Electronic musical instrument having an effect manipulator

• US 5,192,826 A
• Filed: 12/31/1990
• Issued: 03/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Eiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US07/636,209
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/603, 84/626, 84/627, 84/629, 84/631, 84/644, 84/658, 84/662, 84/664, 84/670, 84/718, 84/737, 84/743, 84/690, 84/483.1, 84/486, 84/487 , 84/DIG. 7
• US Class Current: 84/737
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/053 during execution only voice controlled instruments G10H5/005
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/201 Vibrato, i.e. rapid, repetitive and smooth variation of amplitude, pitch or timbre within a note or chord discontinuities, note sequences or separate note onsets during the variation G10H2210/161; tremolo, i.e. stepwise pitch alternation G10H2210/191
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/161 with 2D or x/y surface coordinates sensing graphical user interface or touchscreen input G10H2220/091; microtonal keyboard G10H2210/401
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/445 Bowed string instrument sound generation, controlling specific features of said sound, e.g. use of fret or bow control parameters for violin effects synthesis bow interfaces per se G10H2220/365; modulation effects G10H2210/195; spint viola G10H2230/081; spint cello G10H2230/085
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/521 Closed loop models therefor, e.g. with filter and delay line
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 5/007 Real-time simulation of G10B, G10C, G10D-type instruments using recursive or non-linear techniques, e.g. waveguide networks, recursive algorithms
• 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 includes a tone generator, a manipulator for defining a manipulation region and for performing manipulation within the manipulation region. The manipulator has a first detector which detects serial position data on the basis of positions of performance manipulation within the manipulation region, and a second detector which generates changing-degree data of a locus which is constituted by the serial position data. The tone generator generates musical tone with effect in accordance with the changing-degree data to thereby impart various effect such as vibrato with ease.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

manipulation means including an at least two dimensional continuous surface manipulation region, and a positioning element operative proximate said continuous surface of said manipulation region for achieving performance manipulation within said manipulation region;

means for detecting time based serial position data coordinates on the basis of serial positioning of the performance manipulation of said positioning element within said manipulation region;

means for detecting directional change and for conversion of data pertaining to a determination of the geometric coordinate locus of the performance manipulation, on the basis of a predetermined number of time based, serially detected position data coordinates; and

a tone signal generation circuit for performing effect control on musical tones based on the detected position and directional change and conversion data from said means for detecting and said manipulation means.

2. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said positioning element of said manipulation means further comprises:

a changeover switch, so that said tone signal generation circuit generates tone signals subjected to the musical tone effect control by using said directional change and conversion data when said changeover switch is set to one side, while said tone signal generation circuit generates tone signals without using said directional change and conversion data when said changeover switch is set to the other side.

3. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting directional change detects an angle between a first radius and a second radius from the coordinates of three time based serially detected points under the condition that said first radius is assumed to be a linear segment between the first one of said three time based serially detected points and a center of a circle circumscribed with a triangle determined by said three time based serially detected points and said second radius is assumed to be a linear segment between the last one of said three time based serially detected points and said center.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting directional change detects an angle between a first direction and a second direction under the condition that said first direction and said second direction are assumed to be defined by a line connecting a pair of time based serially detected adjacent points and a line connecting a subsequent pair of time based serially detected adjacent points, respectively.

5. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein:

said manipulation region of said manipulation means is capable of setting a reference point and a reference axis including said reference point as the origin; and

said means for detecting directional change includes means for detecting temporal variation of an angle formed between the direction connecting said reference point to a position of performance manipulation within said manipulation region and said reference axis.

6. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, in which the musical tone effect control is one selected from "vibrato", "tremolo", "celeste", and "chorus".

7. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

manipulation means, including a manipulation region having at least two dimensions and a positioning element, for achieving performance manipulation by physically contacting said manipulation region with said positioning element and sensing the contact;

first detecting means for detecting coordinate position data on the basis of the performance manipulation of said positioning element executed within said manipulation region;

calculation means for calculating a geometric coordinate locus based on said coordinate position data from said first detecting means;

second detecting means for determining directional data in accordance with the calculated locus and the detected position data; and

effect control means for controlling musical tone effect on the basis of the directional data.

8. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

manipulation means for defining a manipulation region having at least two dimensions and a positioning element operative for achieving performance manipulation within said manipulation region;

first detecting means for detecting coordinate position data on the basis of the performance manipulation of said positioning element executed within said manipulation region;

calculation means for calculating a geometric coordinate locus based on said coordinate position data from said first detecting means;

second detecting means for determining directional data in accordance with the calculated locus and the detected position data;

third detecting means for detecting pressure applied on said manipulation region by said positioning element and for outputting corresponding pressure data; and

effect control means for controlling musical tone effect on the basis of the directional data.

9. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, further comprising second calculation means for calculating speed data on the basis of said coordinate position data from said first detecting means.

10. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 9, further comprising:

tone generating means for generating musical tone, said tone generating means including;

circulating means, which includes signal paths each having two directions, for circulating a signal,

a non-linear circuit for storing characteristics of a musical instrument and for mixing said signal circulated in said circulating means and said speed data on the basis of said pressure data,

delay means for delaying said signal in said circulating means,

wherein said signal circulated in said circulating means is fed back to said non-linear circuit to thereby generate a musical tone.

11. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

manipulation means for defining a manipulation region having at least two dimensions and a positioning element operative for achieving performance manipulation within said manipulation region, wherein said manipulation region of said manipulation means comprises a flat plane surface and said manipulation means further includes a first plurality of detection lines arranged parallel to a first axis and a second plurality of detection lines arranged parallel to a second axis, wherein said first and second detection lines are proximate an underside of said flat plane surface;

first detecting means for detecting coordinate position data on the basis of the performance manipulation of said positioning element executed within said manipulation region;

calculation means for calculating a geometric coordinate locus based on said coordinate position data from said first detecting means;

second detecting means for determining directional data in accordance with the calculated locus and the detected position data; and

effect control means for controlling musical tone effect on the basis of the directional data.

12. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 11 wherein said positioning element comprises a pen-shaped movable hand manipulator operative to generate an electromagnetic field proximate a tip thereof, said electromagnetic field produced by said pen-shaped movable hand manipulator capable of generating a field which is sensed by said first and second detection lines of said manipulation region to determine an ordinate position of said hand manipulator with respect to the flat plane surface of said manipulation region.

13. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

manipulation means, including a two dimensional manipulation region and a positioning element employed by a performer to indicate a position on the manipulation region, for providing position data;

means for detecting a sequential series of position data in response to movement of the positioning element with respect to the manipulation region;

means for analyzing the series of position data to detect directional changes in the motion of the positioning element with respect to the manipulation region;

a tone signal generation circuit for generating a musical tone; and

means for controlling an effect to be imparted to the musical tone in response to the position data and the detected directional changes.