Monophonic electronic musical instrument

Claim 2

In a monophonic electronic musical instrument: a plurality of selectably actuable control elements for producing control signals on nOte busses, each control signal element being associated with one note of the musical scale; encoder circuit means for encoding control signals on said note busses into a binary word; memory means for storing said binary word; tone signal generating means for generating tone signals corresponding to notes of the musical scale; and decoder circuit means for decoding said stored binary word to gate a tone signal corresponding to said stored binary word.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising note lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said note lockout means comprises a low note lockout circuit responsive to a control signal on one of said note busses to lock out all control signals from control elements associated with lower notes such that only one of said note busses has a control signal thereon in the event of coincedent actuation of more than one control element; said memory means comprises a plurality of bistable circuits having set and reset input leads and a pair of output leads having opposite logic signals thereon; said encoder circuit means comprises encoding circuit elements connected between each of said note busses and different combinations of said set and reset leads of said bistable circuits to positively determine different combinations of set and reset states of said bistable circuits in response to control signals on different note busses; said tone signal generating means generates said tone signals on separate tone signal busses; and said decoder circuit means comprises decoding circuit elements connected between each of said tone signal busses and different combinations of said output leads of said bistable circuits to gate one tone signal in response to each different combination of set and reset states of said bistable circuits.

Claim 5

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale in one of a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; tone signal generating means for generating at least the highest octave of tone signals on separate note tone signal busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note gating means for gating one of said tone signals in response to a control signal on an associated common note bus; means for dividing said gated tone signal into octavely related tone signals on octave tone signal busses; and octave gating means for gating one of said octavely related tone signals in response to a control signal on an associated common octave bus.

Claim 6

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale in one of a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; tone signal generating means for generating at least the highest octave of tone signals on separate note tone signal busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note gating means for gating one of said tone signals in response to a control signal on an associated common note bus; means for dividing said gated tone signal into octavely related tone signals on octave tone signal busses; and octave gating means for gating one of said octavely related tone signals in response to a control signal on an associated common octave bus.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said note gating means includes a plurality of bistable note storage elements having set and reset input leads and circuit means coupled between each of said common note busses and different combinations of set and reset input leads of said note storage elements to place said note storage elements in different operating states in response to control signals on different common note busses; and said octave gating means includes a plurality of bistable octave storage elements having set and reset input leads and circuit means coupled between each of said common octave busses and different combinations of set and reset leads of said octave storage elements to place said octave storage elements in different operating states in response to control signals on A different common note busses.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the number of said bistable note and octave storage elements corresponds to the corresponding number of common note and common octave busses and said circuit means coupled between corresponding common note and octave busses and associated note and octave storage elements comprises a circuit connection between each said bus and a set lead of its associated storage element and all reset leads of other respective note and octave storage elements such that control signals on individual note and octave busses place one associated note and octave storage elements in a set state and all others in a reset state; and said note and octave gating means each further include a gating element coupled between each respective note and octave storage elements and associated note and octave tone signal busses to gate respective note and octave tone signals in accordance with the operating state of said note and octave storage elements.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the number of said bistable note and octave storage elements corresponds to the number of digits of binary words required to store binary encoded note and octave control signals and said circuit means coupled between corresponding common note and octave busses and note and octave storage elements comprises binary encoding circuit connections between each said bus and a different combination of set and reset leads of associated storage elements to place said storage elements into different combinations of set and reset states; and said note and octave gating means each further include binary decoding gates connected between each respective note and octave tone signal busses and different combinations of output leads from said associated storage elements to gate respective note and octave tone signals in accordance with the combined operating states of said note and octave storage elements.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal having a frequency characteristic varying in accordance with a D.C. control signal input; digital-to-analog converter means for generating an analog note position signal from digital note and octave words stored in said note and octave storage elements in accordance with a 1:12 ratio of contributions from words stored in said note and octave storage elements respectively; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said digital-to-analog converter means comrises a plurality of current generators gated by respective output signals from associated note and octave storage elements in a set state, said constant current generators associated with said note storage elements generating current levels in the ratios 1:2:4:8 from least to greatest associated binary digits stored therein and said constant current generators associated with said octave storage elements generating current levels in the ratios 12:24:48 from the least to greatest associated binary digits stored therein.

Claim 12

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control signal element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale in one of a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; tone signal generating means for generating at least the highest octave of tone signals on separate note tone signal busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals frOm all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a binary note word; note storage means for storing said binary note word; note gating means for gating one of said tone signals in accordance with said stored binary note word; means for dividing said gated tone signal into octavely related tone signals on octave tone signal busses; octave encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common octave busses into a binary octave word; octave storage means for storing said binary octave word; and octave gating means for gating one of said octavely related tone signals in accordance with said stored binary octave word.

Claim 13

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control signal element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale in one of a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; tone signal generating means for generating at least the highest octave of tone signals on separate note tone signal busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals frOm all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a binary note word; note storage means for storing said binary note word; note gating means for gating one of said tone signals in accordance with said stored binary note word; means for dividing said gated tone signal into octavely related tone signals on octave tone signal busses; octave encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common octave busses into a binary octave word; octave storage means for storing said binary octave word; and octave gating means for gating one of said octavely related tone signals in accordance with said stored binary octave word.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said note gating means comprises a plurality of note decoding gates each coupled to one of said note tone signal busses and responsive to a different binary note word to gate said tone signal thereon; and said octave gating means comprises a plurality of octave decoding gates each coupled to one of said octave tone signal busses and responsive to a different binary octave word to gate said tone signal thereon.

Claim 15

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising digital-to-analog decoder means for decoding binary note words and binary octave words in said note and octave storage means into a voltage proportional to the position of the associated note in the associated octave.

Claim 16

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said note gating means comprises: a plurality of note D.C. keying circuits each coupled to one of said note tone signal busses; and a plurality of note decoding gates each coupled to one of said note D.C. keying circuits to gate a D.C. keying signal thereto in response to a different binary note word; and said octave gating means comprises: a plurality of octave D.C. keying circuits each coupled to one of said octave tone signal busses; and a plurality of octave decoding gates each coupled to one of said octave D.C. keying circuits to gate a D.C. keying signal thereto in response to a different binary octave word.

Claim 17

Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising circuit means coupled to said note decoding gates and said octave decoding gates to generate an analog D.C. voltage proportional to the position of the associated note in the associated octave.

Claim 18

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal having a frequency characteristic varying in accordance with a D.C. control signal input; a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control signal element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale over a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a different binary note word; note storage means for storing said binary note word; octave encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a different binary octave word; octave storage means for storing said binary octave word; digital-to-analog converter means for generating an analog note position signal from digital note and octave words stored in said note and octave storage elements in accordance with a 1:12 ratio of contributions from words stored iN said note and octave storage elements respectively; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 19

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal having a frequency characteristic varying in accordance with a D.C. control signal input; a plurality of selectively actuable control elements for producing control signals on separate output leads, each control signal element being associated with a particular note of the musical scale over a plurality of octaves; means for collecting control signals associated with common notes in different octaves on common note busses; means for collecting control signals associated with common octaves on common octave busses; octave lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; note lockout means for locking out control signals from all but one of a plurality of actuated control elements in said active octave; note encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a different binary note word; note storage means for storing said binary note word; octave encoding means for encoding a control signal on one of said common note busses into a different binary octave word; octave storage means for storing said binary octave word; digital-to-analog converter means for generating an analog note position signal from digital note and octave words stored in said note and octave storage elements in accordance with a 1:12 ratio of contributions from words stored iN said note and octave storage elements respectively; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.