GB1425711A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1425711 Electrophonic musical instruments FARFISA SpA 1 March 1973 [1 March 1972] 3292/73 Heading G5J Whatever number and combination of keys are pressed on a keyboard unit 11, the note f 1 corresponding to the lowest key pressed appears at output 16, that f 2 corresponding to the second lowest key at 17, that f 3 corresponding to the highest key at 18, and those corresponding to all the keys pressed (i.e. the chord) at 20. Gates controlled by an auto-rhythm unit 24 pass these frequencies to the output amplifier 14 in selected patterns to produce a wide range of rhythmic accompaniments. These include arpeggios which are obtained by connecting outputs 16, 17, 18 in turn to a chain of dividers 45-47 and selecting the outputs of these in turn. The whole arpeggio can be lowered by one octave by a divider 53, or this divider can be by-passed by a switch 54. Similarly the lowest and highest notes f 1 , f 3 are fed alternately to a divider chain 32-34 the outputs of which are selected in turn as bass notes. The tones from the generator 10, which feed the keyboard unit 11 also pass through a melody keyboard 12 and filters 13 to the output. The auto-rhythm unit 21 may run continuously or may be started by a D.C. control signal S from an output 19 of the keyboard unit 11. The unit 21 also controls percussion generators 22.