Assigner for electronic musical instrument

• US 4,387,617 A
• Filed: 02/25/1980
• Issued: 06/14/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kato, Hirokazu, Endo, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US06/124,006
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.03, 84/1.24-1.27, 84/1.11-1.13, 84/1.19, 84/1.21, 84/1.22, 340/365 R, 340/365 S
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/182 Key multiplexing G10H1/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/188 with means to assign more than one channel to any single key

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument of a channel assignment type wherein depressed keys from among a larger plurality of keys are respectively assigned to a smaller plurality of tone producing channels for generating wave of musical tones. The assigner comprises a microprogram, an arithmetic section, a memory, and an interruption control circuit to assign the depressed keys to available tone producing channels. The current on-off information of the keys is subjected to calculation to form a key-on request file and a key-off request file. A tone request file is formed on a plurality of tone data as designated by the tone levers. A channel assignment table is formed, based on the key-on and key-off request files, to indicate a status of assigning the depressed keys to the tone producing channels. The channel assignment table is stored in the memory and the contents thereof are supplied to the wave generator, whereby a plurality of musical tones are generated simultaneously by the wave generator as controlled by the microprogram.

Claims

1. An assigner for an electronic musical instrument having keyboard'"'"'s keys and tone levers, which comprises:

a microprogram section storing a microprogram;

memory means storing frequency information corresponding to the respective keys and tone data corresponding to the respective tone levers and having storing positions which define tone producing channels, and an arithmetic section which is controlled by said microprogram in such a manner that the frequency information and the tone data requested for a keyboard'"'"'s key being operated and the tone lever being operated are assigned to the tone producing channels specified by said arithmetic section.

2. An assigner as claimed in claim 1, in which said microprogram comprises:

a program for detecting by calculation a key which is in "on" state out of keys in a keyboard to set predetermined data at positions corresponding to key arrangement thereby forming a key-on request file in said memory means;

a program for indicating for every key whether or not at least one of said channels is assigned thereby forming a busy key table in said memory means; and

a program for assigning a plurality of channels to keyboard'"'"'s keys being operated by utilizing said key-on request file and busy key table to form a channel assignment table.

3. An assigner as claimed in claim 1, in which said microprogram is one which carries out operations in which the number of tone data being requested is compared with the number of channels being not used, and when the latter is larger than the former, channels are assigned to a new key.

4. An assigner as claimed in claim 1, in which said microprogram is one which operates to detect by calculation a key the state of which has been changed from its "on" state to its "off" state thereby cancelling channel assignment to said key.

5. An assigner as claimed in claim 1, in which said microprogram is a program in which out of channels assigned to keys, channels placed in idle state as formation of musical tones of relevant tone data has been completed before the "off" states of relevant keys are detected are assigned to other keys in "on" state.

6. An assigner as claimed in claim 2, in which said microprogram is a program in which after all channel assignments to keyboard'"'"'s keys being operated have been completed and all pieces of channel information related to said channel assignments have been entered into said channel assignment table, said pieces of relevant channel information are delivered as the output of the assigner.

7. An assigner as claimed in claim 2, in which said microprogram is a program in which whenever a channel is assigned to a keyboard'"'"'s key being operated and is entered into said channel assignment table, channel information related to the assignment of said channel is delivered as the output of the assigner.

8. An assigner as claimed in claim 3, in which said microprogram is a program in which when said number of tone dat is larger than said number of channel being not used, out of channels which are assigned to other keys and are being used, channels placed in decay state are detected, and said channe decay state are processed to be in non-use state and are as to new keys.

9. An assigner as claimed in claim 4, in which said microprogram is a program in which cancellation of channel assignment to a key the state of which has been shifted to key-off state can be carried out at an optional time instant after the state of said key has been shifted to key-off state.

10. An assigner as claimed in claim 9, in which said memory means comprises:

a first memory for storing the keyboard status of a keyboard key in a cycle;

a second memory for storing the contents of said first memory at the succeeding cycle;

a third memory for storing the keyboard status of the keyboard'"'"'s key being operated which is calculated by comparing the contents of the first memory with the contents of the second memory; and

a fourth memory for storing the keyboard status of a keyboard'"'"'s key whose state has been shifted to non-operation state from operation state, said keyboard status being calculated by comparing the contents of said first memory with the contents of said second memory.

