US3836693A - Piano tone-synthesizing system for electronic musical instruments - Google Patents

Piano tone-synthesizing system for electronic musical instruments Download PDF

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Publication number
US3836693A
US3836693A US00374309A US37430973A US3836693A US 3836693 A US3836693 A US 3836693A US 00374309 A US00374309 A US 00374309A US 37430973 A US37430973 A US 37430973A US 3836693 A US3836693 A US 3836693A
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Prior art keywords
tone
coupled
signals
resistors
keyer
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Expired - Lifetime
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US00374309A
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English (en)
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K Ichikawa
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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
    • G10H1/06—Circuits for establishing the harmonic content of tones, or other arrangements for changing the tone colour
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S84/00—Music
    • Y10S84/09—Filtering

Definitions

  • the tone signals of 4, 8 and 16 are supplied 1 a c b with the color of flute tones by flute tone coloring til- 2 ters.
  • the tone signals of 4 and 8 are further furnished with the colors of brass and string tones by a [56] References Clted brass tone coloring filter and a string tone coloring fil- UNITED STATES PATENTS ter.
  • the tone signals bearing the various tone colors 2,142,580 1/1939 Williams 84/121 are mixed to provide a piano tone. 2,580,217 12/1951 Colombani 84 122 3,505,461 4/1970 Omura et al 84/1.0l 18 ClalmS, 9 Drawing gures l l l?
  • MIXER OUTPUT LEVEL LOW 1 HIGH OUTPUT PIANO TONE-SYNTHESIZING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a piano tone-synthesizing system for electronic musical instruments.
  • fundamental tone signals produced by the tone generators are combined in various combinations to provide musical tone signals bearings various tone colors, using filters having different frequency characteristics.
  • selection is further made, for example, of couplers, filters and envelopes associated with musical tones being played.
  • tone signals generated by the tone generators with rectangular waves are delivered through a keyer upon key operation while being accompanied with the so-called percussive envelope attenuating immediately after the rise.
  • the tone signals are later passed through a filter to be supplied with, for example, the color of flute tones.
  • This process provides musical tones like percussive tones, one of the characteristics of piano tones.
  • Musical tones thus obtained indeed present such volume change or envelope change as simulates piano tones.
  • those musical tones only bear a simple tone color, falling short of actual piano tones.
  • the system of this invention enables musical tones including the percussive tones, strong tones and the tones derived from the sound boards which characterize piano tones to be produced over a range from the low to the high compass, namely, provides forceful percussive tones in the low compass and resounding percussive tones in the high compass always in a brilliant state.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a piano tone-synthesizing system according to an embodiment of this invention
  • FIGS. 2A to 2C are mixing characteristics of mixers of FIG. 1 used in combining tone signals of 4', 8 and 16' respectively;
  • FIG. 2D is a circuit diagram of a mixer for the tone signals
  • FIG. 3B shows characteristics of the mixer of FIG. 3A
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a piano tone-synthesizing system according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 5 as a fractional circuit diagram of FIG. 4.
  • numeral 11 denotes the known tone generators for producing tone signals.
  • Output signals from the tone generators 11 are conducted to the known keyer 12, which, upon key depression, selectively draws out from the tone generators tone signals having a pitch corresponding to a depressed key and including 4', 8 and 16' tone signals mutually bearing a coupler relationship.
  • From the keyer 12 are jointly delivered tone signals falling within the predetermined compass or a half octave compass. Supposing that the keyboard 13 has five octave compasses, then the keyer 12 is provided with 10 output terminals for the 4' tone signal, and also l0 output terminal for the 8' and 16' tone signals respectively.
  • the fundamental pitch of the note of a depressed key is determined by the 8 tone signal.
  • the 16' tone signal has a frequency one octave lower than that of the 8 tone signal and the 4 tone signal has a frequency one octave higher than that of the 8 tone signal.
  • the keyer 12 may be so designed as to produce tone signals bearing such a percussive envelope as indicated by numeral 14.
  • a plurality of 4 tone signals delivered from the keyer 12 are properly combined by a mixer 15.
  • a mixed output signal is supplied to a tone coloring filter 16 to be furnished with the color of flute tones.
  • a group of 8' tone signals and that of 16 are combined by mixers 17 and 19 respectively, and than conducted to tone coloring filters 18 and 20 respectively so as to be given the color of flute tones.
  • a group of4i' tone signals and that of 8' tone signals are further combined by mixers 21 and 23 respectively.
  • These mixers 21 and 23 are each provided with a first output terminal H f0 mainly deriving tone signals of high frequency and a second output terminal L for mainly deriving tone signals of low frequency.
  • the first and second output terminals H and L of the mixers 21 and 23 are connected to a tone coloring filter 22 for imparting the color of brass tones to the 4' and 8 tone signals.
  • the second output terminals L of the mixers 21 and 23 are connected to a tone coloring filter 24 for supplying the color of string tones to the 4' and 8' tone signals.
  • Musical tone signals from the tone color filters 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 are properly combined by resisters 25 to 29 and then conducted to an amplifier 30.
