I'm late to the party, but after a long career playing the trumpet professionally, this is my first experience with a digital musical instrument, the R1 wind synthesizer. Less a review than the documentation of a musical experiment, in this and future videos I'll share my successes (hopefully) and frustrations (likely) as I wrap my head and fingers around an instrument that retains some aspects of an acoustic wind instrument while introducing new challenges and opportunities. Share your thoughts below and stay tuned!
Hey Chase - I love that you’ve literally just done the unboxing of the instrument, and “unboxing” your foray into electronic winds. I’ll add that those unfamiliar with your trumpet playing should check out your creative artistry on the horn as a jumping off point for how you progress on this new axe! Looking forward to your future videos - and kudos on your humility and courage in sharing this journey with us!
Michael gets the award for 'Most Generous Commenter'. I predict that 'artistry' won't be the word that comes to anyone's mind when you hear my fledgling efforts on the R1! (Although you can't fail to be impressed by my high register. :)
Cool stuff! John Swana has become really good on the EWI and he is still able to perform despite having some longer term chop issues on the trumpet (if I've been informed correctly) -- there seems to be uses and ways these can be still really musical, while obviously different than a trumpet -- enjoy the journey!
Thanks for these videos, I’ve long been intrigued by digital options for simply working out ideas or arranging - sort of using instruments like this as a piano-like tool. Sounds like you will be exploring this very possibility! Thank you!
At this point I'm looking at it as a mental and physical challenge with no real idea whether it will result in anything more than that. Learning something new is never wasted time, in my book.
I'm glad you're putting this together. I've wondered about these instruments for quite a while, but the cost is too prohibitive to spend time on it (or maybe there's always something else to spend money on). I know people that have gone this route, and I believe medical conditions/injury has largely been the driving desire.
The cost of the R1 is around $600, so it's not really prohibitive relative to other musical instruments, but money and time are always limited commodities. Medical or physical conditions might be a consideration, but there are other reasons why a digital instrument might have appeal. For me, at this point, it's the challenge of learning something new.
good news. The patent apparently just expired. The market is recently (about a year ago). Flooded with good quality chinese EWI knock off. of course GOOD is in the eye of the beholder. But the price-value ratio is very tempting.
Good perspective on the subject Chase. Interesting to see what happens when it is setup a in a trumpet configuration . I am a 78 year old sax, clarinet, flute guy and prefer to play those because of the physical work to have a good tone, which when I get them to sound pro, I receive a sense of accomplishment I would use a wind synth for other sound possibilities if I had the interest. It is a very subjective subject.
Many of the challenges of playing a wind instrument are eliminated with a wind synth, e.g., tone quality and range. Having now started to work with it, I will say there are other challenges to deal with, mostly at this point relating to finger technique. Eventually there will be the challenge of utilizing the full potential.
High Chase a few years ago I purchased a similar instrument the akai EWI my first experience with It was so frustrating that I wanted to break it in half., Return it or resell it, but after doing 2 things, Number one, carefully reading the instructions, 2, watching several tutorial videos and taking my time with it. I find it to be a useful addition to my trumpet and Fluglehorn that ive been used to for 50 years also, i really like mine. I also agree with what you said. I use it for any other instrument voice or sound other than brass..Hope this helps. JD Jones Toledo ohio
Having now spent my first few days working with it, I empathize with your frustration, which is unique in that I am combining the familiar with the unfamiliar. But I relish the challenge!
@chasesanborn By the way, I love your videos. They have been very informative, helpful, and practical to me. Keep it up, maybe 1 day our paths will cross.
Hey JD - I’m in Akron, and it seems our backgrounds, thoughts, and experiences may be aligned! And Chase is one of the most gifted and effective music educators I’ve encountered on TH-cam or anywhere. Check out his solo playing as much as you can - he’s a super tasty soloist who has achieved great mastery over the horn!
I expect that no trumpet player feels he has achieved mastery over the horn, but thanks for the vote of confidence. And similar to what I wrote in another comment, 'mastery' will not likely be the the word that comes to mind when you hear my fledgling efforts on the R1!
