IDK why my comments keep getting deleted, but most people here have covered most of what I tried suggest anyway. I am working on something similar, using computer keycaps. I only have 5 "note" buttons though, and they go through a scale in a binary fashion, where the first button goes up one note, the second goes two notes higher, and the third 4 notes. The last two buttons add one and two octaves, respectively. I also added a 12 position rotary switch down the bottom that moves through the scales on the circle of 5ths, and a button to change musical modes of the scales. One other thing I added was an ADXL345 accelerometer, which gives a cc message as you tilt upwards front to back, and does a pitch bend as you tilt around the EWI's axis.
@@xavierdumont Thanks! I was trying to link it before, but I assume that was why my messages kept getting deleted so I didn't mention it in that message. As you can see with the prolapsed electronics, it's still very work in progress. Teensy 3.2 on it. I was going to go to a feather ESP32-S3 for bluetooth, but some of your and other's comments here are starting to make me think about a teensy 4.1 AND the feather. Then it's starting to morph into a much larger project though, so I will probably leave my first one as-is. Your design is much more complete, and actually did a lot of the things I was thinking of doing next. I can see you thought through a lot of the same things I've been thinking through. On the ergonomics side, one other thing I was thinking of was adding a rubber or velcro strap over one hand.
@@shonkydonkey I thought of the velcro strap too. I'm a bit hesitant because I feel like 3D printed PLA would eventually break. Somewhere there is a compromise to be made between grip ergonomics and freedom of movement in the fingers. Also, if space is an issue, the Teensy 4 is a great compact option. I'll definitely have to look into incorporating that with the ESP 32. Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing future updates!
I think the teensy is closer to 1000 times faster! It also has pads on the back for USB data, so you can put USB-B on your PCB and connect to teensy with pogo pins.
Thanks for sharing! I'm into building one later this Summer. I have been waiting to find a good breath controller for a long time and this looks like a fun project. I've used to having good dynamic expression on theremin and the accordion and getting it to keyboard has been a longing for me. You can do for example a shaking sound with it where the vibration speed alters by time.
One thing I thought, for people who want to use this only to send CC values (and not notes), it might be useful to be able to use some of the "note" keys as shift keys instead, so you could change the CC values on the fly of the air sensor and the soft pot without having to stop and menu dive. For instance you could start with the soft pot sending pitch bend, but then hold down a button to shift it to send volume instead, or mod wheel, or some other useful CC like filter, pan, effect depth, etc. Same for the breath sensor. This is a very cool project, super impressive!
Very nicely done! I've been intending to make a faux woodwind device for several years, though other projects have taken precedence. I definitely second the recommendation of Teensy boards; between the speed and the mature library support they're a great move from the ATMega-based Arduinos. I believe that there are, out in the world, panel-mount USB-B connectors with a short cable to connect to a USB Micro jack; one of those would both get you a larger and more sturdy connection and relieve strain on the microcontroller board. If you can't find one of those, I know I've more recently seen breakout boards that would let you hook up wires to both a USB Micro plug and a USB-B jack.
Thanks! I'm working on a new version that will have a hot-swappable motherboard with different versions on MUCs. Arduino, Teensy, ESP32 (for the WiFi and BLE capabilities). I think it'll be a more complete approach.
The synth is Massive! Yes, that's a Nord behind me but it's an Electro 2, which doesn't have a synth like other Nord keyboards do. Love the organ on that thing, though, I use it all the time.
Swap over to one of Adafruit's Feather boards that have built-in battery connector and charging via the USB port. Something like the Feather ESP32-S3 is a bit overkill, but it would also let you add Bluetooth MIDI (and rtpMIDI over WiFi, if you wanted). USB C is much more stable than mini-b, too.
That's a great idea, it would really take away the hassle of integrating a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chip with the Teensy. The only downside I see is that it seems like ESP32s tend to have fewer IO pins than on the Micro (as far as I've seen), and since I'm already pretty much maxed out, I would probably need some shift registers to accommodate for the button matrix, which might take up space on the board. But it's an interesting avenue for sure! Thanks for the suggestion.
