US3376776A - Organ portamento system - Google Patents

Organ portamento system Download PDF

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Publication number
US3376776A
US3376776A US464044A US46404465A US3376776A US 3376776 A US3376776 A US 3376776A US 464044 A US464044 A US 464044A US 46404465 A US46404465 A US 46404465A US 3376776 A US3376776 A US 3376776A
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United States
Prior art keywords
condition
nominal
control connection
terminal
actuated
Prior art date
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Expired - Lifetime
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US464044A
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English (en)
Inventor
Rame W Bull
William C Ring
Ray B Schrecongost
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Marmon Co
Original Assignee
Hammond Corp
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Publication date
Application filed by Hammond Corp filed Critical Hammond Corp
Priority to US464044A priority Critical patent/US3376776A/en
Priority to GB24178/66A priority patent/GB1100572A/en
Priority to DE19661497785 priority patent/DE1497785A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3376776A publication Critical patent/US3376776A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H1/00—Details of electrophonic musical instruments
    • G10H1/02—Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos
    • G10H1/04—Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos by additional modulation
    • G10H1/043—Continuous modulation

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electrical organs, and particularly to a portamento system to be used therewith or therein.
  • One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel partamento system which automatically drops the pitch of an organ approximately a semitone, and then causes the frequency to rise or slide up to the nominal tuned level over an appreciable time interval.
  • Another object is to provide a novel portamento system of the type indicated above which is automatic in operation and in which the amount of the portamento effect depends upon the number of keys which are played simultaneously up to some predetermined limit.
  • Still another object is to provide a novel portamento system which temporarily overrides the normal vibrato with a portamento effect and restores the vibrato as the frequency rises to normal.
  • Yet another object .of this invention is to provide a novel portamento which, when in operation, has little or no effect upon the pitch of the instrument if only one key is played, which has an appreciable effect if two keys are played simultaneously, and which can have a progressively greater effect if more keys are played simultaneously, up to some predetermined limit.
  • One rather conventional scheme used in the design of electric organs is to provide master electronic ,oscillators for each of the twelve notes of the top octave, and to use groups of cascaded frequency dividers for supplying the lower octaves from the twelve master oscillators.
  • the present invention is concerned with the provision of a portamento system to be used in conjunction with oscillatorsfor instance, master oscillators-, including their vibrato system of the type mentioned above, for the purpose of providing additional signal animation.
  • the present invention simulates this Hawaiian guitar effect and other effects of a generally similar nature, in that when keys are played upon the organ one at a time, only the nominal frequency is present along with any vibrato which may be provided.
  • an effective portamento effect is produced which temporarily replaces the vibrato; that is, when the two notes are played together, their instantaneous sound is slightly flat, and the pitch thereafter ,gradually rises to the true pitch and remains at this true pitch, subto whatever vibrato effect is selected.
  • the portamento effect is somewhat greater in that the notes, when struck, are sounded flat initially by a greater amount-preferably up to about a semitone-, and then rise in pitch back to their nominal frequencies. This is accomplished automatically in that it is not necessary to move a foot pedal or other manually actuated control in order to accomplish the portamento effect.
  • FIG. 1 A preferred embodiment which may be considered representative of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing i-n which the single figure is a diagrammatic representation of the portamento system, including its connection to a representative oscillator which may be one of the twelve master oscillators previously mentioned.
  • one of the master oscillators is shown near the bottom.
  • An intermediate tap on the inductance is connected through a resistor 16 to the transistor emitter.
  • a capacitor 18 and resistor 20 are connected in parallel across the coil 14.
  • the collector is connected to a 15 volt supply indicated by the terminal at 22 by way of resistor 24.
  • the collector lead is also connected through a capacitor 26 and a set of contacts 28 operated by the .organ playing key to a signal output terminal 30, which in turn is connected to whatever control and output and speaker system the organ has.
  • the signal is also taken from the collector by way of the lead 32 to whatever frequency divider supplies the next successively lower octave. Since these frequency dividers form no part of the present invention and may be conventional, they are not shown.
  • the variable vibrato voltage from the vibrato oscillator (not shown), which has the purpose of producing the vibrato effect, is introduced to the terminal 34.
  • This terminal is connected through a vibrato on-off switch 36 and by way of a lead 38 and resistor 40 to the movable member 42 of a vibrato control switch.
  • this switch When this switch is thrown in one direction-labeled, for instance, Vibrato Normal-, it engages a contact 44 connected to the lead 46.
  • Vibrato Normal- When the switch blade 42 is thrown in the other direction indicated by the notation Vibrato Small, it engages contact 48 which is connected to the lead 46 by way of a resistor 50'.
