US872267A - Recording music. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. J. J. WALKER. RECORDING MUSIC.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1906.

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' PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

J. J. WALKER. nscoxmme MUSIC.

APYLIUATIOF FILED APR. 30, 1906.

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masses \3- m QM M W MQJ PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES JOHN WALKER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

RECORDING MUSIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Original application filed August 24, 1905. Serial No. 275.611. Divided and this application filed April 30. 1906. Serial No. 314.595.

To all 115720112 it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J OHN \VALKER, a subset of the King of Great Britain, residing at Francis street, Tottenham Court Road,

London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Recording Music; and I do hereby declare the followm to be a full, clear, and exact description oi the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the production of a record of music having a companion record representing expression whereby an exact record of the manipulation or actuation of each individual key, lever, or controlling device of the recording device is obtained, such record enabling both the cried and speed of actuation of such contro ling members of an instrument to be automatically recorded without the intervention of human agency beyond the manipulation of the controlling members; this record, however, forms no part of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings --Figures 1 and 2 are plans of portions of two different 5 forms of perforated or slotted sheets or hands to the production of which the present invention is applicable; Fig. 3 is a general View of a recording mechanism according to this invention, partly in per. ective, and partly in sectional elevation am 'such as is applicable to the production of the record shown in Fig. l Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified form of contact plate which may be'used to control the transmission of impulses for the production of a record such as is shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view of a swell lever carrying the contact plate shown in Fig. 4, for succes- "sivcly engaging a series of electrical contacts;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a mechanical impulse transmitter for operating punch selectors in place of the electrical means shown in 1 Fig. 3, and Fig.4 7 is a sectional elevation of a hydraulic or pneumatic device Operating 'll ill 1 zt pllll'cu] fiaLlcL .Qrs.

The band or sheet ain Fig. 1, for the production of which the present invention provides, is provided witha series of perforations intended to represent a note which is to be'played m various-ways, -b .a-pneumatlcally actuated. instrument, a1 as fully described in the specification of aseparate ap- "by the slot 0. ing applied at once, the resultant descent of plication for Letters Patent Serial Number 275611 filed August 24th 1905 and from which care the present one is a divisional application. I

The slots in the row marked I are the ordinary tune slots and may control one of the motors or pneumatics connected with the key of the particular note represented by the slot, or one degree of power to be applied to such key, and the slots in the row marked 11 are what may be termed f accelerator slots, and these may control the other one of the pneumatics or motors connected with the key, or, of course, the perforations in the row marked II mightcontrol the augmentation of the power for operating the key in any other manner, as for instance by controlling a higher degree of power than that controlled by the tune slotsv The companion slots 1) and c are seen, in Fig. 1, to be cut abreast of one another, both at their front and rear ends they, according to this invention, represent a loud staccato note for, as the band travels in the direction of the arrow, both motors or pneumatics will be put into action simultaneously, or, the maximum power will be at once applied, and the key in the reproducer-being thus caused to rapidly descend, the corresponding note will be loudl struck. The slots 5, c terminating togetllier, the actions of the two motors .or neumatics will terminate simultaneously and the lever is permitted to rise uickly, thereby giving a staccato effect.

he slots d, e terminate together, but the slot (Z is cut somewhat in advance of the slot e, therefore the motor or pneumatic orpartlcular degree of power which the slot (Z controls is brought into action upon the key,

somewhat in advance of the pneumatic, moto-r, or particular degree of power controlled The maximum power not bcthe key of the reproducer will be at only a medium speed and the note produced will be sa Y a note of average loudness, the staccato efl ect is again obtained, however, by the s1- multaneous termination of the slots. The slot f at its forward end is far in-advancc of the'slot g; the maximum power, in this instance, may therefore not be efi'ectively applied 'for sounding the note, for, 1the pneu matic or .motor, or degree of power, controlled by the slot f may have depressed the lever so far as to sound the note, or nearly so, before the ower is augmented by the slot g; the key is t iereforc depressed comparatively slowly and the resultant note is soft but the staccato effect is obtained in this instance also by the rear ends of the slots f and g-being cut abreast of one another. The slot it commences abreast of the slot but terminates somewhat in arrear thereof, therefore the note will be struck loudly but the power ap- )lied bythe slot 1', being removed from the ey in advance of that controlled by the slot h, the note will not. be staccato but of the ordinary character. The slot Z commences somewhat in arrear of the slot is but termi nates somewhat in advance thereof and, as

y will now be well understood, such a combination represents a note of the ordinary character. The lot n commences some distance in arrear of the slot m but terminates slightly in advance thereof, this coinbina-' tion represents a note or ordinary character softlystruck. The slots 0 and 1) commence abreast of. one another but the slot 1) terminates far in-advance of the slot 0; the note represented by this combination will therefore be loudly struck, but as the power controlled by the'slot p is removed from the key at an early moment, say at or about the mo-' ment at which the note is sounded and the tensity andof the legato type.

