Wind Controllers, Artemis Update, Eurorack Drones: Synth Journal
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Wind Controllers, Artemis Update, Eurorack Drones: Synth Journal · Source: Crows Electromusic
Ever wanted to learn how to play wind controllers like the AKAI EWI? This excellent tutorial from the 80s has got you covered! Also in this week’s edition of Synth Journal: The awesome Dreadbox Artemis analog synth gets a firmware update, and a drone synth turns into a Eurorack module.
Synth Journal
Learn to Play Wind Controllers like it’s 1987
Electronic wind instruments—synths you control with your breath like a flute, saxophone, or trumpet—have always remained the weird kids on the block despite their amazing expressive possibilities. If even the keytar never really made it into the mainstream, wind controllers didn’t stand a chance. Synths that made use of their expressive capabilities remained rarities, as well.
So it came as a surprise when Erica Synths announced the delightfully unconventional Steampipe physical modeling synth at Superbooth 23. Hardly anyone would have expected a synth meant to be played using wind controllers from Erica. Does this mean that wind synthesis is finally having its big break? We’re not sure, but if it is, it’s probably best to be prepared and start practicing. And that’s where this 1987 video from AKAI Professional comes in.
Originally released on VHS and now restored and re-released on YouTube, this excellent 40+ minute tutorial on wind controllers teaches you everything you need to know about playing AKAI’s iconic EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument) and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), as well as the equally amazing EWV2000 analog synth released around the same time. And even if you’re not ready to get into wind controllers yourself just yet, watching Sam Zambito and J.R. Krisanda use them to their fullest expressive potential is a treat in and of itself—plenty of retro vibes included.
The EWI has comfortably lived in its small niche since 1987, and AKAI still makes them. The current models are the EWI Solo and EWI5000, both of which come with onboard sounds but also work as MIDI wind controllers. You can get them at Thomann*.
Roland’s Aerophone range is another alternative. These electronic wind instruments use saxophone fingering, but can also be configured to resemble a flute, clarinet, or recorder. The various Aerophones are also available at Thomann*.
Dreadbox Artemis Firmware Update 1.1
Dreadbox has released a firmware update for the Artemis analog polysynth. The new version includes a bunch of features requested by users, such as the ability to initialize presets. In addition, the Dreadbox Artemis gets improved drive mode curves with more consistent output levels across the four modes.
Other new features of the Dreadbox Artemis update include better preset management, saving, and renaming, a new catch mode for the knobs (in addition to the already available jump and scale modes), delay BPM sync, and MIDI improvements, among many other smaller improvements and bug fixes.
The Deadbox Artemis update is now available for download from the manufacturer’s website.
The Dreadbox Artemis is available at Thomann*.
Crows Electromusic OVUM for Eurorack: 5-Oscillator Drone Synth
Crows Electromusic from Canada has turned the OVUM drone synthesizer into a Eurorack module. And as you can also use it as a versatile modulation source, this makes a lot of sense.
Like the standalone version, OVUM for Eurorack offers five analog triangle-core oscillators, each with controls for pitch, level, and wave shape. Each oscillator also has its own output, with the first four being normalled to the main output, allowing for interesting combinations. You can use them as five audio rate oscillators to create a wide spectrum of drones and textures.
However, as each oscillator also offers a switch that turns it into an LFO, OVUM for Eurorack is also a versatile modulation source. It can be set up as five audio-rate oscillators, five LFOs, or any combination of the two. Nice!
OVUM for Eurorack is hand-built in Canada and available via the manufacturer’s website for $149 (USD).
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