Using EWI breath controller

#1

I'm quite interested by the EWI USB wind controller for driving expressive mono patches.
I read that it has the usual breath controller but also a "bite sensor"...
can you give some details on it ?

USB Midi Controllers
#2

Hi @SmashedTransistors
Yes, the EWI USB has two mouth sensors, the breath which is the pressure of the air you blow in it, and the bite, which is the force you bite on the rubber mouth piece.
The white part (Mouthpiece) is some kind of hard rubber / plastic tube that you can bite tight

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Each sensor can send out it's value two different CC# .
I use a great app for configuring the controller called "Akai EWI USB Control" by Cognitone. It's free and works on Windows or OSX : http://www.cognitone.com/downloads/index.stml?p=4

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It even offers a "Filter notes" mode that can be very useful when you already have your sequence and just need to add expression. (I quite like using it while playing my lines on a keyboard, and blowing at the same time, because I don't know the fingering very well)

It's a quite fun device, real saxophone players don't like it much because of the touch sensitive fingering (no mechanical parts) and the whole blowing thing is quite a different feeling. But it gives a totally different result in expressiveness than expression pedals or knobs. I like using it with string type sounds, or any fun programmed synth patch.
It's really easy to use with the axoloti too. just assign the CC, adjust some scaling if needed, and Voila !

#3

Wow, thanks very much for the extended info @mtyas.

I already have a BC3 breath controller connected to a Yamaha Motif and it's quite great but it does not include a bite sensor.

Maybe it is possible to build some breath controlled instrument based on the Axoloti with differential pressure controller (MPX2010) and FSRs for bite sensor and pressure sensitive buttons...

#4

i built multiple breath sensors with the MPXV4006 sensor and an arduino, it works beautiful, very responsive. it just outputs 0-5v, so really easy to work with an arduino. you will have to scale it for the axoloti i guess. fsr should be very easy as well with axoloti...

#5

Thanks for the reference @lokki,

I'm imagining a MIDI instrument sensitive to breath control and bite
but with sort of a guitar inspired fingering.

  • The breath and bite sensors would control expression and timbre
  • The left hand would control octave/chord buttons.
  • The right hand buttons would be pressure sensitive and control up to 5 notes from the left hand selected chord.
#6

funny you should mention that....

i built this: https://sebiik.github.io/community.axoloti.com.backup/t/channel-touch-not-working-in-poly-multichannel-subpatch/2053/6?u=lokki

which is in turn based on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3dBox-LB7I

i adjusted the code quite a lot (to accomodate a fourth "string" and fsr's instead of piezos and a lot of other stuff) and also changed the wiring of the softpots to allow for hammer on and pull offs as well as tapping.

lately i added a breath controller to this instrument, and i made two switchable modes:

in one mode the breath is just controlling expression and in the other it is also capable of generating note on/off messages. in this case the fsr's are solely used as expression pads. with double tonguing you can play some very fast repeated notes, which i like a lot :slight_smile:

i'm still thinking about the best way to attach the breath controller to my instrument so that i don't have to hold it in my mouth actively. some gooseneck attached to the bass-body probably...