I am wondering if it is a good idea to store my Sylphyo in a low-humidity environment.
I keep my 3D print filament in airtight bags with desiccant units that keep the humidity at around 10%. Easy and works great.
Given the array of issues I (and others) have had that seem to be correlated with moisture, might a 10% environment reduce these issues?
If this is a good idea, I can provide the specifics of the products I use for moisture control with my 3D print filament.
@Peter-Ostry Thank you so much for all the info!!!
Hot Glue gun is on it's way ... I'll keep y'all posted ...
@Fanch35 Thanks for the suggestion. Unclear whether Flex Tape bonds to ABS plastic, but I suspect not. (for the material used in the body of the Sylphyo, see https://community.aodyo.com/topic/687/what-type-of-plastic-is-sylphyo-made-of). Flex products in general are heavily promoted to consumers, but don't seem to get high marks for their ability to seal larger than pinhole sized openings.
Searching for the right tape is challenging. Tapes that seem to fit the criteria appear to be difficult to obtain in small quantities (e.g. Bron BT-246). Many consumer tapes are fuzzy on what they will bond to, how removable they are, their water-resistant properties, how stretchy they are, how thick they are, and other important characteristics.
Wondering if @Laurent_AODYO other other knowledgeable folks in this area could make a recommendation for an obtainable (like on Amazon) tape that might work well ...
It appears that these issues I am having are related to moisture infiltrating the electronics portion of the instrument. These are (I believe) due to several issues:
I have been storing the Sylphyo horizontally overnight. Not good. I am on the road and horizontal is easier for me, but I think bad for the Sylphyo. There is a recommendation by Aodyo for vertical storage (not in the general documentation, but mention by Maxence here: https://community.aodyo.com/topic/663/a-gentle-breeze/6)
There may be a moisture path because the active mouthpiece port on my Sylphyo is not completely sealed. See https://community.aodyo.com/topic/2158/under-the-blue-ring
I have fixed the first problem and the behavior is improving.
@Peter-Ostry How interesting. Thank you both the the info and the insight.
I am on the road now, so all modifications (like obtaining Hot Glue, which I have never used) are more difficult.
I believe that the O-Ring on my black mounthpiece does not make a perfect seal, since there is a very slight wobble in my mouthpiece when it is fully seated. Not a problem playing, but maybe there is a slight moist air leak back up underneath the blue ring.
I am not sure what the air-path is that you are describing here:
the inner gap between the housing and the blue ring.
... maybe it is outside air? Or is it some breath moisture air?
with your fan without a mouthpiece,
I am not currently using a fan while on the road.
At home, I store my Sylphyo vertically in a 3-D printed stand (https://community.aodyo.com/topic/606/floor-stand/7). I do use a fan to pull air down the Sylphyo. This seems to work well ....
On the road, I am using a cradle (https://community.aodyo.com/topic/606/floor-stand/5) that stores the Sylphyo horizontally, and I am not using a fan. I think this is not a good idea. I have been having more and more issues, which I suspect are related to moisture. Failing to send MIDI when paired with the Link, Unable to initiate a pairing from the Sylphyo, and even failing to send send MIDI over the USB connection.
I am still laying it down horizontally while at gigs, but overnight I am now standing my Sylphyo up on end and leaving it open to dry (and removing the blue ring). This is a bit risky (it is just standing on its bell end) but the behavior of the Sylphyo is improving.
Since I have no experience with Hot Glue, I have many concerns with attempting to seal the active mouthpiece port.
Maybe there is a tape of some sort that would stick, provide a seal, and be safe?
Pulled my Sylphyo out of its case last night just before a gig and grabbed it by the blue ring. Pulled it straight off (yikes!). Put it back on, no problem, but then I took a look at what was underneath:
My concern is the area in the red circle. It appears to be some port or hole that is covered with a membrane or glue that ... maybe ... is sealing this port or hole? It is not completely sealing the port, and I'm wondering if this is allowing moisture into the electronics area of the Sylphyo.
Suggestions as to what I should do would be welcome ...
@Peter-Ostry Thanks Peter! I actually think I'm gonna sit on a stool and adopt a more "grounded" approach to these next 5 gigs.
Three folks on the Facebook Sylphyo Exchange have also reported this issue, so I think it's a real hack (and not just on my system).
I can no longer pair my Sylphyo. On this menu item:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i6joj8iatn03c5u/Sylphyo_PairingGetsLost_MenuItem_800c10.jpg?dl=0
[Receiver devices ((?)) DISCONNECTED (CH9)]
... clicking 2nd octave button from the top (on the back of the Sylpho, the one that usually causes the action) causes nothing to happen. I have tried for the two hours. I've power-cycled the Sylphyo maybe 40 times. I've waited 20 minutes with the Sylphyo powered down. I have reverted the firmware on both the Sylphyo and the Link back to the last official firmware version 1.4.8.
