Touch-responsive keying circuit for electronic musical instruments

Abstract

Abstract In an electronic musical instrument, tone keyer circuits are respectively controlled by touch-responsive keying circuits. The touch-responsive keying circuit comprises: a key switch having a break contact, a make contact and a movable contact; a first charge-discharge circuit having a charging capacitor and a discharging resistor both connected between the movable contact and the ground; an electrical source +B connected to the break contact; a switching transistor with its base connected to the make contact; and a second charge-discharge circuit being provided between the emitter of the transistor and the ground with a second capacitor and with a series circuit of a second resistor and an normally closed switch which is ganged with the key switch, the capacitor being connected to the keyer circuit. While the movable contact of the key switch travels from the break contact to the make contact, the first charge-discharge circuit is discharged with a predetermined time constant. The switching transistor is brought conductive to the extent responsive to a charged voltage remaining in the first chargedischarge circuit at the time the movable contact touches the make contact. The second charge-discharge circuit is charged through the transistor to establish a keying voltage.

Inventors

• 👤 Y Uchiyama

Bibliographic Details