KVR Audio

Mister36 · Post by **Mister36** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:47 pm

I have just purchased another EZ-AG. I had one a while back but sold it, never useed it for MIDI. Now, however, I want to use it for MIDI. I'm using a Mac and have installed and set up MidiPipe to good effect. However, it seems that my fretted note on messages are at a velocity of 32... Not the 14 that seems to be the standard. I would much prefer it to be 14 because that's almost so low you don't care if you don't have those notes, but 32 is getting into usable velocity territory.
Anyone have any ideas why it's doing this or if there's anything I can do to remedy it?
Thanks.

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:34 pm

Well, the fretted(but not picked) notes are always the exact same velocity, so find a midi effect plugin that can transform a single velocity into another, so every 32 velocity is now whatever else.

I'm not familiar w/MAC software, but there might be Insert Piz Here mac midi effects that can do it.

You could buy an old Yamaha MEP-4 midi event processor on Ebay, they run at about $40.

Mister36 · Post by **Mister36** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:40 pm

Thanks for responding.

I have sorted the fret note velocity issue. Using MidiPipe. That's how I knew the velocity wasn't 14 as seems to be the norm. Though now it's actually 16! Very odd. I read elsewhere about someone experiencing different a velocity each time they turned it on. Consistent while on but different sometimes after powering up. Hope that's not the case with mine.

Anyway... Do you have any advice about the note off issue? It seems like the notes sustain indefinitely until muting with the mute plate on the bridge.
There is a "duration" tool in MidiPipe that will send a note off for any note played after a user-specified amount of time. This would be great if it allowed you to play that note again in that space of time. It doesn't.
So I'm a bit stuck. The EZ-AG is still a good tool for getting ideas into a sequencer without having to use a keyboard but if I could sort this issue, it would be so much better.

Thanks for your time.

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:01 pm

I don't recall any note-on duration effects for Mac, sorry.

Jarrettbailey79 · Post by **Jarrettbailey79** » Sun May 08, 2011 4:22 pm

hey y'all! Brand-new here and I have a question about the Yamaha EZ AG. I want to use it with an external sound module but I have two problems- 1) hardware to consolidate the 6 channels to one and 2) being able to play more than one note per string. In other words if I play a note and want to play a note half step down on the same string I need to be able to do that. I'm sure there is a way to do it via laptop/software, is there any hardware I could use in order to play live? I am a little worried about using a computer in a live setting. Any info would be most valuable to me. Thanks in advance.

Jarrettbailey79 · Post by **Jarrettbailey79** » Mon May 09, 2011 12:43 pm

Ok, did a little checking. The sound module I am going to use has an "OMNI" option on the midi channels, so I am assuming that will alleviate the 6 channel issue. I have a question... (please remember I am a guitarist and not aquainted at ALL with midi.... yet) Can Midi Solutions help with a piece of hardware that will allow the EZ-AG to play multiple notes per string? Or is that something that you can only do via software and programming? If so, how well does that work in live settings? Anyone have any experience with that? I'd love to just get a Starr Labs controller and be done, and I'm saving for one, but it will be quite a while..... Any info would be helpful. Thanks!

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Mon May 09, 2011 2:31 pm

I wouldn't count on figuring that out if you're new to midi. Every fretted note will turn into a note-off when a higher note is played on the same string.

My opinion is that it only works great if you limit note-on time, otherwise there's notes ringing out all over the place.

Jarrettbailey79 · Post by **Jarrettbailey79** » Mon May 09, 2011 3:25 pm

Thanks for the reply. I tried to search this thread for mentions of Midi Solutions, but found only one. (Of course in 122 pages I may have missed some mentions) Do their products offer a solution (no pun intended) to the multiple notes per string problem? If there is no way to do it, then there is no way. But if it's possible to accomplish this, I am very interested. I contacted them as well, so I guess we'll see, but I thought you guys might have some input on the Midi Solutions products.

Thanks!

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Mon May 09, 2011 3:27 pm

Well to do that by MIDI, would require no note-offs at all, resulting in a million notes stuck at once.

I don't know if the Sysex data can do anything usable there.

Jarrettbailey79 · Post by **Jarrettbailey79** » Mon May 09, 2011 5:03 pm

So, is there no way to make the EZ's react like a keyboard would then? What if you used the fretboard circuitry to make a straight forward midi controller. Like a keyboard midi controller only with fret buttons instead of keys. I am no good at midi language, but I am pretty good at electronic projects. Any suggestions or resources you might know of? It's a project. I'm willing to experiment.

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Mon May 09, 2011 5:08 pm

Well using MIDI, every note on the same string is going to make the previous note stop(note-off).

I don't know if anything can be done with Sysex regarding same string polyphony.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Mon May 09, 2011 6:31 pm

Not true for ztars

That's me
Same "String" has more then one note at the same time.
On the newer versions Like my baby you can also set each zone to poly or mono.
Poly means everything is a hammer on, nothing is a pull off.

Jarrettbailey79 · Post by **Jarrettbailey79** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:56 pm

Well... decided to stick with what I know.... regular ole bland guitar.

My AG is up for sale on ebay now if anyone is interested. Just thought I'd let you know. Maybe I can save up for a Ztar.... that would be awesome..... and maybe, if they ever come out withthe rock controller, it will be an affordable route to take.

Here's hopin!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :MESELX:IT

Highlander · Post by **Highlander** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:39 pm

Hi, I'm trying an ez-ag, some months ago I've read almost all of this topic, but obviously I can't remember everything. I have two main problems with this guitar. The first is that I get false triggering when I play the high E string, if i stroke the string, even not too hard it triggers the G string. Anyone has experienced the same problem? And another thing is that if I take a chord, and hold it for a while I have stucked notes until I press the mute bar. Someone could help me?

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:40 pm

On mine, the low E and D strings trigger each other. It's easy to see why if you open it up, they're connected to the same piece and crosstalk is eliminated only by gobs of glue at the end.

I just shove kleenex up in the holes(both top and bottom of the strings) of the strings that are problematic, so vibrations are not transferred to unwanted strings, works pretty well but needs an occasional resetting of the kleenex pieces.

Stuck notes are to be expected, these aren't real midi controllers, the midi was put in to transfer midi songs to learn from. I use a plugin that limits note-on time-It's called robot arms-not a great fix but I can still play it.

The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread