For those of us who have spent major portions of our lives battling with mouthpiece facings,
unbalanced reeds, ligature subtleties and (in the case of brass players) cup depth, leadpipe
dimensions and rim widths, the world of MIDI may seem more of a threat to our tenuous
livelihood than an invitation to an exciting and "Brave New World." This is an
understandable state of affairs - one which could be radically altered with the development
and mass production of a new breed of wind-based synthesizer drivers. The first of this new
breed of instruments to become available here in the US are Akai's EWI and EVI wind
controllers and the EWV-2000 sound module through which they are designed to be played.
Conscious of the fact that many wind players don't know a great deal about synthesis the
following review does include discussion of some basic topics. So for those of you who pick
up this article with no knowledge of the subtle differences between VCOs and UFOs, you
need no longer hang you head in MIDI shame. The brief but hopefully helpful guide to
MIDI synths and their basic terminology that follows directly should help get you on you
way. Ye MIDI fluent may skip the next few paragraphs, take a break, or gather up some old
reeds for kindling.
Synth Overview
Briefly, any synthesizer can be divided into two basic parts, the Driver or Controller and the
Voicing Module. The Driver is any device which sends an initial note command to the
Voicing Module. In most synths, a keyboard similar to that of a piano is used for a Driver.
you play Middle C on the keyboard and it sends the Middle C information to the Voicing
Module. The Voicing Module then determines whether Middle C will sound like a trumpet, a
flute or herd of cows (the world of infinite possibilities).
One very significant event in the synthesizers' history was the development of a computer
language which allowed various manufacturer's synths to "speak" with each other. MIDI, an
acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is this language. MIDI also allowed these
instruments to interface with sequencers, effects units and personal computers, thereby
providing rapid access to and storage of vast quantities of voice, tempo, song and recording
information.
Now all these goodies offered by this electronic revolution were great for keyboard players,
but it did tend to leave the rest of us (sax players, brass players, guitarists, drummers, and the
like) out in the breach. The obvious remedy was to design new Drivers to accommodate
these instrumentalists.
In the attempt to fill this void for wind players, three new instruments (all with pre-MIDI
roots) are now in production for the world market. The first of these to be released are the
Akai EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument) designed by
Nyle Steiner. The instrument which is apparently destined to go head to head with the EWI
is the soon-to-be-released Yamaha WX7, which was designed with considerable input from
Sal Gallina. (Editor's note: Interviews with both of these innovators are included elsewhere
in this issue.)
The EWV-2000 Sound Module
With this historical perspective in place, let's get down to the goods. Since the EWV-2000
sound Module is designed to be used with both the EWI and EVI, I'll start with that. The
EWV-2000 is a monophonic, dual VCO, analog synthesizer. For the uninitiated, I must
deviate this last time. In an analog synth, the signal from the Driver is first processed
through a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) which gives the signal a pitch. It is then
processed by a VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter) which affects the harmonics of the pitch.
And finally a VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) adds changes in strength (or volume) to
the signal. Simple so far? Hold on ... With the EWV-2000 each of these components has its
own Envelope Generator. This gives the performer control over the attack, decay, sustain and
release (ADSR) times of each of these Voltage Controlled parts of the signal path. Add a
second oscillator to this equation and you can now have a voice with two distinct pitches or a
much fuller and complex sounding single pitch voice.
Of course, dual oscillator, mono synths are nothing new. In fact the addition of a second
oscillator was one of the earlier improvements in synths. But with the EWV-2000, Akai has
brought state-of-the-art technology to this established concept. As an example of this and the
state of microchip development, this investigation will start with the Edit buttons used to
access the two oscillators.
In the EWV-2000, voicing parameter changes are performed through two banks of these
multi-function editing buttons. In edit mode, the first five function buttons in each bank
control similar parameters for each of their respective oscillators. The first of these buttons
controls parameter choices for frequency rate (pitch) over four octaves in half-step gradations,
fin tuning of the voces within a range of +/-100 cents, four waveform choices (ramp, triangle,
square and ramp/triangle combination), Pulse Width, OSC-EG (envelope generator depth),
Sync operation with the second VCO, and a mode for adjusting the level of an external sound
source. All this from the first editing button in one of its two modes. In the other mode, this
button functions as a selection key for one of the EWV's 64 programmable voices.