  • the contact 48 is also connected through a resistor 52 t0 a l5 volt terminal 54.
  • the lead 46 previously mentioned is connected to ground through capacitor 56, and in turn to each of the master yoscillators by way of individual bias resistors, fo-ur of which are shown at 68, while the identical fifth, 70, is connected to the base of the oscillator transistor lll.
  • the Vibrato Normal-Vibrato Small switch 42 in the Vibrato Small position, interposes the resistor 50v in the vibrato alternating current circuit, thereby reducing the strength of the alternating signal relative to the D.C. potential as compared with the situation which prevails when this switch is in the Vibrato Normal position.
  • the automatic portamento portion of the circuit is essentially that shown at the upper portion of the diagram and is constructed around a pair of NPN transistors 72 and 74. Toward the left of the drawing, a 3-volt lead is indicated lat 76. This lead is connected through a plurality of resistors 7S, each of lwhich is connected through a set of contacts 80, to a common bus 82. Contacts 80 are representative of a group of individual key contacts, one set for each of the playing keys.
  • contact set 28 is not necessarily connected to one of the twelve master oscillators of the type shown. 1t may be connected instead, as is well understood, to the output of one of the frequency dividers which is fat some position down the cascade with one of the master oscillators at the high frequency end.
  • the bus 82 is connected to ground through a resistor 84 and diode 86 in parallel, the diode 86 being oriented t0 pass current when the potential of the lead 82 is sufficiently above ground, about .6 v.
  • the lead 82 is also connected through capacitor 88 to the base of transistor 72, which is also connected to the emitter of transistor '74, and to ground through a resistor 90.
  • the e-mitter of transistor 72 is connected to ground through resistor 91.
  • a l-volt terminal 92 is connected through a resistor 94, variable -resistor 96, and resistor 97 in series, to the base of transistor 74, this base also being connected to ground through a resistor 98.
  • the common point between resistor 94 and variable resistor 96 is also connected to ground through a pair of diodes 100 in series. These diodes are both oriented to pass current when the common point between resistors 94 and 96 is suiciently above ground, about 1.2 v.
  • the two diodes 100l are used in series to compensate for temperature variation and to maintain a potential thereacross of -about 1.2 v.
  • the collector of transistor 74 is connected to ground through resistor 104 and to a lS-volt voltage supply terminal 106 by way of resistor 108, and the collector of transistor 72 is connected through an on-oif portamento switch 102 to the vibrato lead 38 previously mentioned.
  • Transistors are of the silicon planar type-2N27l2, for instance-and diodes are typical silicon junction type.
  • Resistors are as follows:
  • 16 ohms 82 91 do 100 84 do 150 78 and 97 1K 40 1.2K 2.2K 96 (rheostat) 3K 94 4.7K 50 and 52 6.8K 24 and 90 10K 104 and 108 12K 1 56K 68 and 70 180K lAt 1760 c.p.s.
  • Capacitors are as follows: f
  • the capacitor 88 and resistor 90 differentiate any step increase in voltage at the bus 82 into a pulse with a sharp rise time and slow decay, which, if sufficiently positive, will cause conduction through the gate transistor 72.
  • the transistor 72 therefore, draws collector current from the terminal 54 by way of resistors 52 and 40, and through 50 if switch 42 is in the Vibrato Normal position. This superposes a drop in voltage and load impedance upon the vibrato signal in line 46, which in turn drops the frequency of the oscillator 10.
  • the capacitor 88 discharges the potential of line 46 rises so as to reverse the effect and restore the normal oscillator frequency and vibrato.
  • the Vibrato Normal-Vibrato Small switch 42-44-48 simply estab'- lishes the width of the vibrato swing, and, regardless of the position of this switch, the portamento effect overrides the vibrato in the manner discussed above, depending of course upon the position of the portamento switch 102.
  • the portamento effect is automatic, and that by a selection of circuit parameters the circuit can be made to respond such that no portamento effect is produced when a single key is played, this effect being pro'- pokerd only when two or more keys are played together, and that a limit can be placed upon the extent of this response; that is, a portamento eifect can be produced if two keys are played together, and still more effect if three keys are played together, but no additional portamento effect needs to be produced if still more keys are played if this is the desired result, since the diode 86 limits the potential that can exist on the line 82.
  • the first contact to close in a second touch system can be one of the contacts 80
  • the second set of contacts to close in such a system can be another set of the contacts 80, so that if a key is partially depressed, one set of contacts 80 will be engaged without producing a portamento, but that if the key is depressed further, the portamento effect will be produced when the second touch contact is closed.
  • the musician can obtain the portamento while playing a single key, if desired.
  • the portamento circuit it reacts in the same manner whether the two contacts, which are closed, are in a second touch system, .or whether they are actuated by separate keys.
  • the circuit is indifferent to whether three or four contacts played together represent three or four separate keys or two keys having second touch contacts. If such a second touch system is desired, it is simply necessary to consider the top two switches 80 as being actuated in succession by one playing key, the next two contacts 80 in succession by another playing key, and so on.