I may be reduced to playing (performing?) wired ... not a great prospect, and problematic if I pull on the wire and damage one of the connectors ...
... and my other Sylphyo is still in France for repairs ...
It looks like the Aodyo.com web site has been hacked by some kind of DNS hijacking malware ... I get redirected to various alternate web sites when I go to web pages under Aodyo.com.
I have tried it from several computers and tablets.
I've experienced this for about 24 hours starting mid-day 12/24/2022I have run a check on our router, and that turned up clean, but it is still possible it is a problem with my system here ...
This does not seem to affect the https://community.aodyo.com/ message board ...
I have run a check on our router, and that turned up clean, but it is still possible it is a problem with my system here ...
At the advice of Matthias Couche (via email) I've reverted the firmware from v1.4.9b5 [3/15/2022] to v1.4.8 [3/30/2021] on both the Sylphyo and the Link. This did not solve the issue.
To review, the basic issues are:
After the Sylphyo is powered down for "a while" (typically overnight, but as little as 4 minutes), it appears to pair with the Link (green light on the Link, Sylphyo configuration menu item shows connected), but no MIDI is sent.
I have to try many times (2 to 10) to initiate a pairing from the Sylphyo. The menu item on the Sylphyo to initiate a pairing simply does not respond to selection.
@frank Thanks for the idea!!
(I was so busy trying to re-pair that I missed your message at first).
Thing is that this happens on lots of different channels. Every time is (eventually) get the Sylphyo to pair to the Link, it chooses some different channel.
Also ... aren't the radio frequencies used by the Link different from WiFi frequencies??
Could you suggest a particular WiFi app for an iPhone that I might try??
Here is a link to a photo of the Diagnostics screen when this happens (Sylphyo connected to the Link but sending no MIDI):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfwzuutqpoxfxd3/Sylphyo_PairingGetsLost_Diagnostic_1000c10.jpg?dl=0
More info:
The menu item that does not respond is the [Receiver device] item.
When the Sylphyo initially fails to send MIDI data, it is showing (below [Receiver device]) that it is "Connected: " and gives the channel number.
It is actually happening more frequently now ... with the Sylphyo being off for shorter periods.
I've had a syndrome for the last several weeks where the Sylphyo-Link pairing is forgotten by the Sylphyo. It occurs typically after the Sylphyo is off overnight (and typically recharging). It happens occasionally after it has been off for a short while.
I turn on the Link.
I turn on the Sylphyo and the light on the Link goes from red to green.
I play notes on the Sylphyo and ... nothing. No transmitted MIDI and the light on the Link does not show the short blue pulse on each note.
The real problem is that, when I re-pair, it takes a long time and many re-tries to get it to successfully re-pair:
I select re-pair on the Link (both upper and lower buttons simultaneously)
I select the pairing menu item on the Sylphyo, and clicking the menu item does nothing.
I turn off the Sylphyo, wait 10 seconds, turn it on, find the pairing menu item and click on it. Nothing happens. This typically happens 3 to 10 times. If this were to happen in a performance, I would run out of jokes to tell.
After this extended period, it is finally successful. I cannot tell what makes it succeed (letting me select the menu item on the Sylphyo).
When I am able to select the menu item, it does always succeed in pairing and all is normal after that.
I have done a full reset on the Sylphyo two times (and re-entered all my custom parameters ... by hand ... each time). The behavior has not changed.
I have power-cycled the Link numerous times, and nothing has changed.
I am not able to try my other Link unit, since I am on the road and have only this one Link unit.
I have never experienced this issue on the other Sylphyo unit (which is currently in France for repair).
Any help / suggestions appreciated ...
It is amazing how a thriving on-line community can self-support a user community and help a product to grow.
I am an active member of many communities using different discussion systems, and the difference between those that function smoothly and those that creak along is striking.
The best systems seem to be those that are based on trust levels (new users earn trust by posts that get positive response and get correspondingly more capabilities). They seem to create communities where the users (happily) support the product, essentially freeing the developers of most of the support work.
Not sure where NodeBB stands in capabilities, but it might not be up to the task. I have had very (very) good experience with Discourse (https://www.discourse.org/), which is used to run the Cantabile forum, an outstanding user community ...
@Friedus My personal belief is that "really good internal sound" needs a really good (i.e. reasonably current) CPU, fast memory, and all the things that support that (power, bus architecture, etc.) After being "pretty" happy with the results from the VL70-m for almost 2 years, I jumped into the Audio Modelling / SWAM sound engine a few months ago and left the VL70 gathering dust. That's for the real-world emulation camp.
For the virtual, more "out there" sounds, there's the Lyrihorn, Respiro, EVI-NER type plugins, which may require somewhat less "oomph", but still (I'm guessing) far more than the CPU power of the Sylphyo.
Cramming a SWAM engine inside the Sylphyo would be ideal, except that it is likely impossible (unless we're talking NASA-sized budgets).
