Question about how this synthesizer works.

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ironpony
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16 Dec 2020, 12:18 am

If any experts happen to know, was wondering, is this synthesizer that the guy is playing in the video, making pure synth sounds of a clarinet, or does the instrument play back recorded samples of a real clarinet? If you know?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PfZXnZivvk

I was thinking of getting the synth instrument, but not sure if it plays back recorded samples of real instruments, or just pure synth mimicing sounds, and so far am not able to ascertain that, if anyone knows?



Cornflake
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16 Dec 2020, 9:30 am

The description under the video says in part (my emphasis) "I'm playing an Akai EWI 5000, using clarinet samples" - so what you're hearing are real clarinet sounds manipulated by the Akai EWI 5000.
That device's description page has information on how it works so given the right samples, it could sound like a trumpet, a recorder, or pretty much anything else (although playing a piano via a wind instrument might take some doing :lol: ).


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Fnord
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16 Dec 2020, 9:30 am

You need to ask the manufacturer, not us.



ironpony
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16 Dec 2020, 1:21 pm

Oh okay that's really neat if it can play back real samples. I thought that if you did that there would be a delay to compute the samples from hitting note to note. It's neat that can be done in real time.



madbutnotmad
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16 Dec 2020, 1:44 pm

Akai as well as a number of other manufacturers have made electronic wind instruments / wind controllers for quiet some time. Bit of a niche market.

Akai EWI500 Wireless Electronic Wind Instrument

If you follow the link above, you can read the overview, features and spec information.
It has 3GB of built in virtual instruments, sample based sound library played through the built in Akai sampler (sample based Synthesizer / virtual instrument/s).

A few years ago, Akai were the industry standard for hardware samplers, as well as Music Production Centres (as used by loads of hip hop creators), during the 80s and 90s, you would find it hard to find a pro studio that didn't have an Akai
sampler in.

Akai samplers are very sophistical and can be used like a synthesizer but instead of using analogue components to generate the starting tones, they use digital sound samples of your choice, either from recording your own or from an imported library.

The Akai Wind controller above comes with software that you can use to edit your instruments.
And includes powerful synthesis features.

The EWI500 also has a built in Midi output, so you can potentially plug it into any MIDI device that has a MIDI input built in, almost all modern hardware synths and samplers have inputs built in MIDI inputs.

Having a midi input and output will also allow you to connect the EWI500 to a computer MIDI interface (or audio interface that has a MIDI interface built in) so that you can then record the MIDI data that is sent when you play the EWI500, but also potentially, used to trigger the tone generator / sample built in the EWI500, if you want to record your recorded MIDI performances using the computer music software (DAW) to trigger the sounds from the EWI500
while you record the audio coming out of the built in sampler tone generator built in the EWI500.

With Midi, you can also connect the EWI500 to a computer so you can edit the sounds on board the EWI500
but also you can use the EWI500 to trigger any software based virtual instruments, synthesizers or samplers,
and potentially, if you are using software like Logic, you may also be able to use the midi controller built into the EWI500 to do other fancy things such as trigger events in the sequencer, trigger lights etc.

All down to what you want to do.



madbutnotmad
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16 Dec 2020, 1:45 pm

ironpony wrote:
Oh okay that's really neat if it can play back real samples. I thought that if you did that there would be a delay to compute the samples from hitting note to note. It's neat that can be done in real time.


These days there is very low latency with MIDI over USB and more modern midi interfaces.



madbutnotmad
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16 Dec 2020, 1:52 pm

Akai Range of wind controllers
Akai actually do a bigger range of Wind Controllers.

Yamaha also do one.
Yamaha WX5

Roland make one too!
roland AE-10

Out of interest, I used to have a Korg Prophecy, the first physical modelling synth ever to have been released.
Interesting instrument, remember it had an excellent muted trumpet sound, especially nice when played through
a decent reverb.

Capable of really mad psychedelic trippy synth sounds too.
And very space age looking.

Korg Prophecy



ironpony
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16 Dec 2020, 3:34 pm

Oh okay thanks. Yes I know they have been around for quite some time, but I assume that they always produced synth sounds, and never samples of real instruments. I feel the whole ball game has changed now, if they are now using samples of real instruments.