Electronic musical instrument, musical sound output method, and musical sound output program

Abstract

To provide an electronic musical instrument, a musical sound output method, and a musical sound output program capable of easily performing key release AT processing after sounding of a normal musical sound.SOLUTION: When the position of the pressed key 2a reaches the sound generation start position Ds, a normal musical sound is generated, and when the key 2a is further pressed and reaches the AT detection position Da, a released key AT process, which is a process of switching the normal musical sound being generated to a special musical sound, is performed when the key 2a is released. As a result, the user H can perform the released key AT process at the time of releasing the key 2a by an easy operation of depressing the key 2a beyond the sound generation start position at which the normal musical sound is generated, so that the operability of the user H when performing the released key AT process can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument, a musical sound output method, and a musical sound output program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for a predetermined musical tone control process, such as sounding a musical tone of a different tone immediately after the end of the sounding of a certain musical tone, like a fall sound in brass. For example, in Patent Document 1, a user can select a button of the TONE buttons 102 on the panel of an electronic keyboard instrument 100 immediately after the end of the sounding of a certain musical tone, thereby enabling a musical tone control process in which a musical tone of a different tone is sounded immediately after the end of the sounding of the musical tone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-6706 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when performing a tone control process in which a tone is generated immediately after another tone is generated, the user must operate a button in the TONE button group 102 at the timing when the tone generation of the first tone is completed, which causes a problem of poor operability.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an electronic musical instrument, a musical tone output method, and a musical tone output program that can easily perform key-release AT processing after the sounding of a normal musical tone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this object, the electronic musical instrument of the present invention comprises a keyboard having a plurality of keys, and a normal musical tone sounding means for sounding a normal musical tone when the key position reaches a sounding start position after the key is pressed, and a key-release processing means for performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical tone control processing, when the key is released, if the key is further depressed after reaching the sounding start position and the key position reaches an AT detection position that is deeper than the sounding start position.

[0007] The musical sound output method of the present invention is a method executed in an electronic musical instrument equipped with a keyboard having a plurality of keys, and includes a normal musical sound sounding step for sounding a normal musical sound when the position of the key reaches a sounding start position after the key is pressed, and a key-release processing step for performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical sound control processing, when the key is released, if the key is further depressed after the position of the key reaches the sounding start position and the key position reaches an AT detection position, which is a position deeper than the sounding start position.

[0008] The musical sound output program of the present invention is a program that causes a computer equipped with a keyboard having a plurality of keys to execute musical sound output processing, and causes the computer to execute a normal musical sound generation step in which, when the position of the key reaches a sound generation start position after the key is pressed, a normal musical sound is generated; and a key-release processing step in which, when the key reaches the sound generation start position and the key is further depressed, the key reaches an AT detection position that is deeper than the sound generation start position, and the key is then released, performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical sound control processing, when the key is released. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of a synthesizer. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the keyboard showing the state in which a white key is being pressed from the state of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the keyboard showing the state in which the white key has been pressed further from the state of FIG. 1 and has come into contact with the key press stopper. [Figure 4] 3(a) is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the keyboard showing the state in which the key is further depressed from the state shown in FIG. 3(b), and FIG. 3(b) is a graph showing the relationship between the stroke amount of the key and the sensor output value. [Figure 5] Graph (a) shows the transition of key position when normal musical tones are generated, and graph (b) shows the transition of key position when key-release AT processing is performed. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a synthesizer. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a synthesizer. [Figure 8] 10A is a flowchart of the main process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart of the normal musical tone start process. [Figure 9] 10A is a flowchart of the AT detection process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart of the sound suppression process. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a process performed when a key is released. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An overview of a synthesizer 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the external appearance of synthesizer 1. Synthesizer 1 is an electronic musical instrument that outputs (emits sounds) by mixing musical tones based on the performance operations of user H and predetermined accompaniment sounds. Synthesizer 1 can apply sound effects such as reverb, chorus, and delay by performing arithmetic processing on waveform data that combines musical tones performed by user H and accompaniment sounds.

[0011] The synthesizer 1 is mainly provided with a keyboard 2 and setting buttons P for inputting various settings from the user H. The keyboard 2 has a plurality of keys 2a and is an input device for acquiring performance information generated by the performance of the user H. Key press information corresponding to the key press / release operation of the keys 2a by the user H (i.e., performance operation) is output to the CPU 100 (see FIG. 7). The structure of the keyboard 2 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the keyboard 2. The arrows UD, FB, and LR in FIG. 2 indicate the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions of the keyboard 2, respectively (the direction in which the multiple keys 2a are arranged; hereinafter referred to as the "scale direction"), and this also applies to FIGS. 3, 4, and subsequent figures. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the keyboard 2 cut along a plane perpendicular to the scale direction. The keyboard 2 is provided with a bottom plate 3 for supporting the keys 2a. The bottom plate 3 is formed into a flat plate extending in the scale direction using synthetic resin, steel plate, or the like, and a chassis 4 is supported on the upper surface of the bottom plate 3.

[0013] The key 2a is provided with a top plate 20, the top surface (the surface on the arrow U side) of which serves as a key pressing surface to be pressed by the user H, and a pair of side plates 21 extending downward from both left and right ends (in the directions of the arrows LR) of the top plate 20. The plate-like top plate 20 and side plates 21 are integrally formed using a resin material, and the key 2a is formed in a box shape with an opening at the bottom. A plate-like protrusion 22 protrudes rearward from the rear end (the end on the arrow B side) of the key 2a. This protrusion 22 is pivotally supported by a key shaft member 5.

