Lifeform Blues - Wobble Bar demo - Keyboard & EVI duet - Mark Steiner

Published on Jan 19, 2014 Mark Steiner·17 videos

"This prototype was inspired by the natural vibrato accessible on Nyle Steiner's EVI (wind syth). For years I have wished a similar expression could be done with a standard keyboard.

Adding natural, human controlled vibrato is the biggest benefit here, especially while keeping both hands on the keys, but you can also do some good bends and other things.

This expression bar is held firm between most standard key sized keyboards and a stand. You play it with your palm or wrist while still keeping fingers on the keys.

Though I often use breath control on keyboards and other things, on this keyboard solo I intentionally did it with no breath, to show how important the vibrato is as well. The dynamics are a very slow lfo on brightness/filter and an occasional mod wheel change. There's also velocity sensitivity but not much.

I eventually bring in an EVI part for a duet that really shows the similarity of vibrato on the two instruments, which are played quite differently, and thus bring very different expression and note structure/approach to synthesis."