Paul and MRNUTTY,
Maybe this response will address both of your questions/comments.
Coleman Hawkins - great example of expression
MRNUTTY wrote:Just to underscore breath controllers again, the DX7 had a native breath controller for it's best reed imitations. Other Yamaha synths also have specific algorithms for reed imitation for use with breath controllers, EX5 for instance. Not sure how to get it to work with CV synths, but it's wortrh looking into. I have a breath controller hidden away somewhere.
Based on a 1981 article by Craig Anderton, I made a voltage control pedal out of an old crappy volume pedal. I have used it to control the filter successfully. There are other uses (see below)
However, I have also used a Yamaha BC2 (breath controller), a Yamaha MCS2 (midi control station with a breath controller input) in combination with a Roland MPU 101 (midi in to voltage control out) to apply breath control to the Multimoog. Again, I have used that mostly to open the filter.
Now, there is a way to use the VC pedal or Breath Controller to modulate the filter contour, manipulate pulse width, work the pitch of one or both oscillators, work the pitch of one synced oscillator, etc. while keeping your left hand free for comping on another keyboard or manipulating something else on the Multi. These are capabilities that modern synths have, but there was no documentation that the Multimoog had these capabilities. I kind of stumbled on this discovery. I contacted Thom Rhea, one of the Multimoog's designers to share the "discovery" and ask him why these capabilities had not been made accessible on the front panel in an obvious way. Tom's response: "The Multi was conceived of as a "front end" to a modular system, i.e. as a controller. If you look at what we put on the back, it would do this pretty well! And, it was cheaper to put it as I/O rather than a front panel function."
I have already posted a link to a series of You Tube videos about that information on this forum a couple of years ago. (Paul, I know that
you saw them.) Sorry that the audio is just going into the iPad mic. Though the sound is adequate, I hope to better with some future posts.
The how-to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItrpqT5NWLM
The video with my attempt at using VC pedal to work filter expressively (an improvisation):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkQ9f20dQ_A
Not spectacular, but maybe enough to give you some ideas.
P