[0014] Additionally, an interlocking member 7 is attached to the recess surrounded by the top plate 20 and the side plate 21. The interlocking member 7 is a member for interlocking the displacement member 8 with the swinging of the key 2a when the key is pressed and released. The interlocking member 7 is provided with a columnar inserted portion 70 that extends vertically, a plate-like protruding portion 71 that protrudes front and rear from the bottom end of the inserted portion 70, and a plate-like protruding portion 72 that protrudes downward from the front end of the protruding portion 71.

[0015] The inserted portion 70 is formed in a shape corresponding to the recessed portion described above, and the interlocking member 7 is attached to the key 2a by inserting the inserted portion 70 into the recessed portion and adhering it to the key 2a. A cylindrical guide pin 73 that protrudes in the scale direction (toward the arrow R) is formed integrally with the lower end of the protruding portion 72, and this guide pin 73 is hooked into a groove 80 formed in the displacement member 8.

[0016] The groove 80 penetrates both side surfaces of the displacement member 8 facing the scale direction and extends in a direction perpendicular to the scale direction (inclined upward and forward in the initial position before the key 2a is pressed, as shown in Figure 2). In the initial position before the key 2a is pressed, the groove 80 extends so as to intersect with the displacement trajectory of the guide pin 73. The sliding of the guide pin 73 along this groove 80 links the displacement member 8 to the rotation of the key 2a. Hereinafter, the upper and lower surfaces of the groove 80 of the displacement member 8, along which the guide pin 73 slides when the key 2a is pressed (released), will be referred to as the "upper sliding surface 80a" and the "lower sliding surface 80b," respectively.

[0017] The displacement member 8 has an axial hole 81 that penetrates the displacement member 8 in the scale direction, and a rotation shaft 90 formed in the holder 9 is inserted into this axial hole 81, thereby rotatably supporting the displacement member 8 on the holder 9. Hereinafter, when the displacement member 8 is supported by the rotation shaft 90, the outer surface of the displacement member 8 that faces a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (scale direction) of the rotation shaft 90 will be referred to as the "outer peripheral surface."

[0018] A detectable portion 82, which is made by adhering a metal plate made of a non-magnetic metal such as copper, is formed on the outer periphery of the displacement member 8. A substrate 10 is provided in a position facing the detectable portion 82 (below the displacement member 8), and a coil C that generates a magnetic field is formed on the substrate 10. Key depression information for the key 2a is detected when the detectable portion 82 of the displacement member 8 is displaced toward the area facing the coil C (hereinafter referred to as the "detection area").

[0019] Next, the operation of the displacement member 8 in response to the depression (release) of the key 2a will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the keyboard 2 showing the state in which the key 2a is being depressed from the state in Fig. 2 (before the key 2a comes into contact with the key depression stopper 12), and Fig. 3(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the keyboard 2 showing the state in which the key 2a has been further depressed from the state in Fig. 3(a) and has come into contact with the key depression stopper 12.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, when the key 2a is pressed, the guide pin 73 rotates downward (clockwise in FIG. 3), pushing the lower slide surface 80b. This causes the displacement member 8 to rotate around the rotation axis 90 of the holder 9 (clockwise in FIG. 3). As this rotation occurs, the detectable portion 82 of the displacement member 8 is displaced relative to the substrate 10 supported by the holder 9. That is, as the stroke of the key 2a increases from the state before the key is pressed, the amount of penetration of the detectable portion 82 into the detection area increases. This penetration amount of the detectable portion 82 refers to the area where the detectable portion 82 faces the coil C in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the substrate 10.

[0021] On the other hand, when the key 2a is released after being pressed, the guide pin 73 rotates (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) to return to its initial position. This rotation of the guide pin 73 pushes up the upper slide surface 80a of the groove 80, causing the displacement member 8 to rotate around the rotation axis 90 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). At this time, the amount of penetration of the detection target portion 82 into the detection area decreases.

[0022] Since the detectable portion 82 is made of a non-magnetic metal, when a current is passed through the coil C to generate a magnetic field, increasing the amount of penetration of the detectable portion 82 into the detection area reduces the inductance of the coil C, whereas decreasing the amount of penetration of the detectable portion 82 into the detection area increases the inductance of the coil C. The sensor output value (V) changes based on this increase or decrease in the inductance of the coil C (see FIG. 4(b)). Key press information is detected based on this increase or decrease in the sensor output value.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the oscillation of the key 2a when it is pressed is restricted by a key press stopper 12. The key press stopper 12 is a cushioning material adhered to the upper surface of the rear end of the chassis 4, and the normal playing area is the area where the underside of the key 2a comes into contact with the key press stopper 12 when the key is pressed. On the other hand, when the key 2a is pressed further than the end position of the normal playing area (the state in FIG. 3(b) where the key 2a comes into contact with the key press stopper 12), an aftertouch performance is performed. When this aftertouch performance is performed, a key release AT process, which is a predetermined musical tone control process, is performed when the key 2a is released. Details of the key release AT process will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0024] In this embodiment, key pressing information during normal playing as well as key pressing information during aftertouch playing is detected based on changes in the magnetic field (increases and decreases in the sensor output value) of coil C. The method for detecting these types of playing will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] Figure 4(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the keyboard 2 showing the state in which the key 2a has been further depressed from the state shown in Figure 3(b), and Figure 4(b) is a graph showing a schematic relationship between the stroke amount of the key 2a and the sensor output value, with the vertical axis indicating the magnitude (V) of the sensor output value and the horizontal axis indicating the stroke amount of the key 2a.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4(a), when the key 2a is further depressed from the end position of normal playing (the state shown in Figure 3(b)), the key 2a compresses the key depression stopper 12, and the guide pin 73 of the interlocking member 7 presses the lower sliding surface 80b of the groove 80 downward. This further increases the amount of penetration of the detected part 82 into the detection area.

