Variable function generator

Abstract

A fully digitalized function-of-time generator suitable for use as a tone envelope generator in a digital electronic musical instrument, comprising: a clock pulse generator for generating a clock pulse at a selectable rate; a gate enabled at each arrival of the clock pulse; a single-stage binary shift register for successively shifting out its contents as a digital word representing the instantaneous values of a desired function of time synchronously with the clock pulse; a digital subtractor; a digital multiplier; and a digital adder, all of these members being interconnected to each other to be operative so that the output of the register is subtracted from a first set value representing a digital word, the resulting difference being multiplied by a second set value representing a digital word, the resulting product being added to the output of the register via the gate, so that the resulting sum is loaded into the register. Thus, the contents of the register approaches progressively toward the first set value, and finally becomes in agreement therewith. Thus, this musical instrument can produce a musical tone rich in expression and imparted with desired tone envelope characteristic, by appropriate choice of one or more of the first and the second values and the rate of the clock pulse.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.