Re: EWI looping by Jeff Kashiwa on youtube

[Brian Good <bsgood@adelphia.net>]

Per Boysen wrote:
> Hi guys,
> 
> I just noticed there is a video clip of Jeff Kashiwa live-looping on  a 
> Lexicon Jamman (?) with an EWI 4000s:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtdP3jQKUA
> 
> It's not very spectacular music style-wise, pretty traditional  Weather 
> Report influenced fusion jazz, but Jeff is such a good player  and this 
> is a great chance to see this new model of the EWI (Electric  Wind 
> Controller) that has good built-in synth sounds. In this video  you can 
> see how Jeff plays deep bass lines and high pitched "soprano  sax" 
> melodies almost at the same time by using the same synth patch,  only 
> jumping up and down in octave while overdubbing into the jamman.  The 
> new EWI also has good "synth-like" performing options like  portamento 
> and breath controlled attack- or filter cutoff envelopes  which you 
> don't see demonstrated in this video.
> 
> Myself I was incredibly lucky to pick up an EWI 4000s for a very  
> friendly price in San Jose and since I got back and started playing  it 
> I think I have never used my pitch-down-octave patches at all!  It's so 
> cool to loop with an instrument that covers over eight  octaves. Earlier 
> this year I was very interested in getting a Chapman  Stick to loop 
> with, for the huge octave span, but my EWI has  completely seduced me to 
> forget about that Stick Crush ;-)

Hi, Per;

Congratulations on the EWI purchase. I think you've managed to find 
something even niche-ier than a looper.

I've been playing a 4000s since last spring (and a 3000 for about 
fifteen years before that);  in fact, I think I played a bit of EWI/Nord 
Micromodular on the Y2K6 Kyberloopfest session.

I haven't made up my mind yet about the 4000's onboard analog modeling 
synth. It doesn't seem as rich as the real analog module that came with 
the 3000, though I have to admit that I haven't had time to fully 
explore the new one. Still, the 3000's module could get pretty fat; 
after hyperventilating on tenor for years in a futile attempt to be 
heard over guitarists, four oscillators worth of analog synth was... 
empowering.

Matt Traum's company is a good resource for wind synth-specific patches, 
accessories and advice.

http://www.patchmanmusic.com/


Brian