Succeeding buttons control the parameters of the VCF, the VCF Envelope, VCA-EG (Voltage
Controlled Amplifier-Envelope Generator) and the level (or volume) of the signal. These
parameter changes are made via one of two Value Up/Down mechanisms; a Value Up/Down
slide controller (for large changes) and Value Up and Down buttons for step changes.
But it's the six controllers which regulate the EWV's Breath, Bend and Glide parameters that
really set this synth apart. These breath functions permit the performer to assign any one of
several effects to be activated by his/her wind column. In other words, by blowing harder
into the mouthpiece, you can add volume, overtones, or a second pitch to the sound. The
Vibrate and Bend functions allow for the bending of the pitch, portamento, and a sort of
quasi-vibrato. The four dual control knobs on the left side of the EWV are for fine
adjustment of these parameters in live performance. Also available for live performance is an
optional footswitch for remote changing of voice programs.
Both banks of memory can be downloaded onto an audio cassette, but because there is no
MIDI In on this synth, voices cannot be downloaded into a personal computer. A polyphonic
expander module for the EWV is in the works by Akai, and this will have both MIDI In and
Out functions. New voices can be labeled in a 10-character LCD with a choice of 26 letters,
10 numbers and 28 available signs. Great possibilities! Other niceties included are and Auto
Tuning button, a Fine Tuning knob and a Parameter Copy function which allows for the
transfer of any single parameter between the two voice banks.
Do you have trouble transposing? The EWV will save you. It can transpose the Driver into
any key, up a minor third or down a major sixth in half steps. This function also allows the
EWI/EVI to become an Eb instrument (so you can play alto sax parts), a Bb instrument (so
you can play with the trumpets and tenor saxes), or even a Gb instrument (so you won't have
to play with anyone).
MIDI Out information can be sent on any one of 16 channels. The same MIDI button sets
the threshold level for MIDI Out and gives you the choice of not sending Breath Controls
information or sending it as aftertouch, volume or breath information (more on why you
might want to do this later). Program and transposition changes can also be sent via MIDI.
"All of this is techno talk is great," you say, "but how good is it?" It's very good. The
breath controls alone allow for a depth of expression not usually associated with synthesizers.
Because of this more and more film and TV composers are writing for these instruments. If
you would like to hear how "human" a synth can sound, listen to Michael Brecker's EWI solo
on "In A Sentimental Mood" from the Steps Ahead Magnetic album on Elektra/Asylum. This
performance alone is worth the price of the record.
With dreams of sounding like Michael Brecker whizzing around in my subconscious and with
great expectations, I set off for the MT offices to pick up the goods. But although I had
arrived on time, the EWI hadn't. So, EVI, EWV-2000 and deadline in hand, I headed home
with some trepidation. I'm a sax player...what will I do with a trumpet synth? Let's have a
look.
Live with EVI
The EWV-2000 came out of the box with no trouble. So far, so good. The manual provided
with this unit proved to be very concise and accessible. If you ar familiar with analog
synths,
you will quickly feel comfortable with this machine. If this is your first synth experience, the
manual clearly describes the Voicing Module, explains analog synthesis, and then takes you
step by step through each function. A few days of tweaking knobs and studying the section
titled "Mastering the Basics of Sound Creation" should help demysitfy much of the process.
After plugging in the EVI driver, two questions concerning the Voicing Module quickly arose.
First, why are the factory programmed sounds so disappointing? Of the 64 supplied with the
unit, I only found a few I really liked. It turns out that many of these voices were
programmed in a little over four hours by Nyle Steiner just before he had to leave Japan.
Akai should have paid for a later flight - it would have been nice to be wowed by my first
impression. With in a couple of days, I had improved several of the existing voices and
invented some interesting new ones.
