Hi!

Why Yamaha stopped manufacture the BC3?

nexus_one - 15 September 2011 01:14 PM

Hi!

Why Yamaha stopped manufacture the BC3?

I didn’t realize they did, but I wondered why they took the breath input off the XF.  I believe it was on the XS (never owned one) and several of the other models.  It is on my EX5 from 1999 and really helps with expression - especially on those VL voices, but is nice to have even on AWM/sample playback voices.

I’m still very pleased with the XF.  There are numerous expressive controls on this machine.

mikeys - 15 September 2011 02:09 PM

nexus_one - 15 September 2011 01:14 PM

Hi!

Why Yamaha stopped manufacture the BC3?

I didn’t realize they did, but I wondered why they took the breath input off the XF.  I believe it was on the XS (never owned one) and several of the other models.  It is on my EX5 from 1999 and really helps with expression - especially on those VL voices, but is nice to have even on AWM/sample playback voices.

I’m still very pleased with the XF.  There are numerous expressive controls on this machine.

In my MOX6 is Assignable Input to connect analog controllers, a breath controller as well. In utility I have an option to choose ‘breath controller (BC)’. As soon as I connect the breath controller via mini to big jack adapter this should be work. I need to play sax and woodwind presets. I’m not sure if Yamaha FC7 controller will works as good as BC3. I mean with the same nuances as real sax/woodwind.

Hey there MOX fans,
Has anyone been able to get a breath controller to work?
I have a BC1 leftover from my DX7 days and would love to get it happening on the horn patches. I have it active on the utility menu, but nothing is happening. Any hints would be appreciated.
I’m using a stereo 1/8 to 1/4 adapter to connect to the assignable input

SB

I too would like to know if there are any problems using a Breath Controller on the MOX.

I was not aware that the BC could be used on the MoX, now I am very interested!  Will keep tuned to this topic…

The Breath Controller came out in the early 1980’s (pre-MIDI) as a control device for the line of Yamaha analog Control Synths (As best as I can recall the “CS01” used the BC1). One, of course, came with the DX7 and with the KX88, so it was kind of a staple in the 1980’s. In the following 30 years, it remained a favorite of a dedicated small niche of synth players.

You can officially list the BC era as lasting from 1981/2 through 2011… if you did not get on board in that time you might have missed it.

The MO-X like most present day synthesizers can respond to cc002. Yes Breath Control made it to the list of MIDI controllers back in 1982/3 when the MIDI spec was being written. Great potential was envisioned for the alternate controller.

The potential was met in 1993/4 when the VL (Virtual Lead) synthesizer was introduced. The technology Virtual Acoustic Synthesis was based on pure mathematical calculations and rewarded breath input with extremely realistic musical results.

Breath control of sampled recordings is no where’s near a rewarding experience - because with samples too much of the behavior is built-in to the recorded audio sample. With the Physical Modeling technology of VL (or with analog or FM for that matter) you have more influence on the result.

If I had to rank the musical responsiveness of the technologies I’d say VA/S (VL), FM, Analog… I’d say the least responsive to breath controller would be sample-playback.

Plugging a Breath Controller into an adapter and plugging it into the Foot Controller jack… let me see, I have hundreds of funny things that come to mind… Foot-in-mouth jokes, etc.

But let’s just say that this will not work.

Just because you’ve adapt the 1/8” mini jack to a 1/4” jack does not take care of what needs to happen. I’m quite sure the voltage - yes there is measurable amounts of electron movement involved in all of this :) - I don’t have the spec’s but the voltage involved in the FC is bound to be very different from that used in interpreting the voltage swing generated by the BC.

Sure they both work on a scale of 0-127 (in MIDI a lot of things do), but the voltage swing in a Foot Controller might be several volts, and the swing in Breath Control might be measured in millivolts.

You cannot just put an adapter on the jack - if that where the case why would Yamaha have had a special BC jack on so many products over the past 30 years?

Breath Control is still a standard MIDI control. And the MO-X like hundreds of other products can respond to a cc002 message, You can assign this message to any number of parameters within the MO-X.

Currently the only way (that I know of) to use a Breath Controller connected to a MO-X is via the “MIDI SOLUTIONS - Breath Controller” - which works via MIDI.