power controlled by the slot 0 continues'to act, the note, although loudly struck will be of the legato type. The slot r commences slightly in arrear, but'terminates some dis-' tance in advance of the slot q; this combination represents a note, say, of medium in- The slot tis seen to be very short, this is owing to the fact that'it is required to augment the power controlled by the slot s very late in the action of the key to produce a soft note, the au mentation being quickly removed in or er to produce the le ato effect as before described. The record and seen inFi 2 has five rows of slots and is chic-fly applicable for the operation of the heavier levers or controlling devices such-as a swell lever. For instance, supposin each slot in either of the rows. I to V contro s a source of power sufficient for. operating the swell lever, to open the swell box either artially or completely, slightly in.

the case 0 the row I and'more and more in the case of theother rows, the row V providing for t'he complete opening of the said 'swell box, thenthe -slots 1 to'5 represent amore or less ordinary manipulation-of the swell pedal, commencing slowl and gradually accelerating in speed ast e power for operating the lever is augmented by the successive registrations of the forward ends of the slots 2, 3, 4 and 5 with. the tracker, or other power controlling device.

The slots 6,. 7 and 8- may represent a-partial opening cut with their forward another and they will thus effect the applica'- tion of say two-fifths of the available power termination of .the slot rate of speed, the forward end of the slot 7 commencing some distance in arrear, of the front end of the slot 6 and the slot 8 in arrear of .the slot 7, so that, .the augmentation of power being slow, a slow operation of the lever results and only part of the available power being employed, as only three slots are used out of five,

I the swell box may not be completely opened.

The slots 9 and 10 are ends abreast of one to the swell lever, which Will commence to operate rather ing example. Sometime afterwards, say

when theswell has been half opened, the

slots 11, 12, 13, having their front ends cut abreast of one another, bring into operative effect the total amount of power, the result being a quick completion of the movement of the swelllever.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 that in each of the-three foregoing examples the rear ends of all the slots in each group representing an operation of the swell lever, have been cut abreast of one another, thus, in operation the maximum power is suddenly cut off, thereby permitting the quicker than with the precedswell lever to rise quickly and suddenly to close the swell box.

The slots 14, 15, .16, 17, and 18 havingtheir front ends all in the same straight line transversely of the band, the swell lever in this case will he suddenly and perhaps completely-opened. The " slots 16, 17, 18 terminate in the same transverse straight line, while the slot 15 terminates some distance in arrear of these slots, and the slot 14 some distance in arrear of the slot 15, thus, after the slots 16, 17, 18 have been moved away fromthe tracker, the swell will be allowed to close graduall In the last example shown in Fig. 2, the s ots 19 to 23 have their forward ends cut in the same transverse straight line, and in operation, the swell lever will be (Hpickly operated to suddenly and fully open t e swell, in order, it may be, to give a cramaticeifect to a passage of music; after the 23 the swell lever is gradually allowed to close,- as will be seen and understood from the relative-positions of the-rear endsof the slots 22, 21, 20 and 19. r

The present'invention enables any records of tune andvexp'ression, such as those previously described (or others havingdifferent numbers of perforations for each of the re-- spective operations recorded) to be simultaneously effected by one operation of a recordin key or lever as next tobe describerkr According to one method of recording,

20 the dotted line 42, may be connected electric- 40-are thereafter maintained closed until the 5 oted to the bar ation of such key.

key'is depressed, of making two successive contact tingcr38, 39. To avoid complica- Each key 3,

37, and then a second electrical circuit at a 45 completion, by the plate 50 bossed, or perforated, in a se arate machine,