11. An assigner for an electronic musical instrument, which is provided with keyboard'"'"'s keys comprising:

a micro processor, an interruption control circuit connected to control interruption cycles at a predetermined period in the operation of said keyboard'"'"'s keys;

a microprogram in which, during said interruption cycles of said interruption control circuit, each present keyboard status is calculated and on-off information on the present keyboard'"'"'s key is calculated by comparing the calculated present keyboard status and the keyboard status one cycle earlier;

said microprocessor having an arithmetic section connected to be operated by said microprogram; and

memory means for storing said on-off information of said keyboard'"'"'s keys.

12. An assigner for assigning tone production to an appropriate channel or channels in an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of keys and a plurality of tone controlling members for designating qualities of tones to be produced respectively, said assigner comprising:

program memory means having a program which defines sequence of processing regarding tone production assignment step by step;

data memory means connected to store first data corresponding to said plurality of keys and second data corresponding to said plurality of tone controlling members respectively;

channel memory means having memory positions which correspond to a plurality of tone production channels respectively, the number of said tone production channels being less than the number of said plurality of keys, said channel memory means having a plurality of channels, and

microprocessor means coupled to said program memory means, data memory means, and channel memory means and keys and tone controlling members to read out said program and assign first data and second data corresponding to a newly depressed key and newly operated tone controlling member or members respectively among said stored first data and said second data to available one or more of said tone production channels in accordance with said program, said microprocessor means being connected to assign said first data corresponding to said newly depressed key and second data corresponding to said newly operated tone controlling member or members in such a manner that each of said second data is assigned to the available one of said tone production channels together with said first data.

13. An assigner as claimed in claim 12, where said program comprises a first program which defines sequence of processing to detect said newly depressed key step by step;

and said microprocessor means is coupled to detect said newly depressed key by comparing a key or keys currently being depressed with a key or keys depressed at the preceding detection in accordance with said first program.

14. An assigner as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first data corresponding to said newly depressed key and second data corresponding to said newly operated tone controlling member or members is assigned when the number of said second data is smaller than or equal to the number of said available one or more channels among said tone production channels.

15. An assigner as claimed in claim 12, wherein said program comprises a second program which defines a sequence of processing to detect said newly operated tone controlling member or members step by step;

and said microprocessor means detects said newly operated tone controlling member or members repetitively by comparing a tone controlling member or members currently operated with a tone controlling member or members operated at the preceding detection in accordance with said second program.

16. An assigner as claimed in claim 12, wherein said program comprises a third program which defines a sequence of processing to detect a newly released key or keys step by step, and newly released key or keys having been depressed just before the release of said key or keys and a fourth program which defines sequence of processing to cancel the assigned key data step by step;

and

said microprocessor means is connected to detect said newly released key or keys repetitively by comparing a key or keys being released now with a key or keys being released at the preceding detection in accordance with said third program to cancel the assignment of the first data corresponding to said newly released key or keys in accordance with said fourth program.

17. An assigner as claimed in claim 12, wherein said second data comprises tone color data and tone volume data designating respectively a tone color and a tone volume of a musical tone to be produced.

18. An assigner as claimed in claim 13, comprising means for interrupting the cycle of said microprocessor means at a predetermined period to start the processing corresponding to said first program so that said newly depressed key is detected in the cycle at said predetermined period.

19. An assigner for assigning a tone production to an appropriate channel or channels in an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of keys, said assigner comprising:

program memory means for storing a program which defines a sequence of processing regarding a tone production assignment step by step;

channel memory means having memory positions which correspond to tone production channels respectively, the number of said tone production channels being smaller than the number of said plurality of keys, said channel memory means having a plurality of channels; and

microprocessor means coupled to said program memory means, and channel memory means and keys to read out said program and to assign data corresponding to a newly depressed key among said plurality of keys to an available one or more of said tone production channels in accordance with said program.

20. An assigner as claimed in claim 19, wherein said program comprises a first program which defines a sequence of processing to detect said newly depressed key step by step;

and

said microprocessor means is connected to detect said newly depressed key by comparing a key or keys currently being depressed with a key or keys depressed at the preceding detection in accordance with said first program.

21. An assigner for an electronic musical instrument having keyboard keys and tone levers, said assigner comprising a microprocessor having a microprogram, memory means having stored therein frequency data corresponding to said keys and tone data corresponding to said tone levers and having memory positions which define tone producing channels, and an arithmetic section, said keyboard, microprocessor, memory means and arithmetic section being interconnected by address and data channels, whereby the program of said microprocessor, in response to operation of said keys or tone levers, controls said arithmetic section, and said arithmetic section controls said memory means to output the corresponding frequency information and tone data respectively.