breath controller

[jacko]

anyway ...

i wanted to make a diy midi breath controller for wind-instrument-vsts

found these instructions (there are a few others out there) ...

USB MIDI Breath Controller

This device is designed to work as a cheap plug-and-play USB breath controller, inspired by Yamaha BC3, which is discontinued and doesn't work with computers out of the box. Intended use: Connect this controller and any midi keyboard to your computer. Route the inputs in your favourite DAW and open a breath-controller compatible VST plugin such as SWAM's, which simulate expressive and well-articulated wind instruments combining the inputs from the keyboard and the breath controller. Demo songs in the video in details.

after much reading (including eDRUMin manual and audiofront forums) and thinking, i thought i might be able to simply solder the sensor to a trs cable/connector and use the second hi hat input on my eDRUMin10 instead of buying an arduino chip / card etc

so i did and it works - i have a MIDI breath controller. commercial ones are ridiculously priced. i might dedicate my unused eDRUMin4 for this to simplify plugging and unplugging stuff (for my studio set up)

I'm using the swam apps on iPad if anyone's curious, together with an arturia keystep 32

eDRUMin - the choice of e-drummers and horn players the world over

thanks Rob

[Rob]

Probably wouldn't work on ED10R1, or ED4R1, but good to know. My MIDI Expression line also support rotary encoders, and soft pots, too.

[jacko]

both my ED10 and my ED4 are R1 and the good news is that it works with both

advantage with my ED4 is that it draws less power from the ipad so I don't have to use external power to the ED (the ipad is also powering the keystep and that combined with the ED10 is too much without using external power for one of them)

My MIDI Expression line also support rotary encoders, and soft pots, too.

yeah - having the idea of buying a midi expression unit instead of an arduino card/chip was the first step leading me to using the eDRUMin

[mrmbira]

hi jacko, this breath controller is interesting and I would like to try to make one like you did to use with eDRUMin. Can you tell me which pin gets wire to where on the TRS jack or cable? thanks, Mbira

[jacko]

Hey mate. i solder about once a decade so i can't remember. there's a diagram on that web page (and in the manual of the breath sensor which you can find online) that shows which pin is 5v, which one is earth, and which is the other one (whatever that is). from there i just used google and i think i checked the wiring diagrams in the back of the eDRUMin manual. sorry I'm not more help but I'm an electronics ignoramus and got it right first time so you should work it out ok

[mrmbira]

Jacko, Sorry to bother you again, but I haven't been able to find any manual with wiring info anywhere on google. Do you happen to have a link to it? thankyou, Mbira

[jacko]

Hey mate. in the link in my initial post above, scroll down. it's the diagram with "notice the notch" written in the image

[mrmbira]

thanks Jacko, I did see that diagram but unfortunately it does not indicate which of those pins connects to tip, ring, and sheath on the TRS plug. I don't know if there is any danger of hurting the edrumin if it is wired wrong?
I am interested in knowing how you control a keyboard from the hihat controller on edrumin? Or what do you control with it, just the hihat? thanks again, Mbira

[Rob]

The sleeve should be ground, the other two pins are reversible, but typically the sensor would get 3.3v from the ring and the output of the sensor should be connected to the tip.

The breath controller will output a CC and you can use that CC to control pretty much anything.

[jacko]

thanks rob

mrmbira, i really don't know what i can add to Rob's post and to what I've said in my previous posts

good luck with it