55 do )rcssion ot the ke s 33 34 35 as herein- "is shown vmore or less coon which the original music is played,

each key or operating lever of the instru- 1 ment used for playing the music to be recorded, as for instance the piano keys, parts of which 33, 34, 35 are shown in Fig. 3 piv- 36 in the usual manner, is provided with a device capable of transmitting a series of successive impulses (two are generally considered sutlicient in the case of a key a piano or carillon) during each actu- In Fig. 3 such a' device comprises an inverted L-shaped or stepped contact plate 37, or there might be two or more separate plates or contacts fixed atdifferent heights on .each key, capable, when a contacts wit h spring blades or fingers 38, 39, to complete two electrical circuits as follows-: A conductor 40 may be laid along the'bar 36 in contact with pins 41, which, as shown by ally with each of the-plates 37. The conductor 40 is connected to one pole of a battery 43 whose other pole is connected through the windings of an electro magnet 44 to each tion, only one of the electro magnets 44 is shown in the drawing, but it will'r'eadily be understood that there is one in "connection with each of the contact fingers 38, 39. 34, 35 and so on, completes first one electrical circuit at the commencement of its depression, by means of the corresponding contact finger 38 engaging the lowermost part of the appropriate contact plate later part, or at the completion of suchdepression, by means of the companion contact finger 39 engaging the uppermost part of the same contact plate 37, both of such circuits key, in its ascent, again passes through the parts of its stroke at which the two circuits were previously closed, the said circuits being now broken in the reverse order of their 37 leaving the contact fingers.

The sheet marking apparatus may be one that-provides for either the mere marking of the sheet, which could afterwards he enior for the embossing or per oration of such. sheet; as an example a perforating apparatus is illustrated as beingcontrolled by the electrical circuits made and broken by the before zlcscribed.

The apparat-us illustrated dlagramn'iatically for the sake of simplicity; it comprises-for each key 33, 34, 35, and so on, of the instrument a number of punches 45 corresponding to the number of electrical contacts 38, 39

(for more than two such contacts may be usedas Will be hereinafter seen) and these punches 45 are caused, by the making of the electrical circuits; to perforate the sheet or band a as it is moved through the apparatus at a uniform rate and preferably continuously, as will be now described. A quickly rotating shaft 46 has fixed to it an eccentric 47 which, by means of the eccentric rod 48, shown broken away, rapidly reciprocates in a vertical direction a frame which may consist, for example, of a bar 49 andv plates 50 between which latter a bar 51 is carried; or, instead of a single eccentric 47 and eccentric rod 48 being emplo ed for reciprocating the, said, frame, a plurality of such devices may be provided for the purpose. Uprights 52, on the bar 51, support a second bar 53, and a number of selectors v 54 corresponding 'in number'to the number of 'pun'ches 45, are pivotally mounted upon the ba' 51 and are maintained in the position shown in full lines by means of, say, blade springs 55 suitably fixed to a block or bar 56 carried upon the frame 49, 50. Each punch 45 is carried by a slider 57 which may be suitably supported and guided in the vertical direction, each slider having projecting shoulders 58,59, the latter for engaging the bar 53 whenever the latter descends, and the former for engaging the nose or projection 60 on the corresponding selector 54.,v under circumstances to be now explained. In the full line position shown in Fig. 3, each selector 54 bears a ainst a nose ()1 upon the end of one arm 62 o? a two-armed leverwhich is pivoted to the fixed framing at 63, and whose other arm 64 is in operative connection with a vertical rod or sticker 65. Rocking levers 66, pivoted at 67 upon the fixed framing, support, at one end, the stickers and at the other end are connected to the upper ends of pull-downs or trackers 68 passing to the interior of a pressure chamber 69 whereinthey are connected in a well-known manner, each toabellows or motor 70 whose interior is normally inopen communication with the interior of the chamber 69 through a channel 71 and tubular leg 72 of the corresponding electro magnet 44. The pull-downs or trackers 68 are in air-tight connection with the pressure chamber 69 by a flexible membrane 7 3.

