This invention presents a modular circuit using a 3-gang pot to mix and compensate two signals, to produce an output of approximately uniform volume. One gang, Pga, physically simulates a pseudo-sine function, Q(x), where 0≤×≤1 is fractional pot rotation. A second gang, Pgb, physically simulates a pseudo-cosine function, R(x). The circuits using Pga & Pgb multiply the two input signals by the pseudo-functions, so that the length, SQRT(Q.sup.2+R.sup.2), of vector (Q,R) stays near one. The third gang, Pgc, modifies the gain of a summer/compensator op-amp, U3, which adds the two modified signals and compensates for variations in amplitude due to phase cancellations between the two input signals, maintaining an output of near-constant amplitude. A number of embodiments consider 3-gang pots with linear, custom nonlinear and mixed tapers. Any of the three gangs may be replaced by a digital pot, driven by a programmable processor. The functions Q(x) and R(x) are also the basis for full-cycle approximate sine and cosine functions, apsin & apcos, which can be used for forward and reverse spectral transformations to predict the output of such a modular circuit from the inputs as modified by the three gangs. The modules can be cascaded or otherwise combined to add more input signals to the output. The primary application is humbucking pair signals from hum-matched single-coil electric guitar pickups, but there may be applications in other fields.

This invention presents a modular circuit using a 3-gang pot to mix and compensate two signals, to produce an output of approximately uniform volume. One gang, Pga, physically simulates a pseudo-sine function, Q(x), where 0≤×≤1 is fractional pot rotation. A second gang, Pgb, physically simulates a pseudo-cosine function, R(x). The circuits using Pga & Pgb multiply the two input signals by the pseudo-functions, so that the length, SQRT(Q.sup.2+R.sup.2), of vector (Q,R) stays near one. The third gang, Pgc, modifies the gain of a summer/compensator op-amp, U3, which adds the two modified signals and compensates for variations in amplitude due to phase cancellations between the two input signals, maintaining an output of near-constant amplitude. A number of embodiments consider 3-gang pots with linear, custom nonlinear and mixed tapers. Any of the three gangs may be replaced by a digital pot, driven by a programmable processor. The functions Q(x) and R(x) are also the basis for full-cycle approximate sine and cosine functions, apsin & apcos, which can be used for forward and reverse spectral transformations to predict the output of such a modular circuit from the inputs as modified by the three gangs. The modules can be cascaded or otherwise combined to add more input signals to the output. The primary application is humbucking pair signals from hum-matched single-coil electric guitar pickups, but there may be applications in other fields.

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 sustainer is described for use with resonant strings in instruments like guitars, bases, slide guitars and others. Described sustainers can be handheld or integrated into an instrument. Sustainers under the current disclosure can include an approaching or direction detector that detects movement of a resonant element towards or away from the sustainer. Depending on the movement a signal can be fed to an output actuator that creates a magnetic field to sustain or otherwise interact with the resonance of the element.

A sustainer is described for use with resonant strings in instruments like guitars, bases, slide guitars and others. Described sustainers can be handheld or integrated into an instrument. Sustainers under the current disclosure can include an approaching or direction detector that detects movement of a resonant element towards or away from the sustainer. Depending on the movement a signal can be fed to an output actuator that creates a magnetic field to sustain or otherwise interact with the resonance of the element.

A pickup for stringed instruments with an interposed tone-altering signals process is described herein. In one aspect, the pickup can include a first coil wound around a first plurality of pole pieces, where a first end of the first coil is coupled directly to an amplifier output; a second coil wound around a second plurality of pole pieces; and a tone-altering signal processor coupled to an end of the second coil and the amplifier output.

A pickup for stringed instruments with an interposed tone-altering signals process is described herein. In one aspect, the pickup can include a first coil wound around a first plurality of pole pieces, where a first end of the first coil is coupled directly to an amplifier output; a second coil wound around a second plurality of pole pieces; and a tone-altering signal processor coupled to an end of the second coil and the amplifier output.

This device for controlling feedback of an electronic percussion instrument includes an acquisition part that acquires a feedback signal of a musical sound of the electronic percussion instrument emitted through an amplifier and a speaker, and a processing circuit that performs uncorrelated processing on the feedback signal on the basis of information indicating a control amount, and outputs a signal after the uncorrelated processing to the amplifier.

This device for controlling feedback of an electronic percussion instrument includes an acquisition part that acquires a feedback signal of a musical sound of the electronic percussion instrument emitted through an amplifier and a speaker, and a processing circuit that performs uncorrelated processing on the feedback signal on the basis of information indicating a control amount, and outputs a signal after the uncorrelated processing to the amplifier.

A sustaining device is described for prolonging the vibration of the strings of a stringed musical instrument, such as an electric guitar having two or three electromagnetic pickups. The pickups are all low impedance transducers that can function either as pickups or driver transducers, depending on whether they are connected to the input of the instrument pickup amplifier or to the output of the sustainer amplifier, respectively. When a transducer is being used as a sustainer driver, it cannot be simultaneously used as a pickup. Different methods of selecting transducers to function as pickups or drivers are described. The transducers, having only hundreds of wire turns instead of the usual thousands of turns for common pickups, have a flat audio frequency response that can be modified to produce a multitude of common pickup sounds by manipulating the transducer resonance frequency, bandwidth, and amplifier gain.