What is a MIDI accordion?
David Marcus & Peggy Lamberson
accordion???
<perplexed>
Pete Nalda
Well, a midi accordion is simply an accordion which has be retrofitted
with electronic sensors under it's keys, buttons and a sensor inside its
bellows to send out midi not messages to other midi devices, (tone
generators, keyboards, computers, etc).
The nice thing about a midi accordion is that you could send out to
different channels on the keyboard and bass sides of the accordion
controling different sounds for each hand. I've seen these in action and
it's pretty amazing what one can do with it.
--
Pete Nalda
AcrdionMan
>Someone mentioned MIDI accordions in a post ... what is a MIDI
accordion???
MIDI accordions are the latest and greatest thing (albeit, they've been
around for multiple years now) in combined electronic/acoustic accordions.
You can play all your standard MIDI synthesizers (whether rack-mounted,
standalone module, or having a keyboard attached) from a MIDI accordion,
(rather than from a typical horizontal keyboard, for example). Of course,
you can also get the original acoustic accordion sounds as well.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a serial (electronic) bus
standard established for musicians. A MIDI accordion is equipped with a
switch on each key and button. A small circuit board is all the
electronics required inside the accordion, so there is minimal weight
added to the accordion. It scans the keys and sends out MIDI "Note On" or
"Note Off" messages every time it detects a change in state of a key
(every time a key is pressed or released, respectively). There are, of
course other types of messages sent out too (e.g. for selection of
patches, pitch bending, volume control, etc.).
The MIDI cable that connects your accordion to MIDI synthesizers is just a
relatively thin cable (not a heavy cable like used on the old Cordovox
accordions). You can even get wireless transmitters for a MIDI accordion
so that you have no cable going out of it at all.
One of the biggest advantages of MIDI for accordions is that synthesizer
technology is evolving at a much more rapid rate than is acoustic
accordion technology. So, if you have a standard (acoustic) accordion
that you really like, you don't need to trade it in every time there are
improvements in the synthesizers. You keep the same accordion and just
upgrade synthesizers. Since companies like Yamaha, Roland and Korg have
such huge markets for synthesizers (in comparison with the accordion
market), there is a ton of money going into R&D developing really
impressive synthesizer technology that the MIDI accordionist can take full
advantage of. Further, you only need the synthesizer module (no keyboard
needed) which saves you money on the synthesizers.
Another nice feature about MIDI accordions is that they make an ideal MIDI
controller (in some ways better than a typical keyboard controller). I
have both, a keyboard controller and a MIDI accordion, so I can attest to
this first hand. Separate MIDI channels can be set up for bass, chords,
treble, solo, making the accordion into a 5 piece band (counting the
acoustic accordion as one instrument).
I designed and built my own MIDI interface for use with old Cordovox
accordions (just for my own personal use). However, there are fancier
interfaces available today (from places such as Deffner, Navoyski, and
most other major accordion companies) that also sense bellows pressure to
control volume, have contactless switches on keys (such as optical or
magnetic), etc.
Alan Polivka
P.O. Box 061904
Palm Bay, FL 32906-1904
Robert Berta
>Someone mentioned MIDI accordions in a post ... what is a MIDI
>accordion???
==============================
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
A MIDI accordion is a regular accordion that has been modified with the
addition of electrical contacts on each button/key on the accordion. These
switches are tied into an onboard MIDI controller....sort of a electronic
traffic cop. These electrical signals are used to operate via a MIDI cable
either a synthesizer keyboard or synthesizer sound modul. MIDI allows multiple
components like the controller, several sound modules, a drum machine, etc. to
be seperate from the actual accordion but they all speak the same electronic
"language" of MIDI.
In effect you have a synthesizer keyboard which you have all seen but instead
of a piano style keyboard the input device is the accordion. The accordion is
by inherent design a far superior ability to act as an input device for
MIDI music than a standard piano keyboard. This is because of the total
seperation of the treble from the bass side and another group of keys for
chords. This design allows for wonderful layering of sounds that just can't be
done on a piano keyboard by one musician and without any external devices.
In effect you still have a standard accoustic accordion and the same
instrument operates an electronic sythesizer. This gives one the capability of
blending the accordion sounds with thousands of electronic sounds. For
instance one can have a trumpet and a clarinet on the treble side, a string
bass on the bass buttons and a jazz electric guitar sound on the chords. The
combination sounds like a complete ensemble. You can also have complete
orchestral sounds, brass bands, choirs, and many sounds that are purely
electronic in sound. Even special effects such as a barking dog, jet plane,
ocean waves, etc.
I play both accoustic accordion and MIDI accordion. MIDI accordion provides
incredible capability but some may not like the non-traditional use of the
accordion. For those it is simply a matter of only using the electronics as a
supplement to the accordion. Others prefer the complete mix and the accordion
sound is just another part of an ensemble that includes many different sounds.
