Those of us whose musical memories vaguely recall the original version of "La
Bamba" as on
of our earliest childhood memories are part of a large generation who've never known the
experience of living in a pre-electric instrument world, when big bands and symphony
orchestras were music, plain and simple. While no one can deny that the saxophone has its
place in contemporary music, modern wind players are rarely able to stand as dominant
musicians in an ensemble setting. But the times, as the man said, are a changin'.
Wind Synthesis
A minor revolution is brewing in a the big world of music, one which affects a particular
class of musicians who have until now been bypassed by electric instruments. Sax and
woodwind players have always struggled for mic time on stage and in the studio, and many
look at synthesizers as things to be wary of. With the advent of major new advances in wind
synthesizers and controllers, though, wind synthesis might just take off as the hottest new
trend of the end of this decade.
Admittedly, trends come and go - and most are better off gone - but the music industry seems
to be genuinely excited about wind synthesis, and with good reason. To be sure, the subject
matter isn't new. It's been around for more than a decade. But for the first time, wind
controllers/synthesizers are now within the grasp of the common man, at least financially.
Plus, in today's sound, wind is hot. Artists like Michael Brecker, Kenny G and David
Sanborn are bringing a new romanticism to mass appeal music. More and more, wind
instruments are taking center stage, and even traditional horn sections such as the Tower of
Power are enjoying tremendous success after a lull in the early part of the decade.
More importantly, wind players now have the opportunity to step out for more than the
occasional solo or background fill. Wind synthesis allows the instrument to reproduce a
variety of sounds and timbres. In effect, wind synthesizers take traditional keyboard synthesis
several magnitudes farther by adding a new style of control to generated sound.
The Instruments
Wind Controllers/Synthesizers have been around almost as long as their keyboard brethren.
The problem has always been accuracy and control. The touch-sensitive keyboard is a
relatively recent innovation, and even with the advent of MIDI, certain control elements such
as polyphonic aftertouch remain elusive in most synthesizers.
Wind instruments, on the other hand derive much of their impact through their range of
control and sound. MIDI has never been well equipped to handle this facet of sound shaping,
and some feel it isn't able to do so properly. Early wind controllers such as the Lyricon
relied on proprietary controller methods within their instruments, which often resulted in
major compatibility problems when interfacing with other instruments.
The new generation of wind synthesizers/controllers from Yamaha and Akai have been
designed to address the very issue of control, which has made wind synthesis such and elusive
entity. Chances are good that even if you've never seen a wind synthesizer, you've heard one
many times. Up until now, they've been available only to a chosen few, although they have
been used extensively in film, jingle and session work.
To get a better idea of what's going on in this field, we spoke at length with the two men
who have played pivotal roles in the history of wind synthesis, as well as the development of
the latest electronic wind controllers; Sal Gallina, who worked with Yamaha Corporation on
the design and development of the WX7 MIDI Wind Controller; and Nyle Steiner, who
designed the Akai EVI-1000 Electronic Valve Instrument and the EWI-1000 Electronic Wind
Instrument.
Sal Gallina is a design consultant to Yamaha, as well as one of New York City's most
requested session musicians. He describes himself as "the kid that never played baseball
while growing up," instead concentrating on music study and a passion for electronic
tinkering. Gallina's musical background ranges from jazz to rock to the classics, though what
he seem to love best is a bit hard to describe. But the sound is big, very big. Symphonic
might be the best way to describe it.
Nyle Steiner grew up in Utah, later moving to California, where he worked for years
designing prototypes of electronic wind controllers for use in film scoring and studio work.
He studied trumpet and music at the University of Utah, later playing with the Utah
Symphony. His influences range from Miles Davis to Itzhak Perlman, and to this day he
considers himself to be in a rare category - professional musician and professional designer.
Both have a strong interest in creating sounds and textures which allow their respective
instruments to be utilized to the fullest. However, the ways in which the went about creating
or helping to create their respective "axes" are quite different, as are the end results. Since
we believe that all things go back to their source, understanding the men who made the
machines might just be the best way to understand what this brave new musical genre is all
about. Hence, from here on in - with the help of two separate interviews - we'll let the
musicians do the talking...
Music Technology: Both of you have approached your instruments from a basis of personal
need. In a way, you're just making public something which has been a part of your
respective lives for years. How did you get started in wind synthesis/wind control?
