A sensing system for a keyboard. Each key sensor comprises passive and active resonant circuits. The passive resonant circuit has a resonant frequency and the active resonant circuit excites the passive resonant circuit at the resonant frequency. A sensor driver drives the active resonant circuit with an RF drive signal, a multiplexing system multiplexes the drive signal such that simultaneously driven key sensors are separated by at least (k-1) keys, and a detector detects a level of RF signal from a driven key sensor for sensing a position and/or velocity of a key.

A highly configurable controller is described that includes a number of different types of control mechanisms that emulate a wide variety of conventional control mechanisms using pressure and location sensitive sensors that generate high-density control information which may be mapped to the controls of a wide variety of devices and software.

A new and improved Digital Musical Instrument includes a hardware segment that electronically detects the physical inputs of a musicians musical playing style or articulated intent; a Software segment that interprets and formulates the data output from the hardware segment, to be applied to any digitally modulated synthesizer or recording sampler; and an optional expanded method of sampling or digitally recording articulated sounds of acoustic instruments.

A polyphonic multi-dimensional controller (PMC) provides for independently expressing multiple concurrently sounding musical notes. The PMC includes rows and columns of force-sensing potentiometers (FSPs) that define an array of single-touch zones (STZs). Using a z-axis switch configuration, touches are detected and the forces associated with the touches are measured. For STZs for which a touch is detected, a fine x position and a fine y position are determined respectively using an x-axis switch configuration and a y-axis switch configuration. By repeatedly scanning the STZs, the x-axis position, the y-axis position, and the z-axis force can be tracked and translated into 3-axis note expression data. The PMC is multi-touch so that the 3-axis note expression data can be polyphonic.

A music generating system enables a user to generate independent and sequential musical melodies, having reduced latency periods, without playing an electronic percussion instrument. The music generating system includes an electronic percussion instrument, a MIDI controller coupled to the electronic percussion instrument, a unidirectional USB communication link coupled to the MIDI controller, a MIDI converter coupled to the unidirectional USB communication link, a bidirectional USB-MIDI communication link coupled to the MIDI converter, and a rhythm drum machine in communication with the bidirectional USB-MIDI communication link. The MIDI converter is configured to independently and sequentially receive and learn a first audio control signal and a second audio control signal in a non-overlapping pattern, and thereby independently and sequentially generates and transmits to the rhythm drum machine a first musical melody and a second musical melody corresponding to the first audio control signal and the second audio control signal, respectively.

An apparatus, system, and method for a magnetically and releaseably attachable trigger for an instrument is provided along with a choking device for use of the trigger in connection with a cymbal or like percussion device. The trigger and securing device are disposed on either side of a cymbal surface or a cymbal stand via magnetic force and the choking mechanism is in electrical connection with the trigger to interrupt the signal for choking purposes and is mounted on a surface of the cymbal to be choked.

An optoelectronic pickup for a musical instrument includes at least one light source which directs light to impinge a sound generating element of the musical instrument in at least one photoreceiver located to detect the reflected light, so as to generate an electrical signal that is responsive to sound generating element movement.

A pickup unit for an electrical stringed instrument, such as an electric guitar, includes a housing structured to be connected to the stringed instrument and a number of pickups provided within the housing, each pickup being structured to produce signals corresponding to vibration of one or more strings of the stringed instrument. The pickup unit also includes a number of capacitive touch electrodes provided on or within the housing, wherein the pickup unit is structured to generate control signals in response to a user of the pickup unit touching one or more of the number of capacitive touch electrodes, the control signal being configured to control processing of the signals produced by the number of pickups.

An optoelectronic pickup for a musical instrument includes at least one light source which directs light to impinge a sound generating element of the musical instrument in at least one photoreceiver located to detect the reflected light, so as to generate an electrical signal that is responsive to sound generating element movement.

A highly configurable controller is described that includes a number of different types of control mechanisms that emulate a wide variety of conventional control mechanisms using pressure and location sensitive sensors that generate high-density control information which may be mapped to the controls of a wide variety of devices and software.