Patent ID: 7424430

Claim:
A sound source apparatus having a voice synthesis capability, comprising a plurality of tone forming parts for outputting either of desired tones or formants according to designation of a wave table sound source mode or a voice synthesizing mode, such that the tone forming parts generate the tones in the wave table sound source mode, and generate the formants for synthesis of a voice in the voice synthesizing mode, wherein each of the tone forming parts comprises: a waveform shape specifying section that specifies a desired waveform shape from among a plurality of waveform shapes; a waveform data storage section that stores waveform data corresponding to the plurality of the waveform shapes; a waveform data reading section that operates in the wave table sound source mode for generating a variable address changing at a rate corresponding to a musical interval of the tone to be generated, and reading the waveform data corresponding to the waveform shape specified by the waveform shape specifying section from the waveform data storage section by the variable address, and that operates in the voice synthesizing mode for generating a variable address changing at a rate corresponding to a center frequency of the formant to be generated, and reading the waveform data corresponding to the waveform shape specified by the waveform shape specifying section from the waveform data storage section by the variable address; and an envelope application section that operates in the wave table sound source mode for generating an envelope signal which rises in synchronization with an instruction to start the generating of the tone and decays in synchronization with another instruction to stop the generating of the tone, and applying the generated envelope signal to the waveform data read by the waveform data reading section from the waveform data storage section, and that operates in the voice synthesizing mode for generating an envelop signal which rapidly decays every timing corresponding to a pitch period of the voice to be synthesized and rapidly rises after the decay, and applying the generated envelope signal to the waveform data read by the waveform data reading section from the waveform data storage section.