The Morrison Digital Trumpet

We're going to try not to spend too much time figuring out why they even bothered shaping the bell at end of the Morrison Digital Trumpet MIDI controller, but besides the fact that that Miles has got to be rolling in his grave right now (sorry, we used Armstrong last time), we can say for sure these guys are taking dead aim at the Yamaha digital trumpet. They want about $2,500 for theirs though—who would have thought there'd be such hot competition in digital trumpets?

[Via GizMag]

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

YOU TOO CAN BECOME KENNY G IN JUST 3 SHORT WEEKS !

[er_or @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

hehe...looks like heavy.is it.
anyway Kenny G still the best. wonder if he would like to use this. most probably, he will stick to the more natural way. that's original...meaning it is wonderful

[michael @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

eh, for what it's worth, i suspect Miles Davis might even have applauded this: after all, he was a pioneer at the forefront of combining electronic music + jazz + evertyhing else he did. It's a relatively short step (IMHO) to go from patching your horn through effects pedals (as miles did in the end of his career) to going purely digital.

Louis Armstrong, though, would definitely roll over in his grave.

[Peter Kirn @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Old news -- these have been around for a while. But they are indeed very cool, and work quite well. The other way to go is to hook up audio to a trumpet and process it in realtime via software like Max/MSP from Cycling `74, as trumpet virtuoso Ben Neill has done: http://www.benneill.com/

And it sounds a lot better than Kenny G. You can bet cats like Miles Davis would have been ALL over this.

[Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Could that thing get any more hideous?

Looks like a prototype. An ugly prototype.

[Mick 0 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I'm still looking for a North American source for the Yamaha version EZ-TP. Any ideas?

[Jayson Elliot @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Nils Van Hoorne from the Legendary Pink Dots built his own electric trumpet a long time ago, it was a crazy looking thing, but really helped define their live sound. If I was around a scanner right now, I could put up a picture of it, we did a little sidebar on his electric trumpet in Permission magazine, back around '96 or so...

[George @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

This looks interesting - I've always wanted to control my MIDI synth rig using my trumpet, but none of the pitch-to-MIDI devices work well enough, and the few attempts at a "trumpet MIDI controller" have always been too DIY for my taste. Akai came out with a MIDI trumpet back in the 80's, but that one was really weird to learn to play and failed.

I thought Kenny G was a saxophone player, what does he have to do with a digital trumpet?

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Yeah sax player for sure I'm one my self but can't stand his music lol

[IronChefMorimoto @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

For what it's worth, my father has been playing a Yamaha "Wind Controller" based on this same sort of technology for about 2-3 years now. It's a MIDI instrument powerwed like a woodwind instrument (my dad played sax in college and is a minister of music now). This trumpet would be ideal for someone with experience in brass instruments. I'd buy one in a heartbeat, given that my dad plays in 1-2 community orchestras/instrumental ensembles and pretty much plays whatever instrument he wants to -- from string bass to bassoon to electric guitar. It's amazing technology.

[Darren @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Where do you hold the toilet plunger end to this?

[justin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

no valve slides? BAH.... and i don't supposed that mouthpiece comes in 1.5c?

[John Enricco @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I graduated with a jazz degree in trumpet many years ago (now I'm a game art geek, heh) and my teacher had one of the Nyle Steiner made EVI's with a VL-70m sound module.

I swear some of Yamaha's tech even back then (1995) on physical modeling with a great breath controller... it could be as expressive as any other kind of instrument out there such as portamento, extreme dynamics and tonal range, and even harmonies.

This link is where there is a demo (qt) of some musicians playing it with the newer MDT.

http://www.patchmanmusic.com/mdt.html

Here is where you can find out more about wind synthesis:

http://www.ewi-evi.com

It sort of looks hideous but I imagine it has a way better feel than the olders EVI's that are currently out there.

[scourman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I wouldn't want to take this thing through an airport - through an x-ray scan it would look a lot like a machine gun!

If you think the MDT looks strange, have a look at the MutanTrumpet! http://uea-io.de/breathcontrol/controlers.html

James Morrison is a great Jazz player and I remember seeing him experiment with the Akai EVI back in the late 1980s...

[Jaymis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I might be wrong but last time I checked the Morrison Trumpet had got huge extra geek points by having the middle layer of the instrument made from something clear and blue backlit.

So that would be a blue glowy midi trumpet.

And for reference it's sitting on top of a Yamaha VL70-m, which is the synth module designed to accompany Yamaha's WX5 (saxophone) wind controller.

[jim h @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

Yeah, but where's the spit valve?

[Cuba @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

"I wouldn't want to take this thing through an airport - through an x-ray scan it would look a lot like a machine gun!"

I was just about to post about that, and I think you mean assault rifle, not machine gun.

[Trumpet Player @ Dec 19th 2005 1:03AM]

I got to have a play on one of these, It is awesome!!! It is lighter then looks, glows neon blue, and yes the bell has octave lights on it for reference up the bell so you can see them while playing. I don't think James Morrison would get involved, let alone play publicly and record, with one of these if it weren�t of some credibility. I found their web site, it has heaps of info and downloads. I think one of these will make a nice companion to my 'Analogue' trumpet. Has many benefits to add to a trumpeters capabilities and work side by side to the �real� thing. You gota try one yourself, I guess, to understand It has me hooked. http://www.morrisondigitaltrumpet.com