, wheels, bands or films; vs. By the use of strings, vibrating blades or others, of traditional musical instruments with microphones, readers of electrostatic, electromagnetic, photoelectric vibrations.

The electronic organ according to the invention comprises a series of generators each tuned to a musical frequency, to generate one or more ranges of semitones, a series of dividers and / or multipliers of the frequencies generated by said generators and a transposition device this organ being remarkable in particular in that said transposition device is electric and comprises: a switching member provided with a series of consecutive primary contacts each connected to an output of one of said generators, and a series of secondary contacts each connected to an input of one of said dividers and / or multipliers, these two series of contacts being able to come into contact with one another and be animated with a relative movement with respect to each other, said relative movement allowing switching of said series of secondary contacts, of a series of primary contacts connected to the outputs of a series of generators corresponding to a first range semitones, to another series of primary contacts connected to the outputs of another series of generators corresponding to another range of semitones, shifted by one or more semitones relative to the first range.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the description of an exemplary embodiment which follows.

In the accompanying drawings, given solely by way of example, FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of an electronic organ comprising a transposition device according to the invention;

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FIG. 2 is a simplified perspective view of a transposition device according to another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is a front view of the first wafer of the device of FIG. 2; Figure 4 is a wiring diagram of the device of Figure 2.

The electronic organ shown schematically in FIG. 1 comprises twenty-four oscillators 0 or generators of musical frequencies 0-1 to 0-24, these oscillators being tuned to generate signals corresponding to a frequency range covering two musical octaves of twelve. semitones. The outputs 1 of these oscillators are connected through a switching device OC to the inputs 2 of twelve frequency dividers and / or multipliers D-1 to D-12.

The signals appearing at the output terminals 3 of the frequency dividers D-1 to D-12 are transmitted through a wiring shown schematically by C, to the key contacts of the upper CS, lower CI and pedal CP keyboards, respectively.

The signals, determined as a function of the keys pressed on the three keyboards and coming from the dividers D-1 to D-12, are then transmitted to groups of timbre filters Fa, Fb, Fc. To these signals are added the signals appearing on the output terminals of three groups of DJ game dividers each associated with a keyboard. The signals from the keyboards CS and CI, thus composed, are applied to a balancing circuit DE.

The signals appearing at the output terminals of the balancing circuit DE and of the timbre filter Ftc are simultaneously applied to an expression and volume adjuster DV, the output of which drives a main amplifier AP. A loudspeaker is connected to the output of this amplifier.

A suitable voltage DA power supply device supplies power to the organ through suitable electrical conductors.

A DVi vibrato device can act on the signals appearing on outputs 3 of dividers D-1 to D-12 through a line 4.

The switching member OC, constituting the transposition device according to the invention, comprises a fixed rule 5 and a mobile control unit 6, the latter being able to move longitudinally with respect to the rule 5 by means of a control device ( not shown), which can be operated by the performer. Rules 5 and 6 are about insulating material.

The fixed figure 5 has a number of equidistant contacts 7, each connected to an output 1 of an oscillator 0. These contacts protrude slightly from the rule 5, so that they can come into good electrical contact with the contacts 8. , mounted on the movable rule 6. The spacing of these contacts is the same as that of the contacts 7 and they protrude slightly from the movable rule 6. Each of the contacts 8 is connected to the input 2 of a divider D.

In a certain initial position of the mobile control unit 6, the inputs 2 of the dividers D are connected, through the contacts 7 to twelve successive contacts of the fixed rule 5, and, consequently, to twelve successive oscillators U corresponding to a certain range semitones.

If the moving rule 6 is shifted by a distance equal to the interval between two contacts 7 or 8, the contacts 8 will therefore be connected to twelve successive contacts 7 offset by this interval with respect to the initial position.

The dividers D-1 D-12 will, in this case, be connected to twelve oscillators forming a range of frequencies offset by a semitone with respect to the range corresponding to the initial position of the mobile control room.

The performer, playing the organ in a certain key corresponding to said initial position, will therefore play, after action of the transposition device having the effect of shifting an interval of rule 6, in a key which is shifted by a semitone.

Of course, it is possible to perform this displacement in both directions and over several semitone intervals, this displacement having the effect of shifting the tone by a greater or lesser number of semitones.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the invention, the switching member OC, comprising in this case (fig. 2) a wafer switch 9, fixed to the front panel PA of the organ and can be operated by means of a button 10. This button comprises an index 11 cooperating with marks 12 of a dial 13 fixed on the panel PA. The switch 9 comprises, in a manner known per se, a posi device. operation 14, allowing step-by-step operation of the switch.

