The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread

[CapnLockheed]

I've used my EG successfully live with a laptop but I do
wish I could just plug the damn thing straight into a
hardware synth...need some way to merge the midi out.
Yamaha is REALLY missing the boat on this one. If they'd
just make a pro version...a little sturdier with a few
more features it would be well worth a couple hundred
more $.

Cheers.....CL

Hold up.. What is stopping you from connecting the midi out of the ezeg to the midi in of your synth? Doesn't that work? I haven't tried with mine here, but I would assume because it's MIDI it would work..?

The EG sends note-on data on channels 1-6 I believe. When
I connected it to a Yamaha FB01 module only channel 1 - high
e "string" sounded. Either the EG's out data must be merged
or the module must be re-programmed. Maybe there's some easy
way to do this but I'm a guitar player and have studiously
ignored all things midi for the last twenty years!!

I experience the same problem with some softsynths in standalone
mode, but once wrapped in a host its all happy chocolates.

Cheers.....CL

[RunBeerRun]

Yes, you need MIDI channels 1 thru 6 to plug the ezag straight into something. My Roland SH-32 works great like this, no matter what channel it's on.

I've had off and on results plugging straight into computer/vst instrument.

VSThost and synthedit support multiple midi channels, sometimes vsthost works sometimes it's stuck on channel 1 only. There's latency with midix program and midiox, I can't get the vsti running that's on the yahoo group.

But I can run midix program w/modules and it's great, and all on one channel.

[horn]

...I've had off and on results plugging straight into computer/vst instrument.

Energy XT crashes immediately if I try to record into a midi comp.
I seem to get no Note off Messages, the synths keep on playing a note until the next one is played on a certain string. And without Midix you cannot influence the behavior of the strings/hammering etc. I think this is very poor compared to the possibilities of Midix/MidiOX control.

horn

[birgerg]

Hi mbncp,

what about your scripts and the VST version ?
I cannot find anything on the "old" pages ...

Cheers,
Birger

[mbncp]

Hi mbncp,

what about your scripts and the VST version ?
I cannot find anything on the "old" pages ...

Cheers,
Birger

Hi Birger,
The script can be found here : http://homepage.hispeed.ch/mbncp/download/MIDIX.zip

I don't think I will go any further with the VSt version.

[RunBeerRun]

I'm running the ezag straight by midi into vsthost, I've restarted it 3 times, and it keeps working today. There's hardly any latency, just as good as my gk-3 guitar. You have to readjust the latency every time you switch patches, it doesnt even matter what you adjust it to, just something different.

I found midiyoke isn't uninstallable on xp, I had to redirect in the registry so it never finds midiyoke.

[RunBeerRun]

VSThost stopped working on all channels again, bastard!

At any rate=Cantibile=free vst host, has an "omni" mode, transmits on all midi channels. I had to set the buffer size low so it didn't distort, but it has basically no latency, sounds great. The only drawback is it loads one vst only, so you can't have an instrument+effect.

[guitarzan]

The impOSCar has a guitar mode that should work perfectly with the Ez (or a hex pickup to MIDI setup) straight in. Also, for an actual hardware analog synth, the Oberheim Matrix 6R (& 6, and possibly the Matrix 1000) has a guitar mode that seems like it should work correctly with the Ez.

[CapnLockheed]

I find Chainer works better with my EG than any other
host. I really want to find a hardware midi merge device
tho so I can use it with ANY hardware synth.

Cheers.....CL

[guitarzan]

I really want to find a hardware midi merge device
tho so I can use it with ANY hardware synth.

Cheers.....CL

Could the resident DSP/coding gurus whip up something like that in an inexpensive piece of hardware?

[CapnLockheed]

Ya know, I've been thinking about giving it a go myself.
A midi plug has six contacts yes? A ring and five tips.
Would it be possible to wire those six outputs from
the EG to a single point and then wire that signal,(now
hopefully merged?), to the six points on another plug?
Or is that an oversimplified unworkable solution?? I'm
handy with a soldering iron but I don't know too much
about midi....I'm a guitarist after all

Cheers......CL

[guitarzan]

The first person I thought of for hardware in the kvr world was Quinto [quintosardo] from sknote - I sent him a PM, maybe he'll come up with a plan.

[mbncp]

Would it be possible to wire those six outputs from
the EG to a single point and then wire that signal,(now
hopefully merged?)

MIDI is serial, all you need to do is to step on the cable at given times to avoid the transmitting of the channel bits, but you have to be quick

This could be a solution (not 100% sure), and not that cheap :
http://www.midisolutions.com/prodevp.htm

[CapnLockheed]

MIDI is serial, all you need to do is to step on the cable at given times to avoid the transmitting of the channel bits, but you have to be quick

BWAHAHAHAHA!! That midi event processor looks like
a mighty handy gadget, but you're right...it aint cheap!!

Cheers.....CL

[guitarzan]

Quinto [quintosardo] answered my PM for clarification, and he says:

".... a hardware device that merges one single midi in cable with six channels into one output midi cable with all the midi messages merged to the same channel. It shouldn't be complicated and it shouldn't be expensive."

I think I replied to where he will now understand the purpose and need for the device [and that his description of the device, quoted above, was exactly right on] so I hope he will supply some details soon.