US2493358A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

1950 J. A. OSWALD MUSIIGAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 2, 1946 23% 61.6. IM 1 {far/1g.

Patented Jan. 3, 195% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT James A. Oswald, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Gentral Commercial Company, Chicago, 111., a corporationof Illinois '6 Claims. 1

Thisinvention-relates to electrical musical instruments employing waveform generators producingcomplex waveforms of oscillations at the tone frequencies of different notes of a musical scale, and means responsive todepression 'of 'selectors for translating said oscillations into audible sounds formusical expression.

In .musical instruments :known in'the art as electric and electronic "organs .no provision has heretofore been made :for :grading'the amplitude of pedal "tones relative to .thediflerent stops of one or more manuals. In such instruments oscillations reflective in an electrical network in response to actuation 'of the pedals and oscillations effective.inisaid'network inresponse .to acituationof the :playing-keys'of said manuals are all .thereofiimpressed upon theinput circuitxof a volume or expression-control device of a sound translating "system. In :consequencethereof certain manual stops 'cannot'be balanced or proportionedrelative-to givenpedal stops as is necessary for discriminating results. If, for example, amanual stop is drawn fora-:soft'zstring, and a pedal stop is drawn for a fiute,.the latter being the heavier ofthe two,'.the"manual tone will be overbalanced 'by:theLpedal tone. It is this-overbalancing 'efiectprevalent-in instruments of the prior art that hassgreatly detracted-from an or- :ganists ability :otherwiseto satisfactorily perform on said instruments.

An object .of myinvienticn. is the provision of means for overcoming .the ='aforementioned defects in instruments of the'prior art, which said means is selectively'controlled *from the console -in'a manner enabling a w-iderrangeof amplitude variations in any pedal tone vvdesired to'be used 'with any manual tone.

Another object is thetprovisiontof" an .intensity 'control'forelectric or electronic organs the true Fcounterpart of which is.ffound :only. in the :more expensive types'of pipe organs.

.A still fiu'ther'objectxiszthe'provisionof an intensity control forthe pedal tonesof an' electric .or electronic .organ which will not-contribute materially to .the cost ofwproduction .ofthe instru-w,

ment and will berreadilyactuable at the will of the player substantially "in'the same manner as drawing and retiring stops.

A- more specific object/is the provision of an intensity control for the pedals of a pedalzkeycircuit with themanual or manuals of .the instrument, whereby .when operating said volume control device -to vary'the overall volume a proper balancing of tones-is assured.

Otherobjects will maniiestlyappearupon reference to the following specifications anddrawings, in which :the single figure is a schematic view of the essential characterizing features of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, .A, B and C schematically :represent :three pedals of a pedal keyboard. D, E and Frepresent three playingkeys-of a singlemanual'of the instrument. Two or more manualsvcan.of-course be employed with- .out departing-fromthespirit and intention of my invention. The said pedals-areassociated with consecutive notesv of the chromatic scale and like- .wise is this true of the manual playing-keys.

Each separate manual playing-key and each separate pedal .is electrically connected withan individual source of oscillations such as vacuum .tube 10 or its'functional equivalent.

Theie-lectricalnetwork herein disclosed is provided with a conductor H which iscommon to all generators Ill-associated with the aforementioned pedals 'A B and C. A similar-conductor I 2 is common to all generators Ill-associated with the playing-keysD, Eand F of said manual. Each of said generators I0 is coactivewith an electric switch I3 connected .ina path llwhich, inturn, connects the output of said generator to its conductor H or 12, as the case may be.

Connected to conductor H is a quality control, "01' Wave filter-System15 .to which oscillations from generators 10 associated with pedals, A, B andC are transmitted inzresponse to close circuiting .their coactive-electricswitches [3, when depress- .ing said pedals. A quality control system suit- "able. for the purposeof. my invention is disclosed .in U. S. Letters .Patent to ,M. J. Larsen, No.

..2,403,090, ,datediJuly 2, 1940, the vsamehaving means such asthe herein disclosed .conductors 14a adapted to be connected in the outputs of respective wave filtersof said system. In substantially the same manner, output. conductors l1 .cornmonto theplaying-keys of the manual conmeet with a qualitycontrol l6 havingconductors ll from respective wave filters.

The aforementioned quality controls 15 and it are so formed and designed that waveforms .of oscillations appearing on each of said conductorsM and similarly on each of said conductors I! difier in their harmonic composition "above the fundamental; frequency components of -said oscillations, the output from any conductor to be used either singly or mixed with the output from any other conductor or conductors. When predetermined waveforms from selected conductors are mixed, the resultant waveform is precalculated to approximate a tone of given timbre.

Referring now more particularly to the pedal keyboard of the instrument, it is noted that stops l8, l9 and each embody an electric switch 2| which interconnects a collector 22 with given conductors 14a by decoupling resistances 23 of predetermined values, such that on close circuiting a selected switch 2|, a mixture of waveforms of oscillations is impressed on collector 22.

Collector 22 terminates at ground through resistor 25 forming part of a mesh 25a, which mesh includes a resistor 26 of 10,000 ohms and a resistor 21 of 50,000 ohms connected across resistor 25 and constituting a voltage divider. Tapped to resistor 2'! at predetermined points are channels 28, 29 and 30, each having an electric switch 32. The output terminal of each of said channels is connected to a conductor 33 which terminates at the input side of a main volume control 34, such as a potentiometer having an overall resistance of 5,000 ohms connected to the input of a translating device which includes amplifier 35 and loud speaker 36.