Which leads to a point worth mentioning. Because the 2000 Module is so new, there are no
commercially available voices for it. No MIDI In port is available so these would have to be
loaded via cassette, but this could be a money-making proposition for someone - are you
listening? Synth players, no matter what form their Driver takes, will always be divided into
those who really enjoy trying to invent new sounds and those who want the instant
gratification of loading up a new voice and playing.
A second question I have is this: if you build a unit to be rack-mounted (the EWV comes
with removable rack mounts), why not have an extra set of Line In and Out jacks on the rear
of the module? The expense is nominal, and it eliminates wires running from the front of this
unit to the back of your other machines. Messy.
After checking out the sounds, I decided to check out the EVI's manual. What a disaster (the
EWI manual is just as dismal). These instrument deserve better. The first thing you see is a
warning against biting down on the mouthpiece with your teeth so as not to damage the
internal sensors. I had a lot of trouble controlling the driver and articulation was almost
impossible. The I had the good fortune of talking to Nyle Steiner. It turns out that the
mouthpiece was designed to be held in the teeth with excess air escaping from the sides of
your mouth. He assured me that as of yet no one has bitten through a mouthpiece.
Unlike a regular wind instrument, the air column does not blow through the EWI or EVI, but
it's a very easy feature to adapt to, because the Breath control allows you to adjust the
instrument's response to mimic either a trumpet's or woodwind's resistance. One nice
offshoot of this is that a circular breathing technique becomes practically effortless. Another
int from the inventor: cover the Bend Up and Down sensors with scotch tape. It may not
look great, but it is supposed to improve the sensitivity. The previous advise holds true for
the EWI as well.
Another problem with both manuals is their sketchy fingering charts. For the EVI, a whole
set of secondary "valve" keys, which in practice offer some great options, are only mentioned
as a footnote without one demonstrated use for them. The EWI chart is equally inadequate.
Anyone with a fair understanding of sax or clarinet will soon figure out a better system than
the one illustrated. These manuals were obviously and afterthought. Apparently and
instructional videotape was made by Akai, but for some reason it is not available. This is
unfortunate, because a good instructor could explain in a few minutes what you might never
find out if you depend on these manuals.
It's only fair to note that the above problems are not intrinsic to the instrument, and even
without much help form the manual I soon found myself enjoying the EVI. While growing
up, I was fortunate enough to have a brother who was a great trumpet player (interestingly,
he's switched to synthesizers). So the concept of a trumpet-based driver did not seem foreign
to me. The rotating canister on the EVI (which is where the bell would be on a trumpet) is
operated with the left hand. The thumb operates the octave shifters (a series of vertical rollers
which control the instrument over its seven-octave range), and the left forefinger operates a
sensor on the outside of the canister which transposes any fingering down a fourth. The right
hand controls the three "valve" sensors. The right thumb controls the Bend Up and Bend
Down plates which allow the performer to ben a note as much as a major third in either
direction. Also controlled by this thumb is the Vibration Lever which produces a
programmable modulation of the sound (i.e. vibrato, growl, wow, tremolo or Pulse Width
modulation). Portamento is achieved by adding pressure to the mouthpiece "with your teeth."
After a few days, the EVI began to "feel" like a trumpet. I found myself playing trumpet-like
lines (as opposed to sax or clarinet).
As much as I liked it, however, there are a few caveats. It will take a lot of practice getting
used to the canister. A suggestion to Akai: tilt the canister to the left or, if possible, make it
adjustable. This would allow for a much more natural playing position. I found myself
turning off the Bend and Vibration functions. Because it is necessary to keep the right thumb
on the Earth (ground) plate at all times, I kept accidentally Bending or Vibrating into wrong
keys. It's obvious that with practice these features become invaluable for expressive playing;
but it will take the performer a while to develop the technique. Ultimately, a new double is a
new double - it takes time.
Enter EWI
Four days before deadline, the EWI arrived. The experience I gained with the EVI greatly
facilitated getting the EWI under control. This is a very easy instrument to get the feel of.
