Electronic music instrument system with musical keyboard

• US 5,908,997 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 06/01/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interactive Music Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Van Koevering Company
• Inventors: Phillips, Robert, Lyda, Lance E., Arnold, Rob C., Westlund, Warren W. II, Noyce, Kenneth R., Pursey, John M., Lawson, Robert D., Snethen, Gary L., Koevering, David Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/879,678
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 84/477 R, 84/478, 84/600, 84/609-614, 84/626-638, 84/649-652, 84/658, 84/662-669, 84/701-717, 84/DIG. 6, 84/615-620 , 84/622-625, 84/653-657, 84/659-661, 84/445-449
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/04 with sound emitters
• CPC Class Codes: G10C 3/12 Keyboards; Keys
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 7/00 Other auxiliary devices or accessories, e.g. conductors' batons or separate holders for resin or strings
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/106 using icons, e.g. selecting, moving or linking icons, on-screen symbols, screen regions or segments representing musical elements or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/125 Spint harp, i.e. mimicking harp-like instruments, e.g. large size concert harp, with pedal
• 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, lip position, etc, to trigger octave change; input breath G10H2220/361; end-blown flutes G10H2230/161
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/221 Spint saxophone, i.e. mimicking conical bore musical instruments with single reed mouthpiece, e.g. saxophones, electrophonic emulation or interfacing aspects therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/225 Spint oboe, i.e. mimicking double reed woodwind with conical bore, e.g. oboe
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/231 Spint english horn
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/235 Spint bassoon, i.e. mimicking double reed low range woodwind with doubled back conical bore, e.g. bassoon
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/241 Spint clarinet, i.e. mimicking any member of the single reed cylindrical bore woodwind instrument family, e.g. piccolo clarinet, octocontrabass, chalumeau, hornpipes, zhaleika
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/066 MPEG audio-visual compression file formats, e.g. MPEG-4 for coding of audio-visual objects MP3 G10H2240/061
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/271 Serial transmission according to any one of RS-232 standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals between a DTE and a DCE
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/311 MIDI transmission G10H2240/056 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/004 with one or more auxiliary processor in addition to the main processing unit

Abstract

An electronic music instrument system, comprising: an electronic music instrument, having selectable groups of reproducible sounds and individually selectable reproducible sounds; a signal generator for energizing an audio amplifier responsive to different digital audio sources, including the groups of sounds and the individual sounds a graphical user interface for displaying at least one control graphic representing controllable parameters of the audio signals generated by the generator; and, a controller responsive to operation of the control graphic for adjusting the controllable parameters of the generator and for selectively coupling different ones of the sources to the generator. The graphical user interface can comprise: a video display; and, a touch-responsive overlay. The controllable parameters can include multiple instrument sound selection and sound layer assignment, controlled responsive to operation of the at least one control graphic. The at least one control graphic can be displayed on a single screen.

Claims

1. An electronic music instrument system, comprising:

an electronic music instrument having a musical keyboard for playing selectable groups of reproducible sounds and individually selectable reproducible sounds within said groups of sounds;

an audio signal generator for energizing an audio amplifier responsive to different ones of a plurality of digital audio sources, including said groups of sounds and said individual sounds of said electronic music instrument;

a graphical user interface for displaying at least one control graphic representing controllable parameters of said audio signals generated by said generator, one of said controllable parameters including real time allocation of keys on said keyboard to different sounds; and

,

control means responsive to operation of said control graphic for adjusting said controllable parameters of said generator and for selectively coupling different ones of said sources to said generator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface comprises:

a video display; and

,

a touch-responsive overlay.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein different sounds include voices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said different sounds include single instrument sounds.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said different sounds include sound effects.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said different sounds include multiple instrument sounds and sound layers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said different sounds include sound layers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said musical keyboard plays only preprogrammed musical notes.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

said graphical user interface displays a further control graphic; and

,

other ones of said controllable parameters include recording multiple channel and allocation of different sound layers to different ones of said multiple channels responsive to operation of said further control graphic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein still other ones of said controllable parameters include allocation of drum syncopation to different ones of said multiple channels.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein yet other ones of said controllable parameters include same-channel recording and different-channel recording of said sound layers and said drum syncopation responsive of operation of said further control graphic.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said controlled different sounds include drum voice selection.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sources further comprises a modem for communicating with an on-line source of digital information.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a piano housing, said system being mounted within said piano housing.

15. The system of claim 2, further comprising a piano housing, said video display being mounted in said piano housing.

16. The system of claim 2, further comprising a piano housing having a music stand formed integrally therewith, said video display being mounted in said music stand.

17. The system of claim 2, further comprising a piano housing having a music stand formed integrally therewith, said video display forming an integral part of said music stand.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said control means is exclusively responsive to said graphical user interface and to said musical keyboard.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said sources include at least one prerecorded source.

20. An electronic music instrument system, comprising:

an electronic music instrument having a musical keyboard for playing preprogrammed musical notes from selectable groups of reproducible sounds and individually selectable reproducible sounds within said groups of sounds;

an audio signal generator for energizing an audio amplifier responsive to different ones of a plurality of digital audio sources, including said groups of sounds and said individual sounds of said electronic music instrument;

a graphical user interface for dislaying at least one control graphic representing controllable parameters of said audio signals generated by said generator, one of said controllable parameters including key allocation responsive to said musical keyboard; and

,

control means responsive to operation of said control graphic for adjusting said controllable parameters of said generator and for selectively coupling different ones of said sources to said generator.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

said graphical user interface generates a further control graphic; and

,

a further one of said controllable parameters is a volume control for each sound layer responsive to operation of said further control graphic.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein:

said graphical user interface generates a further control graphic; and

,

a further one of said controllable parameters is key transposition adjustment for each sound layer responsive to operation of said further control graphic.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein:

said graphical user interface generates a further control graphic; and

,

a further one of said controllable parameters is pan adjustment for each sound layer responsive to operation of said further control graphic.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein another one of said controllable parameters is assignment of sound layers to ranges of said keys.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein other ones of said controllable parameters include drum syncopation, triggers, key change and volume.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein other ones of said controllable parameters include drum syncopation, triggers, key change and volume.

27. An electronic music instrument system, comprising:

an electronic music instrument having a musical keyboard for plain preprogrammed musical notes from selectable groups of reproducible sounds and individually selectable reproducible sounds within said groups of sounds;

an audio signal generator for energizing an audio amplifier responsive to different ones of a plurality of digital audio sources, including said groups of sound and said individual sounds of said electronic music instrument;

a graphical user interface for displaying at least one control graphic representing controllable parameters including audio characteristics of further sources other than said source energized by said audio signal generator responsive to operation of said musical keyboard; and

,

control means responsive to operation of said control graphic for adjusting said controllable parameters of said generator and for selectively coupling different ones of said sources and further sources to said generator.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said further sources comprise:

a hard disk drive;

a floppy disk drive; and

,

a compact disc drive.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein said further sources include at least one prerecorded source.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said control means is exclusively responsive to said graphical user interface and to said musical keyboard.