The present invention relates to a device for automatic tuning of a string instrument according to the preamble of Claim 1. It further relates to a method for automatic tuning of a string instrument according to the preamble of Claim 8.
In general, tuning instruments requires, in addition to a trained ear, a large amount of time, especially for untrained, for example, amateur instrumentalists. In the classic method of tuning “by hand,” the musician works with a tuning fork, which gives a desired tone when it is struck, and the pitch of the relevant string is adjusted by changing the string length or string tension. By striking the string and the tuning fork several times, the result is equalized until the desired tuning of the string is achieved. Starting from this tuning, the other strings are then tuned.
On the one hand, because the strings of the instrument must always be tuned regularly due to an ever present elasticity of the material and, on the other hand, because the strings are also variable in length as a function of the climatic conditions (on the stage of a concert hall, a guitar string will expand with the heat and humid air in comparison with the conditions in the relatively dry and cool practice room), frequent tuning is necessary. New strings must also be tuned after they are installed.
To create a simplification here, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,908 a device for automatic tuning of a string instrument was proposed, which has all of the features of the preamble of Claim 1. In this device, all of the strings are struck simultaneously on a guitar with an aid, which is called “strummer” in this publication and which is arranged in the body of the guitar. Electronics detects the tones, compares them with the desired setting, and controls an adjustment device engaging the strings for adjusting the string tensions, such that they match the preset tones.
The system is very welcome to the extent that it allows easy and automatic tuning and takes away a large amount of work, especially for inexperienced musicians, but also for professionals. The system has a not insignificant disadvantage, however. Overall it is large and clumsy and requires considerable changes to the body of the guitar, which affects, on the one hand, the acoustics (sound) of the guitar and, on the other, the handling of the guitar (due to the changed weight). Apart from these characteristics, the appearance of the guitar is also changed not insignificantly.
Because the entire guitar forms the resonance body that is responsible for the sound characteristics, the sound characteristics also change when the body is changed. Thus, the previously known system is practically impossible to retrofit in existing instruments, but it is also difficult to integrate into new guitars. In particular, in terms of the sound, two guitar types were to be developed independently from each other in the design work, one guitar with the known device and one without.
In WO 03/012774 A1, an electronic device for automatic tuning of a guitar is disclosed, which shows a division of components on the head and the body of the guitar. For this device, for data transfer there is either wiring between the separated components, which represents an intense intrusion into the guitar, with all of the consequences for the guitar sound listed above, or a radio, infrared, or some other type of wireless transmission. For this purpose, however, a corresponding transmitter/receiver must also be attached to the head, which brings with it additional weight and can interfere with the appearance and also the sound response of the guitar. Furthermore, this transmitter/receiver must be provided with a standalone power supply, i.e., a battery or even a power-supply cable connection is to be provided on the head of the guitar.
The invention starts with the aforementioned problems. The problem of the invention is to present a device that is improved to the extent that it can be integrated into an instrument, in particular, a guitar, with minimal effect on the sound characteristics and with elements that are as few and as small as possible. Furthermore, a method for automatic tuning of a string instrument is to be presented, which satisfies these conditions.
To solve this problem, a device is proposed with the features of Claim 1. A method that solves this problem is given in Claim 8.
Claims 2-7 and 9-11 include advantageous improvements of the device and the method, respectively.
The core concept of the invention is to distribute the components of the device (which, viewed as such, can also be called a system) on the instrument. In a guitar, for example, the entire device is not arranged in the body. Thus, the head or the neck also offers space, even if only a little, for (unobtrusive) mounting of additional components. In particular, the device can resort to using means already arranged on the head of guitars for adjusting the string length or tension, which reduces the use of special parts. Overall, in the instrument, for example, the guitar, fewer additional components must be installed.
To be able to separate the control and drive components without far-reaching intrusion into the instrument body, according to the invention, the control signals are guided between the controller sitting on one instrument part and the one or more drive via at least one string of the guitar acting as a bus line.
