over a_tags
Music search by interactive graphical specification with audio feedback2010-03-25 00:00:00/>7. The method of claim 1, wherein the musical query is in an audio format.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in a software program accessible by a graphical interface for graphically generating the musical segment via a web browser
over a network.
9. The method of claim 1, comprising:
modifying the musical segment produced during the step of graphically generating in response to user inputs to change characteristics of the musical segment.
10. The method of claim 1, comprising:
replacing the generated musical segment with the created graphical representation of the selected music portion,
graphically adjusting the replaced generated musical segment; and
providing audio feedback to a user by playing at least a portion of the adjusted generated musical segment.
11. The method of claim 10, comprising:
repeating the step of graphically adjusting the replaced generated musical segment and the step of providing audio feedback from the adjusted generated musical segment, until the adjusted generated musical segment has been acknowledged as acceptable; and
wherein the step of generating the second musical query is performed after the adjusted generated musical segment has been acknowledged as acceptable.
12. The method of claim 11, comprising:
graphically adjusting the replaced generated musical segment in response to user inputs to change characteristics of the musical segment.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated musical segment comprises a bass and/or a rhythm section for generating the musical query.
14. The method of claim 1, comprising:
graphically adjusting the tempo of the generated musical segment to fine tune the tempo of the musical segment.
15. A computer-based system for creating a musical query comprising:
logic that graphically generates a musical segment that represents at least a portion of a desired piece of music;
logic that provides audio feedback to a user by playing at least a portion of the generated musical segment;
logic that generates a musical query based on the generated musical segment;
logic that retrieves at least one music piece from a music database based on the generated musical query;
logic that selects at least a portion of one of the retrieved music pieces;
logic that creates a graphical representation of the selected music portion; and
logic that generates a second musical query based on the created graphical representation of the selected music portion.
16. The computer-based system of claim 15, comprising:
logic that synthesizes the musical segment prior to providing the audio feedback.
17. The computer-based system of claim 15, comprising:
logic that allows the user to repeat graphically generating the musical segment and providing audio feedback, until the musical segment has been acknowledged as acceptable; and
wherein the logic that generates the musical query is activated after the musical segment has been acknowledged as acceptable.
18. The computer-based system of claim 15, comprising:
logic that displays a list containing the retrieved music pieces;
logic that selects at least one of the retrieved music pieces; and
logic that plays the selected at least one of the retrieved music pieces to the user.
19. The computer-based system of claim 15, wherein the musical query is in a string format.
20. The computer-based system of claim 15, wherein the musical query is in a MIDI format.
21. The computer-based system of claim 15, wherein the musical query is in an audio format.
22. The computer-based system of claim 15, wherein ...
Method and apparatus for generating musical tone waveforms by user input of sample waveform frequency2010-03-24 00:00:00only when said instruction information for instructing the low frequency oscillator to switch on is received by said second receiving step; and
a reproducing step of outputting said plurality of musical tone waveform samples, sample by sample, every sampling cycle.
32. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions to cause a machine to perform a method of generating musical tones which is executed on a computer and comprises:
a first receiving step of receiving performance information;
a second receiving step of receiving selection information;
a generating step of carrying out, at predetermined time intervals longer than a sampling cycle, a musical tone waveform calculation in response to the received performance information, for generating a plurality of musical tone waveform samples for each of a plurality of channels, mixing the generated plurality of musical tone waveform samples for each of the plurality of channels, and storing the mixed plurality of musical tone waveform samples in a memory, wherein said musical tone waveform calculation includes
a characteristic control processing step of controlling a characteristic of the mixed plurality of musical tone waveform samples in a manner selected by said selection information; and
a reproducing step of outputting said plurality of musical tone waveform samples generated by said generating step, sample by sample, every sampling cycle.Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a musical tone-generating method which generates musical tone waveforms by executing a musical tone-generating program by means of a programmable processing unit such as a CPU or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and also relates to a musical tone-generating apparatus which generates musical tone waveforms by executing a musical tone-generating program.
2. Prior Art
In a conventional tone generator or a conventional musical tone-generating program which generates musical tone waveforms, through computation, the sampling frequency, the maximum number of musical tones that can be generated at the same time, and the contents of processing of each musical tone are set beforehand, irrespective of the types of musical tones to be generated and conditions under which other processings such as background processing are executed.
