Musical instrument

Abstract

A new, performer played, real time, multitonal, multimbral musical instrument consists of speed and force sensitive keys in which time domain multiplexing is used to find and associate one and only one tone generator, not otherwise busy, with any key that is depressed. The sound generator disclosed can provide very realistic simulations of the flute, oboe, trumpet, French horn, trombone through the provision of various types of modulations in amplitude and frequency of the various partials, as is characteristic of each instrument simulated, and filtered noise. Glissandi are provided from one note to another and are controlled from the pair of keys involved by the relative pressure with which they are depressed. For the nonpercussive tonalities, the speed with which a key is depressed, which is determined by differentiating the force, may be used to cause the attack transient to behave in a manner very characteristic of the instrument being simulated. The force with which a key is depressed is determined from the rate of rise of the potential across a capacitive keying system excited through a resistor. Percussive sound generators are provided also; the intensity of the note generated by these generators is determined by the speed with which the associated key is depressed. The force with which the associated key is depressed can be used to determine the rate of automatic repetition of the note. The speed with which a key is depressed can also be used for nonpercussive instruments to alter the character of the attack transient.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.