Chord Generation in Single-Tone Electronic Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing musical sound processing systems struggle to produce chords accurately on electronic musical instruments, such as electronic saxophones, which are typically single-tone instruments.
Innovation Solution
A musical sound processing apparatus that includes a processor and a memory, which sequentially reads musical sound information from music data, overwrites and stores note numbers in a buffer based on sounding timing, and produces a chord by instructing a sound source to produce musical sounds corresponding to multiple note numbers stored in the buffer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single-tone instrument like electronic saxophone is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the musical versatility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sound source as an intermediary component that can generate multiple tones. The sound source receives control signals containing note numbers and velocity information, then produces the corresponding musical sounds. This intermediary enables the single-tone instrument body to achieve chordal capabilities without modifying the instrument's physical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The control signal processing unit is designed to handle multiple functions: it processes note numbers, velocity information, and timing data to generate diverse musical expressions. The system can produce both single tones and chords by interpreting different combinations of note numbers in the control signals, making the instrument versatile despite its simple physical design.
2Adaptability or versatility
If chord performance is implemented on a single-tone instrument, then the musical expressiveness is improved, but the ease of operation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes the music data into control signals that contain pre-calculated note numbers and velocity information for each timing. The sound source is prepared in advance with the necessary tone generation capabilities. When the user performs a simple blow operation, the system already has the complex chord information ready to be executed, eliminating the need for the user to manually control multiple parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The control signal processing unit automatically generates and manages the complex timing and note number combinations based on the user's simple performance input. The system self-manages the coordination of multiple sound generation tasks, timing synchronization, and velocity modulation, freeing the user from the complexity of manual control while maintaining high musical expressiveness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple note numbers are stored in buffer, then the chord production capability is improved, but the memory usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the music data processing into discrete control signals, each containing specific note number and velocity information for particular timings. The buffer stores only the essential parameters (note numbers and velocities) rather than complete musical information. This segmentation allows the system to maintain chord production capability while using minimal memory resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system stores only the necessary note numbers and velocity information in the buffer, rather than storing complete musical performances or all possible sound data. This partial action approach ensures that the buffer contains sufficient information for chord generation without excessive memory consumption. The sound source generates only the required tones based on the stored parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A musical sound processing apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory including a first area. The processor sequentially reads musical sound information of music data, sequentially overwrites and store first musical sound information in the first area on a basis of a sounding timing, rewrites the first musical sound information stored in the first area to two or more pieces of first musical sound information, and gives an instruction on production of a first musical sound corresponding to all pieces of the first musical sound information stored in the first area by operating a performance operator of an electronic musical instrument.