  • the mixer 15 for the 4' tone signals is preferred to have such a frequency characteristic as cause the levels of mixed tone signals progressively to decrease, as shown in FIG. 2A, as the frequencies thereof fall.
  • the mixer 17 for the 8' tone signals defining the fundamental pitch of musical tones is designed to have a flat frequency characteristic indicated in FIG. 28 whereby tone signals having different frequencies are mixed with an equal level.
  • the mixer 19 for the 16 tone signals is desired to display, as shown in FIG. 2C, the opposite frequency characteristic to that of the mixer 15 for the 4" tone signals.
  • the mixers 21 and 23 are arranged, as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 3A. These mixers 21 and 23 each have ten input terminals to match the keyboard 13 having five octave compasses. Resistors R of equal resistivity are connected at one end to the input terminals. The resistors R are connected at the other end successively to resistors R1 of equal resistivity. The input terminals are supplied with tone signals whose frequencies progressively increase from the first to the tenth input terminal.
  • the first output terminal H is connected to that terminal a serial circuit consisting of resistors R1 which is located at the side of the tenth input terminal supplied with a tone signal of highest frequency.
  • the second output terminal L is connected to that terminal of the serial circuit consisting of resistors R1 which is located at the side of the first input terminal, supplied with a tone signal of lowest frequency.
  • the input terminals are supplied with tone signals having an equal level, then there are delivered, as shown in FIG. 38, from the first output terminal H a plurality of tone signals whose levels progressively fall as their frequencies decrease, and from the second output terminal L a plurality of tone signals whose levels are successively reduced as their frequencies increase.
  • the mixers 15 and 19 of FIG. 1 may be arranged as shown in FIG. 3A.
  • the mixer 15 need not be provided with the second output terminal L, nor the mixer 19 requires the first output terminal H.
  • the mixer 17 may have the arrangement of FIG. 3A. In this case, both first and second output terminals H and L are connected to the tone color filter 18.
  • the mixers 15, 17 and 19 may consist of mixers including as shown in FIG. 2D, ordinary mixing resistors r1 to r10.
  • the mixers l and 19 include mixing resistors r1 to r having sequentially different values and the mixer 17 include mixing resistors rll to r10 having an equal value.
  • the mixers l5 and 19 may further consist of active elements or transistors having different amplification factors. Either of the mixers 15 and 21 for the 4' tone signals may be concurrently used as a substitute for the other. Similarly either of the mixers 17 and 23 for the 8'. tone signals may be concurrently used as a substitute for the other. Further, either of the mixer 21 for the 4 tone signals and the mixer 23 for the 8' tone signals may be used in mixing the 4 and 8' tone signals at the same time.
  • Supply of the 4' and 8 tone signals to the brass tone coloring filter 22 may be effected by two mixers each having the same flat frequency characteristics as those of the mixer 17.
  • supply of 4 and 8' tone signals to the string tone coloring filter 24 is carried out using a mixer having the same arrangement as shown in FIG. 3A but only provided with the second output terminal L or a mixer including the mixing resistors r1 and r10 of FIG. 2D having different values.
  • the mixers 15, and 19 having the frequency characteristics shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C as means for varying the levels of 4 and 16' tone signals supplied to the flute tone coloring filter l6 and 20 according to their frequencies.
  • these mixers are not always necessary. Namely, the same effect can be attained by supplying, as shown in FIG. 4, the 4' and 16 tone signals directly to the flute tone coloring filters l6 and 20 and providing a high pass filter 31 and low pass filter 32 on the output side of the flute tone coloring filters 16 and 20.
  • the high pass filter 31 delivers tone signals having such frequency characteristics as shown in FIG. 2A
  • the low pass filter produces tone signals having such frequency characteristics as illustrated in FIG. 2B.
  • the high and low pass filters 31 and 32 may be disposed on the input side of the flute tone coloring filters 16 and 20.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates the circuit arrangement of the high and low pass filters 31 and 32, brass tone coloring filter 22 and string tone coloring filter 24.
  • the high pass filter 31 is desired to have a cutoff frequency of 600 to 700 Hz (-6 db/oct) and the low pass filter a cutoff frequency of to 200 Hz (-6 db/oct).
  • a method for synthesizing piano tones using an electronic musical instrument including a keyboard means having a plurality of keys for initiating tone generation and a plurality of tone generators comprising the steps of:
  • a system according to claim 1 comprising combining the respective musical tone signals in a ratio of substantially lzlztllzfilfiflld.
  • a system according to claim 1 comprising deriving said 4', 8 and 16' tone signals from said tone generators with respective percussive envelopes.
  • a piano tone synthesizing system for electronic musical instruments comprising:
  • keyboard means having a plurality of keys for initiating tone generation
  • keyer means for coupling out tone tone signals of 4', 8 and 116' from said tone generators in response to operation of each key of said keyboard means;
  • a first tone coloring filter means coupled to said keyer means for supplying said 4' tone signal with the color of flute tones
  • a second tone coloring filter means coupled to said keyer means for supplying said 8' tone signal with the color of flute tones
  • a third tone coloring filter means coupled to said keyer means for suppying the color of flute tones to said 16; tone signal;
  • a fourth tone coloring filter means coupled to said keyer means for supplying the 4' and 8 tone signals with the color of brass tones
  • a fifth tone coloring filter means coupled to said keyer means for supplying said 4' and 8' tone signals with the color of string tones
