Electronic synthesizer with variable/preset voice control

• US 3,948,139 A
• Filed: 08/28/1974
• Issued: 04/06/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kimball International Incorporated (HNI Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Warwick Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Carlson, Alden J., Melcher, Byron
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US05/501,200
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.11-1.13, 84/1.19-1.26, 84/DIG. 2, 84/DIG. 9, 84/DIG. 20
• US Class Current: 84/700
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/02 Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/14 during execution voice controlled instruments G10H5/005
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/211 Pitch vibrato, i.e. repetitive and smooth variation in pitch, e.g. as obtainable with a whammy bar or tremolo arm on a guitar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/09 Filtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/20 Monophonic

Abstract

An electronic musical synthesizer generates tone signals coupled to a controllable bandpass filter and a controllable low-pass filter. A plurality of voice switches are individually selectable to couple preset control voltages to the filters, and to enable potentiometers which can be adjusted to generate control voltages to vary the frequency characteristics of the filters, control the octave of the tone signals, and to control a modulation oscillator. When a variable/preset switch is set to a preset state, the potentiometers are disconnected and auxiliary sections of the selected voice switch presets voltages for the oscillator, the octave circuit and the filters.

Claims

1. In an electronic musical synthesizer having a source of tone signals processed by a controllable filter having a variable frequency characteristic adjustable under control of a control signal, the improvement comprising:

variable means coupled to the controllable filter for generating a variable control signal which is adjustable to alter the frequency characteristic of the filter;

preset means coupled to the controllable filter for generating a preset control signal which produces a fixed frequency characteristic for the filter;

switching means having a preset state; and

circuit means responsive to the preset state of the switch for effectively disabling the variable means and enabling the preset means to cause the filter frequency characteristic to be controlled solely by the preset means.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the controllable filter comprises a bandpass filter having a variable bandwidth corresponding to said frequency characteristic and controllable by a variable voltage at a bandwidth input, the variable means comprises an emphasis potentiometer for changing the bandwidth of the bandpass filter, a bias source connectable with the emphasis potentiometer to generate a variable voltage coupled to the bandwidth input, and wherein the circuit means is responsive to a variable state of the switch for connecting the bias source to the emphasis potentiometer and is responsive to the preset state for disconnecting the emphasis potentiometer from the bias source.

3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the controllable filter comprises in series a bandpass filter and a low-pass filter, the center frequency of the bandpass filter being variable by a first voltage coupled to a center frequency input thereof, the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filter being variable by a second voltage coupled to a cut-off frequency input thereof, the center frequency and the cut-off frequency corresponding to said frequency characteristic, and wherein the variable means comprises a color potentiometer having a first impedance path coupled to the center frequency input and a second impedance path coupled to the cut-off frequency input, a bias source coupleable to the color potentiometer to generate first and second voltages in the first and second impedance paths, respectively, and the circuit means being responsive to a variable state of the switch to couple the bias source to the color potentiometer and responsive to the preset state for disconnecting the bias source from the color potentiometer.

4. The improvement of claim 1 including a filter contour envelope generator connectable to the controllable filter for generating a contour control signal having a variable attack rate controllable by a first voltage at an attack rate input and a variable decay rate controllable by a second voltage at a decay rate input, the variable means comprises a contour potentiometer for changing the rate of change of timbre, a first impedance path for coupling the contour potentiometer to the attack rate input, a second impedance path for coupling the contour potentiometer to the decay rate input, a bias source coupleable with the contour potentiometer to produce first and second voltages in the first and second impedance paths, respectively, and the circuit means being responsive to a variable state of the switch for coupling the bias source to the contour potentiometer and responsive to the preset state for disconnecting the bias source from the contour potentiometer.

5. The improvement of claim 4 wherein the controllable filter comprises a bandpass filter having a variable center frequency under control of the contour control signal at a control input, and means connecting the filter contour envelope generator to the control input whereby the contour potentiometer controls the center frequency attack rate and decay rate during the variable state.

6. The improvement of claim 4 wherein the controllable filter comprises a low-pass filter having a variable cut-off frequency under control of the contour control signal at a control input, and means connecting the filter contour envelope generator to the control input whereby the contour potentiometer controls the cut-off frequency attack rate and decay rate during the variable state.

7. In an electronic musical instrument having a source of tone signal, an oscillator for generating a modulation signal continuously variable under control of a variable impedance, a vibrato switch, and combining means coupled to the source and coupled by the vibrato switch to the oscillator for superimposing the modulation signal on the tone signal and to modulate the tone signal with a vibrato, the improvement comprising:

preset means effective when coupled to the oscillator for producing a preset modulation signal;

a control switch having a preset state; and

a control circuit responsive to the preset state for effectively substituting the preset means for the variable impedance to produce a preset vibrato modulation in the tone signal.

8. The improvement of claim 7, wherein the variable impedance includes a rate variable impedance for varying the frequency of the modulating signal and a depth variable impedance for varying the amplitude of the modulating signal, the preset means comprises a rate network effective for establishing a preset frequency for the modulating signal and a depth network effective for establishing a preset amplitude for the modulating signal, the control circuit being responsive to the preset state for substituting the rate network for the rate variable impedance and the depth network for the depth variable impedance.

9. The improvement of claim 7 including a plurality of voice switches selectable to modify the tone signal to produce a selected voice, each voice switch having a preset section effective to change the voice and an auxiliary section, and a plurality of preset means each coupled to the auxiliary section of a voice switch for establishing a preset modulation signal controlled by the selected voice switch, the control circuit includes an auxiliary circuit responsive to the auxiliary section of a selected voice switch when the associated auxiliary section is enabled by selection of the corresponding voice switch.

