Currently there is really only one design for a Midi Controller that emulates a valved wind instrument, namely the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument) developed by Neil Steiner (see Patchman Music for all kinds of information). The more recent Morrison Digital Trumpet uses pretty much the same principal of operation. In both cases there are three valves like a trumpet and some kind of system for selecting the harmonic. This is a bit different than a real trumpet. For example, if you play a C below the staff on a trumpet and then depress all three valves without changing your embouchure a C# will probably come out, on a EVI you would get a low F#, you’d have to select a different embouchure.
The problem is that when we play a note on the trumpet we aren’t thinking about which harmonic we want, we are thinking about what note we want. We vibrate our lips at the correct frequency and then tune the length of the trumpet using the valves so that one of the resonant frequencies of the horn is the note we want.
Unfortunately there’s not a obvious way (other than a real trumpet) of measuring embouchure, but can we devise a control system, that in conjunction with the valves that are easy to implement, can give us a better analog to the way we play a valved brass instrument? I think I have an idea that does this and that’s what I will discuss in my next post.