  • a system according to claim 4 further comprising amplitude varying means coupled to said first tone coloring filter means for progressively reducing the amplitudes of a plurality of 3 tone signals delivered from said keyer means in response to operation ofa plurality of keys on said keyboard means as their frequencies decrease.
  • a system according to claim 5 wherein said amplitude varying means comprises a high pass filter.
  • said amplitude varying means comprises a mixer coupled between said keyer and said first tone coloring filter.
  • said mixer includes a plurality of input terminals; one output terminal coupled to the input of said first tone coloring filter; a plurality of first resistors of equal resistance connected at one end to the plural input terminals respectively; and a plurality of second serially connected resistors of equal resistance successively interconnecting the opposite ends of said first resistors with at least one second resistor coupled between successive opposite ends of said first resistors, one end of said serial connection of said second resistors being connected to said output terminal, and said input terminals being supplied with the 4 tone signals whose frequencies progressively decrease from the input terminal coupled to the first resistor which is connected at its said other end to the output end of said serial connection of said second resistors toward the input terminals successively coupled at points along said serial connection of said second resistors.
  • a system according to claim 4 further comprising amplitude varying means coupled to said third tone coloring filter means for progressively reducing the amplitudes of a plurality of 16' tone signals delivered from said keyer means in response to operation of a plurality of keys on said keyboard means as their frequencies increase.
  • said amplitude varying means is a mixer connected between said keyer means and said third tone coloring filter.
  • said mixer includes a plurality of input terminals, one output terminal coupled to the input of said third tone coloring filter means, a plurality of first resistors of equal resistance connected at one end of said plural input terminals respectively; and a plurality of second serially connected resistors of equal resistance successively interconnecting the opposite ends of said first resistors with at least one second resistor coupled between successive opposite ends of said first resistors, one end of said serial connection of said second resistors being connected to said output terminal, and said input terminals being supplied with 16 tone signals whose frequencies progressively increase from the input terminal coupled to the first resistor which is connected at its said other end to the output end of said serial connection of said second resistors toward the input terminals successively coupled at points along said serial connection of said second resistors.
  • a system according to claim 4 further including amplitude varying means coupled to said fifth tone coloring filter means for progressively reducing the amplitudes of a plurality of 4' tone signals and those of a plurality of 8' tone signals delivered from said keyer in response to operation of a plurality of keys on said keyboard means as their frequencies increase.
  • a system according to claim 4 further comprising a first amplitude varying means connected between said keyer means and said fourth tone coloring filter means and a second amplitude varying means connected between said keyer means and said fifth tone coloring filter means; said first and second amplitude varying means each having a plurality of input terminals, a first and a second output terminal, a plurality of first resistors successively connected at one end to the plural input terminals respectively, and a plurality of second serially connected resistors of equal resistivity successively interconnecting the opposite ends of said plural first resistors with at least one second resistor coupled between successive opposite ends of said first resistors; said first and second output terminals being connected to the end terminals of the serial circuit comprised of said serially connected second resistors; said plural input terminals of each of said first and second amplitude varying means being so connected to said keyer means as to receive a group of 4' tone signals and that of 8 tone signals respectively whose frequencies progressively decrease from the input terminal which is coupled to the first resistor which is
  • a piano tone-synthesizing system for electronic musical instruments comprising:
  • keyboard means having a plurality of keys for initiating tone generation; a plurality of tone generators; keyer means for coupling out tone signals of 4, 8' and 16' from said tone generators in response to operation of at least one key of said keyboard means; means coupled to the output of said keyer means for forming a first musical tone signal, said means including a tone coloring filter means for supplying the 4' tone signals with the color of flute tone and means coupled to said tone coloring filter means for varying the levels of the 4' tone signals as a function of their frequencies over a given range of frequencies; means coupled to the output of said keyer means for forming a second musical tone signal, said means including a tone coloring filter means for supplying the 8 tone signals with the color of flute tones;
  • said means includeidng a tone coloring filter means for imparting the color of flute tones to the 16' tone signals and means coupled to said tone coloring filter for varying the levels of the 16 tone signals as a function of their frequencies over a given range of frequencies;
  • said means coupled to the output of said keyer means for forming a fourth musical tone signal, said means including a tone coloring filter means for supplying the 4 and 8 tone signals with the color of brass tones;
  • said means including a tone coloring filter means for supplying the 4 and 8' tone signals with the color of string tones and means coupled to said tone coloring filter means for varying the levels of the 4' 8 tone signals as a function of their frequencies over a given range of frequencies; and