It would be nice if you could get one more row on the pad, so you can play with all 10 fingers at once without having to do some non-ergonomic finger crossing stuff or holding it at a weird angle.
The main reason it only has 7 columns is that I'm using the free version of Fusion360 and maxed out the PCB area... But it ended up working decently, because in scale mode all the octaves line up and in chromatic mode, you get fifths across each column so it's quite intuitive.
Do you know KontinuumLAB? They've been building breath controlled midi controllers and instruments from quite some time. I think you can borrow some of their ideas, look up them up on youtube
There's a special type of USB-B made for ruggedized environments, the plastic is orange and in my experience it holds exceptionally well. But most USB connectors are a bit flimsy anyway, MIDI would probably by the most reliable.
Yes, it would be a good solution. The only downside is that all the models I've found have fewer IO pins than the Micro, and since I'm already almost maxed out, that means I would need to use shift registers, which might take up a lot of space on the board.
@@xavierdumont 🤔Use two esp32 chips and split the load, with only one doing the networking? With that many cores you could probably even have an onboard synth for when you didn't want to use an external device to render the midi, just send the audio out over bluetooth to earbuds.
Have them communicate via serial ports? If I did that actually I might keep th Teensy as the 'main' MC to since it's quite powerful. That might be a really good solution actually! I definitely have to look into it
@@xavierdumont You mean the actual orchestral versions (rather than that making of video for DT - PA)? They were fantastic! This is devastating (and the only reason I subscribed to or watched your channel). Born in a Mourning Hall, Nightfall, the Hansi Kürsch style tribute (mainly And Then There Was Silence I think), Ghost of Perdition and The Drapery Falls were so great! T_T
Thanks, I really appreciate your comment, it means a lot! I just don't know if I have it in me to do any more, I can't make guarantees but right now I'm focusing my own compositions rather than piggy-backing on other people's work. I might finish Panick Attack but I don't think I'll be making a play-by-play video.
@@xavierdumont Wasn't the play-by-play what you did make? Well the completed versions are all I really cared about, not so much the making of, even though that is still to some degree interesting to me.
@@xavierdumont I'll also note that while they make take a long time and a lot of effort to make, you said they didn't really perform well, but the videos I am specifying are your 1st, 2nd (actually I didn't mention DT-DoE before) 5th, 7th and 11th highest performers (oh other than the fantasy on Hansi Kürsch) and you don't have 1000 subscribers yet, so it's not like you were making ad revenue from any yet. I suppose it's just an effort:views received issue where you feel you need far more views to justify the effort. I think you mainly just need more exposure. I am sure that Opeth, Blind Guardian and Dream Theater tracks should be popular with the fanbases for those if they can get more exposure.
IDK why my comments keep getting deleted, but most people here have covered most of what I tried suggest anyway.
I am working on something similar, using computer keycaps. I only have 5 "note" buttons though, and they go through a scale in a binary fashion, where the first button goes up one note, the second goes two notes higher, and the third 4 notes. The last two buttons add one and two octaves, respectively.
I also added a 12 position rotary switch down the bottom that moves through the scales on the circle of 5ths, and a button to change musical modes of the scales.
One other thing I added was an ADXL345 accelerometer, which gives a cc message as you tilt upwards front to back, and does a pitch bend as you tilt around the EWI's axis.
Hey, I just looked at your vids. Looks awesome, I love the simplicity of it! It's a great design, congrats!
@@xavierdumont Thanks! I was trying to link it before, but I assume that was why my messages kept getting deleted so I didn't mention it in that message. As you can see with the prolapsed electronics, it's still very work in progress. Teensy 3.2 on it. I was going to go to a feather ESP32-S3 for bluetooth, but some of your and other's comments here are starting to make me think about a teensy 4.1 AND the feather. Then it's starting to morph into a much larger project though, so I will probably leave my first one as-is.
Your design is much more complete, and actually did a lot of the things I was thinking of doing next. I can see you thought through a lot of the same things I've been thinking through.
On the ergonomics side, one other thing I was thinking of was adding a rubber or velcro strap over one hand.