[0027] 4(b), the sensor output value decreases as the amount of penetration of the detected part 82 into the detection area facing the coil C increases. That is, when the key 2a is pressed, the sensor output value gradually decreases as the amount of depression of the key 2a increases, whereas when the key 2a is released, the sensor output value gradually increases.

[0028] In order to accurately detect key depression information based on this sensor output value, it is preferable that the difference between the sensor output value before the key is depressed and the sensor output value at the end of the key depression (hereinafter referred to as the "dynamic range") is large. In particular, in this embodiment, since aftertouch performance is detected from the change in the sensor output value shown in Figure 4(b) in addition to normal performance, in order to accurately detect aftertouch, it is necessary to significantly reduce the sensor output value when the key 2a that has contacted the key depression stopper 12 is further depressed.

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, the portion of the detected portion 82 that is located on the front side in the rotation direction of the displacement member 8 (the side of arrow B) is the curved portion 82a, and the portion that is connected to the rear side of the curved portion 82a in the same rotation direction is the flat portion 82b. The curved portion 82a is formed in an arc shape (a curved shape that is convex in a direction away from the rotation shaft 90) centered on the rotation shaft 90, and the flat portion 82b is formed in a flat shape that extends in a tangential direction to the rear end (the end on the side of arrow F) of the curved portion 82a.

[0030] In other words, because the curvature of the flat portion 82b is smaller than that of the curved portion 82a, the distance between the coil C and the detected portion 82 (flat portion 82b) can be made shorter in the aftertouch performance area compared to when the detected portion 82 is a single arc shape centered on the rotation axis 90 as described above. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the sensor output value in the aftertouch performance area without increasing the size of the displacement member 8 (coil C). In other words, aftertouch can be detected with high accuracy while miniaturizing the displacement member 8.

[0031] In this embodiment, a predetermined state of the aftertouch is detected using the keyboard 2 that can detect aftertouch with high accuracy, and if the predetermined state is met, key-release AT processing is performed when the key 2a is released. These normal musical sounds and key-release AT processing will be described with reference to Figure 5.

[0032] FIG. 5(a) is a graph showing the transition of the position of the key 2a (the vertical position of the key 2a when the key 2a is pressed; the same applies below) when a normal musical tone is produced, and FIG. 5(b) is a graph showing the transition of the position of the key 2a when key-release AT processing is performed. In FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the vertical axis represents the position of the key 2a (key-pressed position), and the horizontal axis represents time. In this embodiment, the position of the key 2a becomes smaller (lower) the more the key 2a is pressed.

[0033] The key-release AT process in this embodiment is a musical tone control process that switches the currently sounding normal musical tone to a special musical tone when the key 2a is released. Here, the normal musical tone is a musical tone that is set as standard for each key 2a, and in this embodiment, a musical tone with a "brass" tone is set. In contrast, the special musical tone is a musical tone that is different from the normal musical tone, and in this embodiment, a musical tone with a "fall" tone is set. Note that the normal musical tone and the special musical tone are not limited to being set to "brass" and "fall," respectively, and other tones may be set to the normal musical tone and the special musical tone.

[0034] In this embodiment, the normal musical tones and the special musical tones are set to different tones in the key-release AT process, thereby making the normal musical tones and the special musical tones different, but this is not limited to this. For example, the normal musical tones and the special musical tones may be set to the same tones, and the special musical tones may be set to a pitch lower than the normal musical tones (for example, a pitch that is just one pitch lower than the normal musical tones), thereby making the normal musical tones and the special musical tones different. In this case, the pitch of the special musical tones may be changed depending on the position of the key 2a when aftertouched. For example, the pitch of the special musical tones may be lowered as the lower limit position of the key 2a when aftertouched is smaller, and the pitch of the special musical tones may be higher as the lower limit position of the key 2a when aftertouched is larger.

[0035] Furthermore, normal and special musical tones may be made different by applying different sound effects to them (for example, setting delay to normal and reverb to special). Alternatively, normal and special musical tones may be made different by applying different timbre parameters, which are parameters of setting items that indicate the timbre aspects, such as attack, decay, sustain or release, and cutoff frequency, to normal and special musical tones. For example, the release of special musical tones may be made faster than that of normal musical tones, or the cutoff frequency of special musical tones may be made lower than that of normal musical tones.

[0036] In this embodiment, a key-release position D1, a sound-off position D2, a key-release start position Dr, a sound-onset start position Ds, and an aftertouch detection position Da (hereinafter abbreviated as "AT detection position Da") are provided according to the position of the key 2a. The key-release position D1 is the position to which the key 2a returns after moving upward when the user H presses and then releases the key 2a. It is also the position before the user H touches the key 2a.