Thank you for making this video! I subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching more content on the R1 wind synth, as well as exploring some of your other videos. I stumbled onto your R1 vid looking for information on synths and midi wind controllers. I just bought a midi device (not the R1) to use mainly as a silent or quiet practice tool. I don’t plan on giving up the acoustic instruments, but there are times when my practice time is limited because I don’t have a soundproof room to practice in, and if I practice freely, risk annoying others. I hope the electronic instrument will increase my available playing/practicing time. I’m a hobby musician and play for my own enjoyment. My current favorites are tin whistle and recorder, but I've dabbled with others, including clarinet. In other words, lots of shrillness, squawks, shrieks, and squeaks, LOL! My only brass experience comes from my father who is still playing tuba at 89 years old. I think he started playing in elementary school (4th or 5th grade) and has been a member of the local community band for over 70 years. Thanks again for your video, and like I said above, I look forward to more! Best, Kathy
As I said in the video, being able to practice silently is a huge benefit. So far I'm producing a lot of those noises too, but I'm making daily progress. A tricky aspect is that I'm combining dexterity in the right hand with clumsiness in the left. One keeps outrunning the other!
This is great! I have watched many videos of you in the past. I am only 54 yet my days of trumpet playing are numbered due to glaucoma. (Not complaining) I still have 7-10 years of playing and have done some interesting physical trumpet studies with doctors about how trumpet playing increases eye pressure. This leads me to think of how can I keep going and I thought of EWI. I have never been attracted to it. I am certainly looking at it now. I don't care what music does (or my health for that matter) I'll find a way to fit in. Thank you Chase for your insightful and thoughtful videos. I appreciate your instruction. This gives me a good place to start. Please let me know if you have an opinion about my topic. Do you ever get close to Philly?:)
I play cornet. I've been searching and waiting for a MIDI wind controller for brass players for 50 years since I bought a Barcus Berry cornet mouthpiece with a pickup glued or welded into the shank and a preamp in the 1970s. It still works, but it's just a microphone. I want an MIDI wind controller that I can play exactly like a cornet and sound realistically like saxophones, violin, cello, and other acoustic instruments without having to learn to play them. I am not very interested in synthesizer sounds. I have a [Australian trumpet, trombone, and other instruments musician James] Morrison Digital Trumpet (MDT) with Yamaha VL-70 sound module, an Aodyo Sylphyo from France (now I get email spam in French), and a Roland Aerophone AE-20. All of them are a disappointment. None of them or any other wind controller (Yamaha, Akai, Bergland, etc.) has the capability to emulate the harmonic changes that we create with our embouchure (C-G-C-E-G-Bb-C, etc). Instead, they all use a kludge of one sort or another that requires using the left hand to slide over rollers or press buttons that replace that capability. Aodyo was going to make a mouthpiece that functioned similar to an acoustic brass instrument mouthpiece, but they abandoned the project. Without mouthpiece emulation, even though many current wind controllers offer an EVI (electronic valve instrument) fingering option, the learning curve is mostly like learning a different instrument. In addition to having to use the left hand, the three-valve fingering in the right hand is the same for every octave; octaves are changed with the left hand with the use of rollers or buttons. Matt Traum has the best information about wind controllers. www.patchmanmusic.com/WindControllerFAQ.html. He designed many of the EVI fingering systems for wind controllers.
Since almost all of what we do with our embouchure is eliminated on a wind synth, the degree to which it feels the same to play is going to be minimal at best. No lip compression or vibration, no acoustic sound and emulations which are less than convincing even from high quality samples. People have thought it unfair that I reviewed the Robkoo only with the internal sounds, but unless and until I feel comfortable playing the instrument, the sounds are largely irrelevant to me. Still, to review it without demonstrating some of the onboard sounds would seem to be incomplete, and I think a large percentage of people who buy this will not use external sound banks. I could learn to live with the left hand to change harmonic partials and with keeping the fingering consistent in all octaves, but I find the left thumb buttons uncomfortably awkward to use. I have not tried the rollers. BTW, I also had a Barcus Berry mouthpiece pickup which I used with rudimentary electronics in the 1970s, but that is long since gone. Thanks for your insightful contribution!
For serious usage, external sounds are essential. For the purposes of the two videos I made, my focus was on the operation rather than the sounds, but it would seem incomplete to demonstrate it without showcasing the onboard sounds.
@@chasesanborn Actually I play a Thai traditional flute for 4 years and play a saxophone for 1 year. I have mostly played guitar and piano for 4 decades :) (I have played musical instruments since I was 8 years old.)
