The presence of saxophonists furthering their musical horizons by playing keyboard instruments inspires the invention of a novel device to connect a light-weight keyboard or MIDI grid controller to a saxophone to facilitate the convenient and rapid switching between playing either instrument. Battery power and Bluetooth technology combine with innovations in plastics technology to facilitate the creation of strong, lightweight structures to facilitate such a device. With the addition of looping software on a laptop computer, a saxophonist so equipped can create music to accompany themselves, obviating the need for other musicians to function as a musical ensemble. This innovation may be the harbinger for other musicians on other single note instruments—trumpet, trombone, violin, etc. to join this trend using either instrument-attached, strap-on or wearable keyboards. This could blend the boundaries between acoustic and electronic instruments, and increase the enjoyment and musical enrichment of musicians and audiences alike.

A system and method is disclosed for identification of a musical note played by a musical wind instrument with a resonant chamber having a plurality of configurations selectable by a player of the musical wind instrument and an electrically conductive surface in the resonant chamber. The system and method include a stimulation signal generator for generating a stimulation signal and antenna means mountable on the musical instrument for broadcasting the stimulation signal as an electromagnetic signal within the resonant chamber and for receiving a reflected electromagnetic signal from the resonant chamber The system and method also include an electronic processing unit for processing the reflected electromagnetic signal and determining therefrom a configuration of the resonant chamber selected by the player and indicative of a musical note that is or would be output by the instrument when played at the time of the received reflected signal.

A method creates a virtual ensemble file by receiving, at a central assembler node, recorded performance files from a recording node(s). The recording nodes generate a respective one of the performance files concurrently with playing a backing track and/or nodal metronome signal. Each performance file includes audio and/or visual data. The assembler node generates the ensemble file as a digital output file. Another method creates the ensemble file by receiving input signals inclusive of the backing track and/or metronome signal at the recording node(s), and generating the performance files at the recording node(s) concurrently with playing the backing track and/or metronome signal. The performance files are transmitted to the assembler node. A computer-readable medium or media has instructions for creating the ensemble file, with execution causing a first node to generate the performance files, and a second node to receive the same and generate the ensemble file.

An electronic musical instrument includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit is capable of performing short-range wireless communication with a terminal. In a case where the terminal performs an operation according to an operation pattern including an operation of repeating, in a predetermined pattern, at least one of transmission of a reading request of data and transmission of writing target data and a writing request for the writing target data while the electronic musical instrument and the terminal are in a state in which the short-range wireless communication is possible, the processing unit performs a process of transmitting corresponding data when the reading request is received using the communication unit, and performs a process of writing the writing target data when the writing target data and the writing request for the writing target data are received via the communication unit.

A sonification system and method for providing continuous monitoring of complex data metrics, such as that from computer system activity, by taking data from multiple streams and reducing each stream of data into an easily understood audio signal that is easily distinguishable from other audio signals generated from other data streams. The sonification system and method operates to map multi-dimensional data graphs to audio and consists largely of silence, separated by terse and informative audio signals which each provide information related to intensity measurements and quantity measurements during a predetermined time interval.

A travel guitar having a neck and/or body that may assume a reduced profile configured to house or otherwise receive or coupled to a tablet computer (e.g. iPad by Apple, Inc.) and/or a smart phone (e.g. iPhone by Apple, Inc.) having one or more applications (apps) for driving the operation, functionality and/or effects associated with the travel guitar, and a string assembly capable of retracting or otherwise housing the strings to enable or facilitate configuring the travel guitar into a reduced profile.

A method creates a virtual ensemble file by receiving, at a central assembler node, recorded performance files from a recording node(s). The recording nodes generate a respective one of the performance files concurrently with playing a backing track and/or nodal metronome signal. Each performance file includes audio and/or visual data. The assembler node generates the ensemble file as a digital output file. Another method creates the ensemble file by receiving input signals inclusive of the backing track and/or metronome signal at the recording node(s), and generating the performance files at the recording node(s) concurrently with playing the backing track and/or metronome signal. The performance files are transmitted to the assembler node. A computer-readable medium or media has instructions for creating the ensemble file, with execution causing a first node to generate the performance files, and a second node to receive the same and generate the ensemble file.

An apparatus to detect, analyze, record, and display audio data, including an input unit to allow a user to input musical notes corresponding to the audio data, a processor to analyze the musical notes and to save the musical notes into a file, and a display unit to display notes corresponding to the musical notes on a virtual instrument.

A travel guitar having a neck and/or body that may assume a reduced profile configured to house or otherwise receive or coupled to a tablet computer (e.g. iPad by Apple, Inc.) and/or a smart phone (e.g. iPhone by Apple, Inc.) having one or more applications (apps) for driving the operation, functionality and/or effects associated with the travel guitar, and a string assembly capable of retracting or otherwise housing the strings to enable or facilitate configuring the travel guitar into a reduced profile.

The invention relates to an electronic musical instrument system (1) for influencing the sound of an electric musical instrument having a housing (2) that has signal ports (14, 18) and a power supply port (15). In order to simplify the individual combination of different audio effects, the housing (2) contains control electronics (6) that have associated slots (4a-4f) for effects modules (19), wherein the slots (4a-4f) are arranged in the housing (2) and each slot (4a-4f) has a multipin connection (5a-5f) for connection to a plug-in effects module (19). The invention additionally relates to a corresponding effects module (19).