Flute controller driven dynamic synthesis system

• US 7,723,605 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bruce Gremo
• Original Assignee: Bruce Gremo
• Inventors: Gremo, Bruce, Feddersen, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren; David S.
• Application Number:
  US11/729,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 846/15, 846/32, 846/53, 846/62, 84723-725, 847/29, 847/30, 847/33, 847/34, 847/37, 847/38, 84742-745
• US Class Current: 84/723
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/344 Structural association with individual keys electrically operated wind-actuated organs G10B3/22
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/265 Key design details; Special characteristics of individual keys of a keyboard; Key-like musical input devices, e.g. finger sensors, pedals, potentiometers, selectors
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/361 Mouth control in general, i.e. breath, mouth, teeth, tongue or lip-controlled input devices or sensors detecting, e.g. lip position, lip vibration, air pressure, air velocity, air flow or air jet angle
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/401 3D sensing, i.e. three-dimensional (x, y, z) position or movement sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/561 Piezoresistive transducers, i.e. exhibiting vibration, pressure, force or movement -dependent resistance, e.g. strain gauges, carbon-doped elastomers or polymers for piezoresistive drumpads, carbon microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/195 Spint flute, i.e. mimicking or emulating a transverse flute or air jet sensor arrangement therefor, e.g. sensing angle or lip position to trigger octave change
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/301 Ethernet, e.g. according to IEEE 802.3
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/311 MIDI transmission G10H2240/056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/321 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/461 Gensound wind instruments, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a wind instrument, controlling specific features of said sound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/465 Reed instrument sound synthesis, controlling specific features of said sound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/495 Use of noise in formant synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 5/005 Voice controlled instruments

Abstract

The present invention is an electronic musical instrument that in appearance and playing characteristics closely resembles flute-like instruments such as a conventional flute or a shakuhachi. The instrument comprises an electronic controller that has operating characteristics that resemble a flute and computer software executable on a computer for converting signals from the controller into data suitable for generating complex sound from conventional speakers. Thus, the instrument provides the complexity and nuance of control of an acoustic instrument while being capable of generating sounds that an acoustic instrument cannot make.

Claims

1. A controller for an electronic musical instrument comprising:

a housing;

a mouthpiece mounted on the housing, said mouthpiece comprising a wind separator having first and second surfaces and a microphone mounted on each of the first and second surfaces; and

a plurality of sensors mounted on the housing and positioned so that a player'"'"'s fingers can engage the sensors while the mouthpiece is held to his or her mouth,

wherein the sensors produce signals indicative of fingering events including the number of fingers on the sensors, wherein the fingering events include vented fingerings and non-vented fingerings.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the sensors are track pads.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein there are five sensors.

4. The controller of claim 3 wherein the sensors are positioned to be engaged by two fingers of each hand and one thumb.

5. The controller of claim 1 wherein the mouthpiece further comprises a lip plate.

6. The controller of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier for amplifying output signals from each microphone.

7. The controller of claim 2 further comprising a microprocessor for processing signals from each track pad.

8. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a wireless transmitter for transmitting signals from the microphones and sensors.

9. The controller of claim 1 wherein each microphone functions as a signal amplitude sensor responding to friction noise resulting from blowing of air directly onto the microphone.

10. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a third microphone mounted on the mouthpiece to amplify a player'"'"'s breath sound in conventional fashion.

11. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

a controller comprising;

a housing,

a mouthpiece mounted on the housing,

said mouthpiece comprising a wind separator having first and second surfaces and a microphone mounted on each of the first and second surfaces; and

a plurality of sensors mounted on the housing and positioned so that a player'"'"'s fingers can engage the sensors while the mouthpiece is held to his or her mouth;

a processor for processing signals from the microphones to produce a first output signal;

a processor for processing signals from the sensors to produce a second output signal, wherein signals from the sensors are processed to determine fingering events including the number of fingers on the sensors, wherein the fingering events include vented fingerings and non-vented fingerings; and

a first synthesizer responsive to said first and second output signals to produce a first sound synthesis signal for controlling an audio speaker.

12. The electronic musical instrument of claim 11 wherein the sensors are track pads.

13. The electronic musical instrument of claim 11 wherein there are five sensors.

14. The electronic musical instrument of claim 13 wherein the sensors are positioned to be engaged by two fingers of each hand and one thumb.

15. The electronic musical instrument of claim 11 wherein signals from the microphones are processed to determine a ratio of the amplitude between the two microphones.

16. The electronic musical instrument of claim 11 further comprising:

a noise generator;

a second synthesizer responsive to said first and second output signals to produce a second sound synthesis signal for controlling an audio speaker; and

an amplitude envelope generator for combining an output of said noise generator and said first and second sound synthesis signals.

17. The electronic musical instrument of claim 11 wherein the first synthesizer is implemented in computer software.