Tell the people at Robkoo that they are on the righ track. Get rid of the fingering for fifths and octaves and make a mouthpiece that will do that. All you need is about 6 or 7 mouthpiece levels to hit all the notes. Then just 3 buttons. Then add a USB connector to access incredibly realistic trumpet sounds instead of the chintzy ones on board. Could be the "perfect trumpet" A little more design please! jk
The Robkoo is based on a system that has been used since the first EVI, using a rotational device or buttons to replicate the range function of the embouchure. Even if you could figure out a way to do that with the mouth instead of the hand, it would still not be the same as what a brass player does with the lips, so I don't know if it would feel any more or less natural. The Robkoo like all wind synthesizers can trigger external sounds, however the best brass samples I've heard still sound like a poor imitation of the real thing, so I think we are still a long way from the 'perfect trumpet'.
@@chasesanborn There are some really authentic sounding patches that fit, but the fingering is still the obstacle. I don't quite understand your point. What I know from the Yamaha EVI is that to go from C# to D, you have to use 5 fingers, on five buttonw and to go from D to C# you have to use a different set of 5 fingers with 5 buttons. If the mouthpiece could do away with that so that all you had to do was use the traditional 3 fingers, you'd have a great product. Let me know if that is true. I'll buy it tomorrow! (Tired of long tones) Jerry
I've listened to the Swam demos. They are indeed quite good, however I would not be fooled for a minute by the trumpet or flugelhorn. My ears are too attuned to the nuances of the acoustic instrument. As I said in the video, for the moment at least I am sticking to the internal sounds on the R1 as a truer test of the instrument.
@@chasesanbornIt is logic that concerning your instrument you will hear these different nuances. This is not necessarily because the sounds cannot generate nuances. It is because the medium (= R1) is different, so the way that you create slides, vibrato etc. But then you will be able to do growls on flute sound, flutter on sax etc...
That describes me, too, when it comes to music. On the other hand, playing an instrument with an octave key would have made my life a lot easier. (The little finger hook doesn't count. :)
I'm late to the party, but after a long career playing the trumpet professionally, this is my first experience with a digital musical instrument, the R1 wind synthesizer. Less a review than the documentation of a musical experiment, in this and future videos I'll share my successes (hopefully) and frustrations (likely) as I wrap my head and fingers around an instrument that retains some aspects of an acoustic wind instrument while introducing new challenges and opportunities. Share your thoughts below and stay tuned!
Hey Chase - I love that you’ve literally just done the unboxing of the instrument, and “unboxing” your foray into electronic winds. I’ll add that those unfamiliar with your trumpet playing should check out your creative artistry on the horn as a jumping off point for how you progress on this new axe! Looking forward to your future videos - and kudos on your humility and courage in sharing this journey with us!
Michael gets the award for 'Most Generous Commenter'. I predict that 'artistry' won't be the word that comes to anyone's mind when you hear my fledgling efforts on the R1! (Although you can't fail to be impressed by my high register. :)
I applaud your open mindedness and your sense of musical adventure. I am excited to see what happens!
We'll see where it winds up. I always like to have a winter project.
Cool stuff! John Swana has become really good on the EWI and he is still able to perform despite having some longer term chop issues on the trumpet (if I've been informed correctly) -- there seems to be uses and ways these can be still really musical, while obviously different than a trumpet -- enjoy the journey!
John is one of the few people I've found demonstrating a brass player's approach to a wind synth. I hope to add to that dearth of information.
Thanks for these videos, I’ve long been intrigued by digital options for simply working out ideas or arranging - sort of using instruments like this as a piano-like tool. Sounds like you will be exploring this very possibility! Thank you!
At this point I'm looking at it as a mental and physical challenge with no real idea whether it will result in anything more than that. Learning something new is never wasted time, in my book.
I'm glad you're putting this together. I've wondered about these instruments for quite a while, but the cost is too prohibitive to spend time on it (or maybe there's always something else to spend money on). I know people that have gone this route, and I believe medical conditions/injury has largely been the driving desire.
The cost of the R1 is around $600, so it's not really prohibitive relative to other musical instruments, but money and time are always limited commodities. Medical or physical conditions might be a consideration, but there are other reasons why a digital instrument might have appeal. For me, at this point, it's the challenge of learning something new.
good news. The patent apparently just expired. The market is recently (about a year ago). Flooded with good quality chinese EWI knock off. of course GOOD is in the eye of the beholder. But the price-value ratio is very tempting.
Good perspective on the subject Chase. Interesting to see what happens when it is setup a in a trumpet configuration . I am a 78 year old sax, clarinet, flute guy and prefer to play those because of the physical work to have a good tone, which when I get them to sound pro, I receive a sense of accomplishment I would use a wind synth for other sound possibilities if I had the interest. It is a very subjective subject.
Many of the challenges of playing a wind instrument are eliminated with a wind synth, e.g., tone quality and range. Having now started to work with it, I will say there are other challenges to deal with, mostly at this point relating to finger technique. Eventually there will be the challenge of utilizing the full potential.
High Chase a few years ago I purchased a similar instrument the akai EWI my first experience with It was so frustrating that I wanted to break it in half., Return it or resell it, but after doing 2 things, Number one, carefully reading the instructions, 2, watching several tutorial videos and taking my time with it. I find it to be a useful addition to my trumpet and Fluglehorn that ive been used to for 50 years also, i really like mine. I also agree with what you said. I use it for any other instrument voice or sound other than brass..Hope this helps. JD Jones Toledo ohio
Having now spent my first few days working with it, I empathize with your frustration, which is unique in that I am combining the familiar with the unfamiliar. But I relish the challenge!
@chasesanborn By the way, I love your videos. They have been very informative, helpful, and practical to me. Keep it up, maybe 1 day our paths will cross.
I hope so, thanks!
Hey JD - I’m in Akron, and it seems our backgrounds, thoughts, and experiences may be aligned! And Chase is one of the most gifted and effective music educators I’ve encountered on TH-cam or anywhere. Check out his solo playing as much as you can - he’s a super tasty soloist who has achieved great mastery over the horn!
I expect that no trumpet player feels he has achieved mastery over the horn, but thanks for the vote of confidence. And similar to what I wrote in another comment, 'mastery' will not likely be the the word that comes to mind when you hear my fledgling efforts on the R1!
Thank you for making this video! I subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching more content on the R1 wind synth, as well as exploring some of your other videos. I stumbled onto your R1 vid looking for information on synths and midi wind controllers. I just bought a midi device (not the R1) to use mainly as a silent or quiet practice tool. I don’t plan on giving up the acoustic instruments, but there are times when my practice time is limited because I don’t have a soundproof room to practice in, and if I practice freely, risk annoying others. I hope the electronic instrument will increase my available playing/practicing time. I’m a hobby musician and play for my own enjoyment. My current favorites are tin whistle and recorder, but I've dabbled with others, including clarinet. In other words, lots of shrillness, squawks, shrieks, and squeaks, LOL! My only brass experience comes from my father who is still playing tuba at 89 years old. I think he started playing in elementary school (4th or 5th grade) and has been a member of the local community band for over 70 years. Thanks again for your video, and like I said above, I look forward to more! Best, Kathy
As I said in the video, being able to practice silently is a huge benefit. So far I'm producing a lot of those noises too, but I'm making daily progress. A tricky aspect is that I'm combining dexterity in the right hand with clumsiness in the left. One keeps outrunning the other!
This is great! I have watched many videos of you in the past. I am only 54 yet my days of trumpet playing are numbered due to glaucoma. (Not complaining) I still have 7-10 years of playing and have done some interesting physical trumpet studies with doctors about how trumpet playing increases eye pressure. This leads me to think of how can I keep going and I thought of EWI. I have never been attracted to it. I am certainly looking at it now. I don't care what music does (or my health for that matter) I'll find a way to fit in. Thank you Chase for your insightful and thoughtful videos. I appreciate your instruction. This gives me a good place to start. Please let me know if you have an opinion about my topic. Do you ever get close to Philly?:)
There is much less pressure on an electronic wind instrument, so it seems like a viable option in your case.
you are absolutely right. EWI is less taxing to player's health than traditional brass instrument.
I play cornet. I've been searching and waiting for a MIDI wind controller for brass players for 50 years since I bought a Barcus Berry cornet mouthpiece with a pickup glued or welded into the shank and a preamp in the 1970s. It still works, but it's just a microphone. I want an MIDI wind controller that I can play exactly like a cornet and sound realistically like saxophones, violin, cello, and other acoustic instruments without having to learn to play them. I am not very interested in synthesizer sounds.
I have a [Australian trumpet, trombone, and other instruments musician James] Morrison Digital Trumpet (MDT) with Yamaha VL-70 sound module, an Aodyo Sylphyo from France (now I get email spam in French), and a Roland Aerophone AE-20. All of them are a disappointment. None of them or any other wind controller (Yamaha, Akai, Bergland, etc.) has the capability to emulate the harmonic changes that we create with our embouchure (C-G-C-E-G-Bb-C, etc). Instead, they all use a kludge of one sort or another that requires using the left hand to slide over rollers or press buttons that replace that capability. Aodyo was going to make a mouthpiece that functioned similar to an acoustic brass instrument mouthpiece, but they abandoned the project.
