Music delivery, control and integration
2010-03-08
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In each recorded music piece in the music repository 12, the musical piece is recorded using separate tracks for the various instruments or vocals. The musical content played by an instrument, for example, may be isolated from that made by other instruments in the same piece of recorded music. Therefore, any (or a particularly selected) musical instrument contained in the recorded music can be excluded by the user's request before or after downloading the recorded music provided that the isolated instrument(s) are on a separate track.

For example, a loudspeaker system 22 may be connected to the signal processing device 20 and have no connection to the computer System 14. A guitar amplifier with its own speakers broadcasts the sound of a guitar, while the downloaded recorded music is broadcasted through the computer system 14 and its own playing device 24 such as Another set of speakers. However, the playing devices A and B (playing devices 22 and 24) may be components of the same device, such as an earphone with both the computer system 14 and the digital signal processor 20 connected. Therefore, the sound created by playing the musical instrument 18 and the sound of the downloaded recorded music piece are integrated in one playing device. The link between the recorded music repository 12 and the computer system 14 and further to the digital signal processor 20 is a communication link for transporting data such as a music file or control information such as the special effect setup information. On the other hand, the link from the musical instrument 18 to the digital signal processor 20, and further to the playing device A 22, may be a link transporting audio signals. Similarly, the link between the computer system 14 and its own playing device B transports audio signals.

In another example, a web interface may be created for allowing a user to access various recorded music pieces to obtain a customized copy or version of a selected piece. In FIG. 2, a block flow diagram illustrates a service provider 30 providing recorded music to a user for use. Access is granted to a user 32 for the services provided by the service provider through a user interface such as a web page for registration and login. Once the user has logged in, a list of available recorded music pieces are provided for selection to the user 34. These listed music pieces have at least one common feature that allows certain instruments to be recorded on separate tracks. These separate tracks allow for the isolation of certain musical instruments or vocals. When the user has selected a particular music piece, the user is then prompted to select one or more music modules or track corresponding to one or more musical instruments so that the music contents created by such selected instruments are included the customized copy of the selected music piece 36. The user Is also allowed to manipulate the pitch 38 of The recorded music in the customized copy. Further in step 40, the user can modify tempo of selected music piece for the customized copy. In step 42, special effect setup information for programming the signal processing device can be obtained. While all the above selections are made, the user can start downloading a customized copy of the selected music piece to a local computer 44 such as the computer system 14 (FIG. 1). It is understood that steps 36, 38, 40, and 42 c...

Signal generator for electronic musical instrument, employing variable rate integrator
2010-03-05
instruments, the wave shape produced by the sound source is typically either a sine wave or a square wave. Both of these wave shapes are relatively easy to generate, and they may be transformed from one to theother without difficulty. Other wave shapes may be derived from them, with the result that a variety of wave shapes may be obtained simply by manipulation of sign and square waves.

Although such fundamental wave shapes can be used with great success, it is desirable to provide apparatus for making a greater variety of wave shapes available, with the use of a limited number of controls which may be adjusted by the operatoror player of the instrument. In particular, it is desirable to have one control for varying the wave shape of a signal produced by the apparatus, without any effect on the frequency of the signal, and another control for varying the frequency of thesignal without having any effect on its wave shape.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a signal generator for producing a signal which may be controlled both in frequency and wave shape, independently, with only two controls, each of such controls controllingonly one of the parameters without affecting the other.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a signal generator which produces a triangular wave form in which the output level increases linearly from a first level to a second level, and then declines linearly from the second levelto the first level, with the slopes of both linear portions being adjustable.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a signal generator adapted for creating triangular wave forms in which the frequency of the triangular wave form is variable without affecting the wave shape of the output.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a signal generator which is capable of being operated to produce a continuous series of cycles having a predetermined wave shape or a single such cycle triggered by a control signal.