Tone parameter control apparatus

• US 5,298,676 A
• Filed: 01/12/1993
• Issued: 03/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Watanuki, Masatoshi, Sasaki, Hiroyuki, Kawanishi, Toshiaki, Yoshino, Jun, Hanzawa, Kohtaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/004,227
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 84/624, 84/626, 84/629, 84/662, 84/601, 84/615, 84/653
• US Class Current: 84/624
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/04 by additional modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/301 Pink 1/f noise or flicker noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/00 Instruments in which the tones are synthesised from a data store, e.g. computer organs

Abstract

A plurality of groups of tone parameters different in kind required for the generation of a musical sound is stored. The tone parameters of the same kind among those tone parameters are modulated with the same sway signal generated at the same time at a desired time or at fixed intervals of time when a key concerned is depressed. The modulated parameters are either restored in the original storage region or directly delivered to a sound source. The resulting musical sound has an acoustically natural comfortable tone quality. Even if musical sounds are generated simultaneously, no sways in the respective tones of the musical sound are canceled.

Claims

1. A tone parameter control apparatus comprising:

tone parameters storing means for storing a plurality of groups of tone parameters, said groups respectively including a plurality of tone parameters of the same kind which control a same characteristic of a musical sound to be generated;

fluctuation signal outputting means for outputting a fluctuation signal;

tone parameter readout means for sequentially reading out said tone parameters of the same kind from the respective groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means; and

parameter modulating means for modulating the respective tone parameters of the same kind read out by said tone parameter readout means with the same fluctuation signal generated at the same time by said fluctuation signal generating means and for re-storing the modulated tone parameters in said tone parameter storing means;

wherein said fluctuation signal generating means includes a 1/f fluctuation signal generating means for generating a 1/f fluctuation signal having a power spectrum substantially inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

group designating means for designating one of the plurality of groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means; and

tone parameter changing means for changing each of the tone parameters contained in the tone parameter group designated by said group designating means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising timer means for outputting a signal to operate said tone parameter readout means and said parameter modulating means at fixed intervals of time.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising externally operable means for outputting a signal to operate said tone parameter readout means and said parameter modulating means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said 1/f fluctuation signal generating means comprises:

white noise data generating means for generating white noise data at fixed intervals of time;

filtering means for filtering the white noise data such that the white noise data has a power spectrum with a magnitude inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal; and

interpolating means for interpolating data on the basis of filtered white noise data output sequentially from said filtering means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tone parameter readout means sequentially reads out the tone parameters of the same kind, starting with tone parameters of the same kind contained in a predetermined tone parameter group, and designates and reads out tone parameters of another kind when all of the former tone parameters of the same kind have been read out.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each tone parameter includes:

first data indicative of whether a tone parameter is a tone parameter to be read out first among the tone parameters of the same kind,

data designating a tone parameter of said same kind of another tone parameter group to be read out next,

end data indicative of whether a tone parameter is a tone parameter to be read out last among the tone parameters of said same kind, and

wherein said tone parameter readout means designates the tone parameter to be read out first on the basis of the first data and reads out tone parameters sequentially on the basis of the designated data, and reads out a tone parameter of the next kind when reading out the last tone parameter of the kind handled so far has been detected on the basis of the end data.

8. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

pitch designating means for designating a pitch of a musical sound;

tone parameter storing means for storing a plurality of groups of tone parameters, said groups respectfully including a plurality of tone parameters of the same kind which control a same characteristic of a musical sound to be generated;

fluctuation signal outputting means for outputting a fluctuation signal;

tone parameter readout means for sequentially reading out said tone parameters of the same kind from the respective groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means in response to an operation of said pitch designating means;

parameter modulating means for modulating the respective tone parameters of the same kind red out by said tone parameter readout means with the same fluctuation signal generated at the same time by said fluctuation signal generating means; and

musical sound generating means for generating a musical sound on the basis of pitch data designated by said pitch designating means and tone parameters modulated by said parameter modulating means;

wherein said fluctuation signal generating means includes 1/f fluctuation signal generating means for generating a 1/f fluctuation signal having a power spectrum substantially inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal.

9. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, further comprising:

group designating means for designating one of the plurality of groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means; and

tone parameter changing means for changing each of the tone parameters contained in the tone parameter group designated by said group designating means.

10. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein said 1/f fluctuation signal generating means comprises:

white noise data generating means for generating white noise data at fixed intervals of time;

filtering means for filtering the white noise data such that the white noise data has a power spectrum with a magnitude inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal; and

interpolating means for interpolating data on the basis of filtered white noise data output sequentially from said filtering means.

11. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein said tone parameter readout means sequentially reads out the tone parameters of the same kind, starting with tone parameters of the same kind contained in a predetermined tone parameter group, and designates and reads out tone parameters of another kind when all of the former tone parameters of the same kind have been read out.

12. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 11, wherein each tone parameter includes:

first data indicative of whether a tone parameter is a tone parameter to be read out first among the tone parameters of the same kind,

data designating a tone parameter of said same kind of another tone parameter group to be read out next,

end data indicative of whether a tone parameter is a tone parameter to be read out last among the tone parameters of said same kind, and

wherein said tone parameter readout means designates the tone parameter to be read out first on the basis of the first data and reads out tone parameters sequentially on the basis of the designated data, and reads out a tone parameter of the next kind when reading out the last tone parameter of the kind handled has been detected on the basis of the end data.

13. A tone parameter control apparatus comprising:

tone parameter storing means for storing a plurality of groups of tone parameters, said groups respectively including a plurality of tone parameters of the same kind which control a same characteristic of a musical sound to be generated;

fluctuation signal outputting means for outputting a fluctuation signal; and

parameter modulating means for modulating said tone parameters of a same kind from the respective groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means with the same fluctuation signal generated at the same time by said fluctuation signal generating means;

wherein said fluctuation signal generating means includes a 1/f fluctuation signal generating means for generating a 1/f fluctuation signal having a power spectrum substantially inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

group designating means for designating one of the plurality of groups of tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means; and

tone parameter changing means for changing each of the tone parameters contained in the tone parameter group designated by said group designating means.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising timer means for outputting a signal to operate said parameter modulating means at fixed intervals of time.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising externally operable means for outputting a signal to operate said parameter modulating means.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said 1/f fluctuation signal generating means comprises:

white noise data generating means for generating white noise data at fixed intervals of time;

filtering means for filtering the white noise data such that the white noise data has a power spectrum with a magnitude inversely proportional to the frequencies contained in said generated fluctuation signal; and

interpolating means for interpolating data on the basis of filtered white noise data output sequentially from said filtering means.

18. A tone parameter control apparatus comprising:

tone parameter storing means (102,

     103) for storing a plurality of tone parameters which are different in kind and which are used for generation of a musical sound, said tone parameters which are different in kind controlling different characteristics of the musical sound being generated;

white noise data generating means (401) for generating white noise data at fixed intervals of time;

filtering means (402) for filtering the white noise data such that the white noise data has a power spectrum such that the magnitude of frequency components of the filtered white noise data are inversely proportional to a frequency relative to a given frequency of f;

tone parameter readout means (101) for reading out tone parameters stored in said tone parameter storing means (102,

     103); and

parameter modulating means (101) for modulating the tone parameters red out by said tone parameter readout (101) means with the filtered white noise data from said filtering means (402).

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising interpolating means (404) for interpolating data on the basis of filtered white noise data output sequentially from said filtering means (402).

20. An apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising externally operable means (106b) for outputting a signal to operate said parameter modulating means (101).

21. A 1/f fluctuation signal generating apparatus comprising:

white noise data generating means for generating white noise data at fixed intervals of time;

filtering means for filtering the white noise data such that the white noise data has a power spectrum such that the magnitude of frequency components of the filtered white noise data are inversely proportional to a frequency relative to a given frequency of f and for outputting the filtered white noise data as a 1/f fluctuation signal; and

interpolating means for interpolating data on the basis of said filtered white noise data output sequentially from said filtering means.