wx7 wind controller

[samuraipizzacat29]

Well I found a wx7 relatively cheap ($200) and local. I'm looking forward to hooking it up to my ex5r for all kinds of hours and hours (and hours) of vl and awm fun.

just wondering if anyone else has or uses a wind controller and how you use it. Looking for ideas to expand beyond the "general" scope of midi control and virtual acoustic synthesis.

[balma]

Well if you have a EX5R is the perfect controller for the VL engine.

How to use it? hook it to the breath controller plug in in the back

Is an instrument that requires a lot of practice. Check out the VL section on the EX5 manual. This is a very expressive controller, not very seen these days.

I have owned the EX5 for almost 10 years but never got the wind controller, only the breath controller, wich looks like a headset. Would love to have one.

[samuraipizzacat29]

"ex5r is perfect module" - that's what I was thinking. It's VL, but it can resample - so it's like crazy vl. It's VA too (limited voices) and has whatever that crazy fdsp does (still fiddling with that, and trying to wrap my head around it). Moral of the story - it can all be resampled and layered along with any one of the technologies. :):):):) gosh the ex5 is so freakin "deep" it's ridiculous. I have or have had loads of different synths (and you and I have similar gear ) but the ex5 has got to be the deepest and most unique of them all. Take that with a grain of salt, mind you, but even v-synth and fizmo only dare take on one "unique" technology. ex5 is like a heavyweight prize-fighter of uniquity.

"plug into breath" - oh thank you, thank you, thank you - and here this whole time I thought that was a port that allowed the synth to "breathe" out any moisture that got trapped inside. what a revelation! i'm so glad people like you are around to show me the error of my ways......... - jk - but i felt that needed responded to in some way.

i've never much played a wind instruments besides flute for a bit and trumpet for a shorter bit. We'll see. If i don't like it, it's yours for the same price.

but if anyone else has something to add as far as other synths that are ideal to control with the wind controller (i know - anything with breath) but it'd be cool to explore all the possibilities of this thing

Thanks!
Nate

[balma]

Yes! You have been "enlightened".

EX5 is a super workstation, I have been exploring it for years, but it's also terrible slow and really a nightmare of programmation since its engine is too massive and complex for its interface and O.S.

After using it a lot you start to find a lot of bugs (specially on performance mode, arpeggio sequencer and pattern seq) my sequences on pattern mode always get corrupted when they are near to the memory's limit.

Today is a very cheap and interesting adquisition, but getting nonflash roms is a pain in the a*s. Samples are erased if you turn it off, something that really pissed me off when I bought it almost 10 years ago.

BTW there are not too much EX5 users around here, neither VL users, so I wish you luck with one user with the wind controller.

[Phollop Willing PA]

I have one. I find they work best with Yamaha DX or TX synths as it can take advantage of the breath control part of the synth.

Having said that, I haven't used mine in years because I never got around to taking it apart and cleaning it. All those years of spit finally gummed it up and to clean it requires a dismantling. I really should do that sometime.

It was actually quite easy to play if you have some recorder lessons under your belt.

[samuraipizzacat29]

Having said that, I haven't used mine in years because I never got around to taking it apart and cleaning it. All those years of spit finally gummed it up and to clean it requires a dismantling. I really should do that sometime. It was actually quite easy to play if you have some recorder lessons under your belt.

Thanks for the info on the cleaning, I'll keep that in mind. I also thought it was (relatively) easy to play considering as well. I need to spend more time with it. I guess I'm just after "non-traditional" uses for breath control. I'll just have to experiment with it.

Maybe I'll force the breath control to a delay time or lfo speed on some wacky effects and see what happens Ooh - I could force it to an fm-operator......... now THAT'S a good idea! Ironically leading me back to your comment about using it with a dx/tx. But that'd force me to rebuy one of the many fm synths I've sold because I didn't use. Oh well....

[dhollmusik]

Is an instrument that requires a lot of practice.

This is probably the number one fact when commenting on using an electronic wind instrument. I have the Akai EVI1000/EWV2000 combination, and as brilliant as it is I found I'm not putting in the hours to get good at it. The EVI has a very nifty mechanical octave wheel at the bass, it feels very expressive and natural. I thought I wanted to explore this more, and my Doctor would probably approve as all that huffing and puffing likely helps my asthma.

But like I said, I tend to spend most of my synth-hours on traditional knobby keyboards...it's no good forcing the issue, so will look to sell/trade the Akai.

My friend had the WX7 (or maybe it was the WX5). He used it regularly for 10 years, that + VL70. He became very good at it, and made plenty of interesting music...but he really did have to put the hours in to get there.

@Samurai, if you enjoy the WX7 and find yourself using it more and more...then good luck and keep it up ) it's a very expressive and unique way to play your synths.