There are provided twelve identical wafers 15 (Fig. 2 and 3), each consisting of a ring 16 of insulating material on which thirteen cones are fixed. short tacts 17 and a long contact 18. The latter is in contact with a central ring 19 in ma. conductive third, this ring being provided with a lug 20, able to come into contact with each of the contacts 17, during the rotation of the ring 19. The latter is secured to a washer 21 of insulating material, pierced with a rectangular hole 22 in which is driven an operating shaft of rectangular section 23, integral with the button 10 and tra. pouring the switch assembly.

By turning the knob 10 by an angle corresponding to one step of the switch, the index 11

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going from a mark to the adjacent mark, all the washers 21 rotate at the same angle around the axis of the switch, the lug 20 of each wafer 15 then moving from a contact 17 to the adjacent contact 17.

Figure 4 shows a wiring diagram of switch 9. In this diagram are shown oscillators 0-1 to 0-24, dividers D-1 to D-12, fixed contacts f corresponding to short contacts 17 in figure 3 and the movable contacts m corresponding to the long contact 18 of this same figure.

The rows of thirteen successive contacts f each correspond to a wafer in FIG. 2, the left row being the wafer whose wiring is shown in FIG. 3.

The contacts 17 of the switch are connected by conductors according to the diagram of FIG. 4. For the sake of clarity, FIG. 3 shows only one of these conductors (reference 24).

It is easy to see that the action of the button 10, causing the shaft 23 and, consequently, all the washers 21 to turn, has the effect of switching the series of inputs 2 of the dividers D-1 to D-12 of a group of oscillators corresponding to a range of twelve semitones, to another group of oscillators corresponding to another range of semitones shifted by one or more semitones depending on the number of steps taken by switch 9. Thus, the desired transposition can be determined by means of this button 10.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described which have been chosen only by way of example.

Thus, many embodiments of the switching member can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention.

In addition, the scope of the transposition device is not limited to the number of twelve semitones of the example described above. It is therefore possible, for example, to provide a transposition device making it possible to carry out a transposition limited to 2 or 3 semitones towards high tones and at 3 or 4 semi-tones towards low tones.

Claims (1)

SUMMARY The invention relates to an electronic organ comprising a series of generators each tuned to a musical frequency, to generate one or more ranges of semitones, a series of dividers and / or multipliers of the frequencies generated by said generators and a device transposition, this organ being remarkable in particular by the following characteristics considered separately or in combinations 1 It comprises a switching member provided with a series of consecutive primary contacts each connected to an output of one of said generators, and a series of contacts secondary each connected to an input of one of said dividers and / or multipliers, these two series of contacts being able to come into contact with one another and be animated with a relative movement with respect to one another, said relative movement allowing the switching of said series of secondary contacts, of a series of primary contacts connected to the outputs of a series of generators corresponding to a first range of semitones, to another series of primary contacts connected to the outputs of another series of generators corresponding to another range of semitones, shifted by one or more semitones with respect to the first range; 2 Said primary contacts are fixed, equidistant and mounted on a fixed rule, said secondary contacts are movable, equidistant and mounted on a movable rule, the spacing between said movable contacts is the same as that of said fixed contacts, and the two rows of contacts are adjacent so that the movable contacts can slide against the fixed contacts; 3 Said primary contacts are movable, equidistant and mounted on a movable rule, said secondary contacts are fixed, equidistant and mounted on a fixed rule, the spacing between said movable contacts is the same as that of said fixed contacts, and the two rows of contacts are adjacent so that the movable contacts can slide against the fixed contacts; Said switching member is a switch with n wafers, each comprising n -I- 1 primary or fixed contacts and a secondary or movable contact arranged to selectively come into contact with said fixed contacts, said movable contact being connected to a fixed tab connected at the input of one of said dividers and / or multipliers, each of said n -i- 1 contacts being on a wafer of row p and being of row q in the series of n -i- 1 contacts of this wafer, this fixed contact being, moreover, electrically connected on the one hand to the (p -I- q - 1) th generator and, on the other hand, to the fixed contact of rank q - 1 of the wafer of rank p -f- 1 ; n being the number of divisors and / or multipliers; p being the row of the pancake counted from the pancake whose fixed tongue is connected to the first divider and / or multiplier; q being the rank of a fixed contact on any wafer counted from the fixed tab, in the direction which corresponds to a transposition of a semitone upwards.