In the conventional tone generator and the musical tone-generating program, however, the following inconveniences have been encountered:
(1) Musical tone-generating operations employed are fixed, and therefore in some cases, processings which are not necessary are executed, and in other cases, essential processings are not executed.
For example, in a tone generator or a musical tone-generating program which can generate musical tones simultaneously through a plurality of tone-generating channels, musical tones are generated through each tone-generating channel independently of those generated through the other channels, and the number of waveform samples to be generated per unit time is constant for all the tone-generating channels. Therefore, although musical tones generated through each channel have different characteristics from those generated through the other channels and have different qualities required according to the kinds of the musical tones, the same number of waveform samples are generated for all the tone-generating channels. As a result, the conventional tone generator or the musical tone-generating program performs wasteful operations for generating musical tones.
For example, to generate musical tones with frequency components
over a broad frequency band, i.e. with a high quality, the operation for generating musical tone waveforms has to be carried out at a high sampling frequency (i.e. with a large number of samples), while to generate musical tones with frequency components only in a low frequency band, it suffices to perform the operation for generating musical tone waveforms at a low sampling frequency (i.e. with a small number of samples). Further, some music pieces require a large number of musical tones to be generated but with a low quality when they are performed, and other music pieces require only a small number of musical tones to be generated but with a high quality. Further, a tone-generating channel which generates musical tones for an outstanding part of a music piece to be performed, such as a leading part, is required to generate musical tones with a high quality, while a tone-generating channel which generates musical tones for an inconspicuous part such as a backing part, is allowed to generate musical tones with a degraded quality, giving almost no difference in sound quality to a listener.
Further, some types of musical tones require conversion of the pitch of musical tone waveforms thereof when they are generated, while other types of musical tones do not require such conversion of the pitch. Some types of musical tones require modulation by means of an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), while other types do not require the same. Some types of musical tones require tone color processing by means of a digital filter, while others do not require the same, and some types of musical tones require imparting effects thereto, while others do not require the same. The conventional tone generator, however, has fixed circuits, and therefore it is difficult to add a new processing or omit a dispensable processing to or from the original fixed processings, which requires addition of a complicated circuit.
(2) In a tone generator which is realized by software (software tone generator), the amount of operation by a CPU thereof dynamically changes depending upon the number of tone-generating channels which are currently under operation for generating musical tones and the contents of musical tone-generating operations performed by the tone generator. When a software tone generator program (hereinafter referred to as "the software tone generator") is implemented by a general-purpose computer in parallel with other application programs (hereinafter referred to as "the other applications&quo...
Hand-held percussion musical instrument comprising elongate tube shaped as a ring, incorporating dividers, and incoporating contained sound-generating elements2010-03-18 00:00:00steel shot (masses) have diameters within a range of about 1/16 inches to 4/8 inches. For example, the steel shot illustrated in FIG. 2 is all of the same diameter, about 1/8 inch; the steel shot illustrated in FIG. 6 would include for each tubular chamber A and B a 50/50 mixture of 1/8 inch diameter steel shot and 1/4 inch diameter steel shot.
By the choice of dimensions, materials, wall thickness and diameters, as well as by the specific placement of end walls, different sonic effects can be achieved using the percussion instrument. The instrument can be constructed of separate pieces rigidly connected together, some of which could have a curvature (e.g., the tubes), and may even be constructed of thin metal, (e.g., thin metallic tubular walls).
Preferably, however, the tubular ring is injection molded in two halves as described from hard rigid plastic material such as polycarbonate or acrylic plastic, so as to (1) provide a durable structure that will withstand pounding, and (2) so as to achieve good common soundboard effects for the tubular walls in audibly coupling induced percussion vibrations from the loosely contained hard masses to the surrounding atmosphere. Steel shot is preferred. However, other metals may be employed, and hard non-metallic masses may be used.
One aspect of the invention that facilitates utility and variations is that the individual hollow tubes are contained in a rigid ring, and their longitudinal axes while generally in the same plane extend in different directions in that plane. At least five such hollow tubes are preferred, whether the ring is a circle, a polygon, or a hybrid of the two in general configuration. Thus, for example, the ring may be a pentagon or an octagon as well as a hexagon.