 Sal
Gallina: "Well, I started playing when I was nine years old, on the recorder. I graduated
to flute, oboe, clarinet, sax - the whole bit. I really liked playing, so I started to develop
some road rash, playing out a lot by myself and with groups. I used to show up at clubs with
my alto sax all wired up. I was really into the alto, and put pickups and other devices I made
onto it. This was during the late '60s. I played at Max's Kansas City a lot, with a band
called "Krom.'"
Nyle Steiner: "I studied music at the University of Utah and was always a trumpet player
professionally. I started to think about how to make an electric trumpet in the late '60s, at
least from the design side. Things formulated from there."
MT: So there were quite a few prototypes in between?
NS: "Yes. The first EVI came out in 1979. Crumar produced the instrument, and it was
quite different from the more recent ones. I guess I've done about five or six major
prototypes, taking advantage of new technology and in some cases even creating it when I
couldn't find what I wanted.
I hadn't really ever thought of modifying the trumpet to electrify it, so my designs had to be
based around the concept of starting from scratch. They were always instruments unto
themselves, so I was also busy studying synthesizer circuits and things like that which I built
right into the instruments."
SG: You've got to know that I'm most interested in sound, and what electric music can do.
I liked playing with these huge 15" speaker cabinets, getting a lot of different sounds from
them. I made all of my own instruments - I called them "Kromulizers'. One day I
discovered that if I got close enough to the speaker, with a saxophone which was wired with
octave dividers, the pressure coming from the speakers resonated the saxophone. So I started
pressing the keys and playing the instrument that way, getting these incredible harmonic
structures.
"Parts were expensive back then - you paid $15 for switches that now cost 50 cents, so it was
tough. But I got into putting relays on my saxes which controlled some of the earliest
synthesizers, like the ARP Odyssey. I'd just wire up relays to the keyboard busses after I
took the keyboard out - so that the sax keys would play the synthesizer. Later, I had this
computerized saxophone with relays attache to synthesizers and controllers."
MT: So this all led up to your respective work on the EWI/EVI and the WX7?
NS: "I've actually been playing versions of the EVI professionally for years. Since about
1973. Of course, the design of it has become more refined as the years have progressed, but
the basic concepts are still the same. This instrument's strength and uniqueness is based on
the fact that it has increased control and expressiveness. I got involved with Akai fairly
recently, in the summer of 1986. They liked the prototypes I was using, and were great on
improving the software in the unit. the EVI is quite software-intensive, and i've been able to
get a lot more out of it with the new software."
SG: "Yamaha found me, actually, about three years ago. I had gotten pretty good at making
analog sounds on synthesizers, and they were just beginning to see the success of their FM
Digital Synthesis concept. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so I kept my
Oberheims and my ARPs around to be sure that I could get the sounds I wanted from digital.
"Yamaha always believed that their success would come from attracting the best engineering
talent - they invest in brains and creativity, and a lot of their best and most successful ideas
have come from musicians. Thy listen to people. So the beginning of my consulting work
with Yamaha revolved around really getting into what I wanted to see from a wind controller.
"We decided early on that the design would revolve around MIDI, and would take advantage
of all the parameter controllers that they were building into their synthesizers, such as breath
control, which has rally been under-utilized. It's an amazing feature."
MT: So design factors came in fairly early?
SG: "Absolutely. I've seen about five versions of the WX7 before the latest one which
they're releasing now. Thy took many of the ideas which I had done with analog synthesizers,
especially matrixing concepts, and fit them into the realm of MIDI. It's a pretty sophisticated
little device for something that weighs less than a pound.
"One thing that I felt was really important was keeping the instrument user-definable in
certain ways. For example, the keys on the WX7 ar adjustable, which is something that sax
players find essential. There's also a lot of adjustment in the mouthpiece dynamics, so that it
simulates a different feel electronically to fit different playing styles."
MT: As long as we're on the subject, the designs of the mouthpieces on both instruments
seem quite different. How did each of you approach this part of the instrument?
 NS: "One of the most important considerations for the EVI and the EWI was finding a good
pressure transducer in the mouth piece to take breath pressure and convert it to voltage.
When I first started, there wasn't anything available, so I spent a lot of time developing my
own pressure sensor. I didn't worry about simulating reed effect, but instead worked on the
aperture effect. I also worked on finding a way to make pitch-bending and vibrato smooth
and fluid in a way that it feels good to the performer.
