Tone Generation Assigning Apparatus for Natural Ensemble Performance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic musical instruments struggle to generate ensemble performances naturally, often resulting in unnatural or uncomfortable feelings due to uniform tone generation across all performance parts, failing to account for the characteristics of different musical instruments and key depression states.

Innovation Solution

A tone generation assigning apparatus and method that allows independent assignment of tone colors to specific tone pitches by multiple assigners, each with unique priority rules and selection modes, enabling flexible tone generation that considers the characteristics of individual instruments and key depression states, ensuring natural ensemble performances.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If uniform tone assignment is applied across all performance parts, then the system is simple to operate, but the ensemble performance becomes unnatural and uncomfortable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidnaturalness of ensemble performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the tone generation system into multiple independent assigners (first assigner, second assigner, third assigner, fourth assigner), each responsible for assigning tone colors to specific performance parts. This segmentation allows each assigner to operate independently with its own priority rules, enabling natural ensemble performance while maintaining operational simplicity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each assigner is configured with different priority rules tailored to specific performance parts. For example, the first assigner uses last-depressed key priority for melody instruments, while the second assigner uses higher-pitch note priority for harmony instruments. This local customization of assignment rules ensures that each performance part receives appropriate tone colors based on its musical role, creating natural ensemble performances.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If multiple assigners with independent priority rules are used, then natural ensemble performance is achieved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenaturalness of ensemble performanceVSAvoidcomplexity of tone generation system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple assigners into a single tone generation apparatus, where each assigner works in parallel to handle different performance parts. The assigners share common resources such as the tone color database and tone generation unit, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the benefits of independent assignment rules for each performance part.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Each assigner is designed as a multi-functional module that can handle different types of tone color assignments (melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.) by switching between different priority rules. This universality reduces the need for separate specialized modules for each performance part, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining natural ensemble performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2884485B1Device and method for pronunciation allocation
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 YAMAHA CORP
  • EP2884485B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2884485B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2884485B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

Tone generating instructions designating one or more tone pitchesare received in response to performance operation on a keyboard, for example. A plurality of assigners are provided to assign tone colours to the one or more tone pitches designated by the received tone generating instructions. The plurality of the assigners are configured to select, for each assignor, from among the one or more tone pitches designated by the one or more tone generation instructions received by a reception section, one or more target tone pitches to which the tone color is to be assigned by the assigner, and determine, for each assignor and on the basis of a priority order set for each assigner, from among the selected one or more target tone pitches, one or more tone pitches of which tones are to be generated with the tone color assigned by the assigner.