[0037] The mute position D2 is located below the key-release position D1. When the key 2a is released and the position of the key 2a reaches or exceeds the mute position D2, the normal or special musical tone assigned to the currently sounding key 2a begins to be muted.

[0038] The key-release start position Dr is a position located below the mute position D2. When the key 2a is pressed, and then further pressed down beyond the key-release start position Dr and then released, and the position of the key 2a is equal to or higher than the key-release start position Dr, it is determined that the key 2a has started to be released. The sound production start position Ds is a position located below the key-release start position Dr. When the key 2a is pressed and the position of the key 2a is equal to or lower than the sound production start position Ds, sound production of a normal musical tone is started.

[0039] With reference to FIG. 5(a), a case where only normal musical tones are generated will be described. When key 2a is started to be pressed and the position of key 2a is equal to or lower than the sound generation start position Ds, the normal musical tone of key 2a is generated. The pitch of the normal musical tone at this time is set to the pitch corresponding to the pressed key 2a. If key 2a is subsequently released above AT detection position Da, the normal musical tone continues to be generated even when key 2a is at key release start position Dr. Then, when key 2a is moved to mute position D2 or higher, the normal musical tone is muted.

[0040] Next, referring to Fig. 5(b), we will explain the case where a special musical tone is sounded after a normal musical tone, i.e., the case where key-release AT processing is performed. When key 2a is started to be pressed and the position of key 2a falls below the sounding start position Ds, the normal musical tone of key 2a is started to be sounded, as in the case of Fig. 5(a). After that, when key 2a is further pressed and its position falls below the AT detection position Da, and then key 2a is released and its position rises above the key-release start position Dr, key-release AT processing is performed to switch the sounding normal musical tone to a special musical tone. The pitch of the special musical tone in this case may be set to the pitch corresponding to the pressed key 2a.

[0041] More specifically, the time when the position of the pressed key 2a reaches the sound production start position Ds is set as the sound production start time Tss, the time when the position of the pressed key 2a reaches the AT detection position Da is set as the pressing start time Tas, the time when the position of the released key 2a returns to the AT detection position Da again is set as the pressing end time Tae, and the time when the position of the released key 2a returns to the key release start position Dr is set as the key release start time Trs.

[0042] When these set times satisfy predetermined conditions, a special musical tone is generated. Specifically, when the time difference ΔT1 between the key depression start time Tas and the sound generation start time Tss is equal to or greater than the first time difference Ta, the time difference ΔT2 between the key depression end time Tae and the key depression start time Tas is equal to or greater than the second time difference Tb, and the time difference ΔT3 between the key release start time Trs and the key release start time Tas is equal to or less than the third time difference Tc, a key-release AT process is performed to switch the currently generated normal musical tone to a special musical tone. Then, when the position of the key 2a reaches the mute position D2 or greater, the special musical tone that was started to be generated by the key-release AT process is muted.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first time difference is set to "50 milliseconds," the second time difference to "300 milliseconds," and the third time difference to "500 milliseconds." The first time difference, second time difference, and third time difference are not limited to the times set above, and may be set to times other than those set above depending on, for example, the sound production start position Ds of the key 2a, the AT detection position Da, or the level of the playing technique of the user H.

[0044] In this way, when the position of the pressed key 2a reaches the sounding start position Ds, a normal musical tone is sounded, and when the key 2a is further pressed and reaches the AT detection position Da, key-release AT processing is performed to switch the sounding normal musical tone to a special musical tone when the key 2a is released. This allows the user H to perform key-release AT processing by simply pressing the key 2a further than the sounding start position Ds where a normal musical tone is sounded, thereby improving the operability of the user H when performing key-release AT processing.

[0045] The conditions for performing such key-release AT processing are set as follows: the time difference ΔT1 between the key press start time Tas and the sound generation start time Tss is equal to or greater than the first time difference Ta; the time difference ΔT2 between the key press end time Tae and the key press start time Tas is equal to or greater than the second time difference Tb; and the time difference between the key release start time Trs and the key press start time Tas is equal to or less than the third time difference Tc.

[0046] That is, after the key 2a is pressed down to the sound generation start position Ds, the key-release AT processing is not performed until the first time difference Ta has elapsed until the position of the key 2a is further pressed down to the AT detection position Da, and after the key 2a is pressed down to the AT detection position Da, the key-release AT processing is not performed until that state is maintained for at least the second time difference Tb. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the key-release AT processing is performed when the user H presses down the key 2a forcefully (quickly) without intending to perform the key-release AT processing and the position of the key 2a temporarily (instantly) falls below the AT detection position Da.

[0047] In addition to these, the key-release AT process will not be performed unless the user H moves the position of the key 2a below the AT detection position Da within the third time difference Tc before the released key 2a reaches the key-release start position Dr, which also prevents the key-release AT process from occurring unintentionally by the user H. These conditions of the first time difference Ta, second time difference Tb, and third time difference Tc can improve the operability for the user H when performing the key-release AT process.

[0048] Next, the function of synthesizer 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of synthesizer 1. As shown in Fig. 6, synthesizer 1 has normal musical tone generating means 500 and key-release processing means 501.