MIDI accordions can range from conversion kits (about $1600) to complete high
end accordions such as my ELKA MIDI II+ which combines a top of the line dual
tone chamber 4/5 hand made reed accordion with the MIDI controller. Other
brands that have afficiandos include Titano, Petosa, Concerto and so on. The
price of these high end accordions is misleading...while the actual accordion
can be over $10,000 this does not include the synthesizer sound module,
speakers, amplifiers, mixers and related equipment. If you have a good home
stereo system that will get you started but you will need that sound module
which generally starts at around $400 or so for a decent model. It isn't
unusual (as I have found out) for this addiction to MIDI accordions to endup
costing $15-20,000! There is no one MIDI accordion that stands out as the
best inspite of what the distributors will tell you. They each have their
features and limitations.
If you want more info on this unique variation on the accordion send me a Net
message with your questions.
Bob Berta
DoN. Nichols
Mark E. Danielson <mda...@nas.com> wrote:
[ ... MIDI accordion discussion deleted ... ]
>What I've been wondering about lately is how difficult it would be
>to retrofit an old English concertina with MIDI properties. Anybody
>have suggestions about where I could get information on the techniques
>I would have to use?
Generally, an English doesn't have enough room for the usual MIDI
conversion kit. Normally, they will simply add switches to sense that the
buttons have been pressed, and some kind of sensor for bellows pressure.
The valves and reeds are normmally left active, with the MIDI supplying
additional voices, not *all* voices.
Now ... if you are going to rip the existing innards out, and
replace it with switches and a pressure sensor, you have more to work with
at least. It will be a bit of a challenge to provide something resembling
the feel of the buttons, let alone the bellows' effect on the sound.
The linkage for the buttons is something which doesn't lend itself
to having parts removed and still working smoothly, so you *will* have to
redesign the linkage. (If you're not clear on how the linkage is currently
set up, visit my web page (URL in the .sig) and got to the "Tour" page,
"Actionbox" subpage, and look at both the drawing of the linkage, and the
photos of real linkages.
> Before anybody gets their tail in a knot over this, the instrument
>in question is a rather poor student model that was refitted with
>inappropriate bellows by a Texas repairman years ago. It's not like
>I'm going to drill holes in a Wheatstone (-: :-).
Well ... one thing to do, if you make the conversion, is to make the
reeds in their carriers available to someone to repairs the instruments.
Since the learners were brass reed instruments, and the brass reeds have a
habit of work hardening and forming a hairlike crack, they are needed from
time to time for quick repairs.
I have vaguely considered making one from scratch. At least, it
would be easier than doing an Anglo, since you don't have to change the
key encoding for every bellows reversal. You're going to need to put some
form of mild intelligence in there, since MIDI isn't as simple as a set of
wires from switches running to the attached synthesizers. Instead, each
button action is encoded into a data stream which is sent to the
synthesizers, etc. On the fancier keyboards, you have information saying
how hard (or at least, how fast) the key was depressed, and some have the
keys equipped so you can slide them into the keyboard to bend the pitch on
the individual note. (All sent as different digital information, of course,
so what is sent out as a command to bend the note may be used for any other
purpose, such as selecting another voice, or adjusting volume on that one
note, or whatever.) You don't have that many things to encode with an
English, so the data stream can be simpler.
There ... Have I typed enough?
Squeeze On,
DoN.
--
Email: <dnic...@d-and-d.com> | ...!uunet!ceilidh!dnichols
Donald Nichols (DoN.) | Voice Days: (703) 704-2280 Eves: (703) 938-4564
My Concertina web page: http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
Darcy...@ualberta.ca
>MIDI accordions can range from conversion kits (about $1600) to complete high
>end accordions such as my ELKA MIDI II+ which combines a top of the line dual
>tone chamber 4/5 hand made reed accordion with the MIDI controller.
box for it. Every key, left and right hand, has a switch in place and all
the wiring is routed to 2 massive connectors on the front. I plan to build
a cable which will connect to a Kawai keyboard, in effect allowing me
to play the keyboard with my Cordovox. There would be no velocity
or aftertouch infomation, but it should be doable for just the cost of
the cable and some connectors and switches on the keyboard. Ever
heard of anyone doing that before?
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|Darcy B. Hager |Chemistry, University of Alberta |
|E-MAIL: Darcy...@UAlberta.CA |Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2 |
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AcrdionMan
>In article <4duisc$k...@pulp.ucs.ualberta.ca>, <Darcy...@UAlberta.CA>
wrote:
> [ ... ]
>>I have a Cordovox chromatic and thought about building an interface
>>box for it. Every key, left and right hand, has a switch in place and
all
>>the wiring is routed to 2 massive connectors on the front. I plan to
build
>>a cable which will connect to a Kawai keyboard, in effect allowing me
>>to play the keyboard with my Cordovox. There would be no velocity
>>or aftertouch infomation, but it should be doable for just the cost of
>>the cable and some connectors and switches on the keyboard. Ever
>>heard of anyone doing that before?