The Embodiment of FIG. 8
Except as specifically stated herein, the embodiment of FIG. 8 is structurally identical to that of FIGS. 1-5. Some of the parts shown in FIG. 8 are given the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2, except followed by the letter "c".
It is to be understood that FIG. 8 shows only the lower half of the present embodiment of the musical instrument, in this respect corresponding to FIG. 2 which shows the first embodiment. Also, it is to be understood that, except as specifically noted below, FIGS. 1 and 3 apply relative to the embodiment of FIG. 8 just as they apply relative to the embodiment of FIG. 2. Thus, there is an upper half of the present embodiment that fits
over and is connected to the lower half shown in FIG. 8. Such upper half is the mirror image, about the median plane, of what is shown in FIG. 8, except at lips, flanges or tangs 54,56,58 and 60 (these being as shown in FIG. 5). Also, for example, each end wall in the lower half has a corresponding end wall in the upper half, and these fit together when the apparatus is assembled as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to form complete end walls that isolate each plurality of shot in its particular chamber, and that act as soundboards.
As shown in FIG. 8, there are provided in each of the tubes two baffle or sound-chamber-defining walls 75,76 spaced a substantial distance from each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the walls 75,76 in each tube are spaced approximately 1/2 inch from each other. The walls 75,76 are centered in their respective tubes, so that a plane midway between the two baffle walls 75,76 in each set thereof is also midway between the associated end wal...
Method for operating a musical instrument2010-03-08 00:00:00each line of the new staff is analogous to a specific key on a standard keyboard instrument.
In another embodiment, once music has been recorded onto the new staff, such music can easily be transcribed to a conventional staff by anyone conversant in conventional music notation. Therefore, music can be recorded by an artisan who is not conversant in the conventional music notation system, and the recording can then be transcribed into the conventional notation system without great difficulty. Currently, such recordation into the conventional notation system, when an artisan lacks familiarity with the conventional system, requires that one being conversant in the conventional notation system be present with the artisan to record the music as described or as played by the artisan. Therefore, the new staff of the present invention significantly enhances the ability of artisans to record music in the conventional notation system, even when the artisan is not conversant in the conventional music notation system.
In another embodiment of the present invention, distinctive and individualized noteheads are used to distinguish pitches that relate to a white key of the standard keyboard instrument and a black key of the standard keyboard instrument. Such differences can be, for example, as previously described with respect to using different noteheads for pitches recorded on a line as compared to noteheads for pitches recorded in a space of the new staff of the present invention. However, the use of such different noteheads to identify a key having a letter designation, or the sharp or flat of a letter designation, can be used with any staff, including a conventional staff. Preferably, however, the staff is a new staff of the present invention.
Similarly, distinctive and individualized noteheads for all twelve pitches of an octave, as previously described, can be used on any staff, including a conventional staff, to facilitate the ease of reading recorded music. Alternatively, with such twelve individualized noteheads, no staff at all is required. Such might be desirable to avoid the confusion caused by the presence of unnecessary lines of a staff for the very skilled artisan who is particularly familiar with a set of notehead symbols. FIG. 8 shows the same four measures of music as shown in FIG. 7, except using individualized noteheads for each of the recorded pitches within an octave group, and in the absence of a staff.
FIG. 9 shows a staff of the present invention having a preferred set of notehead designs. Each notehead, representing one of the twelve pitches within an octave, has a design that is unique and different compared to each of the other notehead designs. The notehead designs, however, are individualized in a way that communicates two helpful concepts.
First, any note that appears in a space, and therefore represents one of the seven "naturals" (white keys of the piano), is of one basic shape, with seven variations. Any note that appears on a line, and therefore represents one the of five other notes (black keys of the piano), is another basic shape, with five variations. These five other notes have been given the letter designations Z, R, O, I, and U, shown in FIG. 9.
The basic shape for the group of seven naturals is portrayed by the notehead shown for the note "D", while the notehead for the note "I" portrays the basic shape for the other five. The noteheads for the group of seven naturals are of a blocky design, having substantial thickness over the length of the notehead along the staff. The noteheads for the group of five other notes are variations of a diamond-type shape, with a relatively thick portion near the center of the notehead and tapering to points at either end of the notehead. Therefore, the general difference in shapes between the group of five and the group of seven are easily identifiable in order to assist a musician in identifying notes corresponding to white keys and notes corresponding to black keys on a piano keyboard.