@@shonkydonkey I thought of the velcro strap too. I'm a bit hesitant because I feel like 3D printed PLA would eventually break. Somewhere there is a compromise to be made between grip ergonomics and freedom of movement in the fingers.
Also, if space is an issue, the Teensy 4 is a great compact option. I'll definitely have to look into incorporating that with the ESP 32.
Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing future updates!
I think the teensy is closer to 1000 times faster! It also has pads on the back for USB data, so you can put USB-B on your PCB and connect to teensy with pogo pins.
Thanks, that's the plan for the next iteration. Also maybe add wifi capabilities. Who knows!
Thanks for sharing! I'm into building one later this Summer. I have been waiting to find a good breath controller for a long time and this looks like a fun project. I've used to having good dynamic expression on theremin and the accordion and getting it to keyboard has been a longing for me. You can do for example a shaking sound with it where the vibration speed alters by time.
One thing I thought, for people who want to use this only to send CC values (and not notes), it might be useful to be able to use some of the "note" keys as shift keys instead, so you could change the CC values on the fly of the air sensor and the soft pot without having to stop and menu dive. For instance you could start with the soft pot sending pitch bend, but then hold down a button to shift it to send volume instead, or mod wheel, or some other useful CC like filter, pan, effect depth, etc. Same for the breath sensor.
This is a very cool project, super impressive!
Thanks for your comment! That's an awesome suggestion, I'll look into it
I used to store my hundreds of .midi files on floppy disks when I was a kid. This makes me unbelievably delighted.
I love floppies but they could be such a pain to use. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Very nicely done! I've been intending to make a faux woodwind device for several years, though other projects have taken precedence. I definitely second the recommendation of Teensy boards; between the speed and the mature library support they're a great move from the ATMega-based Arduinos.
I believe that there are, out in the world, panel-mount USB-B connectors with a short cable to connect to a USB Micro jack; one of those would both get you a larger and more sturdy connection and relieve strain on the microcontroller board. If you can't find one of those, I know I've more recently seen breakout boards that would let you hook up wires to both a USB Micro plug and a USB-B jack.
Thanks! I'm working on a new version that will have a hot-swappable motherboard with different versions on MUCs. Arduino, Teensy, ESP32 (for the WiFi and BLE capabilities). I think it'll be a more complete approach.
Nice, man! Thank you for the open source!
Cheers! V2 should be up in a couple of weeks/months
BTW I bought teensy 4.0 recently for order to create sax practice instrument, aerophone-like
@@stepangreenberg8429 nice, let me know how it goes
Very creative, I love it!
Thank you!!
Thats so awesome man! big props
Thank you!!
Damn, busted out Rite of Spring. Great job with this! What synth are you triggering in the demos? Is that a Nord?
The synth is Massive! Yes, that's a Nord behind me but it's an Electro 2, which doesn't have a synth like other Nord keyboards do. Love the organ on that thing, though, I use it all the time.
@@xavierdumont Thanks! Beautiful sound. I didn’t even realize it’s a vst. Both the lead and pad are so appropriate for this controller. Well done.
Swap over to one of Adafruit's Feather boards that have built-in battery connector and charging via the USB port. Something like the Feather ESP32-S3 is a bit overkill, but it would also let you add Bluetooth MIDI (and rtpMIDI over WiFi, if you wanted). USB C is much more stable than mini-b, too.
That's a great idea, it would really take away the hassle of integrating a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chip with the Teensy. The only downside I see is that it seems like ESP32s tend to have fewer IO pins than on the Micro (as far as I've seen), and since I'm already pretty much maxed out, I would probably need some shift registers to accommodate for the button matrix, which might take up space on the board. But it's an interesting avenue for sure! Thanks for the suggestion.
I'll try to do this, it's awesome
I think you might be able to reduce button noises most effectively by damping vibrations of the PCB and the case.
Yea that's a good lead! I also found some silicon button actuators
Nice work, well done!
Thank you!
OMG rite of spring
Hehehe yes :)
It would be nice if you could get one more row on the pad, so you can play with all 10 fingers at once without having to do some non-ergonomic finger crossing stuff or holding it at a weird angle.