In many cases, the strings of string instruments are composed of a conductive material (metal) or are wound by a thread made from such a material. Alternatively, if the sound allows, they can be coated with a conductive material. This solution spares the use of additional lines that must be laid in the instrument body. In this way, in addition to the sound characteristics, not least of all the appearance of the instrument is maintained. If several strings are to be used as wires, to ensure that these strings are not electrically short-circuited to each other, elements guiding the strings together (for example, the bridge of a guitar) must be constructed so that they insulate the strings from each other. For this purpose, these elements can be fabricated from a non-conductive material (for example, ceramic) or can be coated with such a material or other precautions for insulation must be taken (for example, intermediate insulating disks, etc.).
The drive can be a motor, for example, an electric motor, but it can also operate pneumatically or hydraulically.
If the instrument is an instrument electrically connected to an amplifier (e.g., an electric guitar), then an already present pickup, which is connected to the amplifier and which is part of the instrument, can be used as (part of) the detection unit.
As in the improvement according to Claim 2, if the power supply for the one or more drives is also guided via at least one of the strings, then a separate power supply (battery or the like), which would lead to an additional component with all of the negative consequences for the appearance and the balance of the instrument, does not have to be supplied on the side of the drive, nor does a separate power-supply line, which would lead to the disadvantages already named above, have to be laid.
Through a construction of the controller as given in Claim 3, the controller can be activated in a simple way by striking one string.
An interface, as can be provided according to Claim 4, gives the ability to feed software into the device from the outside—also at a later time. Furthermore, different reference tunings can be input into the memory device via the interface in order to be able to tune the instrument according to different tunings.
A construction of the device as proposed in Claim 5 allows string-by-string tuning of the instrument. A drive, which can be switched by means of corresponding gears or similar devices for adjusting each string, can also be used just as well.
If the device is formed as given in Claim 6, this produces an especially compact construction. If the individual components are selected to be as small as possible, they practically “disappear” into the overall appearance of the instrument and also do not interfere with the musician when he or she is playing. In addition, it is not necessary to attach external components for tuning the instrument. The musician can tune his instrument practically anywhere and nearly independently.
One improvement of the device according to Claim 7 produces a redundant system. The device can also continue to operate for tuning the instrument even if one string is defective.
In Claim 8, a preferred construction of the device is given for integration into an electric guitar.
The method according to Claim 9 represents, as already stated above, a solution of the stated problem in terms of a method. It can preferably be operated with a device according to one of Claims 1-8, but is not limited to such a device, wherein according to the method of the invention, the strings of the instrument can be used as bus lines. In this way, separate cables or other transmission means (radio, infrared) need not be installed.
Processing of the first digital signal as required in an improvement of the method according to Claim 10 can be useful to be able reliably to determine a pitch from this signal.
The bass frequency (pitch) of the first digital signal is determined preferably with the aid of a mathematical frequency filter (Claim 11). In contrast to the otherwise common method of fast Fourier transform (FFT), this filter allows a faster and more precise frequency determination from only one strike of a string. This is important, because when a string is struck only one time, the harmonics, which must be detected for an exact determination of the pitch (frequency), die away very quickly.
Below, the invention is described briefly with reference to the attached figures. Shown are:
In the figures, the invention is explained with reference to an embodiment for an electric guitar. Identical elements are provided with identical reference symbols in the figures. The description with reference to an electric guitar does not limit the invention. It can be used just as well for acoustic guitars, electric bass guitars, or other electric or electric-acoustic or acoustic string instruments, such as violins, harps, etc.
In
In
In
In
Furthermore, in these representations, a potentiometer 13 is shown. Usually, electric guitars provide several such potentiometers for setting the treble, bass, and volume levels. Here, the shown potentiometer 13 is the volume regulator. This special regulator is not constructed as a conventional potentiometer for integration of the device according to the invention in the electric guitar 1, but instead as a so-called push-pull potentiometer, which has an additional switching function.