There is someone who used to post on the accordion mail list occassionally
who did something like this.
I designed and built my own midi interface (from scratch) for use with my
Cordovox accordions. The built in key switches are very convenient.
> I'm not familiar with the keyboard, but I suspect that running
>external wires from the keyswitches may make the setup more sensitive to
any
>RF noise in the vicinity. I would probably go for an optical isolator
for
>each key-switch so things will be somewhat less noise sensitive. (Of
course,
>this means that it will also need a power source for the accordion side
of
>the setup.
No doubt that the longer the wires, the more susceptible to RFI.
Nonetheless, such a long cable is exactly what Cordovox accordions used
for a couple of decades. And it worked. In fact, my home-brew midi
interface is also external to the accordion, using a Corodovox cable
containing a wire for each note, and it works fine (it's just a huge cable
to deal with).
> Given the size of the cables, I might be more tempted to look into
a
>proper MIDI card to put inside the accordion (or on a small box that
plugs
>into the connectors, if you don't want to modify the accordion), and just
>send a small MIDI cable to the remainder of the electronics.
Actually, what I'd recommend is modifying the accordion with one of the
MIDI units made specifically for Cordovox accordions. A MIDI accordion is
FAR superior to an accordion tied into a keyboard IMHO.
I know that the following places sell MIDI units specifically for Cordovox
accordions:
Miditec
453 Darwin Crescent
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada P7B 5W5
(807) 345-MIDI (6434)
Bill Schmaltz
Technical Magic
26090-62 Robertson Rd
Nepean, Ontario
Canada K2H 9K0
(613) 596-9114
Gary Hewett
In addition, the following places sell and/or install MIDI units for
accordions - I'm not 100% sure if they have them for Cordovox's or not,
but would suspect they do:
MIDIMAX
Robert Rom
voice: (718) 497-2660,
Fax: (718) 497-2661
E-mail: MIDIMAX@AOL
Mail: MIDIMAX
63-42 60th Place
Ridgewood, NY 11385
Ernest Deffner
230 Hericks Rd.
PO Box 608
Mineola, NY 11501
(516) 746-3100
STEVE'S ACCORDION SHOP
P.O.BOX 88,
GREENFORD, OHIO 44422 (MAILING ADDRESS)
STEVE'S ACCORDION SHOP
1971 COUNTRYSIDE DRIVE
SALEM, OHIO 44460 (SHIPPING ADDRESS)
(216) 332-1111 (ALSO VOICE-MAIL & FAX)
eMAIL: SWNAV...@eWORLD.COM
Good luck,
Darcy B. Hager
> Actually, what I'd recommend is modifying the accordion with one of the
> MIDI units made specifically for Cordovox accordions. A MIDI accordion is
> FAR superior to an accordion tied into a keyboard IMHO.
Absolutely!! I was totally unaware of these. I am going to call these
people pronto. That is exactly what I need. And I wondered if anyone
would even know what a Cordovox was...
All I can say now is thank you so much!
Darcy
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|Darcy B. Hager |Chemistry, University of Alberta |
|E-MAIL: Darcy...@UAlberta.CA |Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2 |
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MIDIMAX
[ ... MIDI accordion discussion deleted ... ]
>What I've been wondering about lately is how difficult it would be
>to retrofit an old English concertina with MIDI properties. Anybody
>have suggestions about where I could get information on the techniques
>I would have to use?
We here at LIMEX/MIDIMAX midi all types of accordions and although Don
Nichols is generally correct in saying that English concertinas are too
small to midi, our midi system is the most compact I've seen. We should be
able to midi an English Concertina.
The midi system was designed by LIMEX (Vienna, Austria) and we are now
their American counterpart.
To give you an idea of the size, we have midied a Hohner Corona 2,which is
a half size diatonic button box.( Yes our midi supports different notes in
and out), also we have midied a few melodicas, which are (for those of you
who may not be familiar with it) those little recorder type instruments
with a small keyboard on top of it. Of course in the melodica, the reeds
had to be taken out. Our dynamic controller doubled as a breath controller
with great results.
Our midi system is top of the line, and was designed with the philosophy
that a beautiful squeeze box of any kind should retain as much of its
former look as possible after it is retrofitted. For this reason, the midi
system employs the keys of the keyboard to double as program change keys
and function keys so there are a minimum of external pushbuttons. If you
need even more functionality, we now also sell an add on controller panel
which will provide instant changes in prg., volume, etc. while you are
still playing the bass chord side.
We also sell professional mics specially designed for accordions.
If anyone would like more information
e-mail us at mid...@aol.com
Our address
Limex/Midimax
63-42 60th Place
Ridgewood, NY 11385