"This mouthpiece is something totally new - it's not an attempt to simulate something else,
but rather the ideal mouthpiece for this instrument. For example, the EWI has a natural
vibrato created by biting on the mouthpiece. Of course, you can also do double tonguing on
it which you can't do on a saxophone. All of the tonguing effects and circular breath are
easy, because the mouthpiece is unobtrusive."
SG: The WX7 has a reed but it doesn't vibrate. We did fashion the mouthpiece around the
familiar clarinet/sax type of mouthpiece. In a real sax, the reed just shapes the sound wave.
But the WX7's really controls the whole instrument. Just inside the mouthpiece is a pressure
sensor attached to an A-to-D converter. There's also a bend lever inside there, a metal lever
which is incredibly responsive, and a few other secrets.
"We adapted a lot of Yamaha's breath controller technology for the WX7. But what's more
important is the fact that their synthesizers have the ability to take full advantage of breath
control. You don't find that in many others. The WX7's mouthpiece is adjustable to the
player, and allows the player to control aftertouch, velocity, pitch-bend and of course, breath
control.
"I think that this instrument overcomes a lot of the shortcomings of earlier wind controllers,
and adds innovations that haven't appeared on any previous instruments of any type. Besides,
I've played them all, and the overall responsiveness of this mouth piece is just unbelievable."
MT: What about design considerations in the rest of the instrument?
SG: "I wanted the instrument to be light, adjustable to the player and simple to use the first
time it's picked up. For example, the keys are arranged in the standard 14-key Boehm system
which sax players are used to. Then underneath the instrument are a set of buttons for octave
switching, chord holding and sustain, a MIDI pitch-bend controller and a MIDI transmit key
which can send program changes."
MT: Wait a sec. What's this about chord holding?
SG: "Believe it or not, the WX7 can transmit on more than one MIDI channel, so you can
actually build and hold these big chords just by using the chord hold feature. It makes me
into an orchestra of sorts."
MT: Nyle, we could find only one moving part on the EWI, a set of smaller rollers on the
underside.
NS: "That's right, those are for octave selection. The instrument has a seven octave range,
and you just roll your thumb along these to select an octave. Other than these, there aren't
any other moving parts on the controller part, except for the flexible mouthpiece.
"Every other part on the instrument is touch-sensitive, which lets you play with greater speed
and accuracy. On the EVI, a lot of the functions which a trumpet player would control with
the mouth are controlled with the left hand instead. There are special trill keys right next to
the main valve keys."
MT: And then either the EVI or the EWI connect to the same control unit...
NS: "...which is called the EWV-2000 MIDI Sound Module. It's a combination of
instrument controls and analog synthesizer modules, with outputs to other MIDI devices. You
need to have both, because the EWV-2000 contains a lot of the controls for the EVI and the
EWI, which allows the performer to modify many of the parameters while playing, such as
breath sensitivity, modulation depth and similar functions."
MT: So in effect any MIDI device can be hooked up to either instrument?
SG: "Yes. The WX7 is connected to a small battery pack with hooks up to your belt, and
you just plug a MIDI cable into that. There's no separate control unit, which makes the WX7
totally portable on stage. When wireless MIDI transmitters come out, I'll be able to cut the
cord altogether. I plug my WX7 into a rack with two signal processors and one tone
generator. That's all I really need to make the big noise."
NS: " The EWV-2000 has a complete MIDI patching system onboard, and you can adjust a
number of the unit's parameters while you play. By turning the breath sensitivity control all
the way up, you don't even have to blow into the instrument - ordinary room pressure triggers
the electronics, so you can play the keys while fiddling with the control knobs on the Sound
Module." MT: OK. You say that everybody's heard these instruments. But what kind of sounds are
built into them?
NS: "I've done a lot of the sounds myself for the EWV-2000. Of course, you can bypass the
sound generators, and go directly to samplers or other MIDI devices or you can route the
output of external sound sources through the EWV-2000, utilizing its breath-controlled VCF
and VCA capabilities.
"For one thing, on a traditional keyboard synthesizer, the EG is usually preset in some
combination of attack, decay, sustain and release. But the EVI and EWI control these
parameters, so you can get a wide range of envelopes from the controller itself.
"In fact, you could say that one patch on the EVI/EWI is like 10 on a normal keyboard, due
to the range of expressiveness. The sounds in the module tend to be more on the sustained
side. We left the rhythmic things for the keyboards. But of course breath can be used to
open up either the filters, the VCA or both. So there's an infinite number of combinations,
and we made it easy to add to the 64 presets."
