Music synthesizer programmer

Claim 2

In combination with an electronic music synthesizer including a keyboard for generating control voltages and at least one voice module responsive to said control voltages for producing musical tones whose characteristics are dependent upon multiple independent parameter voltages, a programmer means for supplying said parameter voltages to said voice module, said programmer means comprising: a plurality of manually controllable analog signal sources, each capable of independently producing a variable level analog signal: first converter means responsive to an applied analog input signal for producing a representative digital output signal; multiplexing means for sequentially coupling said plurality of analog signal sources to said first converter means; digital memory means including a plurality of program locations; manually controllable addressing means for enabling a user to selectively identify any selected one of said program locations; means for storing said digital signals produced by said first converter means in the program location of said digital memory means identified by said addressing means; second converter means responsive to applied digital input signals for producing representative analog output signals; means for reading digital signals from the program location of said digital memory means identified by said addressing means and applying them to said second converter means; and means applying said analog signals produced by said second converter means to said voice module.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 wherein said means applying said analog signals includes a plurality of analog storage circuits associated with said voice module, each for storing an analog signal corresponding to that produced by one of said analog signal sources.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 including demultiplexing means responsive to said analog output signals produced by said second converter means for sequentially loading said plurality of analog storage circuits.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 wherein said plurality of manually controllable analog signal sources includes individual potentiometers.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1 wherein said synthesizer includes multiple voice modules; manually controllable voice module addressing means for identifying one of said multiple voice modules; and further including means responsive to said voice module addressing means for storing said digital signals in said identified program location in a field thereof identified by said voice module addressing means.

Claim 7

A programmer suitable for use with an electronic music synthesizer enabling K parameter settings to be manually set and selectively stored and retrieved, said programmer comprising: a plurality of manually controllable potentiometers for respectively producing K different voltage signals; an analog to digital converter means for producing a digital output representative of an applied analog input; multiplexing means for sequentially coupling said plurality of potentiometers to said analog to digital converter means; means for selectively defining either a manual operation mode or a memory operation mode; a digital to analog converter means for producing an analog output representative of an applied digital input; a plurality of analog storage circuits, each for storing the value of a different one of said K voltage signals; demultiplexing means for sequentially coupling said digital to analog converter means analog output to said plurality of analog storage circuits; digital memory means including a plurality of storage locations and a write-in port and a read-out port; means responsive to the definition of said manual operation mode for coupling said analog to digital converter means digital output to said digital to analog converter means digital input; and means responsive to the definition of said memory operation mode for coupling said analog to digital converter means digital output to said memory write-in port and said memory read-out port to said digital to analog converter means digital input.

Claim 8

A programmer suitable for use with an electronic music synthesizer enabling K parameter settings to be manually set and selectively stored and retrieved, said programmer comprising: a plurality of manually controllable potentiometers for respectively producing K different voltage signals; an analog to digital converter means for producing a digital output representative of an applied analog input; multiplexing means for sequentially coupling said plurality of potentiometers to said analog to digital converter means; means for selectively defining either a manual operation mode or a memory operation mode; a digital to analog converter means for producing an analog output representative of an applied digital input; a plurality of analog storage circuits, each for storing the value of a different one of said K voltage signals; demultiplexing means for sequentially coupling said digital to analog converter means analog output to said plurality of analog storage circuits; digital memory means including a plurality of storage locations and a write-in port and a read-out port; means responsive to the definition of said manual operation mode for coupling said analog to digital converter means digital output to said digital to analog converter means digital input; and means responsive to the definition of said memory operation mode for coupling said analog to digital converter means digital output to said memory write-in port and said memory read-out port to said digital to analog converter means digital input.

Claim 9

The programmer of claim 6 further including: manually controllable program addressing means for identifying one of said storage locations; and manually controllable voice channel addressing means for identifying a particular field of the identified location; and means responsive to said program and voice channel addressing means for storing information coupled to said write-in port at the identified location and field and for applying information to said read-out port from said identified location and field.