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Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4085648A (en) * 1974-06-21 1978-04-25 Cmb Colonia Management-Und Beratungsgesellschaft Mbh & Co. K.G. Electronic sound synthesis
US4138915A (en) * 1976-03-05 1979-02-13 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument producing tones by variably mixing different waveshapes
US4227435A (en) * 1977-04-28 1980-10-14 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument
US4236434A (en) * 1978-04-27 1980-12-02 Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Sakki Susakusho Apparatus for producing a vocal sound signal in an electronic musical instrument
US4236435A (en) * 1977-05-16 1980-12-02 Victor Company Of Japan, Limited Keying system in an electronic musical instrument
US4248123A (en) * 1979-04-25 1981-02-03 Baldwin Piano & Organ Company Electronic piano

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4226157A (en) * 1978-06-20 1980-10-07 The Wurlitzer Company Waveform synthesis for an electronic musical instrument
CA1223375A (en) * 1982-10-13 1987-06-23 Colin W.A. Muir Treating cyanide-containing effluents

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2142580A (en) * 1933-03-06 1939-01-03 Hammond Instr Co Electrical musical instrument
US2580217A (en) * 1949-02-22 1951-12-25 Don Pierre Louis Jea Colombani Electronic musical instrument
US3505461A (en) * 1965-12-20 1970-04-07 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Electronic musical instrument for producing novel acoustic effects from multitone signals
US3591699A (en) * 1968-03-28 1971-07-06 Royce L Cutler Music voicing circuit deriving an input from a conventional musical instrument and providing voiced musical tones utilizing the fundamental tones from the conventional musical instrument
US3624265A (en) * 1970-03-17 1971-11-30 Shigeru Yamada Tone-generating device for electronic musical instrument
US3723633A (en) * 1971-06-16 1973-03-27 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Bass tone producing device for an electronic musical instrument
US3739071A (en) * 1970-12-29 1973-06-12 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Tone color forming circuit in electronic musical instrument
US3749807A (en) * 1971-04-14 1973-07-31 T Adachi Orchestral effect producing system for an electronic musical instrument
US3757023A (en) * 1970-03-09 1973-09-04 R Peterson Harmonic synthesis organ system

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2142580A (en) * 1933-03-06 1939-01-03 Hammond Instr Co Electrical musical instrument
US2580217A (en) * 1949-02-22 1951-12-25 Don Pierre Louis Jea Colombani Electronic musical instrument
US3505461A (en) * 1965-12-20 1970-04-07 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Electronic musical instrument for producing novel acoustic effects from multitone signals
US3591699A (en) * 1968-03-28 1971-07-06 Royce L Cutler Music voicing circuit deriving an input from a conventional musical instrument and providing voiced musical tones utilizing the fundamental tones from the conventional musical instrument
US3757023A (en) * 1970-03-09 1973-09-04 R Peterson Harmonic synthesis organ system
US3624265A (en) * 1970-03-17 1971-11-30 Shigeru Yamada Tone-generating device for electronic musical instrument
US3739071A (en) * 1970-12-29 1973-06-12 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Tone color forming circuit in electronic musical instrument
US3749807A (en) * 1971-04-14 1973-07-31 T Adachi Orchestral effect producing system for an electronic musical instrument
US3723633A (en) * 1971-06-16 1973-03-27 Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg Bass tone producing device for an electronic musical instrument

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4085648A (en) * 1974-06-21 1978-04-25 Cmb Colonia Management-Und Beratungsgesellschaft Mbh & Co. K.G. Electronic sound synthesis
US4138915A (en) * 1976-03-05 1979-02-13 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument producing tones by variably mixing different waveshapes
US4227435A (en) * 1977-04-28 1980-10-14 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic musical instrument
US4236435A (en) * 1977-05-16 1980-12-02 Victor Company Of Japan, Limited Keying system in an electronic musical instrument
US4236434A (en) * 1978-04-27 1980-12-02 Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Sakki Susakusho Apparatus for producing a vocal sound signal in an electronic musical instrument
US4248123A (en) * 1979-04-25 1981-02-03 Baldwin Piano & Organ Company Electronic piano

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