Breath Controllers??

[snorlax]

Collective Wisdom...

Since I am a brass player, I am thinking about acquiring a wind controller, likely a Yamaha BC3A, to use with GPO, JABB, etc. I intend to use it to "blow in" modwheel data for expressive playing.

I have Sonar 4 but I work primarily in notation. I know I can record controller data in one of my notation programs.

Anyone using a breath controller with GPO or JABB or any of the other libraries?? Just makes sense to me that a brass player with minimal (keyboard) skill should work well with a breath controller.

Any advice out there??

Snor

[ZareOne]

I bought a Yamaha BC 3A controller recently to play with WIVI (Wallander Instruments Brass Instruments). That VI is designed with breath controllers in mind, so it responds very well to it. However, I have used it with all my other sample libraries (Garritan, ProjectSAM, KirkHunter...) and I enjoy controlling brass and woodwinds with my breath. I have used it with Garritan's Stradivari, instead of the expression pedal (I have one, but I find the BC to be more expressive) I have it attached to a CME UF 8 Keyboard, whithout any BC->MIDI converter, and I can assign it to any MIDI CC in the keyboard. For controlling sample libraries, I assign it to CC 1 (Mod Wheel) or CC 11 (expression pedal) for the Stradivari. For WIVI, it's on CC2 (default). I really like it. Since you're a brass player, two things can happen:
1. You'll enjoy a lot to control the instruments with your breath, since that's how you play.
2. You get very dissapointed, because it's not like the real thing. (Pianists are hard to convince with MIDI Weighted keyboards, but the rest of people usually find them to be ok)

[snorlax]

Dani,
Thank you for a very thoughtful reply...it is exactly the type of analysis I hoped to hear. )(~

I will probably buy one after some work is done on my house. I am also going to rearrange my "studio" to have more room.

Thank you!

Jim

[ZareOne]

Glad to have helped!
:)

[oldbob]

Hi Jim, all of the music I have posted so far (and not just the winds) was done with the help of a BC3 yamaha... as a flutist I have always found it a more natural way to record sampled instruments.

[billval3]

I want to see if I am understanding correctly. The breath controller (BC3a) only controls one parameter, which would generally be CC1 for GPO - right? Is it possible to control attack (velocity) as well or do you still have to do that with the keyboard?

[snorlax]

Hi Jim, all of the music I have posted so far (and not just the winds) was done with the help of a BC3 yamaha... as a flutist I have always found it a more natural way to record sampled instruments.

So...THAT is your secret, eh? (That and huge talent and hard work!!)

Thanx...Jim (wishing for an affordable EVI)