The main reason it only has 7 columns is that I'm using the free version of Fusion360 and maxed out the PCB area... But it ended up working decently, because in scale mode all the octaves line up and in chromatic mode, you get fifths across each column so it's quite intuitive.
@@xavierdumont ah, that makes sense. Fair enough!
That's awesome!!!!
Merci!!
You can get silent switches, they are kind of hard to search for because of mechanical keyboards popularity.
Yea, every time I tried to search for them I ended up with a bunch of mechanical keyboard results. I'll try to dig deeper, thanks!
Do you know KontinuumLAB? They've been building breath controlled midi controllers and instruments from quite some time. I think you can borrow some of their ideas, look up them up on youtube
I just checked it out, they have some really great ideas. I love the bendy mouthpiece
Maybe if you print the buttons with TPU they stop clicking so loud
Really great job, I love quirky midi controllers is it a controller that you might produce to sell? or even swap?.....
Maybe if there is enough demand I might make a small batch and sell it! But no guarantees for now :)
@@xavierdumont Add me to your waitlist! A DIY kit would be cool too!
Duely noted!
This is so cool. Since there is only one tube, does the air not exit the instrument like a traditionally wind instrument?
That's right. You don't really blow into it, you just create air pressure with your mouth
Would a Venturi flow rate system work? Or would it make the apparatus too large
I find USB type B horrible. It looks as if it won't let go really easily but it does. This is just from experience with portable hard drives.
There's a special type of USB-B made for ruggedized environments, the plastic is orange and in my experience it holds exceptionally well. But most USB connectors are a bit flimsy anyway, MIDI would probably by the most reliable.
How about stylophone contact panels instead of buttons?
Oh that could be fun!
Would using an ESP32 let you go wireless via *MIDI over IP* ?
Yes, it would be a good solution. The only downside is that all the models I've found have fewer IO pins than the Micro, and since I'm already almost maxed out, that means I would need to use shift registers, which might take up a lot of space on the board.
@@xavierdumont 🤔Use two esp32 chips and split the load, with only one doing the networking? With that many cores you could probably even have an onboard synth for when you didn't want to use an external device to render the midi, just send the audio out over bluetooth to earbuds.
Have them communicate via serial ports? If I did that actually I might keep th Teensy as the 'main' MC to since it's quite powerful. That might be a really good solution actually! I definitely have to look into it
@@xavierdumont Yes that would work and the ESP32 can be your synth when not sending midi to other devices, or do both if there is a use case for that.
Panic Attack upload when?
I don't think I'll be making any more in that series, it took a really long time and it flopped completely, unfortunately
@@xavierdumont You mean the actual orchestral versions (rather than that making of video for DT - PA)? They were fantastic! This is devastating (and the only reason I subscribed to or watched your channel).
Born in a Mourning Hall, Nightfall, the Hansi Kürsch style tribute (mainly And Then There Was Silence I think), Ghost of Perdition and The Drapery Falls were so great! T_T
Thanks, I really appreciate your comment, it means a lot! I just don't know if I have it in me to do any more, I can't make guarantees but right now I'm focusing my own compositions rather than piggy-backing on other people's work. I might finish Panick Attack but I don't think I'll be making a play-by-play video.
@@xavierdumont Wasn't the play-by-play what you did make?
Well the completed versions are all I really cared about, not so much the making of, even though that is still to some degree interesting to me.
@@xavierdumont I'll also note that while they make take a long time and a lot of effort to make, you said they didn't really perform well, but the videos I am specifying are your 1st, 2nd (actually I didn't mention DT-DoE before) 5th, 7th and 11th highest performers (oh other than the fantasy on Hansi Kürsch) and you don't have 1000 subscribers yet, so it's not like you were making ad revenue from any yet.
I suppose it's just an effort:views received issue where you feel you need far more views to justify the effort.
I think you mainly just need more exposure. I am sure that Opeth, Blind Guardian and Dream Theater tracks should be popular with the fanbases for those if they can get more exposure.
Weird way to do a video about a musical instrument.. to leave the MOST important bit to the last.