The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread

[braj]

IS there any weirdness when using MidiYoke for other things at the same time ie. I use it with my StudioMix controller and Live4. Would it interfere with EZ stuff?

[Markleford]

Exactly, but just to be clear: to have that work not only with open strings, but with every note, it would be necessary to have neither fret-up nor fret-down send a note-off message.

Okay, you can try TenCrazy.com Yamaha EZ-Guitar Environment v2.09

I added a "Continuous Mode" that tracks the most recently plucked note per string (and marks them on the GUI in bright yellow!). There's a small issue with using Continuous mode in conjunction with "open strings muted" mode that I'll work out later, but it's good enough to try out for now.

Have fun!

- m

[mbncp]

With Midi Yoke Nt you get 8 MIDI In and 8 Out ports.
Think of them as MIDI cables, Sending something on Out 1 will be recived by In 1. Then of course a program can decide to change that.
But it's a good idea to make things clear, and use alway the same port for a given task.
Also more than one app can receive data from a Midi Yoke port.
So, any app can use any yoke port at the same time, it's your job to make things go at the right place.

My setup is like that:
I use a rack with different VSTi in it (takes half an hour to load, but that's once a day so,..), and each of these VSti will respond to a given Port+Channel combo. I can even have two different VSti receiving info from the EZ script, using both layers.
So if I want the EZ to play on one of these synth I set the correct port and channel in the script.
And as I store this info in the presets, I can switch from a Piano to a Bass that are two different VSti, just by changing the preset (combo or using SongSelect and the +/- buttons).

Now if I want to record to my host, I always use Yoke 8 in the script, wich will first route the data to the host, and then the host will route them to the Rack, or to a VSti inside of the host.
But again, I use the same Port+Channel combi, so it's pretty easy.
Or I'll turn off the rack, and load a template in my host that has the same VSTi's and routing as the rack.

[pendle]

thanks for your help marc

it turns out i wasn't quite as stupid as i thought, i had it all set up properly but an iffy external midi port was screwing everything up.

I've changed ports and the thing is working like a dream...definately much better than a Roland GK system...mind you most things are.

now i'm thinking about the footcontroller thingy

toodle pip

[Gymnopedies]

There's an EG up for sale on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... geName=WDV

[braj]

I'm incredibly happy I sold my Roland system recently and now am getting an AG. The Roland system always seemed like a tease, gave me a case of musical blue balls constantly. It gets your hopes up but never really delivers.

[topaz]

I am having some fun with mine (takes some getting used to somewhat )

the one thing I notice on mine (AG) is that some strings are really lose, I am so used to thumping the f**k out of my Bass that the whole affair = very sloppy.

I am gonna take it to my keyb repair pal to see if it's poss to tighten the strings up ? any ideas anyone.


both marks I wanna say a big thanks for the s/w

cheers/
topaz

[AndrewSimon]

I have an EZ-AG on order as of tonight.

In case you were wondering Shane, you can trust us to keep this information quiet. Your Ztar friends will never know.

PS Love the demo track from your new band.

I used to have the ztar Z6 with string triggers, but now I only have the ztar miniZ with pads - so I'm only a partial traitor. I sort of miss being able to fingerpick, so this Yamaha product is the inexpensive solution. I have a Roland-ready strat, too, but for fingerpicking it's a bit tight and not as responsive as I'd like. It tracks OK though, at least for sequencing with small clean-up operations after the take.

btw, thanks for listening to the music.

OK Shane we want to hear some kinda comparison between this toy and the Z6.
Actually I would like to hear about the Z6 period.
How is the software?
How does it handle the open string missfire issue.
Hammer ons?
Slides?
How about the joystick for bending notes?
Learning curve for a guitar player first picking up one of these things?
How about the getting used to the equal spaced fretts? (this is a big turnoff for me)
How about the strings? Are they like regular string?
I think I heard somewhere you can use any guitar strings. And if so how do you give it tension?
Are there any tuners on it to wind it up?

