The Yamaha EZ-EG Guitar Midi Controller Thread

[Candiman]

The trick, of course, is to create an entirely new programming interface behind it to make it translated text to these messages.

- m

That doesn't sound exceedingly simple at all.
How can I send sysex messages?
Any directions to point me in?

Thanks for the fast reply!

[Markleford]

That doesn't sound exceedingly simple at all.
How can I send sysex messages? Any directions to point me in?

Probably the best resource would be http://www.midiox.com. With that, you'll have to look in the EZ manual for its SysEx spec, but it should allow you to first send up some simple one-off messages to see how it's done. After that point, it's either up to you manually sending the messages required to light each 'pixel' on the fretboard, or learning some MIDI-OX script programming to do it automatically.

- m

[Maruuk]

The dealbreaker for me with this device is the fact that Yamaha crazily assigned multiple midi channels to different strings and if you're playing a mono midi instrument, fine, it takes all the crazy channels and just allows you to control the synth as if it was one channel. And it works pretty well like that. But many don't, so you get all kinds of missing strings. The solution is brutal: hooking up all these goofy midiox-type apps with very iffy and hopelessly complex interface buttons just to get the damned thing to output in mono. Note to mention you have to clean out the note-ons from hammering, which requires the special app. Ugh, waste of time. Reedickless. I'm selling.

[RunBeerRun]

Do you like pork

[Rod@1]

Hi I bought finally my EZ-AG !!!!

It took me 4 years to take a decision.(based on forum length !).

Second, sorry for my English but I have a question and I need help.

Pressing any key generates a minimun velocity of 16, how can I stop that?

The idea is to play pianissimo and control velocity from 0 to 127 with my right hand.

I'm using Logic 8, so as a partial solution I was able to set the minimum velocity amount to 17, BUT in that way I don't have any chance to play soft passages, all the notes start above 17 which is not good when I'm composing.

I don't know if the script developed for these great fellows is a solution for this. If it is, is not a solution for me because I am using a Mac. I tried to find a solution using MidiPipe (great little program for Mac users) but so far without results.

I've explored every corner of this little toy to see if I can get rid of this minimum velocity on the keys, but so far nothing. Probably I'm dreaming and this is not doable, and the only solution is to re(buy) one of those bad tracking and ghost notes generators made by Roland or the expensive version, the zTAR.

I would appreciate any commentary, suggestion, recommendation of how to generate the full range of velocities plucking the strings.

Thanks in advance.

Rod

[RunBeerRun]

The scripts do eliminate the low velocity fretted notes, but they only work on Windows.

You need some plugin that can filter out certain midi velocities. I know nothing about Mac software. I own a Yamaha MEP-4 midi event processor hardware unit, it can do that. Costs about $40-50 on Ebay.

[RunBeerRun]

Hey mac user, ndc makes midi plugs for both win and osx, is osx mac stuff?

Also insert piz here makes midi plugs for mac I know, check his large thread in the energyxt forum.

[Rod@1]

Thanks RunBeerRun

I have not had time to reply. Finally, I've found the solution, which is MidiPipe, great application. It's not a perfect solution, but a good one.

I hope that Yamaha is taking notes, and a professional version of the EZ-AG is on the design board.

Rod

[originalcliche]

Hey everyone this is my first post here and I've been reading through most of these 109 pages! However I didn't find out if any one is using this to control guitar vst's like RealGuitar or real strat and if so How does it sound? I'm mostly interested in using this to control guitar vst's like MOR or RealGuitar as the sound quality of those are amazing and better then what I can produce in my bedroom studio at the moment. I am wondering if the Ez AG or EG responds via midi in Logic to control these vst's, like a real guitar would. So like strumming notes properly voicing them and hammer on's and such. I know its not good for bends but I am looking to bascially strum this thing and trigger those guitar vst's and have it sound like a live acoustic or electric player. POssible?

[Markleford]

One might venture "possible", given some amount of MIDI mapping capability in your host and a published controller spec for these virtual guitar packages.

(As stands, we've done a whole lot more than the EZ's a capable out of the box with the script programs: it pretty much just takes an understanding of your target and just enough programming ability to do the mapping...)

- m

[originalcliche]

One might venture "possible", given some amount of MIDI mapping capability in your host and a published controller spec for these virtual guitar packages.

(As stands, we've done a whole lot more than the EZ's a capable out of the box with the script programs: it pretty much just takes an understanding of your target and just enough programming ability to do the mapping...)

- m

So your saying yes? or sayin no? Like out of the box if I plug it in via midi to my computer and play lets say an Amaj barre chord. Will it transpose the chord I played appropriatly voiced in the midi piano roll on a DAW?

[Markleford]

So your saying yes? or sayin no? Like out of the box if I plug it in via midi to my computer and play lets say an Amaj barre chord. Will it transpose the chord I played appropriatly voiced in the midi piano roll on a DAW?

Out of the box, you're likely to come up with some 'quirks'. Namely, it transmits one MIDI channel per string and the act of fretting a note will send a MIDI Note On message at low velocity with no matching Note Off message. This can be problematic to some virtual instruments, so it depends on how your virtual guitar of choice responds to it. That said, using one of the script apps (such as the one at my site, if you're on PC), can help you get around these simplest problems.

However, there are some more "special purpose" guitar idioms that will likely need specific programming to use to its fullest. For instance, your virtual guitar sampler of choice may have optional samples or keyswitches for hammer-on notes. A good translator will understand this and create the right MIDI messages to fully utilize this feature.

- m

[originalcliche]

Ah ok thanks man. I see. Well I'm o a mac so I guess ill try my luck. Worst comes to worst I'll sell it if it doesn't work out. I use logic and when you are working with vst's you can set the minimum velocity to say 30 or 40 on the channel strip so nothing will play unless you hit harder then that . I think that might elminate the problem. As long as it voices chords properly then im good.

[jdoggmasterflex]

Hello, All,

I had a quick question regarding internal sounds of the ez-ag. It seems that when I midi out to my keyboard, I can only play the 20 preset sounds of the ez-ag, however; when I switch the cable around to make the ez-ag receive midi, I can play nearly every instrument from my keyboard through the ez-ag's speaker. Is there a way to access these other internal sounds in to either play through the guitar's built in speaker? Or through the slave keyboard without sending it through a sequencer first? The manual had nothing to offer me.

Thanks in advance

[Markleford]

Is there a way to access these other internal sounds in to either play through the guitar's built in speaker? Or through the slave keyboard without sending it through a sequencer first? The manual had nothing to offer me.

You need to transmit a MIDI Program Change message to the EZ somehow, either through your sequencers or a keyboard or other hardware device.

-m