10. The improvement of claim 7 wherein the electronic musical instrument comprises a synthesizer having a controllable filter for processing the tone signal, the controllable filter having a control input responsive to a voltage for varying a frequency characteristic of the filter, voice selection means coupled to the control input for producing selected voltages in accordance with selected voices to be produced by the synthesizer and including the variable impedance for generating a variable voltage to alter the frequency characteristic of the filter, the control circuit being responsive to the preset state for effectively disabling the variable impedance to prevent adjustment of the selected voice.

11. In an electronic musical synthesizer having a source of tone signals processed by a controllable filter having a variable frequency characteristic adjustable under control of a control signal, the improvement comprising:

variable means coupled to the controllable filter for generating a variable control signal which is adjustable to alter the frequency characteristic of the filter;

a plurality of voice networks coupled to the controllable filter and each selectable to generate at least one particular preset control signal which imitates a particular voice by producing a fixed frequency characteristic for the filter;

switch means having a preset state and a variable state;

circuit means responsive to the variable state of the switch means for causing both the particular preset control signal from a selected voice network and the variable control signal to be coupled to the controllable filter and responsive to the preset state of the switch means for effectively disabling the variable means and enabling the plurality of voice networks to cause the filter frequency characteristic to be controlled solely by the selected voice network.

12. The improvement of claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of voice networks includes an auxiliary section for generating an auxiliary signal in addition to the preset control signal, the circuit means being responsive to the preset state for causing the auxiliary signal to alter the selected voice.

13. The improvement of claim 12 wherein the source includes an oscillator for generating a modulating tone signal which modulates a primary tone signal, the auxiliary section presetting the oscillator to produce a preset modulating tone signal which corresponds to the auxiliary signal.

14. The improvement of claim 12 wherein the source includes octave means for generating an octave signal for changing the octave of a primary tone signal when combined therewith to produce a voice tone signal processed by the controllable filter, the auxiliary section causing the octave means to be preset to generate a preset octave signal which corresponds to the auxiliary signal and fixes the octave of the primary tone signal.

15. The improvement of claim 11 wherein the controllable filter has a control input responsive to a voltage for varying the frequency characteristic of the filter, the variable means includes a variable impedance coupled to a bias source for generating a variable voltage coupled to the control input, the circuit means being responsive to the variable state of the switch for coupling the variable voltage and the preset control signal of the selected voice network to the control input, the variable impedance being used in common with each of the voice networks when enabled.

16. In an electronic musical synthesizer having a keyboard for generating a plurality of tone signals coupled to a channel for processing the tone signals into voice signals, the channel including a controllable filter having a variable frequency characteristic controllable by a variable control signal, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of individually selectable voice switches each having a preset section and an auxiliary section;

a voice preset circuit for coupling the preset section of a selected one of the plurality of voice switches to the controllable filter to generate a preset control signal which produces a selected voice signal different from other selectable voice signals produced for the same tone signal;

adjustable means for generating an adjustable auxiliary signal for variable auxiliary control over the voice produced by the channel;

18. The improvement of claim 16 wherein the channel includes an oscillator for generating a modulating signal which corresponds to the auxiliary signal, the adjustable means comprises an adjustable control for varying the frequency or amplitude of the modulating signal, and the auxiliary circuit includes a preset control for fixing the frequency or amplitude of the modulating signal.

21. The improvement of claim 16 wherein the channel includes an octave switch effective during the variable state for changing the frequency of the tone signal by an octave, the control circuit being responsive to the preset state for bypassing the octave switch to change the frequency of the tone signal by an octave when the auxiliary section of the selected voice switch indicates that the voice is to have an octave change.

22. The improvement of claim 16 wherein the channel includes a variable impedance for generating an adjustable control signal which alters the frequency characteristic of the controllable filter within a range containing the frequency characteristic established by the voice preset circuit, and the control circuit is responsive to the preset state for effectively disabling the variable impedance to cause the frequency characteristic to be controlled solely by the preset section of the selected voice switch.

23. The improvement of claim 21 wherein the channel includes a bias source effective when coupled to the variable impedance for generating a supplemental control signal, the control circuit being responsive to the variable state for connecting the bias source to the variable impedance.

17. an auxiliary circuit coupled to the auxiliary section of a selected one of the plurality of voice switches for generating a preset auxiliary signal for preset auxiliary control over the voice produced by the channel;

a control switch having a variable state and a preset state; and

a control circuit responsive to the variable state for connecting the adjustable means to the channel and responsive to the preset state for connecting the auxiliary circuit to the channel.

19. The improvement of claim 17 wherein the channel includes a summer for combining the modulating signal with the tone signal, a vibrato switch for connecting the oscillator to the summer when the control switch is in the variable state, and the control circuit is responsive to the preset state for bypassing the modulating signal to the summer when the auxiliary section of the selected voice switch establishes that the selected voice is to be accompanied by vibrato.

20. The improvement of claim 17 wherein the channel includes a tremolo switch for connecting the oscillator to the controllable filter when the control switch is in the variable state to cause the modulating signal to modulate the frequency characteristic of the filter, and the control circuit is responsive to the preset state for bypassing the modulating signal to the controllable filter when the auxiliary section of the selected voice switch establishes that the selected voice is to have a tremolo change of spectrum.