Selective tone shifting device

A real-time quarter-tone shifting device configured to be externally and acoustically coupled with a mechanical musical instrument through a microphone, for receiving analog audio signals representing mechanical sound vibrations that represent musical notes produced in real time by the mechanical musical instrument and outputting the musical notes in real time through a loudspeaker such that one or more notes, temporarily selected by a player during performance, are lowered by a quarter tone, wherein the temporary selection can be modified or cancelled by the player during the performance, comprising:

• (a) an analog-to-digital converter configured to be connected electrically to the microphone, wherein the microphone is configured to be employed by the mechanical musical instrument to capture said mechanical sound vibrations that represent ambient sound waves produced in real time by the mechanical musical instrument;
• (b) a computing unit;
• (c) a note-selecting device;
• and
• (d) a digital-to-analog converter configured to be connected electrically to an amplifier that is configured to play music through the loudspeaker;
• wherein the analog-to-digital converter is configured to (i) receive the analog audio signals from the microphone that represent the musical notes played in real time by the mechanical musical instrument, (ii) convert the analog audio signals into digital signals, and (iii) send the converted digital signals to the computing unit;
• wherein the note-selecting device is configured to enable a player of the mechanical musical instrument to select one or more particular notes from twelve optional octave notes to be lowered by a quarter tone in real time;
• wherein the computing unit is configured to (i) receive from the note-selecting device an input as to the one or more particular notes selected by the player during the performance, (ii) receive the converted digital signals from the analog-to-digital converter, and (iii) change the converted digital signals by lowering the selected one or more particular notes by a quarter tone, and (iv) send the changed digital signals to the digital-to-analog converter;
• wherein the digital-to-analog converter is configured to (i) receive the changed digital signals from the computing unit, (ii) convert the changed digital signals to analog form, and (iii) send the changed analog form to the amplifier for being played through the loudspeaker;
• wherein the real-time quarter-tone shifting device is configured to enable the loudspeaker to play in real time the played musical notes in a different way from a way said played musical notes are actually played on the mechanical musical instrument, such that said one or more selected notes are played in real time through the loudspeaker at a quarter tone lower than they are actually played on the mechanical musical instrument.