Each'channcl 71 is provided with an outlet 74 open to the atmosphere but normally closed by a valve 75 carried on a hinged lever 76 which constitutes the armature of the respective magnet 44, this valve, when the magnet is energized, serving to break the above-named communication between thechamber 69 and motor 70, and establish communication between the interior of the said motor and the atmosphere, the pressure in the chamber 69 acting upon the motor 70, then causing the latter to collapse, 5

, The operation is as follows :-When either l of the recording keys, as for instance the one 33, one of whose corresponding circuits and mechanisms alone are shown, is depressed,

the plate 37 makes contact first with the is depressed, witli'the finger 38 and then, after an interval which the ke ing to the force exerted upon the key 33. A

I the finger-38, electricity circuit being closed by the plate 37 engaging flows from the battery 43 to the conductor 40, thence to the plate 37 b way of conductor 42 arranged 'on or in t e key, as shown by the dotted line, through the finger 38 to the windings of. the magnet 44 and back to the opposite pole of the batter 43. The magnet 44 be mg thus'energize ,for so long as the key is depressed sufficiently to make contact between 38 and the plate 37 (the same remark of course applying to the contact between 39 and 37) the magnet 44 attracts its armature7 6 thereby listing the valve 75 from the,

outlet port 74. The pneumatic 70 will now be collapsed by the pressure, in the chamber. 69, exhaustion'taking place by way of the duct 71 and port propriate arm of the lever 66 to descend, thus raising'the opposite arm and therewith the sticker 65. The lifting of the sticker65 causes the two- armed lever 62, 64, to turn about its pivot 63 to the dotted position, the 'nose 6]. of the said lever forcing the corresponding selector 54 into the vertical posithe bar 53 engaging the projection 59.

tion, also shown'in dotted lines, in which the nose takes beneath the projection 58 on the punch slider 57. It must be I'GIIIGIIP 'bered that the selector 54 and bar 53 are being rapidly reciprocated by the eccentric 47 as hereinbefore described, the consequence is that the punch slider 57-willnow also reciprocate rapidly, being forced up-Q wards by the selector 54, and downwards by The band or sheet a being preferably uniformly and continuously traversed between the two punch dies 78, will receive a number of perforations during the time of contact between-37 and 38', or between 37 and 39. The

relative speed of the sheet and punches is such that each succeeding stroke of a punch during the same depression .of the respective -key.serves to elongate the perforationv pro--' duced by tli'immediately preceding stroke 01' strokes. A lever or levers 79 pivoted at 80 to the fixed framing, may be jointed'at one end to the frame 49 and may be adjustably connected by means of a nut 81 and screw 82 to a tension spring 83,s0 that the latter always assists in'the raising of theframe 49.

key receiving a blow of rnaximum strength, as

the two before-men- 74, and will causefthe apthird examples pedals, whether expression In the case of akey, as 33, whose action has been described,

in a fortissimo passage,

for instance the tionedcircuits are closed between the plate 37 and fingers 38 and 39 practically simul-' 'taneously, or nearly so, and consequently their respective perforating mechanisms will act practically simultaneously, .and the as in accelerator perforation,

the left marked fourth examples from I c and respectively in the row Fig. 1, commences abreast, or almost abreast, of the commencement of the corresponding first perforations marked 6 and h respectively in the row marked I. As the blow is less violent for. producing-notes of less intensity, so will the distances between the forward ends of the two perforations be the first and 75 marked II.v I

greater, as in the second and third examples it may be possible from the left in Fig. 1; or

ently that the secfor -a key to be struckiso 0nd circuit will not be e such a short time, that asecond perforation will not be roduced, or,

ninth examp e from the left in Fi 1 marked 8 and t,the accelerator slot, i produced,

may be of negligible length, for, in this case the second perforation is so far in arrear of it will not be effective in the first one that augmenting the ower applied to the sticker by the first pe oration when the record is passed through a reproducer. In the case of a key being quickly released, as in a staccat'o movement} two relative perforations willbe abreast or nearly abreast, as' inthe first, second and inoreor less legato passages, s'p will the terminationof the second or accelerator perthe terminations of the from the left in Fi 1, and

osed, or. closed for as shown in the.

foration in the row marked II Fig. 1, be"

more or less in advance of the termination of the respective fir t perforation as. seen in the fourth-to the ninth examples from the j le ft inlFig. 1.

