An electronic effects device comprising: an input circuit for receiving an input audio signal; a gas discharge tube in communication with the input circuit; wherein the input circuit comprises a transducer for converting the input signal into a signal suitable for producing a discharge in the gas discharge tube; an output circuit in communication with the gas discharge tube for converting the gas discharge into an output signal. A corresponding method for producing electronic effects for musical instruments is also described.

In one example, a method to match a digital amplifier model to a real guitar amplifier comprises obtaining an amplifier output filter and an amplifier input filter for the real guitar amplifier, using the amplifier output filter and a model output filter to obtain a corrective output filter, using the amplifier input filter and a model input filter to obtain a corrective input filter, and applying the corrective input filter and the corrective output filter to the digital amplifier model. The amplifier output filter and the amplifier input filter can be obtained using exponential sine sweep (ESS) and a matched filter. Other examples and related methods and apparatuses are also disclosed herein.

A vacuum tube and transistor amplifier natural sound field tone dividing system includes: a front-end circuit for receiving and processing an input signal to thereby generate an audio signal; a transistor power amplifying circuit connected to the front-end circuit and adapted to process a low-frequency signal in the audio signal and play the low-frequency signal with a first player; and a vacuum tube power amplifying circuit connected to the front-end circuit and adapted to process a medium-frequency signal and a high-frequency signal in the audio signal, play the medium-frequency signal with a second player, and play the high-frequency signal with a third player, wherein the transistor power amplifying circuit and the vacuum tube power amplifying circuit are independent of each other.

A solid-state semiconductor guitar amplifier system/method mimicking the audio performance characteristics of conventional vacuum tube guitar amplifiers is disclosed. The disclosed system/method incorporates solid-state semiconductor circuitry implementing an input audio preamplifier (IAP) having asymmetric gain control (AGC) that feeds wave shape transformer (WST) circuitry implementing a piecewise/diode breakpoint (PDB) transform that emulates a conventional vacuum tube voltage-current transfer (VIT) characteristic. A breakpoint threshold controller (BTC) determines the offset associated with application of the PDB operation to the audio signal. Once the PDB transform has been applied to the audio signal, it is further processed by pick attack sag compressor (PAC) circuitry that applies positive sag control (PSC) and negative sag control (NSC) compression envelopes to the overall signal shape before presenting the resulting peak compressed signal through an audio volume control (AVC) and conventional solid-state semiconductor speaker power amplifier (SPA) for application to an audio speaker.

A distortion imparting device capable of obtaining a natural distortion effect even when output is decreased is provided. The distortion imparting device includes a first amplification part which attenuates an input audio signal on the basis of an attenuation factor set by a user and amplifies the attenuated audio signal, a second amplification part serially connected to the first amplification part, and a limiting part which is connected between an output terminal of the first amplification part and an input terminal of the second amplification part and limits an input voltage of the second amplification part to a predetermined clip voltage, wherein the limiting part determines the clip voltage on the basis of the attenuation factor.

A user-customizable modular music effects pedal is described. The music effects pedal includes a base having an input, an output and a connector. The input receives a music signal. The connector is coupled with the input and has an electrical form factor and a physical form factor. The electrical form factor is configured to fit a corresponding electrical form factor of an effects cartridge. The physical form factor is configured to fit a corresponding physical form factor of the effects cartridge. The connector provides the music signal to the effects cartridge and receiving a processed signal from the effects cartridge. The effects cartridge includes effects electronics to provide the processed signal. The output is coupled with the connector and provides an output signal based on the processed signal from the effects cartridge.

A distortion device includes a transconductance stage, a current amplifier stage electrically coupled to the transconductance stage, and a transformer portion electrically coupled to the current amplifier stage. The transconductance stage includes a first capacitor to provide a ground to a resistor, and voltage across the resistor develops a current through a second capacitor to the current amplifier stage. The current amplifier stage includes a positive half cycle and a negative half cycle. The positive half cycle and the negative half cycle amplify the current from the transconductance stage and supply the amplified current to a primary winding of a transformer in the transformer portion, and the output of the transformer portion includes a low-level signal.

Concept and ways are described of implementing a sound distortion circuit suitable for musical instruments, in particular, for electric guitars. Inputting an audio signal, low noise intrinsic to the circuit electronics is provided to the output. This type of noise, here referred to as electroacoustic noise, is produced by the interaction of the harmonic components of the audio signal with the natural ways by which sound and heat propagate in materials that make up the circuit components. The invention demonstrates that this type of noise, not foreseen by prior art, presides over the musical quality of sound even when artificially distorted, as is often required especially by guitarists. Compared to the best that is offered by comparable prior art equipment, the invention offers the musician greater freedom of tonal research and also greater ease of musical performance, thanks to the greater degree of intonation obtainable with the instrument.

Various systems and methods are disclosed to allow users to conveniently control characteristics of sounds generated by musical instruments. Exemplary systems include a control unit in communication with any number of audio processing devices (APDs). The control unit may be operable to transmit control signals to each of the APDs, wherein the control signals include settings information relating to one or more APD processing parameter values. The control unit may be further operable to receive an audio signal generated by an instrument and transmit the same to the APDs. Accordingly, upon receiving the control signal and the audio signal from the control unit, the APDs may update their processing parameters based on relevant settings information contained in the control signal and process the audio signal into a processed audio signal, based on the updated processing parameters.

A sound acquisition device, particularly for acoustic guitars, comprising sound acquisition elements connected to output and power supply elements. The sound acquisition elements comprise at least one microphone and are associated with a clip-like body adapted to be coupled along the edge of the sound hole of a soundbox of an acoustic musical string instrument, the clip-like body being configured to support the sound acquisition elements inside the soundbox.