US3603714A - Method and system for generating tremolo effects in electronic musical instruments - Google Patents

Method and system for generating tremolo effects in electronic musical instruments Download PDF

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Publication number
US3603714A
US3603714A US862856A US3603714DA US3603714A US 3603714 A US3603714 A US 3603714A US 862856 A US862856 A US 862856A US 3603714D A US3603714D A US 3603714DA US 3603714 A US3603714 A US 3603714A
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Prior art keywords
signal
generating
keys
pulse
circuit
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US862856A
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English (en)
Inventor
Takeshi Adachi
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Nippon Gakki Co Ltd
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Nippon Gakki Co Ltd
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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

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to electronic musical instruments, and more particularly to a new method and system for generating tremolo effects in electronic musical instruments in which the lateral (left-and-right as viewed by the player) movements of keys are detected as electrical signals by means of photoelectric element or the like, and amplitude modulation is thereby accomplished with these signals.
  • Tremolo effects in an electronic musical keyboard instrument are ordinarily obtained by amplitude modulation of musical tone signals with ultralow frequency signals of from 12 to 13 Hz.
  • the modulation frequency be varied freely during musical performance in accordance with musical tempo or some other musical characteristic.
  • the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and system for generating tremolo effects in electronic musical instruments wherein the signal frequency for generating tremolo effects can be freely controlled as desired by the player.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and system for generating tremolo effects or mandolin effects as desired which is simple in construction and economical in production.
  • Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and system for generating tremolo effects which have frequencies multiplied by a certain factor to the frequencies of lateral movements of keys.
  • FIG. I is a block diagram indicating an example of tremolo effect generating method and system according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is graphical representation indicating an output signal with an envelope, obtained from the output terminal of the system indicated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram indicating another example of the tremolo effect generating method and system according to the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a graphical representation indicating an output signal having an envelope, obtained from the output terminal of the system indicated in FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 5 is emboding circuit of the block diagram shown in FIG. 3.
  • strings of a mandolin are made of several pairs of strings, each pair consisting of two similar strings adjacent each other.
  • a slow reciprocal movement of fingers on a pair of strings generates sound four times and a fast reciprocal movement of fingers on the above-mentioned strings generates sound substantially two times.
  • musical sounds are generated twice or four times in case of a lateral movement of the player's fingers on a key of the instrument.
  • a signal detecting device I which detects a lateral minute vibration of each key (not shown) of an electronic musical instrument and converts the vibration into an electric signal.
  • the signal detecting device I is composed of a transducer element such as a photoelectric element, and the electric signal thus obtained is thereafter sent to a frequency multiplying circuit 2 for obtaining an output frequency two or four times higher than that of the original signal,
  • the output signal from the frequency multiplying circuit 2 in turn operates a monostable multivibrator 3 serving as a pulse shaper so that a pulse signal is obtained from the output terminal of the multivibrator 3.
  • the multivibrator 3 can be replaced to a clipper.
  • the signal-detecting device 1, the frequency-multiplying circuit 2, and the pulse-shaper 3, constitute a pulse-generating circuit.
  • the waveform of the pulse signal obtained from the monostable multivibrator 3 is then converted in a waveform conversion circuit 4 into a sinusoidal waveform when a tremolo effect is desired, and into a sawtooth waveform when a mandolin effect is desired.
  • the output signal from the waveform conversion circuit l is applied to an amplitude modulator 5.
  • a music tone arriving at the incoming terminal T is amplitude modulated with the output signal from the waveform conversion circuit 4, and the thus modulated tremolo (or mandolin effect) output is delivered from the output terminal T FIG. 1?.
  • FIG. 3 showing another example of the tremolo effect generating method and system according to the present invention, wherein like members are designated by like reference numerals, there is further provided a rectifying circuit 6 which rectifies the musical sound signals delivered by the manipulation of the playing keys and applied to the input terminal T and a rectified output of the rectifying circuit 6 is applied to the monostable multivibrator 3.
  • a signal obtained from the lateral movement detecting device 1 and the frequency of this signal is multiplied in the frequency multiplying device 2.
  • the output of the monostable multivibrator 3 is then subjected to a waveform conversion in the waveform conversion circuit 4, and the output signal thus obtained is applied to the amplitude modulator S. It is seen a difference between FIG. I and FIG. 3 in a point that an musical signals applied to the input terminal T, are passed through the amplitude modulator 5 only when the output signal from the monostable multivibrator 3 is applied to the amplitude modulator 5. Thus, from the output terminal T musical sounds with accompanying tremolo (or the mandolin) effects are obtained.
  • FIG. 4 shows an output waveform of musical sounds having an envelope formed in accordance with the method and the system indicated in FIG. 3.
  • the monostable multivibrator 3 When key is depressed at a time t the monostable multivibrator 3 is operated by the musical signal applied to the input terminal T generating a single percussive tone signal which is not followed by an continuous signal. Then, at a time t if the fingers are moved laterally while the key is held in the depressed condition, the output signal from the lateral movement detector will operate the monostable multivibrator 3, and the musical signal will be vibrated at a frequency corresponding to twice or four times of the original frequency of the lateral movement of the fingers. At a time the generation of the musical sound is stopped by stopping the lateral movement of the fingers, and at a time 2 the players fingers are detached from the key.
  • the playing of the musical instrument creates an auditory sensation substantially similar to that produced by actual playing ofa mandolin.
  • the frequency of tremolo effects can be controlled in accordance with the desire of the player becomes a value equal to the product of the frequency of the lateral movement of the fingers and a predetermined member.
  • a method of generating tremolo effects in an electronic musical instrument having keys which key musical sounds when manipulated comprising the steps of generating an electric signal by lateral movement of each of said keys, and applying said signal to a pulse-generating circuit, converting the waveform of the resulting output signal from said pulse-generating circuit, and amplitude-modulating a musical sound signal with the thus converted output signal.
  • a system for generating tremolo effects in an electronic musical instrument having keys which key musical sounds when actuated comprising a pulse-generating circuit including means generating an electric signal by lateral movement of each of said keys, a conversion circuit means wherein the waveform of the resulting generated output signal from said pulse-generating circuit is converted to a desired form, and an amplitude-modulation circuit means wherein the amplitude of a musical sound signal is modulated in accordance with the resulting output of said waveform conversion circuit.
  • a system for generating tremolo effects in an electronic musical instrument having keys comprising a pulse generating circuit to which an electric signal created by lateral movement of each of said keys is applied, a conversion circuit for converting the wave form of the resulting output signal from said pulse generating circuit to a desired form, an amplitudemodulation circuit for modulating the amplitude of a musical sound signal in accordance with the resulting output of said waveform conversion circuit, and a rectifying circuit for rectifying said musical signal and applying the thus rectified output to said pulse generating circuit.
  • a method of generating tremolo effects in an electronic musical instrument having keys for keying musical sounds when actuated comprising the steps of generating an electric signal by lateral movement of each of the keys, frequency-multiplying the generated electric signal, shaping the multiplied signal, converting the waveform of the resulting shaped signal, and amplitude-modulating a musical sound signal with the converted signal.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
US862856A 1968-10-04 1969-10-01 Method and system for generating tremolo effects in electronic musical instruments Expired - Lifetime US3603714A (en)