In addition to the foregoing recording devices, other similar devices are, or may be,

provided for recording the manipulation of forte, or the swell pedal 0 an organ-,or for recording the manipulation of any lever or i a device if the effect of such pedal lever or device is dependent upon the speed at which it is operated. In Figsi4 and'5 for instance, is

shown a contactplate 84 having five steps 85 for making and breaking contact with five edals of a piano contacts 86 and linkedto one end of a lever .87, only one of the conclrcuits and mechanisms employed with each I lever depends upon the character of the lever I 60 pose of controllin operated and the degree of exactitude re quired in the reproduction of its movement. If desired the selectors 54 may be operated by mechanical devices upon the keys either directly or indirectly. For instance, cams or inclined projections 88, Fig. 6, may' take the place of the contact plate or plates 37, Fig. 3. Vhen the key is depressed these projections 88 will depress the short arms of their respective bell crank levers 89, which, by connecting rods 90, move levers 91 about their pivots, to directly, or, through the medium of suitable mechanism, operate the selectors 54 as will now be well understood. In Fig; 6 the bell-crank lever which is operated by the upper 01 the cams 88 cannot be seen, it being wholly obscured by the corresponding lever appertaining to the lower of such cams which said lever is immediately in front of the other one. The lower one of the cams 88 con-'- with the end of the key must be so as to retain its lever depressed until the other or upper of such cams has depressed and again released its lever. Or the cams 88 may, as shown in Fig. 7, effect the sliding of valves 92 intheir casings 93 against the action o'l springs 94. A ressure reservoir may supply thepipe 95 w iich, in the position of the valve shown, is closed. When jointly formed however a cam moves the corresponding valve 92 back, the port 96 in the valve, opens the pipe 95 to the pipe 97, thereby admitting pressure behind a piston 98 and moving it in its cylinder 99 against the action of a spring 100. This movement of the piston 98 may be used directly, or indirectly, to effect the movement of a corresponding selector 54. When the key 33 is permitted to rise, the springs 94, 100 effect the return to normal position of their respective pistons 92, 98, and any surplus pressure fluid in the cylinder 99 and pipe 97 is free to pass through the exhaust pipe 101.

The punches are preferably of square form so that the edges of the resultant elongated perforations or embossed portions of the records may be straight and parallel with the di rection of motion of such records, as shown.

1. Apparatus comprising a plurality of re cordin instruments one of which is operated to pro ucea record of' the operations of the controlling members of a musical instrument said recordbeing adapted for the pura reproducer and another of which is simultaneously therewith operated to produce a companion record of the speed of each of suchoperations said comously l l I the purpose companion. record of the speed of each of.

such operations, comprising in conndnation controlling members, a plurality of recorders for each such member, a plurality of impulse-transmitters governing the, action of such recorders and means for successively energizing such transmitters during one operation of a controlling member.

3. Apparatus for producing simultanea record of the operations of controlling members of'a musical instrument and acompanion record of the speed of each of such operations, comprising in combination a plurality of recorders for each key, a sliding carrier for each recorder, a normally free reciprocating selector adapted to operatively engage said carrier, and a plurality of impulse-transmitters connected with each 0011-.

stepwise arrangement of energizing devices for the impulse transmitter 5. Apparatus for producing simultaneously a record of the operations of controlling members of'a musical instrument and a companion record or the speedof each of such operations comprising in combination controlling members, a'plurality of recorders for each such member, a sliding carrier for each recorder, a normally free reciprocatim selector adapted to operatively engage sai carrier, a plurality of impulse-trans1nitters governing the engagement of said selectors with said carriers and'on e stepwise arrangement of devices for energizing said impulse-transmitters.

6. Apparatus for producing simultaneously a recordv of the operations of controlling members of a musical instrument and a companion record of the speed ol each of such operations comprising in combination controlling members, a plurality of recorders for each such member, a sliding carrier for each recorder, a reciprocating selector adapted to operatively engage said carrier, means for maintaining said of said carriers, means for normally main taining said carriers in their lower osition, a plurality of impulse-transmitters For engagach said member a selectors normally l :ee

saici selectors with said carriers and on erforating means in accordance with the 10 each sald member a stepwise arran ement of ength of t me 1n whlch the said element is devices for energlzing said impu setrans-- causedv to make a complete movement. Imtters'. v f In WltIlGSSWhBIGOfIhfiVB hereunto set my 7. In apparatus the class describedthehand in the presence of two witnesses. combination with an element arran%ed to be a JAMES JOHN WALKER. "moved in the ,production of musica sounds, Witnesses: I

I of music-record-sheet perforating means, FREDK. L. RAND, and means controlling the operation of said HENRY HART.

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