1987 (Oct.)
Initially sold for ¥93,000
Since 1887, Yamaha has been producing quality musical instruments, both acoustic and electronic. Now in its 100th year, Year is proud to present an extraordinarily expressive and technically sophisticated MIDI musical instrument, the WX7 Wind MIDI Processor. The WX7 combines Yamaha state-of-the-art technology with its traditional craftmanship to bring the professional saxophone player into the expressive world of electronic music.
With its light, sleek design and its advanced features, the WX7 is destined to be one of the most used and influential MIDI controllers for many years to come. MIDI is a computer "language" adapted for music, to allow electronic instruments to "talk" to each other. Through the power of MIDI, the WX7 can play synthesizers and tone generators, enter music directly onto computers and sequencers for noise-free multitrack recording, change programmed settings on MIDI-compatible equalizers, digital delay devices, and reverb units, and perform a host of other musical feats.
Yet, the WX7 is extremely easy to operate, even for the saxophone player with a limited experience of electronic music devices. It uses the standard Böhm fingering and, in normal operation, can be played in two octaves. A special Octave Transpose key lets you extend the total range of the instrument to over 7 octaves. The WX7 allows you to bend pitch by lip pressure as well as by a conveniently located Pitch Bend Wheel. And you can control the volume, vibrato, and tone of the connected MIDI sound source by the way you blow (breath pressure).
The WX7's Key Hold and Dual Play capabilities are highly impressive and useful features. With Key Hold, you can hold a selected note while playing other notes. The held note can remain at one pitch, or follow the melody at a selected interval. The Dual Play feature improves upon the Key Hold by sending the lead line and held note on independent MIDI channels, giving your playing an unprecedented fullness by letting you play two separate MIDI devices, producing two different digital instrument sounds.
The more your expertise at the use of MIDI grows (in particular, the more you become familiar with the use of the MIDI devices that you will control with your WX7), the more powerful and versatile the WX7 becomes.
The WX7 can also be used as controller of the Yamaha WT11 Wind tone generator.