Stops 31, 38 and 39, similar in kind and purpose to stops l8, l9 and 20, connect given output conductors I! from quality control It to conductor 39 by respective electric switches 40, 4! and 42, and, as shown, said conductor 39 connects with conductor 33 of mesh 25a whereby output oscillations from said quality control l6 are fed to said potentiometer 34.

The generators l0 may be of any well known type. Those disclosed in the aforementioned Larsen patent have been used with the required success as they produce waveforms of oscillations which are rich in harmonics.

The gist of my invention finds expression in means in an electric or electronic organ for preventing unpleasant overweighing of tones elicited from the manual keys by tones elicited from the pedals. In the more expensive pipe organs this is accomplished by a pedal organ and associated swell which is independent of the manuals and their swells. In such case, the loudness of tones elicited from the pedal organ is under such control of the player that the relative volumes of sound can be more correctly graded. My inven tion provides for a wide range of intensity variations in pedal tones regardless of the stop drawn, thus enabling any desired variation in intensity necessary for correct balancing of tones. It will be borne in mind that waveforms of oscillations effective in mesh 25a, when close circuiting any selected stop switch l8, IE3 or 20 will comprise only those harmonics of fundamentals that have passed respective wave filters of the quality control !5 and that by reason of said decoupling resistors 23 between said switch and coactive conductors I ia from said filters, the resultant mixture received at said mesh will consist of a plurality of waveforms, the relative amplitudes of which have thus been fixed. When an impedance is placed in the path between a stop switch 2| as when close circuiting a selected switch 32, the overall volume of the mixture is either increased or decreased to a predetermined level. As distinguished from the modus operandi of mesh 25a, any waveform of oscillations or mixture of different waveforms of oscillations from quality control l6 passes unimpeded to main volume control 34. Pedal tones and manual tones are thus correctly proportionedat the instant the oscillations arrive at said main volume control. Therefore, upon exercising prop-- er musical taste in selecting a pedal tone inten-' sity, lack of balance and proportion between pedal and manual tones heretofore experienced with instruments of the prior art will be avoided and a balance obtained that will enable a skilled organist correctly to interpret music as it is intended to be played.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a musical instrument having tone signal generators and at least two separate sets of selectors, an electrical network in which said generators and said selectors are connected for impressing signals from selected generators on separate paths in said network, translating means in the output of said network and including a volume control device connected to one of said paths, and means for selectively interconnecting the other of said paths with said volume control device by any one of a plurality of channels of respectively different resistances for determining the am plitude of signals conducted to said volume control device from said other path.

2. A musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, and in which said different resistances are provided by a voltage divider connected across said other path and said separate channels are tapped thereto at predetermined points and wherein certain at least of said paths are each thereof provided with a selectively actuable electric switch.

3. A musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, and in which said different resistances are provided by a voltage divider connected across said other path and said channels are each thereof to said voltage divider at predetermined points and wherein certain, at least of said channels are each provided with an electric switch according to which of said channels is desired to be close circuited with said volume control device, said sep-' arate paths being common to the outputs of all of said generators.

4-. A musical instrument provided with generators producing complex waveforms of electrical oscillations at the tone frequencies of different notes of a musical scale, means for translating said waveforms of oscillations into audible sounds; a keyboard, the playing-keys of which are provided with electric switches interconnecting given ones of said generators with said translating means; a volume control device in the input circuit of said translating means; means including a conductor interposed between said volume control device and the switches of said keyboard for converting said waveforms of oscillations into waveforms corresponding to tones of any desired timbre; a pedal clavier, the playingkeys of which are provided with electric switches connecting given ones of said generators to means for converting output oscillations into waveforms corresponding to tones of any desired timbre and for impressing same upon a common conductor; and means interconnecting said common conductor with said volume control device for selectively varying the amplitude of waveforms of oscillations impressed on said volume device in response to actuation of selected playing-keys of said pedal clavier.

5. In a musical instrument employing oscillatory circuits producing audio signals at different tone frequencies; an electroacoustical translating system having a volume control device in its input circuit; a manual including means connecting preassigned ones of said oscillatory circuits to said volume control device for selective transmission of audio signals thereto; and a pedal keyboard having means for connecting preassigned ones of said oscillatory circuits to said volume control device by resistive channels for controlling at will the intensity of audio signals transmitted to said volume control device in response to actuation of the pedals of said pedal keyboard.

6. An electronic musical instrument employing tone frequency generators, an electro-acoustical translating device, an electrical network and separate sets of tone selectors connected in said network for selectively close circuiting selected generators with said translating device in response to actuation of any selectors of said separate sets of selectors, said instrument comprising a set of stops for each separate set of said selectors for predetermining the quality of tone elicited from said translating device and a resistive mesh interconnecting the stops of one of said sets of se- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,896,683 Clark Feb. '7, 1933 1,991,727 Brimberg Feb. 19, 1935 20 2,285,132 Weathers et a1. June 2, 1942 2,429,226 Hanert Oct. 21, 1947

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