Soft pedal effect applying apparatus

• US 5,117,728 A
• Filed: 06/22/1989
• Issued: 06/02/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Shibukawa, Takeo, Hayakawa, Tokuji, Kimura, Hidemichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US07/370,384
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 84/615, 84/622-625, 84/633, 84/653, 84/658-661, 84/665, 84/678, 84/687-690, 84/692, 84/699, 84/700, 84/721, 84/746
• US Class Current: 84/633
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/186 Microprocessor-controlled keyboard and assigning means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• 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

A soft pedal effect applying apparatus is utilized in an electronic musical instrument in order to apply a soft pedal effect to a musical tone to be generated when a soft pedal is operated, wherein this soft pedal effect is set quite similar to that of a non-electronic musical instrument such as a grand piano. Before operating the soft pedal, a generated musical tone has a reference tone volume and a reference tone color which are determined based on a touch operation intensity applied to a depressed key in a keyboard. By operating the soft pedal, a tone volume of the generated musical tone is softened due to the soft pedal effect by slightly lowering the tone volume by the predetermined tone volume attenuation value, wherein this lowered tone volume can be clearly discriminated from the reference tone volume. Such attenuation value can be arbitrarily varied in response to the tone volume level. In addition, a tone color of the generated musical tone is softened due to the soft pedal effect by giving a desirable filter characteristic to the tone color, wherein this softened tone color is different from the reference tone color. Thus, when the soft pedal is operated, the tone volume and the tone color of the generated musical tone are independently softened.

Claims

1. A soft pedal effect applying apparatus of an electronic musical instrument wherein a soft pedal effect is applied to a musical tone to be generated in accordance with operation of a soft pedal, said apparatus comprising:

(a) tone volume softening means for generating tone volume control information by which a tone volume of said musical tone to be generated is varied to a lower tone volume by a predetermined tone volume degree when it is detected that said soft pedal is operated; and

(b) tone color softening means for generating tone color control information by which a tone color of said musical tone is varied to a softer tone color by a predetermined tone color degree when it is detected that said soft pedal is operated;

wherein said tone volume of said musical tone is varied by said tone volume control information from a reference tone volume which would be generated if said soft pedal were not operated, and wherein said tone color of said musical tone is varied by said tone color control information from a reference tone color which would be generated if said soft pedal were not operated, whereby the soft pedal effect is controlled independently with respect to tone volume and tone color.

2. A soft pedal effect applying apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tone volume softening means forms said tone volume control information based on touch detection information indicative of touch operation quantity applied to a key, wherein when said touch operation quantity is in a range of relatively small quantities, said tone volume control information controls said tone volume of said musical tone to be reduced by a greater degree as said touch operation quantity becomes smaller.

3. A soft pedal effect applying apparatus for applying a soft pedal effect to a musical tone to be generated when a soft pedal is operated comprising:

(a) touch detecting means for detecting a touch operation intensity applied to a depressed key in a keyboard to thereby generate touch detection information;

(b) soft pedal detecting means for detecting whether or not said soft pedal is operated to thereby generate soft pedal information;

(c) means for selecting desirable one of predetermined tone volumes based on said touch detection information; and

(d) control means for controlling a selected tone volume to be attenuated by desirable one of predetermined attenuation values when it is detected from said soft pedal information that said soft pedal is operated, wherein said attenuation value in the case where said touch operation intensity is relatively small is set larger as compared to that in the case where said touch operation intensity is relatively large,

whereby said soft pedal effect is applied to said musical tone to be generated with respect to the tone volume.

4. A soft pedal effect applying apparatus for applying a soft pedal effect to a musical tone to be generated when a soft pedal is operated comprising:

(a) a touch detecting means for detecting a touch operation intensity applied to a depressed key in a keyboard to thereby generate touch detection information;

(b) soft pedal detecting means for detecting whether or not said soft pedal is operated to thereby generate soft pedal information;

(c) memory means for storing a plurality of filter characteristics grouped into plural stages and plural steps within each stage corresponding to said touch operation intensity;

(d) means for selecting one of said stages of filter characteristics based on said touch detection information to thereby obtain a desirably tone color; and

(e) control means for changing from a selected filter characteristic stage to another filter characteristic stage which is softer than the selected filter characteristic stage when it is detected from said soft pedal information that said soft pedal is operated, so that said tone color is controlled to become softer as compared to a reference tone color which is generated when said soft pedal is not operated,

whereby said soft pedal effect is applied to said musical tone to be generated with respect to said tone color.

5. A soft pedal effect applying apparatus for applying a soft pedal effect to a musical tone to be generated when a soft pedal is operated comprising:

(a) touch detecting means for detecting a touch operation intensity applied to a depressed key in a keyboard to thereby generate touch detection information;

(b) soft pedal detecting means for detecting whether or not said soft pedal is operated to thereby generate soft pedal information;

(c) conversion table means including

(i) a tone volume conversion data table by which a desirable tone volume is selected from predetermined tone volumes based on said touch detection information, and

(ii) a tone color conversion data table by which a desirable filter characteristic selecting data is obtained based on said touch detection information;

(d) memory means for pre-storing plural filter characteristic control data indicative of plural predetermined filter characteristics, one of which is to be selected based on said filter characteristic selecting data in order to obtain a desirable tone color; and

(e) control means for controlling a selected tone volume to be attenuated by desirable one of predetermined attenuation values when it is detected from said soft pedal information that said soft pedal is operated, wherein said attenuation value in the case where said touch operation intensity is relatively small is set larger as compared to that in the case where said touch operation intensity is relatively large,

said control means also changing a selected filter characteristic into another filter characteristic which is softer than the selected filter characteristic when it is detected from said soft pedal information that said soft pedal is operated, so that said tone color is controlled to become softer as compared to a reference tone color which is generated when said soft pedal is not operated,

whereby said soft pedal effect is applied to said musical tone to be generated with respect to said tone volume and said tone color independently.