US 7,678,985 B2Granted

Standalone electronic module for use with musical instruments

AssigneeFender Musical Instruments Corporation

InventorsCharles C. Adams, Dale V. Curtis, Jeremy A. Brieske, Lawrence E. Lorenzen

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An electronic module has an enclosure which is mechanically and electrically compatible with a plurality of receiving devices such as amplifiers, computers, mixer consoles, and musical instruments. The module has a programmable control panel and display on the enclosure and an electronic circuit disposed within the enclosure and receiving user commands from the control panel and displaying configuration information on the display. The electronic circuit performs a variety of functions for each of the receiving devices by way of a digital signal processor, synthesizer for generating a programmable audio signal in response to a data stream, storage device for storing musical information in a digital format, and playback device for retrieval and playback of the stored musical information. An audio output is coupled for transferring the programmable audio signal to or from the receiving device.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An electronic module for use in conjunction with a musical instrument, comprising:

an enclosure with connector adapted for mechanical and electrical compatible insertion into a receptacle of first and second receiving devices each having a function usable in conjunction with the musical instrument, the function of the second receiving device being different from the function of the first receiving device;
an audio input coupled for receiving an audio signal;
a digital input coupled for receiving musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data;
a programmable control panel and display disposed on the enclosure;
and
an electronic circuit disposed within the enclosure and receiving user commands from the control panel and displaying configuration information on the display, the electronic circuit including,
(a) an analog to digital converter coupled to the audio input for receiving the audio signal and providing a digital audio signal,
(b) a microcontroller coupled for receiving the MIDI data and controlling routing of the MIDI data,
(c) a synthesizer coupled to the microcontroller for receiving the MIDI data and generating a synthesized audio signal, the MIDI data containing information which is processed by the synthesizer to produce sound content of a first musical instrument or vocals contained in the synthesized audio signal,
(d) a digital signal processor (DSP) coupled for receiving the digital audio signal and synthesized audio signal and generating a digital audio output signal based on signal processing of the digital audio signal and synthesized audio signal, the digital audio output signal being routed to an audio output of the electronic circuit, and
(e) a memory coupled to the DSP, the memory storing the digital audio signal and MIDI data.

8 more elements

An electronic module for use in conjunction with a musical instrument, comprising:

an enclosure with a connector which is mechanically and electrically compatible with first and second receiving devices each having a function usable in conjunction with the musical instrument, the function of the second receiving device being different from the function of the first receiving device;
an audio input coupled for receiving an audio signal;
a digital input coupled for receiving musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) data;
a programmable control panel and display disposed on the enclosure;
and
an electronic circuit disposed within the enclosure and receiving user commands from the control panel and displaying configuration information on the display, the electronic circuit including,
(a) a synthesizer coupled for receiving the MIDI data and generating a synthesized audio signal, the MIDI data containing information which is processed by the synthesizer to produce sound content of a first musical instrument or vocals contained in the synthesized audio signal,
(b) a digital signal processor (DSP) coupled for receiving the audio signal and synthesized audio signal and generating an audio output signal based on signal processing of the audio signal and synthesized audio signal, the audio output signal being routed to an output of the electronic circuit, and
(c) a memory coupled to the DSP, the memory storing the audio signal and MIDI data.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/784,372Filed 6 Apr 2007 · continuation in part
Priority: 6 Apr 2006
Published: US 2007/0234880 A111 Oct 2007
Granted: 16 Mar 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G10H 1/0066
Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system: using a MIDI interface
G10H 3/186
Using a string, e.g. electric guitar: means for processing the signal picked up from the strings
G10H 2210/281
Acoustic effect simulation, i.e. volume, spatial, resonance or reverberation effects added to a musical sound, usually by appropriate filtering…
G10H
Electrophonic musical instruments

Family

Application11/400,472Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 6 Apr 2006
US 2007/0234880 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Oct 2007
US 7,326,849 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2007/0245886 A1Published application
US 7,678,985 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.