[0049] The normal musical tone generating means 500 generates a normal musical tone when the key 2a reaches the sound generation start position Ds after the key 2a is pressed, and is realized by the CPU 100 described later in Fig. 7. The key release processing means 501 performs key release AT processing when the key 2a is released if the key 2a is further depressed after reaching the sound generation start position Ds, and the key 2a reaches the AT detection position Da, which is deeper than the sound generation start position Ds.

[0050] That is, the user H can easily execute the key-release AT process when releasing the key 2a by simply depressing the key 2a to the AT detection position Da, which is deeper than the sounding start position Ds at which a normal musical tone is generated. This improves the operability of the user H when executing the key-release AT process.

[0051] Next, the electrical configuration of synthesizer 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of synthesizer 1. Synthesizer 1 has CPU 100, flash ROM 101, RAM 102, the keyboard 2 and setting buttons P mentioned above, sound source 103, and DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 104, all of which are connected via bus line 105. DSP 104 is connected to DAC (Digital Analog Converter) 106, which is connected to amplifier 107, which is connected to speaker 108.

[0052] The CPU 100 is a computing device that controls each unit connected via a bus line 105. The flash ROM 101 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory that stores a control program 101a. When the control program 101a is executed by the CPU 100, the main processing shown in Fig. 8(a) is executed. The RAM 12 is a memory that rewritably stores various work data, flags, etc. when the CPU 100 executes programs such as the control program 101a.

[0053] The sound source 103 is a device that outputs waveform data corresponding to performance information input from the CPU 100. The DSP 104 is a calculation device that processes the waveform data input from the sound source 103. The DAC 106 is a conversion device that converts the waveform data input from the DSP 104 into analog waveform data. The amplifier 107 is an amplification device that amplifies the analog waveform data output from the DAC 106 with a predetermined gain. The speaker 108 is an output device that emits (outputs) the analog waveform data amplified by the amplifier 107 as musical tones.

[0054] Next, the processing executed by the CPU 100 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8(a) is a flowchart of the main processing. The main processing is executed when the synthesizer 1 is powered on. The main processing first acquires the previous position of each key 2a provided on the keyboard 2 (S1). Specifically, since the main processing is executed repeatedly, the position of each key 2a acquired in the previously executed processing of S2 (described below) is acquired. After processing of S1, the current position and speed of each key 2a are acquired (S2).

[0055] After the process of S2, normal musical tone start process (S3), AT detection process (S4), and sound silencing process (S5) are executed in this order. Note that these processes of S3 to S5 are executed for each key 2a. After the sound silencing process of S5, other processes of the synthesizer 1 (S6) are executed, and the processes from S1 onwards are repeated. Now, the normal musical tone start process of S3, the AT detection process of S4, and the sound silencing process of S5 will be described with reference to Figs. 8(b), 9, and 10.

[0056] FIG. 8(b) is a flowchart of the normal tone start process. The normal tone start process is a process for starting the sounding of a normal tone. The normal tone start process first checks whether the position of the key 2a targeted for the normal tone start process is equal to or lower than the sounding start position Ds (S10). Hereinafter, the key 2a targeted for the normal tone start process will be abbreviated as the "target key 2a." The same applies to the AT detection process, sound mute process, and key-release process in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0057] In the process of S10, if the position of the target key 2a is equal to or lower than the sound generation start position Ds (S10: Yes), it is checked whether the musical tone of the target key 2a is being generated (S11). Specifically, it is checked whether the normal musical tone or the special musical tone of the target key 2a is being generated.

[0058] If it is confirmed in the process of S11 that the musical tone of the target key 2a is not being sounded (S11: No), the current velocity of the target key 2a is set to the velocity Vs (S12), and sound production of the normal musical tone of the target key 2a is started (S13). After the process of S13, the sound production start time Tss of the target key 2a is set to the current time (S14). In this embodiment, the current time is obtained from an RTC (Real Time Clock, not shown) built into the synthesizer 1, but it may also be obtained by other methods, such as from an NTP server. In this embodiment, the sound production start time Tss, key depression start time Tas, key depression end time Tae, and key release start time Trs shown in FIG. 5 are set independently for each key 2a.

[0059] On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the process of S11 that the musical tone of the target key 2a is being sounded (S11: Yes), the processes of S12 to S14 are skipped and the sounding of the normal musical tone of the target key 2a is not started.

[0060] In other words, if a normal musical tone or a special musical tone of the target key 2a is already being sounded and the position of the key 2a reaches the sounding start position Ds, the normal musical tone of the target key 2a will not be sounded. This prevents two different musical tones from being sounded during a series of key presses and key releases, thereby reducing the sense of incongruity felt by the user H regarding the musical tones that are being sounded.

[0061] In the process of S10, if it is confirmed that the position of the target key 2a is higher than the sounding start position Ds (S10: No), the processes of S11 to S14 are skipped. After the processes of S10, S11, and S14, the normal musical sound start process ends.

[0062] 9(a) is a flowchart of the AT detection process. The AT detection process is a process for detecting whether the position of the target key 2a has reached the AT detection position Da. The AT detection process first checks whether the position of the target key 2a is below the AT detection position Da (S20). If it is confirmed in the process of S20 that the position of the target key 2a is below the AT detection position Da (S20: Yes), it checks whether the previous position of the target key 2a was higher than the AT detection position Da (S21).

