KVR Audio

stayne · Post by **stayne** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:29 pm

Found it:

mik_ie · Post by **mik_ie** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:56 pm

Hi all,

Great forum. Looking into getting a midi guitar at the moment and had almost decided to ebay myself a casio dg-20 when i stumbled on the ez-ag. Has anybody used both and if so which would you recommend? Also what do people use these guitar's for? I'm not much of a guitar player (mainly keys) but am interested in making electro/electronica tunes and would like a midi controller for recording synths/playing live...

Thanks!

- Mick

CapnLockheed · Post by **CapnLockheed** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:41 am

mik_ie wrote:Hi all,

Great forum. Looking into getting a midi guitar at the moment and had almost decided to ebay myself a casio dg-20 when i stumbled on the ez-ag. Has anybody used both and if so which would you recommend? Also what do people use these guitar's for? I'm not much of a guitar player (mainly keys) but am interested in making electro/electronica tunes and would like a midi controller for recording synths/playing live...

Thanks!

- Mick

Hrmn...well first off if you're more of a keyboard player
what do you need an EZ for that you can't accomplish with
a keyboard? As to which I would recommend...it depends on what
you want to use it for. I've played both but I own an EG.
I choose it for several reasons. 1) I feel it responds better
to flatpick playing. 2) It has a "whammy" bar. 3) It just
plain looks cooler. That being said many prefer the AG as
it responds better to finger picking. I use it in the studio
to record audio and midi and also to play softsynths. On
stage I use it mainly to drive hardware synths. If you want
more answers I suggest you take the time to read the entire
thread. There's a LOT of very good info on these pages.

Cheers.....CL

PaulG · Post by **PaulG** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:09 am

Hello,

How difficult is this to get used to playing? I've been playing "regular" guitar for 25 years and could really use a MIDI guitar solution for my soft synths and MIDI programming that doesn't require an external controller.

I also couldn't find that Yahoo group mentioned where you need to purchase the EZ-EG suite from. Is there any other place to purchase or obtain this?

Thank you very much, and Happy Holidays,

- Paul

NorthSouth · Post by **NorthSouth** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:31 am

I also couldn't find that Yahoo group mentioned where you need to purchase the EZ-EG suite from. Is there any other place to purchase or obtain this?

I don't think you will have much luck.
I've pm'd the developer 'mbncp' (Marc) recently, asking him if i could still get it as i bought a EG myself a few weeks ago.( willing to pay for it etc)
He read my PM about two weeks ago, so far no response

A couple of pages back in this same thread he wrote:

Anyway, those who are still interested to get the Suite for 30 € (I know...), can send me a mail or pm me to get a temporary link to order it until the 20th November 2006. Then the suite won't be available anymore ... life goes on.

So i think we are out of luck.....

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:36 am

Casio DG20's are what, 20 years old? Might break?

Took me 5 minutes to adjust to the ez guitars.

The suite helps, scroll back a few pages for the yahoo link, I forget what its called but "yahama ez" search of yahoo groups doesn't bring it up. Scroll back again to email(I think he said to)the creator of it, get it. There's free scripts too, with most plugins there's latency though. Not all. The free scripts work well on hardware, how could hardware have latency?

Markleford · Post by **Markleford** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:38 am

Well, my script app is still available at my site. Negligible latency problem on my system: then again, I'm usually stuck at 10ms through my vanilla soundcard, so my reflexes have adjusted appropriately.

- m

desrochers · Post by **desrochers** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:55 pm

CapnLockheed wrote: Please keep us posted on your experiments
with the Event Processor. I've been using a Yamaha MEP4
midi event processor which has greatly enhanced the EG's
usefullness but I feel like I've barely scratched the surface
of what I can do with it!

Necessity is the mother of invention. As a solo accompanyist, I really need this axe to do more. I am a software/firmware engineer by trade, so using my technical background to stretch my modest musical technique comes naturally. With the Event Processor and the EZ I feel I have an instrument that I can turn into just about whatever I want in terms of playing style.