Second, the two basic shapes are varied so that each notehead shape is different from all the others, while retaining the fundamental shape of its group of seven or group of five. This feature provides additional information to the musician and helps to identify the specific white key or the specific black key on the piano which corresponds to the note. Each of the group of seven is a different variation of the blocky notehead design, while each of the group of five is a different variation of the diamond-type notehead design.
Also shown in FIG. 9 is a portion of a piano keyboard 100 with white keys 101-107 and black keys 108-112, which together
over an octave on the keyboard. The correspondence between the staff shown in FIG. 9 and the keyboard 100 can be seen by noting that the space on the staff where the note "C" is positioned corresponds with white key 101; the line on which the note "Z" is positioned corresponds with black key 108; the space in which the note "D" is positioned corresponds with white key 102; the line on which the note "R" is positioned corresponds with black key 109; the space in which the note "E" is positioned cor...
Method and apparatus for automatic variable articulation and timbre assignment for an electronic musical instrument2010-03-06 00:00:00/>receiving performance data corresponding to individual notes, the performance data including a note-on time and pitch data for each note;
detecting a note-on time of a first note;
collecting the performance data for subsequent notes whose respective note-on times are within a predetermined time interval of the note-on time of said first note;
setting a common start time and a common duration for said first note and said subsequent notes; and
simultaneously generating a plurality of tones at said same start time for said same duration, said tones having pitches that correspond to the pitch data of said first note and said subsequent notes.Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to the field of electronic musical instruments, electronic tone generators, and electronic musical controllers. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling expressive musical articulation by controlling the duration, overlap, and timbre assignment of successive tones as a function of playing speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic musical instruments comprise two distinct systems: a tone generator and a controlling interface (controller). The two systems can be embodied in a single device or as two entities that are interconnected. A controller transduces the physical gestures of the performer and sends performance data to one or many tone generators. At a minimum, the performance data includes a pitch and a note-on signal, with optional additional data representing other musical parameters such as velocity. Some controllers sense and transmit note-off data. Typical controllers are a piano-like keyboard, an array of drum pads, or a keyed wind instrument. Another type of controller is a sequencer, which is a program that stores performance data (either recorded from another controller or entered by hand) and replays the data automatically. Further, a controller can be a computer that computes performance data and transmits the performance data
over a data transmission line (e.g., a dedicated data transmission line, a data transmission line within a network system, or the Internet) to a tone generator.
Traditionally, a performer controls articulation by varying musical attributes relating to the perceived "connectedness" of a sequence of notes. There are two main ways to control this effect. One method is to control the time when notes begin and end, thereby controlling the duration of each note and the degree of overlap or detachment among successive notes. Another method is to vary the shape of the amplitude envelope of a note, particularly the speed of the attack (ramp-up in volume from silence or the previous note upon a new note-on action) and release (ramp-down to silence upon note-off action).
One attribute of articulation is the degree of overlap between successive tones. A continuum ranging between "legato" and "staccato" can be used to characterize the articulation of tones. Legato is characterized by slow attack and perceivable overlap between successive tones. Staccato is characterized by fast attack and an interval of silence between tones.
The ability of a performer to control legato/staccato depends on the particular capabilities of the tone generator and controller combination employed. In particular, the degree of legato overlap effect cannot be controlled unless the player can manipulate the controller so as to send separate note-on and note-off signals to the tone generator and the tone generator has the ability to sustain a tone indefinitely and to produce many tones simultaneously.
Continuous controllers, like piano or organ keyboards transmit note-on messages on key depress and note-off on key release. This permits great flexibility in articulation, but can also work to the disadvantage of some players, who may have difficulty performing fast passages where notes "smear" because the keys are not released quickly enough.
Percussive controllers, such as drum pads/triggers or marimba-like arrays of pads respond only to the initial stroke and note duration is controlled indirectly by automatically sending a note-off after some time interval has elapsed. The interval is either fixed or velocity-sensitive (i.e., the duration of the note is a function of the speed at which the drumstick strikes the pad), and is determined at the time of initial gesture and unchangeable thereafter. Fast musical passages can result in blurred sound where many notes of fixed duration overlap.
In current practice, it is common to achieve a legato effect by controlling the attack and decay rates of the amplitude envelope, or by connecting notes in a monophonic fashion, allowing only one tone to sound at a time.
Many continuous and percussive controllers can measure the velocity of the initiating note-on gesture (speed of key-down or mallet stroke, puff of air) and the tone generator can use this data to control rate of attack. Some keyboard controllers can sense the speed of note release and use this information to control release rate. In both cases, the effect is determined at the time of the initiating gesture and applies only to the note associated with that gesture.
The duration of a tone depends on the player's ability to control the moment of note-off (i.e., when the release segment of the envelope begins) and is limited by the affordance of the particular controller being used. In particular, keyboard-like controllers send a note-off signal upon key release, and percussive controllers predetermine note duration at the time of note-on.
Current practice either imposes no constraints on the number of notes with legato envelopes that can sound simultaneously or limits legato to strictly monophonic mode where one tone sounds at a time. When a legato passage is played it is useful to allow only two notes to be sounding at the same time in order to have some amount of overlap while avoiding a blurred effect. The amount of overlap should be adjusted to account for the speed of consecutive notes...
Stringed musical instrument2010-02-05 00:00:00the foot of the bridge which is adjacent the "E" string, or the string of highest pitch.
Each of the two components mentioned above must be manufactured of suitable material, formed to a correct size, and accurately located within the sound box in order to enable the instrument to generate quality sound. Substantial skill is required to achieve those objectives.
Due to the construction of the traditional violin, the top and bottom plates are forced to move in a very complex manner when activated by the strings of the instrument. For this reason, correct selection of the timber for those plates is very critical. The standard manufacturing dimensions of violins have been perfected
over a period of 400 years and those dimensions apply to produce satisfactory results only if a timber of a very specific kind is used. That type of timber has always been in limited supply, but it is now becoming increasingly difficult to secure and that which is available is often of poor quality or inadequately seasoned. It is also very expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a stringed musical instrument, and particularly such an instrument having a sound box, which enables production of high quality instruments at a cost significantly lower than that involved in manufacturing traditional instruments and which enables use of materials other than those which have been traditionally used in the manufacture of such instruments. It is a further object of the invention to provide a stringed musical instrument of improved form and high quality.
A musical instrument according to the present invention is characterized in that one of the two feet of the bridge is supported by a post which is in turn supported at a lower end by the bottom plate of the instrument sound box. The connection between the bridge and the post is effected through an opening formed in the top plate of the instrument, and either the post or the bridge may extend through the opening for that purpose. The arrangement is such that the upper end of the post engages a foot of the bridge, and that engagement may be direct or indirect. It is preferred that clearance exists between the top plate opening and whatever passes through it, so that there is no hinderance to flexing of the belly of the instrument. Such flexing is essential t...
Stringed musical instrument neck assemblies2010-02-04 00:00:00assemblies can include a light-system for illuminating positions along the fingerboard providing a player of the instrument with visualindications of finger positions to be played. In general, a fingerboard is an elongated structure sized and shaped to be positioned on an upper surface of an instrument neck. Finger positions are disposed along a top surface of the fingerboard where aplayer can engage strings in the normal course of playing the instrument. The light-system has light elements in proximity to the finger positions. A light element can produce illumination in one or more colors when energized by the light-system, andits illumination is visible through the top surface of the fingerboard, but otherwise light elements are concealed. Because the light elements are disposed in proximity to the finger positions, e.g., beneath the finger positions, the player of theinstrument receives a visual indication of which finger position to engage.
Neck assemblies can be used with electric instruments, e.g., electric guitars, and also acoustical instruments, e.g., acoustic guitars and violins. A mounting block provides means for coupling neck assemblies having fingerboards withlight-systems to acoustical instruments, as well as to provide means for passing electrical wires coupled to the light-system through to an interior of the acoustic body.