Gee so many questions, so little answers.

Thanks in advance.

[knot0fvipers]

How does it handle the open string missfire issue.
How about the joystick for bending notes?
Learning curve for a guitar player first picking up one of these things?
How about the getting used to the equal spaced fretts? (this is a big turnoff for me)

i have an older mark3 diamond without string triggers so i cant help much on the string side. I know harvey has said he has new software out now that cleans up everything having to do with problems with the string triggers.
Ive never used the joystick on mine for pitch bends, ive found the pads to be so much better. The pads are truely insane, ive never seen something like it on anything else. They respond to velocity so to bend a note you can just set a pad to pitch bend and the harder you press the more the note bends.
The feel of the ztar neck is like your playing the easiest light action strings, when i got mine it just felt like a super easy to play guitar. My first thoughts when i plugged it in was "this is impossible". I actually find the equal spaced frets better as your hand doesnt get squashed togather high up on the neck.
If your serious the ztars are defianetly worth every penny. I really think its the best midi controller ever made when you factor in the pads.

[ruvidan]

MIDIX Feature request: Decay time...

For mbncp,
Man, I really love your software. I have a feature idea that I think would be extremely cool. You know how you have a "Note Off Time out (sec)" slot. I think that is such an awesome feature! What if you took it one step further and had a Decay time. For instance, if your decay time was set to 3 seconds and note off was set to 5 seconds, then from 3-5 seconds, the note would gradually get softer until it disappears, just like a guitar string decays. I don't know if that would work, but it could resend out multiple notes with gradually decreasing velocities and a portamento to keep it smooth.

Is that possible to do? I think it'd be really cool!

[asseca]

Have any of you guys tried the EZ guitars with Revitar 2 yet?

There is some discussion about Revitar 2 in this thread

[mbncp]

I don't know if that would work, but it could resend out multiple notes with gradually decreasing velocities and a portamento to keep it smooth.

It should be possible if we use more than one channel (by sending expression CC's), but only to a single note per 'string'. Is this what you mean, or would you like having more than one note 'ringing' on a given string ?

marc

[ruvidan]

It should be possible if we use more than one channel (by sending expression CC's), but only to a single note per 'string'. Is this what you mean, or would you like having more than one note 'ringing' on a given string ?
marc

Oh yes, that's true marc.. I wasn't thinking CCs because I was thinking that it would affect the other notes, but if they were set to different channels, then ccs could all be independent hmm?

My thought was to have it send out a bunch of short notes (back to back) that are chopped up up with gradual decreasing velocities and a portamento(so it just sounds like one tied together note that is getting softer). So like, instead of a bar that lasts 2 measures, it would be a bar that lasts 1 1/2 measure and then the last 1/2 measure would be a bunch of 1/16 or 1/32 notes with decreasing velocities. Of course it'd sound all chopped up, but would a temporary portamento smoothen it?

Your idea sounds like it would work really well too. If I were to record that on a sequencer, would I have to record 6 tracks simultaneously to keep the CCs independent?

I just think it'd be really cool to have some sort of fade out before the note off, just like a real guitar.

But hey, anyways, either way, your software rawks man!

[Markleford]

I just think it'd be really cool to have some sort of fade out before the note off, just like a real guitar.

I just don't see why you can't use it to trigger a sound that has a natural decay (like a real guitar). Wouldn't that be easiest?

- m

[ruvidan]

I just don't see why you can't use it to trigger a sound that has a natural decay (like a real guitar). Wouldn't that be easiest?

You know, that's what I thought too, but for some reason I can't tweak the ADSR envelopes to fade out a held note correctly unless the synth is a sampled one shot sound that naturally has that decay. I'd pull the Decay on the ADSR all the way down but it doesn't fade out a normal looped sample (or a synth tone) with a held note so I thought it might be cool if the guitar software could emulate it.