[0063] In the process of S21, if it is confirmed that the previous position of the target key 2a was higher than the AT detection position Da (S21: Yes), the current time is set as the pressing start time Tas of the target key 2a (S22). After the process of S22, the pressing flag of the target key 2a is set to ON (S23). The pressing flag is a flag indicating that the position of the target key 2a has reached the AT detection position Da, and is set independently for each target key 2a.

[0064] In the process of S21, if it is confirmed that the previous position of the target key 2a was equal to or lower than the AT detection position Da (S21: No), the processes of S22 and S23 are skipped.

[0065] In the process of S20, if it is confirmed that the position of the target key 2a is higher than the AT detection position Da (S20: No), it is confirmed whether the previous position of the target key 2a was lower than the AT detection position Da (S24). In the process of S24, if it is confirmed that the previous position of the target key 2a was lower than the AT detection position Da (S24: Yes), the timing has come when the released target key 2a will be above the AT detection position Da, so the current time is set as the pressing end time Tae of the target key 2a (S25).

[0066] On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the process of S24 that the previous position of the target key 2a was equal to or higher than the AT detection position Da (S24: No), the process of S25 is skipped. After the processes of S21, S23, and S25, the key-release process (S26) is executed, and the AT detection process ends. Here, the key-release process will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0067] 10 is a flowchart of the key-release processing. The key-release processing is a process for switching a normal musical tone being generated to a special musical tone based on the aftertouch operation of the target key 2a, i.e., a process for performing key-release AT processing. The key-release processing first checks whether the position of the target key 2a is equal to or higher than the key-release start position Dr (S40). If it is confirmed in the processing of S40 that the position of the target key 2a is equal to or higher than the key-release start position Dr (S40: Yes), it checks whether the previous position of the target key 2a was lower than the key-release start position Dr (S41).

[0068] If it is determined in the process of S41 that the previous position of the target key 2a was lower than the key-release start position Dr (S41: Yes), the current time is set as the key-release start time Trs of the target key 2a (S42). After the process of S42, it is determined whether the depression flag of the target key 2a is on (S43).

[0069] If the process of S43 confirms that the key depression flag of the target key 2a is on (S43: Yes), it is checked whether the time difference ΔT1 between the key depression start time Tas and the sound generation start time Tss of the target key 2a is equal to or greater than the first time difference Ta (S44). If the process of S44 confirms that the time difference ΔT1 is equal to or greater than the first time difference Ta (S44: Yes), it is checked whether the time difference ΔT2 between the key depression end time Tae and the key depression start time Tas is equal to or greater than the second time difference Tb (S45). If the process of S45 confirms that the time difference ΔT2 is equal to or greater than the second time difference Tb (S45: Yes), it is checked whether the time difference ΔT3 between the key release start time Trs and the key depression start time Tas is equal to or less than the third time difference Tc (S46).

[0070] If it is determined in the process of S46 that the time difference ΔT3 is equal to or less than the third time difference Tc (S46: Yes), key-release AT process is performed, i.e., the process of switching the currently sounding normal tone to a special tone is performed (S47). Specifically, if a normal tone of the target key 2a is being sounded, the normal tone is stopped and then the special tone is sounded. In this embodiment, the velocity of the special tone at the start of sounding is the same as the velocity of the normal tone just before the tone is stopped, but this is not limited to this. The velocity set when the normal tone was sounded in the process of S12 of FIG. 8(b) or a fixed value may be used.

[0071] If it is confirmed in the processing of S44 that the time difference ΔT1 is smaller than the first time difference Ta (S44: No), if it is confirmed in the processing of S45 that the time difference ΔT2 is smaller than the second time difference Tb (S45: No), or if it is confirmed in the processing of S46 that the time difference ΔT3 is larger than the third time difference Tc (S46: Yes), the depression flag of the target key 2a is set to off (S48).

[0072] If it is confirmed in S40 that the position of the target key 2a is lower than the key-release start position Dr (S40: No), steps S41 to S48 are skipped, if it is confirmed in S41 that the previous position of the target key 2a was equal to or higher than the key-release start position Dr (S41: No), steps S42 to S48 are skipped, and if it is confirmed in S43 that the depression flag of the target key 2a is off (S43: No), steps S44 to S48 are skipped. After steps S40, S41, S43, S47, and S48, the key-release process ends.

[0073] Returning to FIG. 9, (b) of FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the sound-off process. The sound-off process is a process for silencing the musical sound of the target key 2a that is currently being sounded when the position of the target key 2a is equal to or higher than the sound-off position D2. The sound-off process first checks whether the position of the target key 2a is equal to or higher than the sound-off position D2 (S30). If it is confirmed in the process of S30 that the position of the target key 2a is equal to or higher than the sound-off position D2 (S30: Yes), the depression flag of the target key 2a is set to OFF (S31).

[0074] After the process of S31, it is confirmed whether the musical tone of the target key 2a (i.e., the normal musical tone or special musical tone of the target key 2a) is being sounded (S32). If it is confirmed in the process of S32 that the musical tone of the target key 2a is being sounded (S32: No), muting of the musical tone of the target key 2a begins (S33). On the other hand, if it is confirmed in the process of S32 that the musical tone of the target key 2a is not being sounded (S32: No), the process of S33 is skipped. Furthermore, if it is confirmed in the process of S30 that the position of the target key 2a is lower than the muting position D2 (S30: No), the processes of S31 to S33 are skipped. After the processes of S30, S32, and S33, the muting process ends.

[0075] The above has been explained based on the above embodiment, but it can be easily imagined that various improvements and modifications are possible.

[0076] In the above embodiment, when the position of the key 2a is below the AT detection position Da, the time difference ΔT1 between the pressing start time Tas and the sounding start time Tss is equal to or greater than the first time difference Ta (hereinafter referred to as the "condition for the first time difference Ta"), the time difference ΔT2 between the pressing end time Tae and the pressing start time Tas is equal to or greater than the second time difference Tb (hereinafter referred to as the "condition for the second time difference Tb"), and the time difference ΔT3 between the key release start time Trs and the pressing start time Tas is equal to or less than the third time difference Tc (hereinafter referred to as the "condition for the third time difference Tc"), a key release AT process is performed to switch the normal musical sound being sounded when the key 2a is released to a special musical sound, but this is not limited to this.

[0077] For example, when the position of the key 2a is equal to or lower than the AT detection position Da, the key-release AT processing may be performed when the key 2a is released, regardless of the conditions of the first time difference Ta, the second time difference Tb, and the third time difference Tc. Alternatively, the key-release AT processing may be performed when the position of the key 2a is equal to or lower than the AT detection position Da and only the condition of the first time difference Ta is satisfied. Similarly, the key-release AT processing may be performed when the position of the key 2a is equal to or lower than the AT detection position Da and only the condition of the second time difference Tb is satisfied, or the key-release AT processing may be performed when the position of the key 2a is equal to or lower than the AT detection position Da and only the condition of the third time difference Tc is satisfied.

[0078] Alternatively, the key-release AT processing may be performed when the position of the key 2a is below the AT detection position Da and the conditions of the first time difference Ta and the second time difference Tb are met, or when the position of the key 2a is below the AT detection position Da and the conditions of the first time difference Ta and the third time difference Tc are met, or when the position of the key 2a is below the AT detection position Da and the conditions of the second time difference Tb and the third time difference Tc are met.

[0079] Furthermore, other conditions (for example, conditions regarding the speed or acceleration of the key 2a when it reaches the AT detection position Da) other than the conditions regarding the first time difference Ta, the second time difference Tb, and the third time difference Tc may be added to the conditions for performing the key-release AT processing.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the key-release AT process is a process of switching the normal musical tone being generated to a special musical tone when the key 2a is released, but the key-release AT process is not limited to this. The key-release AT process may also be a process of changing the mode of the normal musical tone being generated when the key 2a is released.

[0081] For example, the key-release AT process may involve changing the pitch of the normal musical tone being generated when the key 2a is released. In this case, the pitch of the normal musical tone may be changed depending on the position of the key 2a when the aftertouch is applied. For example, the pitch of the normal musical tone may be lowered as the lower limit position of the key 2a when the aftertouch is applied is smaller, and the pitch of the special musical tone may be raised as the lower limit position of the key 2a when the aftertouch is applied is larger.

[0082] Furthermore, when the key 2a is released, the pitch of the normal musical tone being generated may be continuously changed in a higher or lower direction. This continuous change in pitch may be preset or calculated each time. By continuously changing the pitch of the normal musical tone in this way, it is possible to reduce the sense of discomfort felt by the user H due to the change in pitch of the normal musical tone. Alternatively, when the key 2a is released, the pitch of the normal musical tone being generated may be changed randomly.

[0083] Alternatively, the key-release AT process may involve changing the timbre parameters (parameters for setting items that represent timbre aspects, such as attack, decay, sustain, or release, and cutoff frequency) of the normal musical tone being sounded when the key 2a is released. For example, the release of the normal musical tone may be changed to a quicker one when the key 2a is released. Furthermore, as in the case of changing the pitch of the normal musical tone being sounded described above, the timbre parameters of the normal musical tone may be changed depending on the position of the key 2a when aftertouch is applied, or the timbre parameters of the normal musical tone may be changed continuously or randomly.

[0084] Furthermore, as the key-release AT process, when the key 2a is released, a process may be performed to change the degree of sound effects (delay, reverb, etc.) applied to the normal musical tone being sounded. For example, when the key 2a is released, the reverb applied to the normal musical tone may be increased. Alternatively, as in the case of changing the pitch of the normal musical tone being sounded as described above, the degree of sound effects applied to the normal musical tone may be changed depending on the position of the key 2a when aftertouch is applied, or the degree of sound effects applied to the normal musical tone may be changed continuously or randomly.

[0085] In the above embodiment, when the position of the target key 2a falls below the AT detection position Da, key-release AT processing is performed for the target key 2a, in which the normal musical sound of the target key 2a is switched to the special musical sound of the target key 2a when the target key 2a is released. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if the position of the target key 2a falls below the AT detection position Da and another key 2a different from the target key 2a is pressed at that time, key-release AT processing for the other key 2a may be performed when the other key 2a is released.

[0086] As a result, by setting only the position of the target key 2a below the AT detection position Da, not only is key-release AT processing performed for that target key 2a, but key-release AT processing is also performed for other keys 2a that are being pressed (or have been pressed) at the same time, thereby improving the operability for user H when performing key-release AT processing for multiple keys 2a.