  • a portamento system for a musical instrument of the keyboard type comprising, means providing a group of tone signal sources of the type in which the frequencies supplied by the sources vary with an electrical condition existing at a terminal common to all of the sources in said group, means for establishing a nominal electrical condition at said terminal, circuit means connected to said terminal and adapted when actuated for changing the electrical condtion at said terminal away from said nominal condition abruptly in one direction and then returning the condition at said terminal slowly to said nominal electrical Cil condition, said circuit means having a control connection adapted to actuate said circuit means when a condition at said control connection is shifted in one direction from a nominal condition by more than a certain amount, said circuit means being deactivated when said control connection is at the last said nominal condition or a condition which is shifted from the last said nominal condition by no more than the said certain amount, circuit means including a mechanism actuated by a plurality or playing key actuated switches connected to said control connection and adapted to shift the condition at said control connection by no more than said certain amount when a single
  • a portamento system for a musical instrument of the keyboard type comprising, means providing a group of tone signal generators of the type in which the frequencies generated vary with the potential applied to a terminal common to all of the generators in said group, means for supplying a cyclically varying vibrato potential to said terminal, circuit means connected to said terminal and adapted when actuated for overriding the vibrato potential and changing the potential at said terminal abruptly in one direction and then returning the potential at said terminal slowly to said vibrato potential, said circuit means having a control connection adapted to actuate said circuit means when the potential at said control connection is shifted in one direction from a nominal potential by more than a certain amount, said circuit means being deactivated when said control connection is at the last said nominal potential or a potential which is shifted from the last said nominal potential by no more than the said certain amount, circuit means including a plurality of playing key actuated switches connected to said control connection and adapted to shift the potential at said control connection by no more than said certain amount when a single one of any of
  • a portamento system for a musical instrument of the keyboard type comprising, means providing a group of tone signal generators of the type in which the frequencies generated vary with the potential applied to a terminal common to all of the generators in said group, means for supplying a cyclically varying vibrato potential to said terminal, a pulse producing circuit connected to said terminal and adapted when actuated for supplying a pulse for changing the level of the varying vibrato potential at said terminal abruptly in one direction and then returning the potential at said terminal slowly to said varying vibrato potential, said pulse circuit having a control connection adapted to actuate said pulse circuit when the potential at said control connection is shifted in one direction by more than a certain amount from a nominal potential, said pulse circuit being deactivated when said control connection is at the last said nominal potential or a potential which is shifted from the last said nominal potential by no more than the said certain amount, circuit means including a plurality of playing key actuated switches connected to said control connection and adapted to shift the potential at said control connection by no more than said
  • a portamento system for a musical instrument of the keyboard type comprising, means providing a group of tone signal generators of the type in which the frequencies generated vary with the potential appled to a terminal common to all of the generators in said group, means for supplying a nominal potential to said terminal, a pulse producing circuit including a capacitor discharge and gate circuit connected to said terminal and adapted when actuated for supplying a pulse for shifting the potential at said terminal abruptly in one direction away from said nominal potential and then returning the potential at said terminal slowly to said nominal potential, said pulse circuit having a control connection adapted to actuate said pulse circuit to supply a lpulse when the poential at said control connection is shifted in one direction by more than a certain amount from a nominal potential, said pulse circuit being deactivated so as not to supply a pulse when said control connection is at the last said nominal potentialor a potential which is shifted from the last said nominal potential by no more than the said certain amount, circut means including a plurality of playing key actuated switches connected to said control connection and
  • a portamento system for a musical instrument of the keyboard type comprising, means providing a group of tone signal sources of the type in which the frequencies supplied by the sources vary with an electrical condition existing at a terminal common to all of the sources in said group, means for establishing a nominal electrical condition at said terminal to provide nominal frequencies, circuit means connected to said terminal and adapted when actuated for changing the electrical condition at said terminal away from said nominal condition abruptly in one direction and then returning the condition at said terminal slowly to said nominal electrical condition, said circuit means having a control connection adapted to actuate said circuit means when a condition at said control connection is shifted in one direction from a nominal condition by more than a certain amount, said circuit means being inactive when said control connection is at the last said nominal condition or a condition which is shifted from the last said nominal condition by no more than the said certain amount, circuit means including a mechanism actuated by a plurality of playing key actuated devices connected to said control connection and adapted to shift the condtion at said control connection by an amount which depends upon the number of said