The fingering is a slightly modified Boehm system. Octave changes are made with the left
thumb through a series of horizontal rollers similar to those on the EVI. These rollers seemed
much easier to adapt to than the EVI's canister. Still, it takes a good amount of practice to
make smooth octave changes. It's akin to mastering the "break" on clarinet - seven times
over. The EWI is also very unforgiving when it comes to technique. Again, sensors have
been substituted for keys and accidentally touching one, even slightly, will give you a new
pitch. I kept hearing these strange notes emerging from the EWI only to realize that some
errant finger was causing the problem. This, too, will take practice.
Unlike the EVI, the EWI has no Vibration Lever. In its place is a Glide Plate which controls
portamento. I found this to be a much more pleasing and satisfactory arrangement. In fact, I
really like the EWI. It may have been the vagaries between instruments or the fact that I am
a woodwind player, but the EWI seemed to have a wider expressive response. Tonguing on
both Drivers is similar to that on a flute. Double and triple tonguing are also possible but no
with all voices. The basic attack inherent in a particular sound dictates how well it
articulates. Another feature that will bring joy to all woodwind players is that most of the
tricky fingerings of the Boehm system can be overcome on the EWI with the use of various
alternate keys. And of course the very best feature of all is that there are no reed hassles. Oh
joy, divine!
Advanced Techniques
Now that I was feeling comfortable with the EWV and the EWI/EVI drivers, I wanted to try
out their more advanced applications. As advanced as this voicing module is, you will still
want to have access to other synths. In recording situations, most EWI/EVI players show up
with an Oberheim Xpander, a sampler (the Prophet 2002 is popular) and various effects units
(digital delays, REV7s, etc.) which are used in conjunction with the EWV-2000.
Because the EWV-2000 allows you to customize you Breath Out information, it adapts very
well to driving salve synths. One potential problem is that MIDI Out velocity data is set at a
fixed "40H" rate (velocity level of 64) so you can't affect dynamics changes when using the
Breath Controller through a secondary synth. The solution to this is to take the slave synth's
line out and feed it into the EWV-2000 External In jack. This works great and allows the
player to use all of the Akai's breath subtleties with any synth's sounds. Also in development
is a velocity ROM update which would eliminate the need for this patching arrangement.
With percussive sounds or tinkly sounds on digital synths there is a little step (or
quantizing)
noise caused by two different kinds of synths trying to justify the difference in the way they
read information. This is not a problem with other analog synths, and it doesn't appear with
sustained voices.
I've saved a final feature until now because to take advantage of it, you must have access to a
polyphonic synthesizer. The EWV-2000 has a Chord function with the ability to program up
to 16 chords (each with four voices or less) into its memory. Any one of these chords can be
assigned to trigger from any of 12 chromatic notes on the Driver. This "Brave New World"
might not be so bad after all. Those of us who have been restricted for all our careers to
playing a single line can finally become chordal. This is a great feature and with an expander
with a MIDI In port this could be put to great use.
Conclusions
In summation, I am very impressed with these instruments, especially the EWI. Drawbacks
for both Drivers and the EWV-2000 are minor and as updates are developed for the Voicing
Module, new possibilities will present themselves.
Looming over the horizon is Yamaha's WX7, already two months behind its scheduled
availability date. It is my impression that those who can afford them will probably end up
with both of these instruments. But if you are a trumpet or brass player, go with the EVI.
And always remember Mr. Natural's sage advise, "Quest into the future;" it's out there for the
taking.
PRICES $1995 FOR EWV2000 AND EWI OR EWV2000 AND EVI
MORE FROM AKAI, PO BOX 2344, FORTH WORTH, TX 76113 TEL: (817) 336-5114
Michael Andreas is a Los Angeles-based composer/woodwind doubler whose work experience
ranges from the Beach Boys to the LA Philharmonic. "When asked what I do for a living,"
he says "the words 'Music Mercenary' always spring to mind."
This article was originally published in Music Technology Magazine, December, 1987. Special thanks to Richard Rives for helping obtain this
article.
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