The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread

[CapnLockheed]

Hey everyone - I'm in the UK and I'm looking to get an EZ-EG, I've found a shop in the states that will ship one over for me. I'm a mac user but I use windows as well for FLstudio, and I would really like to use Mark's EZ-EG script for converting the sysex messages to midi note-on commands but the terrible internal midi routing of windows does nothing but annoy me. My first question is, can I use a midi cable loop to replace the midi yoke application, i.e. take the midi output of the EZ-guitar environment and loop it back into another midi port on my interface? My second question is, is there any mac equivalent of Marks program? And my third and final question is, is there any program or hardware that could take note-on commands of a particular velocity (i believe the fretted but unpicked notes on the EZ-EG are 14-velocity) and change the velocity etc. - some kind of midi filter application I guess.

Sorry about all the questions

Thanks everyone

Well, there is no Mac app...that being the case you might want
to look into a hardware solution. I play my EZ-EG live without
a computer and use a Yamaha MEP-4 event processor to enhance
its funtionality. The signal then drives several vintage Yamaha
synths..TX802,TX81Z and TX7. These old FM synths play very nicely with the EZ-EG and there are tons of free patches out
there for 'em. I understand others have gotten very good
results using Midi Solutions Event Processor. Hope this helps!

Cheers....CL

[Markleford]

can i do mute chords with this one?(thinkin of buyin the AG)

Depends on what you mean by 'mute chords'. If you mean differentiating between open and plam-muted playing, it really can't do it too well (if at all?), and probably not close enough to acceptable for the average guitar player.

Really, it's best to treat it as an entirely new instrument with new advantages and limitation.

- m

[Markleford]

My first question is, can I use a midi cable loop to replace the midi yoke application, i.e. take the midi output of the EZ-guitar environment and loop it back into another midi port on my interface?

Sure! You can direct output to any port, virtual or physical.

My second question is, is there any mac equivalent of Marks program?

Not so far as I know.

And my third and final question is, is there any program or hardware that could take note-on commands of a particular velocity (i believe the fretted but unpicked notes on the EZ-EG are 14-velocity) and change the velocity etc. - some kind of midi filter application I guess.

Some Mac sequencers have advanced filtering to allow this sort of thing. Otherwise, CapnLockheed has a pretty impressive all-hardware solution going.

- m

[_starcraft_]

can i do mute chords with this one?(thinkin of buyin the AG)

Depends on what you mean by 'mute chords'. If you mean differentiating between open and plam-muted playing, it really can't do it too well (if at all?), and probably not close enough to acceptable for the average guitar player.

Really, it's best to treat it as an entirely new instrument with new advantages and limitation.

- m

then i guess its not suitable for me.
i was after somethin to do those metal riffs.(with plety of palm mutin)
i would be happy if palm mutin would just chop the note short....i'm not expectin an accented note or anythin... just a chopped note in the squencer.
or stoppin the vibration of the chord dont do anythin?

[RunBeerRun]

By pressing the mute bar on an EZ-AG it mutes all notes that are currently ringing. On an EZ-EG you can mute each string seperately.

So you can get a start-stop thing going, chop up the rhythms but it just cuts the notes off, no modulations of any sort.

[Markleford]

i was after somethin to do those metal riffs.(with plety of palm mutin) i would be happy if palm mutin would just chop the note short....i'm not expectin an accented note or anythin... just a chopped note in the squencer.
or stoppin the vibration of the chord dont do anythin?

Well, it would pretty much depend on the sample set you used. If you used palm-muted samples, then sure it would work! But the output from the EZ itself is just MIDI notes. If you wanted to change between open chords and palm-muted notes, then I'm sure something could be coded to switch sample sets via a foot pedal.

However, if you're looking to simulate *real* guitar with the EZ? Best use a real guitar! After all, even if you get the open and palm-muted sample sets down, then you have to work in harmonics somehow, and then slides and scrapes and whatever other tricks you might pull out.

Of course, this all goes back to the sample set you use, and there are only a few of them that are heavily invested in the metal vocabulary. You might be better off researching those, first, to make sure there's something out there that can produce the sounds your after, regardless of input device.

