Are there any dealers that specialize in wind controller gear?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Yes. Patchman Music is a unique dealer that specializes in sales and support of all things relating to the wind controller. If you are in the USA, you can buy a variety of new and used gear from Patchman Music. New Yamaha wind controller gear is available here. New AKAI wind controller systems are available here. New Roland wind controller systems are available here.
Related QuestionsWhat is a Wind Controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)A wind controller, sometimes referred to as a "wind synth", can loosely be defined as an electronic wind instrument. Wind controllers are, for no logical reason, most commonly played and fingered like a saxophone though models have been produced that play and finger like other acoustic instruments such as the trumpet, recorder, tin whistle, and others.
Related QuestionsWhy play a Wind Controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)A wind controller can be used for alternative sounds that a musician cannot produce on their acoustic instruments. For example a sax player can use a wind controller to double on clarinet, trumpet, guitar, or bass. An investment in a wind controller pays for itself by making the musician more marketable and in-demand. Some musicians find a wind controller to be easier to play- i.e. no embouchure needs to be maintained to produce a professional quality tone.
Related QuestionsHow can I learn more about the Wind Controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Well, reading this Wind Controller FAQ is a great place to start! There are also lots of resources on the Internet. Here are some of the best wind controller links to check out:
Related QuestionsWhere can I get my wind controller repaired?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Patchman Music specializes in repairing wind controllers for US-based clients only. Patchman Music is a factory authorized service center for Akai, Yamaha, and MDT wind controllers. They have a FULL-TIME wind controller specialist in house for repairs on these and other wind controllers such as the Crumar EVI, Steiner EVI, Steinerphone, etc..
Related QuestionsWhere can I SEE a wind controller being played?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Akai has some nice video clips of Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Mike Phillips, and Steve Tavaglione playing the EWI4000s here. These and others are also available on www.youtube.com and Google Video if you do a search.
Related QuestionsWhat is the Sting wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)There were two Sting wind controllers produced for a short time in the late 1980's but both are no longer in production and they were rarely seen. Sting EW1 synthesized, electronic wind instrument fingers basically the same as a saxophone or recorder but can be customized with up to 2000 different fingerings available. Nickel plated instrument appears very much like a clarinet with standard woodwind mouthpiece.
Related QuestionsQuestion: Do you have a vendor list for speed controller and/or gear reduction suppliers?
AIAA Student Aircraft Design/Fly CompetitionAnswer: The "MOTORS" and "ACCESSORIES" sources listed on the web site vendor page can supply controller and gearbox sources that are suited to their motors. Other sources would include all of the major hobby part suppliers listed in RC magazines. Answer: This is a feature available in many production RC radio systems. It is required that your radio system be able to provide this function.
Related QuestionsIs it possible to go Wireless with a wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Yes with many wind controllers! If your wind controller can generate a MIDI OUT signal via batteries then a device such as the Midi Jet Pro or Kenton MidiStream wireless MIDI systems are a proven reality. We recommend the Midi Jet Pro since it is smaller, costs less, has longer battery life, and multiple frequencies. There are some cheaper systems out there but they suffer from a severe lack of usable range and other important features.
Related QuestionsDo you have any dealers?
HSU FAQ - Frequently Asked QuestionsWe experimented with dealers (e.g. CompUSA), but realized that it reduces product value. Middlemen add to costs. Therefore, we now have no dealers and offer products at lower prices.
Related QuestionsAlienBees: AlienBees Frequently Asked QuestionsNo. All AlienBees equipment is sold Factory Direct only. All orders must be placed by phone or online, directly through our company. We prefer Factory Direct sales, as this allows us to maintain a direct line of communication with our customers, and save them money by cutting out the middlemen. We directly sell and ship our products to customers in the United States (and U.S territories), to US Military Personnel and to customers in Canada.Related Questions
White Lightning: Frequently Asked QuestionsNo. All White Lightning equipment is sold Factory Direct only. All orders must be placed by phone or online, directly through our company. We prefer Factory Direct sales, as this allows us to maintain a direct line of communication with our customers, and save them money by cutting out the middlemen. We directly sell and ship our products to customers in the United States (and U.S territories), to US Military Personnel and to customers in Canada.Related Questions
Synthesizers.com --- FAQ - Frequently Asked QuestionsNo, we sell direct to everyone anywhere. We believe that the internet will gradually do away with many middle-men in our economy. There will always be a need for retail stores in many local markets, but we will probably not use them due to the low volume of modular synthesizers sold.Related Questions
How do I put together a complete wind controller gig rig system?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Additional rigs are documented and discussed at the Yahoo Wind Controller Group's Website and at Patchman Music's Wind Controller Forum (you will need to join these groups to access them).
Related QuestionsWhat is the best WOODWIND-STYLE wind controller to buy?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)It's not possible to say which is the BEST wind controller. It's a matter of what is best for YOU. The Akai EWI series, Yamaha WX series, and Synthophone are all amazing, highly expressive instruments though they have slightly different design philosophies.
Related QuestionsI am a flute player. How difficult is it to adapt to the wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)While flute and sax both share a Boehm fingering system, there are some differences that may or may not be an issue to a flutist. The Yamaha WX5 has 4 selectable fingering modes called WX, SAX A, SAX B, and one called FLUTE. Some flautists find the WX5's FLUTE fingering mode useful, but most simply learn to use one of the sax fingerings.
Related QuestionsWhat SOFTWARE synths work with a wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)With additional programming to allow them to respond to the wind controller's MIDI data, we have had very good results from the Native Instruments synths especially Kontakt 2 and later, FM7 and FM8, and Reaktor. There are many others as well. Folks have reported that Reason works well. Keep in mind that most synths are designed to work with a keyboard out of the box.
Related QuestionsIs my MIDI synth suitable for using with a Wind Controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)A good place to go is the Patchman Music Wind Controller Soundbanks webpage. This link lists the synths and samplers that Patchman Music supports with commercial wind controller soundbanks. If a synth or sampler is on that list, then there is a good chance it works well with a wind controller. Perhaps the most popular wind controller synth is the VL70-m. It was designed specifically for use with a wind controller. The Roland XV-2020 is quite popular as well.
Related QuestionsHow do I set up patches for use with a wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Very few synths, past or present, work well right out of the box with a wind controller. Pretty much the only synths made to work with a wind controller as they come from the factory are the VL70-m/PLG-VL cards, WT11, the Akai EWI4000s, and the Akai EWI series modules. All other synths require that you either program them to respond to the wind controller or buy some commercial wind controller sounds for them.
Related QuestionsHow does the MU100R rate as a wind controller module?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)The Yamaha MU100R is a nice synth but it has some serious drawbacks. It does feature VL synthesis which works great with a wind controller. The problem with the MU100R is that you have to jump through hoops to use it's VL section and the VL section is what wind controller players gravitate towards. It does not permanently store any Custom VL voices you send it. So each time you power it up, you'd have to load in your 6 Custom VL sounds- or just be happy with the preset VL sounds.
Related QuestionsWhat do you recommend for a quality Volume Pedal for my wind controller rig?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Keep in mind that some cheaper passive type volume pedals tend to have very little range of motion from full off to full on. Also the sound quality can get muddy (loss of high frequencies) as you decrease the volume on passive type pedals. For controlling volume, I recommend using the active type Yamaha FC9 Stereo Volume footpedal. It is an active pedal so the audio quality is maintained at all volume levels. It is built like a tank and the feel is very smooth and linear.
Related QuestionsWhat are your favorite HARDWARE sound modules to use with a wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)a wind controller sound designer who has worked with the majority of synthesizers on the market, I'll give you my favorite wind controller synths... Yamaha VL70-m with the Patchman TURBO VL upgrade - The VL70-m is probably the most popular wind controller module. It is a superb module when upgraded with the Patchman Music TURBO VL upgrade chip (the factory sounds are only so-so).
Related QuestionsWhich Amp is best to use with a wind controller for live performance?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Avoid guitar or bass type amps as those types of amps are tailored/EQ'd for use with guitars and do not generally offer a full frequency response and everything will sound like a guitar or bass coming out of it. A good keyboard amp or PA is a far better choice. Perhaps the ultimate amp for the wind controller is the Bose PAS system. It's not cheap but it sure sounds great! Check out this gig rig.
Related QuestionsAny suggestions for a very SMALL practice amp that I can use with my wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)There are a lot of small amps available especially with the proliferation of the Apple iPod. These units have been reported to work, though the sound quality will be nowhere near that of a larger amp... Danelectro brand, another with the Marshall name, they run on battery power, they have a 2" or 1.5" speaker and they crank fairly good volume. Blowing too hard to hear yourself is a common problem when starting out with wind controllers.
Related QuestionsIs it possible to effectively hum and growl on a digital wind controller?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)Indeed it can have some form of effect, but your results will vary on several factors. There is nothing like the speed of a true analog sensor directly coupled to a true analog synth via control voltage. MIDI simply has its speed limits and the receiving MIDI synths have their limits too with regard to this. Digital/MIDI receiving synths often have smoothing which smooths out the stepping you get with MIDI's 128 discreet steps. Of course, the byproduct of smoothing is a loss of speed.
Related QuestionsHow do I set up my MIDI EVI for use with wind controller patches?
WIND CONTROLLER FAQ (UPDATED)The MIDI EVI defaults to sending MIDI Volume (CC#7) and a fixed velocity of 127. Each time you turn on the MIDI EVI, you will want to set it to send breath controller data (CC#2) and variable velocity. To do this: Put your left hand thumb between the 2nd and 3rd octave rollers (do not touch the left hand ring), AND finger the 1st TRILL key AND the 3rd VALVE key, AND touch the furthest right hand pinky sensor.
Related QuestionsDo NDs Specialize?
Noumena Naturopathic - FAQMany NDs take additional postgraduate training in specific therapies and focus their practices on those treatments. The most common areas are nutrition, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture and botanical medicine. In some jurisdictions NDs may obtain post-graduate certification in the use of intravenous therapies including ozone and chelation. Patients should check with individual NDs to find out more about the focus of their practice.
Related QuestionsWhen should I specialize?
Frequently Asked Questions about the Darwin Information Typi...Create specialized topics when you have a restrictive category of topics that you want to keep consistent and that your users want to distinguish from other categories. Create specialized domains when you have a set of elements that you want available across several of your topic types.
Related Questions