Advantageously, illumination from energized light elements is visible to a player of the instrument through a top surface of the fingerboard, but the light elements are otherwise concealed when not energized. Because the light-system canpreferably receive command inputs in near real-time, finger positions can be illuminated in near real-time. Thus, a player of the instrument can follow-along with music played at a proper tempo or any other desirable tempo. Alternatively, thelight-system can have features such as pause, hold, loop, repeat, fast forward and rewind, or other features, that can allow a student to study finger positions
over a period to time. The light-system, however, is concealed by the fingerboard whichappears as an ordinary fingerboard upon casual inspection. Thus, visual attributes of the instrument are not substantially disturbed, and an audience is not alerted to the fact that the instrument has a light-system (unless the lights of the lightsystem are illuminated). One light system suitable for use with neck assemblies such as the ones described herein is taught in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,266,73S, "Music Training Instrument And Method, by John R. Shaffer, et al., issued Nov. 30, 1993, all the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In one embodiment, the fingerboard has areas of high and low light transmission. For example, an area of high light transmission can be positioned adjacent to light elements to allow the passage of light from the light elements. Conversely, anarea of low light transmission can be positioned adjacent to the high light transmission area to limit light diffusion. Where the location of illumination represents a finger position, the low light transmission area can reduce the effect of light"spill over" to non-finger position portions or finger positions which should not be engaged or played of the fingerboard.
In one aspect, the difference in light transmission is achieved by varying the thickness of the fingerboard. For example, a portion of the fingerboard above a light can have an area of reduced thickness created by a well or recess in thefingerboard (described in more detail below).
In another aspect, the optical properties of the finger board can be varied. Different materials and/or additives can be used, to form the low or high transmission portions of the fingerboard. As referred to herein, "different materials" caninclude the same basic polymer (or other material) with different physical properties. During the manufacturing process different materials can be extruded or injection molded at different locations along the fingerboard. In another aspect, thefingerboard can be constructed in a two-step process where different materials are used in different steps. For example, the wells mentioned above can be filled with a translucent or transparent material thereby altering the luminescence and diffusionof the light source.
In another embodiment, directional light elements are used to reduce spill over. For example, the light elements can include directional LEDs that minimize dispersed light. Instead of wells, at least a portion of the fingerboard adjacent to thelight elements can have a generally planer bottom surface. When illuminated, the directional light source can mark a finger position. In one example, LED's can vary in directional luminescence and can have anywhere from 15 (...
Multi-stage musical instrument amplifier having distortion modes2009-11-09 00:00:00is employed in all modes of operation. The third stage output signal is supplied through resistor 73 and capacitor 76 to buffer stage 308 including cathode follower tube 77 for isolating the gain stages. The input signal is provided to the control grid of tube 77 with the V+ being directly applied to the anode. The circuit includes cathode resistors 79 and 80 and grid resistor 78. The buffer stage output is provided via capacitor 81 to patch point 310. Buffer 308 permits patching between connectors 82 and 83 at nominal line level. When not in use, the output signal is provided past grounded resistor 84, through capacitor 85, and past grounded resistor 86 to the gain recovery stage 312. Gain recovery tube 88 has a control grid for receiving the input signal. The gain of tube 88 is set by cathode resistor 87. The output includes V+ applied through anode resistor 89 to provide an output signal via DC isolating and coupling capacitor 90 and past resistor 91 to output 92.
Referring to FIG. 3 and the second mode of operation in which a low distortion signal is provided, mode one/two tone control 302 remains in the circuit. LDR 1 is deactivated to open switch 19 and disconnect mode one volume control 304. LDR 2 is illuminated to close switch 20 connecting mode two volume control 314. The signal provided via resistive divider 11 is provided through resistor 15 to resistive divider 16 which is manually controlled by the operator to adjust volume. Bypass capacitor 17 is a high frequency boost for low volume control settings. As a result, mode two has a completely independent gain control setting from mode one allowing different preset levels of drive signals to be provided to the following stages.
In mode two, the gain of the first amplifier stage 210 is increased by activating FET 1 functioning as switch 39 to connect capacitor 38 to the cathode of tube 33 and bypass resistor 37.
Switch 41 is opened by deactivating FET 2 to increase the resistance applied between the output of second stage 210 and ground. This reduces the attenuation of the second stage output without affecting the gain by increasing the resistance to ground in the voltage divider formed by resistors 36, 40 and 42. In general, resistor 40 has a lesser resistance than resistor 42.
The gain of tube 43 is increased in mode two by activating FET 3 functioning as switch 48 to close it and bypass cathode resistor 46 by capacitor 47. As a result, in mode two, the gain of tube 43 is increased so that the level of the signal supplied to tube 56 is increased. Tube 56 is overdriven depending in part, on the setting of mode two volume control 314 by resistive divider 16. When the preamplifier is used as a guitar preamplifier, this provides a "lead guitar" sound.
In mode two, LDR 6 is also illuminated to close switch 70 connecting grounded variable resistor 69 to the supply line carrying the output signal so that a different volume level for mode two can be achieved independent of the other modes of operation.
In mode three, LDR 1 and LDR 2 are deactivated to maintain switches 19 and 20 in an open position. LDR 3 is illuminated to close switch 21 thereby connecting mode three tone control 316 and mode three volume control 318 in series between initial amplifier 200 and first stage 210. Mode three tone control 316 includes an RC network of capacitors 27, 29 and 30, resistor 28, variable resistors 31 and 32 and resistive divider 26 which functions as a high frequency control. These controls operate
over a different frequency range than the mode one/two tone controls. This enhances the operation of the preamplifier when one or more of the stages is overdriven. The signal provided by tone control 316 is supplied through resistor 25 to resistive divider 24. Divider 24 is adjusted or preset by the operator and functions as a mode three volume control. Bypass capacitor 23 provides a high frequency boost for low volume settings of divider 24.
In mode three, LDR 4 is deactivated to open switch 51 thereby removing the level reducing effect of level altering control 226 to the output of second stage 220. This results in an increase in the gain of second stage 220 and an increase in the output level thereof. LDR 5 is illuminated to close s...
Musical instrument string modifying device2009-10-24 00:00:00apertures 63 provided in the frame members 58 and 59. A roller 64 is rotatably mounted on a pin 65 to provide the roller with a fixed axis. Spacers or hubs 66 are utilized to center; spacers or hubs 81, 82 and 83 are utilizedto maintain the lever arm 60 in proper axial orientation. A pair of centering rollers 68 and 69 are utilized to maintain the string 27 in proper position during procesing. The rollers are mounted on pins 70 and 71 retained in apertures in the frame 57.
A moveable pressure roller 72 is mounted by a pin 73 on the bell crank lever arm 60 and has spacers or shoulders 74 for properly positioning the roller.
An air cylinder 75 is mounted on the frame by means of a pin 76. The air cylinder 75 has a piston rod 77 which is connected at an enlarged portion 78 by means of a pin 79 to the end of the bell crank lever arm 60. Conventional air compressormeans is connected to the air cylinder operating through conventional control valves to determine the amount of pressure to be applied to the air cylinder.
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 4-6 operates in the same manner as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and previously described. However, in this embodiment, the positioning of the string 27 is accomplished by opposed centering rollers 68 and 69 instead ofthe stationary guides 23 and 24 shown in FIG. 1.
The apparatus of the present invention has a number of advantages
over apparatus and methods which have been utilized in the past to accomplish the same purposes. First, it permits a string to be fabricated by winding with a cover wire having aci...
Method and apparatus for facilitating group musical interaction over a network2009-10-20 00:00:00data to remote players
over a network; receiving emulation data from remote players over the network; and using the emulation data to emulate the remote player's musical performance by locally generating approximations of the performances.Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for facilitating real-time competition between players of a game, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving music performance input from a local player;
(b) generating audio output responsive to the received input;
(c) receiving emulation data extracted from a remote musical performance; and
(d) generating a local approximation of the remote musical performance using the emulation data, the local approximation synchronous with the local musical performance.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving music performance input from a local player via a game pad.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving music performance input from a local player via a fake musical instrument.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises playing a note to indicate a successful input.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises playing an error message to indicate unsuccessful input.
6. A method for facilitating musical interaction
over a network, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving emulation data representing a remote user's musical performance; and
(b) locally generating an approximation of the remote user's musical performance using the received emulation data, the approximation synchronous with a local musical performance.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (a) comprises receiving emulation data, the emulation data comprising a moving average of recent remote musical performance events.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein step (a) comprises receiving emulation data, the emulation data comprising a moving average of timing deltas between recent remote musical performance events.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein step (a) comprises receiving emulation data, the emulation data comprising an identification of recent remote musical performance events.
10. The method of claim 6 further comprising extracting local emulation data representing a local musical performance.
11. A means for facilitating musical interaction
over a network, comprising:
(a) means for receiving emulation data representing a remote user's musical performance; and
(b) means for locally generating an approximation of the remote user's musical performance using the received emulation data, the approximation synchronous with a local musical performance.
12. The means for facilitating musical interaction
over a network of c...