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JP43071863A JPS499768B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1968-10-04 1968-10-04

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3762265A (en) * 1970-12-25 1973-10-02 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument having tone start prominence circuit

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2681584A (en) * 1948-08-17 1954-06-22 Wilbespan Res Labs Inc Electronic tone generator
US3040613A (en) * 1958-07-03 1962-06-26 Conn Ltd C G Electrical musical system
US3093700A (en) * 1959-09-21 1963-06-11 Thomas J George Electronic tremulant system
US3288909A (en) * 1960-11-21 1966-11-29 Volodin Andrey Alexandrovich Keyboard electric musical instrument
US3493669A (en) * 1965-12-03 1970-02-03 Baldwin Co D H Output systems for electric guitars and the like

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2681584A (en) * 1948-08-17 1954-06-22 Wilbespan Res Labs Inc Electronic tone generator
US3040613A (en) * 1958-07-03 1962-06-26 Conn Ltd C G Electrical musical system
US3093700A (en) * 1959-09-21 1963-06-11 Thomas J George Electronic tremulant system
US3288909A (en) * 1960-11-21 1966-11-29 Volodin Andrey Alexandrovich Keyboard electric musical instrument
US3493669A (en) * 1965-12-03 1970-02-03 Baldwin Co D H Output systems for electric guitars and the like

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3762265A (en) * 1970-12-25 1973-10-02 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Electronic musical instrument having tone start prominence circuit

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