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As the owner of a (recently revived) ewi-usb… I’m really curious about the mouthpiece bit. What kind of analog sounds are happening while playing this? Do you n

As the owner of a (recently revived) ewi-usb… I’m really curious about the mouthpiece bit. What kind of analog sounds are happening while playing this? Do you notice that reed age, strength etc are as impactful as on a real saxophone? Do you feel a need to swap mouthpieces for different styles of playing? I love the idea and ingenuity to make this happen!

bwanab 4y ago
As a sax player who also plays a Roland Aerophone, I have a similar question. Is the mouthpiece a real sax mouthpiece and reed? If so, that means it's making a lot of noise. One of the main appeals of windsynths is that I can play at times when the people in my household (and neighborhood) don't really want to listen to it. That said, it's a cool project.
- javier_cardona 4y ago
  The sounds are synthed sounds (I used fluidsynth) and the haxophone just uses the sound pressure to infer velocity of the notes. The mouthpiece is optional: you can blow on the neck of the device and will get the exact same sound. But as a sax player, I really prefer to use it with a mouthpiece blowing through it but without making the reed vibrate (so no sound). I find that it helps me maintain proper embouchure and feels more comfortable. And after a solid practice session, I still get that gratifying tingling lower lip feeling. Thanks for the feedback! https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly.md#15-optionally-attach-a-mouthpiece-with-reed https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly....
  - code_runner 4y ago
    Very cool! Awesome project
- tgv 4y ago
  The design says that it measures air pressure. So it's just blowing into a tube, much like e.g. the Yamaha BC-1. I've got one, and in the demo video, I hear the same rapid changes in volume/pressure. I would guess it could benefit from having a small, adjustable opening (like the BC-1), which makes it a bit easier to control.
- polishdude20 4y ago
  Yeah and is the pressure sensor closed so you're actually not blowing but just increasing and decreasing pressure?
  - jcard0na 4y ago
    No, not really. There is sensing tube (which terminates on the sensor) and a venting tube (which lets the air flow through). This is the same technique used in other similar commercial instruments. You can see both tubes in the assembly instructions: https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly.md#13-connect-pipes-to-neck https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly....
    - polishdude20 4y ago
      Ahh that makes sense! So is this actually sensing a lower pressure than ambient? Since moving air results in lower pressure?
jefftk 4y ago
Reading the assembly instructions it's only an air pressure sensor. You can use a real mouthpiece with reed or not, but it won't make noise actually. It also won't detect anything you do with your mouth.
- willcipriano 4y ago
  Needs a reed sensor.
  - jefftk 4y ago
    If your goal is full fidelity, sure, but they're trying to make a cheap practice device. If you want the former you're probably better off just buying something commercial, at least an AKAI.
skybrian 4y ago
Looks like just a pressure sensor. You might be interested in the KontinuumLab channel, from a guy who has done EWI projects with more sensors. https://www.youtube.com/@KontinuumLAB https://www.youtube.com/@KontinuumLAB Most recently: https://youtu.be/1CXjADjIM1s https://youtu.be/1CXjADjIM1s

bwanab 4y ago

As a sax player who also plays a Roland Aerophone, I have a similar question. Is the mouthpiece a real sax mouthpiece and reed? If so, that means it's making a lot of noise. One of the main appeals of windsynths is that I can play at times when the people in my household (and neighborhood) don't really want to listen to it. That said, it's a cool project.

javier_cardona 4y ago
The sounds are synthed sounds (I used fluidsynth) and the haxophone just uses the sound pressure to infer velocity of the notes. The mouthpiece is optional: you can blow on the neck of the device and will get the exact same sound. But as a sax player, I really prefer to use it with a mouthpiece blowing through it but without making the reed vibrate (so no sound). I find that it helps me maintain proper embouchure and feels more comfortable. And after a solid practice session, I still get that gratifying tingling lower lip feeling. Thanks for the feedback! https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly.md#15-optionally-attach-a-mouthpiece-with-reed https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly....
- code_runner 4y ago
  Very cool! Awesome project
tgv 4y ago
The design says that it measures air pressure. So it's just blowing into a tube, much like e.g. the Yamaha BC-1. I've got one, and in the demo video, I hear the same rapid changes in volume/pressure. I would guess it could benefit from having a small, adjustable opening (like the BC-1), which makes it a bit easier to control.
polishdude20 4y ago
Yeah and is the pressure sensor closed so you're actually not blowing but just increasing and decreasing pressure?
- jcard0na 4y ago
  No, not really. There is sensing tube (which terminates on the sensor) and a venting tube (which lets the air flow through). This is the same technique used in other similar commercial instruments. You can see both tubes in the assembly instructions: https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly.md#13-connect-pipes-to-neck https://github.com/jcard0na/haxo-hw/blob/main/docs/assembly....
  - polishdude20 4y ago
    Ahh that makes sense! So is this actually sensing a lower pressure than ambient? Since moving air results in lower pressure?

jefftk 4y ago

Reading the assembly instructions it's only an air pressure sensor. You can use a real mouthpiece with reed or not, but it won't make noise actually. It also won't detect anything you do with your mouth.

willcipriano 4y ago
Needs a reed sensor.
- jefftk 4y ago
  If your goal is full fidelity, sure, but they're trying to make a cheap practice device. If you want the former you're probably better off just buying something commercial, at least an AKAI.

skybrian 4y ago

Looks like just a pressure sensor. You might be interested in the KontinuumLab channel, from a guy who has done EWI projects with more sensors. https://www.youtube.com/@KontinuumLAB https://www.youtube.com/@KontinuumLAB Most recently: https://youtu.be/1CXjADjIM1s https://youtu.be/1CXjADjIM1s