Electronic musical instrument

• US 4,355,559 A
• Filed: 04/09/1980
• Issued: 10/26/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited 1006 OAZA Kadoma-Shi Osaka Japan
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uya, Masaru, Kawamoto, Kinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jr., David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US06/138,516
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.03, 84/1.01
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 5/002 Instruments using voltage controlled oscillators and amplifiers or voltage controlled oscillators and filters, e.g. Synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/002 using a common processing for different operations or calculations, and a set of microinstructions (programme) to control the sequence thereof

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument equipped with multiple musical tone signal generating channels, with an automatic play system which controls the tone generation of the musical tone signal generating channels on the basis of the automatic play data recorded in a memory so as to successively and automatically generate musical tones. The instrument also has a manual play system which controls the tone generation of the musical tone signal generating channels by the keyboard and other performance controls so as to generate musical tones by control of the tone generation of the multiple musical tone signal generating channels by the joint use of the automatic play system and the manual play system.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument having a plurality of musical tone signal generating channels for generating tones and comprising:

an automatic play means having a memory for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels on the basis of automatic play data recorded in said memory so as to successively and automatically generate musical tones;

a manual play means having a keyboard and other manual performance controls for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels in response to said keyboard and other manual performance controls so as to generate musical tones;

wherein the tone generation by said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels is jointly controlled by said automatic play means and manual play means;

further having means wherein each of said musical tone signal generating channels are arranged so as to be controlled by either said automatic play means or by said manual play means so as to enable tone generation;

and further comprising a channel-use assigning means for assigning at least part of said musical tone signal generating channels previously specifically assigned for control by said automatic play means, so as to change them over to control by said manual play means;

and further comprising a channel assigner means which, along with having means for controlling the tone generation, based on said automatic play data, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play use by said automatic play means and controlled by said channel-use assigning means, also has means which enable the control of tone generation, based on play data generated by said manual play means, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for manual play use and controlled by said channel-use assigning means;

wherein said channel assigner means comprises;

(a) an automatic play channel assigner means for reading and decoding said automatic play data recorded in said memory and for outputting pitch data and tone generation control signals corresponding to said musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play use and for outputting said automatic play assigning channel data which indicates which of the musical tone signal generating channels are assigned for automatic play use;

(b) a channel-use data generator which, based on assignment data from said channel-use assigning means and said automatic play assigning channel data, outputs channel-use data indicating which of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels can be used for automatic play;

(c) a manual play channel assigner means which, based on said play data of said manual play means, outputs tone generation control signals and pitch data which is assigned to said plurality of tone signal generating channels other than those tone signal generating channels indicated as being for automatic play by said channel-use data; and

(d) a data supplier means which receives said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said automatic play channel assigner means and said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said manual play channel assigner means, and then, in accordance with said channel-use data, matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels used for automatic play from said automatic play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels and matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels used for manual play from said manual play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels;

and wherein said automatic play channel assigner means comprises;

(a) an automatic play CPU means, including a data bus and automatic play data memory, for executing programmed commands for automatic play processing and for storing automatic play data and automatic play assignment channel data and pitch data and for generating tone generation control signals;

(b) an automatic play data readout means which is connected to said data bus of said automatic play CPU means and reads automatic play data from said automatic play data memory of said CPU means;

(c) a latching means for storing automatic play assignment channel data which is connected to said data bus and latches automatic assignment channel data from said data bus; and

(d) an additional latching means for storing automatic play assignment data which is connected to said data bus and latches pitch data and tone generation control signals for automatic play from said data bus and assigned to said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claims 1 or 2 or 3, wherein said channel-use assigning means includes means to subsequently cancel the previous assignment changeover of a channel from control by said manual play means.

2. An electronic musical instrument having a plurality of musical tone signal generating channels for generating tones and comprising:

an automatic play means having a memory for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels on the basis of automatic play data recorded in said memory so as to successively and automatically generate musical tones;

a manual play means having a keyboard and other manual performance controls for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels in response to said keyboard and other manual performance controls so as to generate musical tones;

wherein the tone generation by said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels is jointly controlled by said automatic play means and manual play means;

further having means wherein each of said musical tone signal generating channels are arranged so as to be controlled by either said automatic play means or by said manual play means so as to enable tone generation;

and further comprising a channel-use assignment means for assigning at least part of said musical tone signal generating channels previously specifically assigned for control by said automatic play means, so as to change them over to control by said manual play means;

and further comprising a channel assigner means which, along with having means for controlling the tone generation, based on said automatic play data, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play use by said automatic play means and controlled by said channel-use assigning means, also has means which enable the control of tone generation, based on play data generated by said manual play means, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for manual play use and controlled by said channel-use assigning means;

wherein said channel assigner means comprises;

(a) an automatic play channel assigner means for reading and decoding said automatic play data recorded in said memory so as to output pitch data and tone generation control signals matching the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play;

(b) a channel-use data generator which, based on assignment data from said channel-use assigning means, outputs channel-use data indicating which of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels can be used for automatic play;

(c) a manual play channel assigner means which, based on play data from said manual play means, outputs tone generation control signals and pitch data which is assigned to said plurality of tone signal generating channels other than those tone signal generating channels indicated as being for automatic play by said channel-use data; and

(d) a data supplier which receives said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said automatic play channel assigner means and said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said manual play channel assigner means, and then, in accordance with said channel-use data, matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with the said plurality of tone signal generating channels used for automatic play from said automatic play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels and matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with said plurality of tone signal generating channels used for manual play from said manual play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels;

and wherein said automatic play channel assigner means comprises;

(a) an automatic play CPU means including a data bus and automatic play data memory, for executing programmed commands for automatic play processing and for storing automatic play data and automatic play assignment channel data and pitch data and for generating tone generation control signals;

(b) an automatic play data readout means which is connected to said data bus of said automatic play CPU means and reads automatic play data from said memory of said CPU means; and

(c) a latching means for automatic play assignment data which is connected to said data bus and latches pitch data and tone generation control signals for automatic play which are assigned to said plurality of tone signal generating channels.

3. An electronic musical instrument having a plurality of musical tone signal generating channels for generating tones and comprising:

an automatic play means having a memory for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels on the basis of automatic play data recorded in said memory so as to successively and automatically generate musical tones;

a manual play means having a keyboard and other manual performance controls for controlling the tone generation of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels in response to said keyboard and other manual performance controls so as to generate musical tones;

wherein the tone generation by said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels is jointly controlled by said automatic play means and manual play means;

further having means wherein each of said musical tone signal generating channels are arranged so as to be controlled by either said automatic play means or by said manual play means so as to enable tone generation;

and further comprising a channel-use assigning means for assigning at least part of said musical tone signal generating channels previously specifically assigned for control by said automatic play means, so as to change them over to control by said manual play means;

and further comprising a channel assigner means which, along with having means for controlling the tone generation, based on said automatic play data, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play use by said automatic play means and controlled by said channel-use assigning means, also has means which enable the control of tone generation, based on play data generated by said manual play means, of the musical tone signal generating channels assigned for manual play use and controlled by said channel-use assigning means;

wherein said channel assigner means comprises;

(a) an automatic play channel assigner means for reading and decoding said automatic play data recorded in said memory and for outputting pitch data and tone generation control signals corresponding to said musical tone signal generating channels assigned for automatic play use and for outputting said automatic play assigning channel data which indicates which of the musical tone signal generating channels are assigned for automatic play use;

(b) a channel-use data generator which, based on assignment data from said channel-use assigning means and said automatic play assigning channel data, outputs channel-use data indicating which of said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels can be used for automatic play;

(c) a manual play channel assigner means which, based on said play data of said manual play means, outputs tone generation control signals and pitch data which is assigned to said plurality of tone signal generating channels other than those tone signal generating channels indicated as being for automatic play by said channel-use data; and

(d) a data supplier means which receives said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said automatic play channel assigner means and said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted from said manual play channel assigner means, and then, in accordance with said channel-use data, matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels used for automatic play from said automatic play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels and matches said pitch data and tone generation control signals outputted in accordance with said plurality of musical tone signal generating channels used for manual play from said manual play channel assigner means and supplies them to respective musical tone signal generating channels;

and wherein said manual play channel assigner means comprises;

(a) a manual play CPU means including a data bus for executed programmed commands for manual play processing and for outputting channel use data and pitch data and tone generation control signals and play data,

(b) an channel-use data readout means which is connected to said data bus of said manual play CPU means and reads channel-use data,

(c) a manual play data readout means which is connected to said data bus so as to read play data of said manual play CPU means, and

(d) a latching means for manual play assignment data which is connected to said data bus and latches pitch data and tone generation control signals for manual play which are assigned to said plurality of tone signal generating channels.