MT: Sal, you're probably best known for your sounds, even long before you played the
WX7.
SG: "That's nice to know. I do care a great deal about sound. I've spent many, many years
studying how sounds work, not in school, but by locking myself into a room and trying
different things. What ticks me off is that all too often these companies spend millions of
R&D dollars developing an LSI chip and then don't spend a dime analyzing and reproducing
sounds."
MT: A lot of people who heard your performances at last year's NAMM show in Chicago
were really blown away by your Hendrix impression...
SG: "Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page are great. I created this sound called 'Power 1' just to
pay homage to them. And it's the same way with all my other sounds. I don't care if it
takes me until 4am to get the sound I want. Once I get that sound, i can close my eyes and
feel that I am playing that instrument. It's a real rush to have all that work pay off."
(Editor's Note: Those interested in learning more about Gallina's approach to programming
FM synths can read his new book, "Expressive FM Applications," which also includes a
cassette containing some of his best patches for the TX81Z, DX7, SPX90, and REV7. (The
package is included with the WX7).
MT: Although both instruments are quite new, how have other professionals reacted to the
concepts in them?
NS: "Real well, I think. What a lot of people don't know is how much the EVI has been
heard on different projects. I've used it on the scores to Witness, Star Trek III, Now Way
Out, Fatal Attraction, and a lot of TV shows like St. Elsewhere and Knot's Landing. Michael
Brecker has been using the EWI and loves it.
"I think that, like anything new, there are always people who need convincing but once they
hear the instrument, they'll be pleased. A lot of people who've used wind controllers in the
past know about their earlier limitations, especially pitch-to-voltage problems. I never liked
pitch followers - the concept was complicated and even though I was able to make some
working prototypes which used pitch followers, I never go the fight 'feel' from them.
"To a professional, 'feel' is critical. so while trumpet players will have to learn some new
things about the EVI, I think they'll really enjoy it. Sax players will probably pick up on the
EWI right away. It's real comfortable for them."
SG: "I've been using the prototypes of the WX7 from its developmental stage until now, on
albums for RCA, CBS, Polygram, Arista and Capitol Records as well as on countless jingle
and scoring sessions. Actually, what keeps changing is the contents of my effects rack. Right
now, to get all the sounds I do, I use a $500 synthesizer module made by Yamaha called the
TX81Z. It's one of their basic four-operator FM synthesizer modules."
MT: So you've both seen positive reactions to what comes out of the machines?
SG: "Most definitely. People, hip people, know that this is just another evolution in music,
and they've been great in going along with it."
NS: "I believe that wind players think a lot differently than keyboard players. Keyboard
players tend to play rhythmically, while wind players tend to play more fluid. Wind
instruments are just naturally more expressive, so each note stands out as unique. Many of
the sounds I programmed into the EWV are designed with this thought in mind."
MT: Do you think that we might see some negative reaction to these new instruments from
more traditional players?
NS: "It's hard to say. Certainly the professional community here in Los Angeles is picking
up on this thing (the EVI/EWI) quickly. It's real easy to use, and a lot of people have told
me that they feel good about playing it. But the opinions are so hard to judge."
SG: "The thing is, there are always people who resent change or progress. They're the ones
who say, 'Why use a light bulb when we have perfectly good candles?' But seriously,
musicians will come to see the value in wind controllers pretty quickly once they give them a
try. There will always be purists who hate anything that's electrified, and we might see some
backlash as we did when the electric guitar came out, then the electric piano and later
electronic drums. But look how those things have flourished. Change is change, and I'm all
for it."
MT: Speaking of change, and we get some final thoughts on where you see wind synthesis
and music in general going?
SG: "I really hope that we'll see a MIDI-2 standard appear before too long. When they first
dreamed up MIDI, it was a simple control system. Nobody thought much about
timecode,
song pointer, or the need to ever use more than 16 channels. MIDI is kind of like the
Brooklyn Bridge...too crowded and not enough lanes. So now that 32-bit technology is
popping up everywhere, we really can't expect that MIDI can stay in the 8-bit, 31 kilobaud
realm forever."
NS: "I think that wind synthesis will go about as far as people let it go. It's so hard to
judge. Where I see the continuing improvements is in the area of software development and
how software relates to sound.
"This is an area where the Japanese are doing some great work, and it will be interesting to
watch as see how systems progress as they rely less and less on hardware, and more and more
on software."
Nick Armington and Lars Lofas are producers, musicians and studio contractors who really do
live in New York City and like it.
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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