Finally, still to be seen in these figures are the lines 14 leading from the controller chip to the tremolo system block 5, more precisely to the strings 6a-6f.
In
In this way, the strings 6a-6f of the electric guitar 1, which are made from a conductive metal or are wound with a conductive metal thread, are electrically connected to the controller chip 10.
The saddles 15 shown in FIGS. 5(a)-5(d) are mounted on the tremolo system block 5. The strings run over these saddles in the region of the saddle inserts designated by numeral 16. The saddle insert shown enlarged in
In FIGS. 7(a)-7(d), details of the head 4 of the electric guitar 1 can be seen again with the attached components of the device according to the invention, with
In FIGS. 8(a)-8(d), the mechanical units for adjusting the string tension are shown, comprising the adjuster devices 7, the tuning pegs 8, and the actuators 11 disengaged from the head 4. One notes that all of these units sit on a common circuit board 22, which contains additional control elements for controlling the actuators 11. The strings are electrically connected to corresponding conductor tracks on the circuit board 22 via the metallic and thus conductive adjuster devices 7.
The device according to the invention for automatic tuning of the electric guitar 1 operates as follows:
By pulling the push-pull potentiometer 13, the system is activated. Here, reference is made to the circuit shown in
Commands can now be issued to the controller chip 10 by striking one of the strings. The tones generated by striking the strings are converted by the pickups 12 into an electronic signal, which is converted to a frequency in the controller. Defined pre-programmed commands, which are called at a frequency lying within a certain tolerance, are stored in the controller. In this way, for example, the program for tuning one of the strings, e.g., the e-string 6f, can be called. If the program is activated, then the controller chip loads a reference frequency for this string, which is used as a desired frequency, from a memory. The string is now optionally struck again, the actual frequency is calculated from the signal converted by the pickup 12 in the controller chip 10, and a signal is sent to the circuit board 22 or via this circuit board to the corresponding actuator 11 via the strings used as bus lines for adjusting the string tension for reaching the desired frequency. Here, the controller chip 10 monitors the change in frequency and outputs a stop signal to the actuator 11 when the desired frequency is reached. In this way, all of the strings can be tuned one after the other. A mathematical frequency filter is used as the routine for calculating the actual frequency from the electronic signal of the pickups, because this can calculate the frequency especially quickly and reliably.
By means of an interface not shown in the figures, different frequency defaults for the strings can be given to the controller chip 10 according to which type of tuning has currently been selected (for example, open tuning, etc.).
For transmitting the control signals, only two of the strings are needed. By means of two other strings, here the strings 6f (low e-string) and 6e (a-string), the power supply for the circuit board 22 and the actuators 11 are brought to the head 4, so that a separate power source is not necessary there. The strings 6f and 6e are selected for transmitting the voltage, because the low e-string and the a-string are the thickest strings of the electric guitar 1 and thus very rarely break. Of the remaining four strings 6a-6d, any two can be freely controlled by the controller chip 10 as bus lines. In this way, the system is redundant and can still operate if one or even two of the strings 6a-6d break.
Light-emitting diodes on the body 2, for example, in the area of the pickups 12 underneath the strings 6a-6f can display the state of the controller chip 10 or the program sequence and thus simplify the handling of the device. Here, “brief instructions” as to which commands are called can also be displayed, e.g., on the display, by striking which of the strings 6a-6f in which tone [sic]. The frequencies allocated to the commands can be managed by the controller chip 10, so that they are adapted to the current tuning of the electric guitar, that is, the user must always strike the same string with the same grip in order to call a command, regardless of how the guitar and thus the string has just been tuned.
In this embodiment, the power supply for the system is realized externally, that is, via the amplifier cable, with which the guitar is already electrically connected to an amplifier. The tone wire circuit shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04011357.3 | May 2004 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP05/00477 | 1/19/2005 | WO | 6/1/2007 |