[0087] In this case, all keys 2a that are pressed when the position of the target key 2a falls below the AT detection position Da may be considered to be the "other keys 2a," or any one of the pressed keys 2a (for example, the key 2a that is closest to the target key 2a among the pressed keys 2a) may be considered to be the "other key 2a."

[0088] In the above embodiment, two types of musical tones, a normal musical tone and a special musical tone, are generated for each key 2a, but this is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that three or more types of musical tones (i.e., a normal musical tone and two or more types of special musical tones) are generated for each key 2a.

[0089] For example, the special musical tone to be generated may be switched depending on the lowest position of the pressed key 2a. In this case, two positions (first and second positions from the top) may be further provided below the AT detection position Da. If the lowest position when the key 2a is pressed is between the AT detection position Da and the first position, the special musical tone is switched to the first special musical tone when the key is subsequently released. If the lowest position when the key 2a is pressed is between the first and second positions, the special musical tone is switched to the second special musical tone when the key is subsequently released. If the lowest position when the key 2a is pressed is lower than the second position, the special musical tone is switched to the third special musical tone when the key is subsequently released. In this case, the special musical tones are not limited to being of different timbres. For example, as described above, the timbre of all the special musical tones may be the same as that of the normal musical tones, and the lower the lowest position of the pressed key 2a, the lower the pitch of the special musical tone corresponding to that timbre is when the key is released.

[0090] Alternatively, the special musical tone to be played may be switched depending on the duration of the aftertouch pressing in the performance area, i.e., the time difference ΔT2 between the pressing end time Tae and the pressing start time Tas. In this case, if the time difference ΔT2 is 300 to 350 milliseconds, the special musical tone will be switched to the first special musical tone when the key is subsequently released. If the time difference ΔT2 is 350 to 400 milliseconds, the special musical tone will be switched to the second special musical tone when the key is subsequently released. If the time difference ΔT2 is longer than 400 milliseconds, the special musical tone will be switched to the third special musical tone when the key is subsequently released.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the key-release start position Dr is set above the sound generation start position Ds, but this is not limiting. For example, the key-release start position Dr and the sound generation start position Ds may be set at the same position. This allows the user H to easily shorten the time difference ΔT3 between the key-release start time Trs and the key-press start time Tas, making it easier to generate a special musical tone when the key 2a is released.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the control program 101a is stored in the flash ROM 101 of the synthesizer 1 and is configured to run on the synthesizer 1. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and the control program 101a may be configured to run on another computer such as a PC (personal computer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In this case, a keyboard device having a configuration similar to that of the keyboard 2 may be connected to the PC, mobile phone, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Synthesizer (electronic musical instrument) 2 keys 2a key 101a Control program (musical sound output program) Da AT detection position Ds Start of sound Ta 1st time difference Tb Second time difference Tc 3rd time difference S40-S48: Key release processing means, key release processing steps S10 to S14: Normal musical tone generation means, normal musical tone generation steps

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument having a keyboard with a plurality of keys, a normal musical tone generating means for generating a normal musical tone when the key position reaches a tone generation start position after the key is pressed; and a key-release processing means for performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical tone control processing, when the key is released, if the key is further depressed after reaching the sound generation start position and the key reaches an AT detection position, which is deeper than the sound generation start position.

2. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the key-release processing means performs the key-release AT processing when the key is released if the time difference between the time when the key position reaches the sound generation start position and the time when the key position reaches the AT detection position is equal to or greater than a first time difference.

3. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the key-release processing means performs the key-release AT processing when the key is released if the state in which the key position is below the AT detection position continues for a second time period or more.

4. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the key-release processing means performs the key-release AT processing when the key is released if the time difference between the time when the key position reaches the AT detection position and the time when the key starts to be released is equal to or less than a third time difference.

5. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the key-release processing means performs the key-release AT processing when the position of one of the keys reaches the AT detection position and another key different from the first key is pressed, when the other key is released.

6. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the key-release AT process changes the pitch of the normal musical tone being generated.

7. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said key-release AT processing changes a tone parameter of said normal musical tone being generated.

8. 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said key-release AT processing generates a special musical tone different from said normal musical tone.

9. 9. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein the normal musical tones and the special musical tones have different timbres.

10. 9. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein the normal musical tones and the special musical tones have different pitches.

11. 9. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein the normal musical tone and the special musical tone have different tone parameters.

12. 12. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein the timbre parameter is a release that represents the reverberation of a musical tone.

13. A musical tone output method executed on an electronic musical instrument having a keyboard with a plurality of keys, a normal musical tone generating step of generating a normal musical tone when the key position reaches a tone generation start position after the key is pressed; and a key-release processing step of performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical sound control processing, when the key is released, if the key is further depressed after reaching the sound generation start position and the key position reaches an AT detection position, which is a position deeper than the sound generation start position.

14. A musical sound output program that causes a computer equipped with a keyboard having a plurality of keys to execute a musical sound output process, a normal musical tone generating step of generating a normal musical tone when the key position reaches a tone generation start position after the key is pressed; and a key-release processing step of performing key-release AT processing, which is a predetermined musical sound control processing, when the key is released, if the key is further depressed after reaching the sound generation start position and the key position reaches an AT detection position, which is a position deeper than the sound generation start position.

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