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
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  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
US464044A 1965-06-15 1965-06-15 Organ portamento system Expired - Lifetime US3376776A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US464044A US3376776A (en) 1965-06-15 1965-06-15 Organ portamento system
GB24178/66A GB1100572A (en) 1965-06-15 1966-05-31 Organ portamento system
DE19661497785 DE1497785A1 (de) 1965-06-15 1966-06-14 Portamentsystem fuer Musikinstrumente

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US464044A US3376776A (en) 1965-06-15 1965-06-15 Organ portamento system

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3590133A (en) * 1968-11-15 1971-06-29 Wurlitzer Co Variable amplitude vibrato and glissando circuitry for electronic musical instruments

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0823748B2 (ja) * 1984-11-27 1996-03-06 カシオ計算機株式会社 電子楽器
JPH067323B2 (ja) * 1984-11-30 1994-01-26 カシオ計算機株式会社 電子楽器

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USRE24743E (en) * 1959-12-01 Electmcal musical instrument
US2928306A (en) * 1957-09-16 1960-03-15 Hammond Organ Co Oscillators and circuitry for a musical instrument with rapid starting characteristics
US3288907A (en) * 1962-05-07 1966-11-29 Hammond Organ Co Electronic musical instrument with delayed vibrato

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USRE24743E (en) * 1959-12-01 Electmcal musical instrument
US2928306A (en) * 1957-09-16 1960-03-15 Hammond Organ Co Oscillators and circuitry for a musical instrument with rapid starting characteristics
US3288907A (en) * 1962-05-07 1966-11-29 Hammond Organ Co Electronic musical instrument with delayed vibrato

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3590133A (en) * 1968-11-15 1971-06-29 Wurlitzer Co Variable amplitude vibrato and glissando circuitry for electronic musical instruments

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DE1497785A1 (de) 1969-06-19
GB1100572A (en) 1968-01-24
DE1497785B2 (de) 1970-11-12

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