- m

[loneguitarist]

Hey everyone - I'm in the UK and I'm looking to get an EZ-EG, I've found a shop in the states that will ship one over for me. I'm a mac user but I use windows as well for FLstudio, and I would really like to use Mark's EZ-EG script for converting the sysex messages to midi note-on commands but the terrible internal midi routing of windows does nothing but annoy me. My first question is, can I use a midi cable loop to replace the midi yoke application, i.e. take the midi output of the EZ-guitar environment and loop it back into another midi port on my interface? My second question is, is there any mac equivalent of Marks program? And my third and final question is, is there any program or hardware that could take note-on commands of a particular velocity (i believe the fretted but unpicked notes on the EZ-EG are 14-velocity) and change the velocity etc. - some kind of midi filter application I guess.

Sorry about all the questions

Thanks everyone

Well, there is no Mac app...that being the case you might want
to look into a hardware solution. I play my EZ-EG live without
a computer and use a Yamaha MEP-4 event processor to enhance
its funtionality. The signal then drives several vintage Yamaha
synths..TX802,TX81Z and TX7. These old FM synths play very nicely with the EZ-EG and there are tons of free patches out
there for 'em. I understand others have gotten very good
results using Midi Solutions Event Processor. Hope this helps!

Cheers....CL

So with your MEP-4, you can separate notes of different velocities out and change the velocity and send them to different sources etc. - or am I getting this wrong completely?

A software solution that did the same sort of thing would be fantastic but some people have said that some sequencer apps have that functionality - and I can always just set the velocity sensetivity of whatever synth I end up using to 0, so all notes come out at the standard volume.

Thanks very much everyone

[CapnLockheed]

I'm not entirely sure if the MEP4 can do that....I've never used it for that but I would'nt be suprised if it could.
It can damn near tie your shoes for you! Its a very deep
and powerful box. If you'd like to know more about it here's
a link to the manual:

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi ... /MEP4E.PDF

Cheers.....CL

[RunBeerRun]

My EZ-EG that I bought last June stopped producing MIDI out! It would work intermittently.

Under warranty for parts, shipped it back to Yamaha. They got a new one from Japan for me for free. Sent me back my old one. Then they said they'd pay UPS to come to my door to get the old one, and then mail me the new one they were supposed to send. UPS doesn't come, 5 days later I get them to email me a UPS label, prepaid.

I'm surprised this "broke", it's been used very gently. At any rate I should have another go with a new one for free. My EZ-AG still works fine.

[Markleford]

Uht-oh, time to buy multiple units and store them in mothballs!

- m

[guichard]

I had the same problem and it never did leave my home. I returned it to the store I bought it from for a full refund. Apparently the midi out is very fragile.


[

[CapnLockheed]

Yeah, I'm worried about mine....seems a little
loose. If it goes out on me I believe I'm going
to frankenstein it...more robust I/O jacks,
1/4" out for onboard sounds..etc. I recently
got hold of the schematic and I'm looking at
other mods as well...for instance, the Casio
DG-20 has a switch that takes midi out from
ch 1-6,(like the EZ's), and merges it all to
single channel. It would also be nice to able
to access ALL of the onboard sounds and play
them.

Cheers.....CL

[Markleford]

I suppose one thing keeping mine alive is the fact that the plug *into* the EZ always remains connected: I unplug the end that goes into my USB device instead.

- m

[RunBeerRun]

Got my new EZ-EG, it works great.

I always babied my old one(which I bought new), especially when removing the MIDI cable from the MIDI out jack, which I thought could easily get loose.

Oh well.....They have a new Ztar for $1400 list, maybe like $1100 actual price? I'm not about to buy one, but at least the pricing is getting more realistic.

[CapnLockheed]

Got my new EZ-EG, it works great.

I always babied my old one(which I bought new), especially when removing the MIDI cable from the MIDI out jack, which I thought could easily get loose.

Oh well.....They have a new Ztar for $1400 list, maybe like $1100 actual price? I'm not about to buy one, but at least the pricing is getting more realistic.

Yeah, the pricing is better on the new Ztar but it looks
like you've got to play the damn thing standing up...unless
its got one of those pop-out lap bars like Steinberger guitars.
In any case its kinda fugly!

Cheers......CL