Monophonic electronic musical instrument

Claim 2

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 tone signal busses; note memory means coupled to said common note busses for storing control signals appearing on said common note busses; octave memory means coupled to said common octave busses for storing control signals appearing on said common octave busses; note gating means for gating one of said tone signals in response to a control signal stored in said note memory means; means for dividing said gated tone signal into a plurality of octavely related tone signals; and octave gating means for gating one of said octavely related tone signals in response to a control signal stored in said octave memory means.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising octave lockout circuit means for locking out control signals from all but one octave of control elements to determine an active octave; said note gating means comprising note preference gating means for gating only a one tone signal in the event of coincident actuation of more than one of said control elements in said active octave; and said note memory means and said octave memory means each comprises a separate bistable storage element associated with each of said common note busses and common octave busses respectively.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein and of said bistable storage elements comprises a flip-flop circuit having set and reset input leads, and a single output lead; and further comprising a keydown detector circuit means for generating a keydown signal in response to a control signal from any one of said control elements; said set lead of each of said flip-flop circuit being coupled to an associated one of said note collect and octave collect busses to place said flip-flop in a set state in response to a control signal and to produce a gate operate signal on said output lead; said reset lead of each of said flip-flop circuits being coupled in common to said keydown detector circuit means to place said flip-flop in a reset state in response to a keydown signal; and said flip-flop circuit further comprising a clamping circuit coupled between said set input lead and said reset input lead to prevent reset of said flip-flop by a keydown signal coincident with a control signal on said set lead.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said keydown detector circuit means comprises circuit means for summing the control signals on said common octave busses to produce said keydown signal each time a control signal appears on one of said common octave busses.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal frequency characteristic varying in accordance with a D.C. control signal input; first circuit means for converting control signals in said note memory means into a first signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position in the musical scale of an associated note; second circuit means for converting control signals in said octave memory means into a second signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position of the associated octave; summing circuit means for producing a note position signal comprising a weighted combination of said first and second signals in the ratio of 1:12 such that the magnitude of said note position signal is directly proportional to the position of an actuated control element; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal frequency characteristic varying in accordance with a D.C. control signal input; first and second constant current sources; a first divider string of equal voltage dropping elements corresponding in number to at least the number of said note flip-flops coupled to said first constant current source; a first set of gates coupled to respective junctions of said voltage dropping elements and in note order to said note flip-flops to terminate said first divider string at a position corresponding to the position in the musical scale of an associated note and thereby to produce at the output of said first constant current source a note voltage signal proportional to said note position; a second divider string of equal voltage dropping elements corresponding in number to at least the number of said octave flip-flops coupled to said second constant current source; a second set of gates coupled to respective junctions of said voltage dropping elements and in octave order to said octave flip-flops to terminate said first divider string at a position corresponding to the position of an associated octave and thereby to produce at the output of said second constant current source an octave voltage signal proportional to said octave position; a weighted summing circuit coupled to said first and second constant current sources to Sum said note and octave voltage signals in a 1:12 ratio to produce a note position signal directly proportional to the position of an actuated control element; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of said gates is a transistor gate turned on by a gate operate signal to ground its associated junction between said voltage dropping elements.

Claim 9

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 tone signal busses; keydown detector means for generating a keydown signal in response to a control signal from any one of said control elements; a plurality of note and octave flip-flop circuits having set leads coupled to associated common note and common octave busses normally to set said flip-flops in response to a control signal thereon, reset leads coupled to said keydown detector means normally to reset said flip-flops in response to a keydown signal, a clamping circuit coupled between said set lead and said reset lead to prevent reset of said flip-flops upon coincidence of a control signal on said set lead and a keydown signal on said reset lead; and an output lead having a gate operate signal thereon in the set condition of said flip-flop circuit; a plurality of note gates coupled to associated note flip-flop circuits and tone signal busses for gating associated tone signals in response to gate operate signals; means for dividing said gated tone signals into a plurality of octavely related tone signals on separate octave tone signal busses; and a plurality of octave gates coupled to associated octave flip-flop circuits and octave tone signal busses for gating associated octavely related tone signals in response to gate operate signals.

Claim 10

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 tone signal busses; keydown detector means for generating a keydown signal in response to a control signal from any one of said control elements; a plurality of note and octave flip-flop circuits having set leads coupled to associated common note and common octave busses normally to set said flip-flops in response to a control signal thereon, reset leads coupled to said keydown detector means normally to reset said flip-flops in response to a keydown signal, a clamping circuit coupled between said set lead and said reset lead to prevent reset of said flip-flops upon coincidence of a control signal on said set lead and a keydown signal on said reset lead; and an output lead having a gate operate signal thereon in the set condition of said flip-flop circuit; a plurality of note gates coupled to associated note flip-flop circuits and tone signal busses for gating associated tone signals in response to gate operate signals; means for dividing said gated tone signals into a plurality of octavely related tone signals on separate octave tone signal busses; and a plurality of octave gates coupled to associated octave flip-flop circuits and octave tone signal busses for gating associated octavely related tone signals in response to gate operate signals.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: octave lockout circuit means responsive to a control signal on one of said common octave busses to lock out control signals from control elements associated with lower octaves and thereby to define an active octave of control elements corresponding to that of the highest actuated control element such that only control signals from said active octave can appear on said common note busses; said plurality of note gates being arranged in a high note preference circuit arrangement such that only a gated tone signal corresponding to the note associated with the highest actuated control element in said active octave appears at the output of said preference circuit even when two control elements in the active octave are actuated.

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 tone signal busses; keydown detector means for producing a keydown signal in response to a control signal on one of said common octave busses; octave lockout circuit means responsive to a control signal on one of said common octave busses to locK out control signals from control elements associated with lower octaves from appearing on said common note busses and said common octave busses, thereby to define an active octave of control elements corresponding to that of the highest actuated control element; a plurality of note and octave flip-flop circuits having set leads coupled to associated common note and common octave busses normally to set said flip-flops in response to a control signal thereon, reset leads coupled to said keydown detector means normally to reset said flip-flops in response to a keydown signal, a clamping circuit coupled between said set lead and said reset lead to prevent reset of said flip-flops upon coincidence of a control signal on said set lead and a keydown signal on said reset lead; and an output lead having a gate operate signal thereon in the set condition of said flip-flop circuit; a high note preference gating circuit coupled to said note flip-flop circuits and said tone signal busses for gating to a high tone signal lead only the tone signal corresponding to said highest actuated control element in the event of coincident actuation of control elements in said active octave and corresponding coincident gate operate signals from said note flip-flop circuits; means for dividing said gated tone signals into octavely related tone signals on separate octave tone signal busses; and a plurality of octave gates coupled to associated octave flip-flop circuits and octave tone signal busses for gating associated octavely related tone signals in response to gate operate signals.

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 tone signal busses; keydown detector means for producing a keydown signal in response to a control signal on one of said common octave busses; octave lockout circuit means responsive to a control signal on one of said common octave busses to locK out control signals from control elements associated with lower octaves from appearing on said common note busses and said common octave busses, thereby to define an active octave of control elements corresponding to that of the highest actuated control element; a plurality of note and octave flip-flop circuits having set leads coupled to associated common note and common octave busses normally to set said flip-flops in response to a control signal thereon, reset leads coupled to said keydown detector means normally to reset said flip-flops in response to a keydown signal, a clamping circuit coupled between said set lead and said reset lead to prevent reset of said flip-flops upon coincidence of a control signal on said set lead and a keydown signal on said reset lead; and an output lead having a gate operate signal thereon in the set condition of said flip-flop circuit; a high note preference gating circuit coupled to said note flip-flop circuits and said tone signal busses for gating to a high tone signal lead only the tone signal corresponding to said highest actuated control element in the event of coincident actuation of control elements in said active octave and corresponding coincident gate operate signals from said note flip-flop circuits; means for dividing said gated tone signals into octavely related tone signals on separate octave tone signal busses; and a plurality of octave gates coupled to associated octave flip-flop circuits and octave tone signal busses for gating associated octavely related tone signals in response to gate operate signals.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, 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; first and second constant current sources; a first divider string of equal voltage dropping elements corresponding in number to at least the number of said note flip-flops coupled to said first constant current source; a first set of gates coupled to respective junctions of said voltage dropping elements and in note order to said note flip-flops to terminate said first divider string at a position corresponding to the position in the musical scale of an associated note and thereby to produce at the output of said first constant current source a note voltage signal directly proportional to said note position; a second divider string of equal voltage dropping elements corresponding in number to at least the number of said octave flip-flops coupled to said second constant current source; a second set of gates coupled to respective junctions of said voltage dropping elements and in octave order to said octave flip-flops to terminate said first divider string at a position corresponding to the position of an associated octave and thereby to produce at the output of said second constant current source an octave voltage signal directly proportional to said octave position; a weighted summing circuit coupled to said first and second constant current source to sum said note and octave voltage signals in a 1:12 ratio to produce a note position signal directly proportional to the position of an actuated control element; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 15

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal having a frequency response 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 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; note memory means coupled to said common note busses for storing control signals appearing on said common note busses; octave memory means coupled to said common octave busses for storing control signals appearing on said common octave busses; first circuit means for converting control signals in said note memory means into a first signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position in the musical scale of an associated note; second circuit means for converting control signals in said octave memory means into a second signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position of the associated octave; summing circuit means for producing a note position signal comprising a weighted combination of said first and second signals in the ratio of 1:12 such that the magnitude of said note position signal is directly proportional to the position of an actuated control element; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.

Claim 16

A monophonic electronic musical instrument comprising: at least one tuned circuit means for producing an output signal having a frequency response 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 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; note memory means coupled to said common note busses for storing control signals appearing on said common note busses; octave memory means coupled to said common octave busses for storing control signals appearing on said common octave busses; first circuit means for converting control signals in said note memory means into a first signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position in the musical scale of an associated note; second circuit means for converting control signals in said octave memory means into a second signal having a magnitude directly proportional to the position of the associated octave; summing circuit means for producing a note position signal comprising a weighted combination of said first and second signals in the ratio of 1:12 such that the magnitude of said note position signal is directly proportional to the position of an actuated control element; and means for coupling to said tuned circuit means a D.C. control signal derived from said note position signal.