Modulation capability?

[ark]

I wonder how well suited a Little Phatty (or Slim Phatty) is to being controlled by a Yamaha WX-5 wind controller.

The reason for the question is that the WX-5 produces a slightly unusual MIDI stream: Each note has a velocity that depends on how hard the player attackes the note, and after that, the WX-5 produces a steady stream of CC2 messages based on breath pressure.

The question, then, is whether it is possible to use the CC2 messages to modulate something like filter cutoff. I am thinking that perhaps using the MP-201 MIDI->CV conversion and then connecting the CV to something, but I don't know enough about the Phatty's modulation capabilities to know what the options are for using that CV.

Any thoughts?

[jeepo]

The Phatty has cv ins for filter cutoff, pitch, and volume, as well as a gate in. The volume in is kinda weird, as is controls the master volume, and not the vca.

[ark]

Yes, I understand that the Phatty has filter cutoff CV inputs -- but to use those with the WX-5, I would need to convert from MIDI to CV. It would seem that an easier way to accomplish the same thing is to convert the CC2 messages to CC19, which controls the filter cutoff in the same way that the CV controls filter cutoff. Am I right?

[Sir Nose]

Depending on the velocity sensitivity setting in the particular LP patch, the velocity already controls filter cutoff, only. The LP can not currently route velocity to amplitude. I am not sure if the MP-201 will generate a CV for velocity. Velocity is a dedicated midi message like pitchbend or note on/off and does not have a CC designation. But you could hook the midi out for velocity directly to the LP. The breathe pressure, CC 2, can be turned into a CV by the MP-201, or turned into a different CC say amp env decay or env sustain level or many other CC useful to expression through the use of software. If there is one specific CC you what instead of CC 2 and you want to avoid running a computer to play, midi solution hardware might help. You would not be able to switch which CC, CC 2 was switch into during a performance, but I think they have something that would switch one CC number for another but keep the value the same.

[bigcatrik]

I play EWI4000s (Akai's wind controller) and can wholeheartedly recommend the LP. Make sure the patch is set to play legato (and your wind controller is outputting CC#7-Volume) and it's surprising how well the LP stock patches respond without any special programming.

That said, rerouting of CCs must be done externally. The latest update to the LP makes every function available through MIDI so anything you want to control can, theoretically, be controlled -- limited only by the number of unique CCs your wind controller model can ouptut. I'd planned to use SynthEdit to make these mappings, but once I got the LP and started getting good results just going right into the MIDI port I put that on the backburner. I should record some experiments and post them on my blog. I did, however, rush out and get a Moog pedal to manually control the filter within days of getting the LP.

I also have an EWI 3020/3000m controller/module combo which can be modded to output CVs (without any MIDI involved) so that's another option which would be purely analog.

Rik

[ark]

Hmmm... I hadn't thought of that, but it turns out that the WX-5 does have a switch setting that allows it to output either CC7 or CC11 instead of CC2. That's definitely an idea worth trying

[GMAN]

I'm going be trying the ewi4000s with my SP as soon as the windsynth arrives.My wx11 is kind of munched and doesn't work well with any of my synths anymore.