Mitsumi Katoh

Electronic musical instrument of wave memory reading type

An electronic musical instrument is provided with a plurality of wave shape memories storing different musical tone wave shapes of different memory sizes for different tone ranges. The memory for the treble tone is of a small size and that for the bass tone is of a large large size. When a key is operated in the keyboard, a memory corresponding to the tone range to which the operated key belongs is selected and read out. While successfully avoiding economically disadvantageous increase in the memory size of the wave shape memories, beautiful and clear musical tones can be obtained having different tone colors for different tonal pitches just like those generated by natural musical instruments.

Slur effect pitch control in an electronic musical instrument

The present invention provides a tone color control so that the tone color in an attack portion of a tone to be generated differs depending upon whether or not a slur effect is to be imparted. If, for example, the slur effect is not imparted, a tone color for an attack portion of a tone which is rich in variation is used, whereas if the slur effect is to be imparted, a stable tone color which is the same as the sustain portion of a tone is used. In another aspect of the invention, in the case of imparting the slur effect, a tone signal is distributed to two channels and envelopes of signals in the respective channels are separately and independently controlled by separate control signals. In one channel, a control signal of decay characteristics is used whereas in the other channel, a control signal of attack characteristics is used. The changing rate of the control signal of the attack characteristics is made greater than that of the control signal of the decay characteristics.

Electronic musical instrument of fixed formant synthesis type

A musical tone is synthesized by controlling harmonic components of a note selected in a keyboard in accordance with a desired fixed formant. A parameter computation circuit detects a harmonic frequency which is nearest to a center frequency of the fixed formant and produces FM computation parameters using the nearest harmonic frequency as a carrier frequency and a fundamental or harmonic frequency of the selected note as a modulating frequency. A frequency modulation circuit performs an FM computation on the basis of these parameters and, as a result, a tone whose harmonic components have been controlled in accordance with a formant having the nearest harmonic frequency as a central component is synthesized. The parameter computation circuit computes frequency difference between the nearest harmonic frequency and the center frequency of the fixed formant for controlling the level of a formant synthesized in a frequency modulation circuit in accordance with this frequency difference. This level control is achieved by controlling an amplitude coefficient of a tone or a modulation index in the FM computation. A subformant having as its central component another harmonic frequency in the vicinity of the nearest harmonic frequency may be formed in a relatively low level for reinforcing the formant with this subformant.

Electronic musical instrument controlling a tone waveshape by key scaling

Plural channels of tone generation capable of selectively generating plural kinds of waveshape signals are provided. A waveshape signal to be selected in each of the channels is designated in accordance with the tone pitch or tone range of a tone to be generated and waveshape signals which differ from each other between the channels are respectively generated. The different waveshape signals of the respective channels are weighted by scaling parameters according to the tone pitch. A circuit capable of providing the waveshape signal with amplitude envelopes which differ from each other between the channels is further provided and selection between imparting of such envelopes and weighting in accordance with the scaling parameter is made in response to a tone color. A plurality of tone synthesis systems having the tone synthesis function described may be provided and tone signals obtained in the respective systems may be added together.