Without mouthpiece emulation, even though many current wind controllers offer an EVI (electronic valve instrument) fingering option, the learning curve is mostly like learning a different instrument. In addition to having to use the left hand, the three-valve fingering in the right hand is the same for every octave; octaves are changed with the left hand with the use of rollers or buttons. Matt Traum has the best information about wind controllers. www.patchmanmusic.com/WindControllerFAQ.html. He designed many of the EVI fingering systems for wind controllers.
Since almost all of what we do with our embouchure is eliminated on a wind synth, the degree to which it feels the same to play is going to be minimal at best. No lip compression or vibration, no acoustic sound and emulations which are less than convincing even from high quality samples. People have thought it unfair that I reviewed the Robkoo only with the internal sounds, but unless and until I feel comfortable playing the instrument, the sounds are largely irrelevant to me. Still, to review it without demonstrating some of the onboard sounds would seem to be incomplete, and I think a large percentage of people who buy this will not use external sound banks.
I could learn to live with the left hand to change harmonic partials and with keeping the fingering consistent in all octaves, but I find the left thumb buttons uncomfortably awkward to use. I have not tried the rollers. BTW, I also had a Barcus Berry mouthpiece pickup which I used with rudimentary electronics in the 1970s, but that is long since gone. Thanks for your insightful contribution!
does it have the option for trumpet fingering?
You'll find the answer in the follow up video: th-cam.com/video/OD1f627Q0T0/w-d-xo.html
@@chasesanborn thank you
Many users play these windinstruments with external sound sources eg. Audio Modeling SWAM
For serious usage, external sounds are essential. For the purposes of the two videos I made, my focus was on the operation rather than the sounds, but it would seem incomplete to demonstrate it without showcasing the onboard sounds.
I have another brand and I play it every day.
Which one?
@@chasesanborn Greaten AP300 th-cam.com/video/3Igt31of2S4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9PNSsLMZru0dKwfc
You've got a very good feel for it. I assume from the sax in the background that you are a sax player.
@@chasesanborn Actually I play a Thai traditional flute for 4 years and play a saxophone for 1 year. I have mostly played guitar and piano for 4 decades :) (I have played musical instruments since I was 8 years old.)
Tell the people at Robkoo that they are on the righ track. Get rid of the fingering for fifths and octaves and make a mouthpiece that will do that. All you need is about 6 or 7 mouthpiece levels to hit all the notes. Then just 3 buttons. Then add a USB connector to access incredibly realistic trumpet sounds instead of the chintzy ones on board. Could be the "perfect trumpet" A little more design please! jk
The Robkoo is based on a system that has been used since the first EVI, using a rotational device or buttons to replicate the range function of the embouchure. Even if you could figure out a way to do that with the mouth instead of the hand, it would still not be the same as what a brass player does with the lips, so I don't know if it would feel any more or less natural. The Robkoo like all wind synthesizers can trigger external sounds, however the best brass samples I've heard still sound like a poor imitation of the real thing, so I think we are still a long way from the 'perfect trumpet'.
@@chasesanborn There are some really authentic sounding patches that fit, but the fingering is still the obstacle. I don't quite understand your point. What I know from the Yamaha EVI is that to go from C# to D, you have to use 5 fingers, on five buttonw and to go from D to C# you have to use a different set of 5 fingers with 5 buttons. If the mouthpiece could do away with that so that all you had to do was use the traditional 3 fingers, you'd have a great product. Let me know if that is true. I'll buy it tomorrow! (Tired of long tones)
Jerry
If you like real acoustic sounds you should use external sounds called swam. They are superior.
I've listened to the Swam demos. They are indeed quite good, however I would not be fooled for a minute by the trumpet or flugelhorn. My ears are too attuned to the nuances of the acoustic instrument. As I said in the video, for the moment at least I am sticking to the internal sounds on the R1 as a truer test of the instrument.
@@chasesanbornIt is logic that concerning your instrument you will hear these different nuances. This is not necessarily because the sounds cannot generate nuances. It is because the medium (= R1) is different, so the way that you create slides, vibrato etc. But then you will be able to do growls on flute sound, flutter on sax etc...
No way.
I'm too "old school."
;)
That describes me, too, when it comes to music. On the other hand, playing an instrument with an octave key would have made my life a lot easier. (The little finger hook doesn't count. :)
@@chasesanborn HA! ;) I've been stealing practice ideas from Brass tactics 6/60 by the way.
No stealing necessary--it is freely offered. (Well not exactly free: $24.99)
@@chasesanborn One of the best trumpet books I've bought!
Glad to hear that!