The latest development is the arrival of my FCB-1010. I have built a completely new rule set for the Event Processor based on the foot board. All the program changes and volume settings are done on the FCB, so I have added new playing style filters. For one, I can now have note-off events when I let go of a fret button, just like in the local-on mode (or not, based on the position of Expression Pedal A). This has really helped tame the very sustainny organ sounds. Another filter allows me to have the lower guitar notes doubled an octave down (based on Expresison Pedal B). This lets me "dig down" into some good bass notes for a much richer piano style. I plan to further change the filter on the Exp B pedal to let me transition from an octave down through natural octave to an octave up. The result should let me cover most of the "piano" keyboard. Hope to have another sampler soon.

After two days with the FCB, it is now an integral part of my EZ-AG-Event-Processor-FCB hybrid "instrument". I now need a mechanical solution to make it more portable.

CapnLockheed · Post by **CapnLockheed** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 4:47 pm

Very inspiring!! I've been using a Yamaha MEP4 Event Processor
to achieve similar goals. I've just gotten an ART X-15 floor
controller to add more possibilities. As to portability, I've
got my stuff in several seperate racks so I can scale up or
down depending on the needs of the situation. What I would'nt
give for a pro-level EZ with more feature tho!!

Cheers......CL

AndrewSimon · Post by **AndrewSimon** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 7:31 pm

CapnLockheed wrote:What I would'nt
give for a pro-level EZ with more feature tho!!

Cheers......CL

If you don't mind the cost, there is a "pro" solution:

http://www.starrlabs.com/

desrochers · Post by **desrochers** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:27 pm

[quote="AndrewSimon

If you don't mind the cost, there is a "pro" solution:

[/quote]

The ZTars are very attractive, but out of my "volunteer church musician" range.

My setup cost:

Yamaha EZ-AG ~$200 (can be had refurb. for ~$160)
Event Processor from MIDI Solutions $179
Behringer FCB-1010 Foot Controller Board $149

For a total of less than $600 out the door, I have a resonable solution including a multi-timbral sound module in the EZ. A great answer to the needs of this "MIDI-frustrated" guitar player on a budget. I believe there is nothing even remotely close to the capabilities of this setup for even twice the money. (A ZTar would be $4x without the sound module.) The discovery of the EZ has had that profound an effect on my music!

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:23 pm

Wow you can use a pick on the high strings on an EZ-AG with the suite on. Big difference.

CapnLockheed · Post by **CapnLockheed** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:59 am

AndrewSimon wrote:
CapnLockheed wrote:What I would'nt
give for a pro-level EZ with more feature tho!!

Cheers......CL
If you don't mind the cost, there is a "pro" solution:

http://www.starrlabs.com/

I knew about Z-Tars for years before the EZ's came out
and of course I'd love one who would'nt? But that's just
more than I can afford to spend. I would have been perfectly
willing to spend a couple of hundred more for an EZ with
a few key pro features added. I'm fairly handy with a soldering iron so I'm thinking about getting a second EZ
to hack and mod.

Cheers.....CL

desrochers · Post by **desrochers** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:25 pm

CapnLockheed wrote:
AndrewSimon wrote:
CapnLockheed wrote:What I would'nt
give for a pro-level EZ with more feature tho!!

Cheers......CL
If you don't mind the cost, there is a "pro" solution:

http://www.starrlabs.com/

I knew about Z-Tars for years before the EZ's came out
and of course I'd love one who would'nt? But that's just
more than I can afford to spend. I would have been perfectly
willing to spend a couple of hundred more for an EZ with
a few key pro features added. I'm fairly handy with a soldering iron so I'm thinking about getting a second EZ
to hack and mod.

Cheers.....CL

I would also pay $500 for a "Pro" EZ. I have been curious also to see how the EZ could be modified "under the hood". The great thing I found, however, is that Yamaha exposes so much in the system exclusive messages that external message filtering can be quite rich (as evidenced by the success of the scripts and external event processing). As a programmer who has killed more electronics than he has helped with a soldering iron, I yield to the hardware folks....

CapnLockheed · Post by **CapnLockheed** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:42 pm

Most of my experience lies with analog circuits, guitars
tube amps, stompboxes and such but I'm willing to give it
a go.

I won't take a chance on it till I get my hands on a 2nd
one but the mods I can see adding are a keypad for program
change and various and sundry CC commands, a 1/4" audio
out jack(the EG is a 18"), and sturdier midi I/O jacks.
The midi jacks worry me they're a little loose to begin
with and I've heard some users have reported that they
failed.

Cheers....CL

The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread