Dynamic Note Assignment for Musical Synthesizers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic musical instruments, particularly samplers, struggle to realistically allocate notes among a fixed number of instruments when playing multiple notes simultaneously, leading to unrealistic sound quality and harmonic distortion due to additive polyphony, which does not accurately replicate the sound of a live orchestra.
Innovation Solution
A note assignment processor dynamically allocates notes to individual instruments or small groups, using divisi principles to ensure that each channel plays a single note at a time, with real-time reassignment and overflow handling, allowing for top or bottom weighting to maintain orchestral balance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additive polyphony is used to play multiple notes simultaneously, then the number of notes that can be played increases, but the sound quality becomes unrealistic and harmonic distortion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the fixed number of instrument channels into different groups that can be dynamically assigned to different notes. Instead of having each channel play multiple notes simultaneously (additive polyphony), the system divides channels into segments that are reassigned based on the current musical context, ensuring that each channel plays only one note at a time while still allowing multiple notes to be played across different channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically reassigns channels to notes based on real-time conditions such as which notes are currently being played and which channels are available. This dynamic allocation ensures that the instrument ensemble adapts to the musical situation, maintaining realistic orchestral behavior where the same number of instruments play regardless of how many different notes are sounded.
2Device complexity
If a fixed number of instrument channels are used, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to realistically allocate notes among instruments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements dynamic note allocation where a fixed number of channels are flexibly assigned to different notes based on real-time conditions. The system monitors which notes are currently being played and dynamically reassigns available channels to maintain realistic orchestral behavior, allowing the same fixed number of channels to adapt to various musical situations without requiring additional hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the allocation parameters of existing channels dynamically rather than adding more channels. By modifying which channel plays which note based on current musical context, the system achieves versatile note allocation capability while maintaining a fixed, simple channel structure.
3Quantity of substance
If all instruments play every note simultaneously, then the full sound of the orchestra is maintained, but harmonic distortion and unrealistic sound quality result
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the orchestra into different instrumental groups that are assigned to specific notes based on realistic orchestral divisi patterns. Instead of having all instruments play every note simultaneously, the system divides the instrument channels into segments that are allocated to different notes, recreating the natural harmonic structure of an actual orchestra where different sections play different notes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by assigning different instrumental characteristics to different notes based on the musical context. Each channel is configured with specific instrument characteristics, and the allocation ensures that the harmonic structure of each local note assignment reflects realistic orchestral behavior, with different instrument types playing appropriate notes in appropriate contexts.
Data Source
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AI summary
A note assignment processor for assigning notes to selected channels to be played by said channels. The note assignment processor comprises an input for receiving a notes-to-be-played signal; a central processing unit for detecting the signal, determining the number of notes to be played simultaneously, and performing iterative process to assign each note to a selected channel; a note register for storing the total number of notes to be played simultaneously; a note list register for storing the notes to be played simultaneously in a pitch order; a current note register for storing the identity of the current note processed by the central processing unit; a channel register for storing the total number of channels available for note assignment; a channel list register for storing the channels in a specified order; and, a channels left register for storing the number of unassigned channels.