That said, I think the Sylphyo internal sounds are great for a backup, and I even recorded a production track (and sometimes play live) with the SynthBrass sound. I always maintain a low-tech signal path from the Link audio out to my output system that requires no laptop support to access - easy switch-over in case of a Wintel crash.
@reidid789 A tool for configuration of the Sylphyo would be great, and it has been suggested and discussed before. (I can't immediately locate the discussion).
I think the issue is that sending any data upstream to the Sylphyo would be a big development project in the firmware ...
@wwoodard8 said in Double note:
Yes, dynamic.
Excellent that re-pairing the Sylphyo with the Link works!
I did want to comment on the use of the "Dynamic" setting for [MIDI Mapping] / [Velocity] parameter. This is off-topic for this thread, but important info, I think ...
In my experience, which matches the advice of Aodyo (in particular Laurent Pouillard from March 15, 2019) ... the Dynamic setting introduces unnecessary latency. The amount of latency is configurable (the [Capture delay] parameter) and defaults to 20msec (and 20msec is very very noticeable to me).
If you are using a sound rendering component (VST, hardware synth, soft synth) that was designed for a keyboard, it will likely rely on the transmitted Velocity value sent with each MIDI Note On message. However, if you are your sound rendering component was designed for a breath controller or wind synth (e.g. the Yamaha VL70-m hardware unit, the SWAM modelling engine, the Respiro VST, the Suonopuro sample libraries, a DynaSample module (XpressO, Xpression, XO-Mini) ... these components rely on MIDI CC messages - typically CC#2 (Breath Control) or CC#11 (Expression) - that follow the MIDI Note On message. In that case I set the Velocity value to 1. I have also played with other values in a few cases where I had some synth that needed velocity - and this did not seem to bother the sound rendering components that use Breath Control.
I hope this helps!
@wwoodard8 I would, first, simply turn the Link unit off and on. That has cleared up some issues with me in the past.
Second, I would re-pair the Link with the Sylphyo. This is a typical cure (for me) in a gig setting when communications suddenly gets flakey (or stops entirely) just before the gig. This is scary, but performing a re-pair has always worked in this situation. The scenario is that I set up long beforehand, do the sound check, and all is AOK. Then, as people arrive, I am thinking that cell traffic increases dramatically and that may interfere with the Sylphyo-Link radio connection. This has happened to me maybe four or five times in two years. A re-pair operation has always cured it. I actually have a label on my Link that says "Both Buttons to Re-Pair" just to remind me.
Failing that, I would reset (i.e. Factory Reset) the Sylphyo ... AFTER writing down all your settings so that they can be restored ...
Hope this helps!
@wwoodard8 It appears to be a "Stutter" at the start of the A#3 note.
I have not experienced this on either of two Sylphyos ...
What is your setting for Velocity? Dynamic??
@wwoodard8 First time was nerve-wracking for me. Second time was a minor speed bump ... was back up in 4 minutes ...
@wwoodard8 said in Dangling Strands of Caulking:
to my proctologist
Would that profession be a Proctoewilologist?
@wwoodard8 said in Dangling Strands of Caulking:
And how did you take that photo?
It was comically tricky ... flashlight in one hand, point-and-shoot camera in the other, Sylphyo between my knees. I even had one of those Optivisor magnifying head-strap things on my head ...
I looked inside my Sylphyo "B" (not the one I returned for service) as I was about to swab it out and saw some dangling strands. With a flashlight, it appears to be caulking on the junction between two tubes. The calking is oozing out of one side and seems separated on the other and is dangling out as two strands of caulk.
Please advise what I should do ... nothing? Reach in with scissors and try to cut off the strand? Reach in with needle-nose pliers and pull off the strand? Anything else?
And is this possibly an indication of the failure of a water-tight seal between two internal tube sections??
Thanks for any suggestions / assistance ...
@wwoodard8 I've had similar issues a total of twice in two full years of playing my Sylphyo. Both have been fixed by a full reset on the instrument.
Make sure you write down all your settings (there are a lot of them, when you include all the sub-menus, but it is a worthwhile exercise, and you will need them to set up your Sylphyo after the full reset (they will all return to factory defaults).
I do take this list with me to gigs, in case a reset is needed (it's never happened).
I hope this helps!
This may not be a straightforward issue for them to diagnose / address. It only occurs for me after playing 60-90 minutes. It shows up as a continuous stream of low-breath pressure CC's rather than a "Note Off". Sound like the sensor becomes mis-calibrated after playing for that time, but a power cycle does not cure it.
Yes, I would hope they can address it quickly (I'm now down to "only one" Sylphyo, since I'm now using the second Sylphyo I purchased as a backup), but this may take some digging on Aodyo's part. Also, they're on the verge of a new product release ...
Shipping was straightforward from the U.S. to France using DHL. However, it cost just about double of the quote they gave me on their Web interface (read the fine print: "Price not guaranteed"). At Aodyo's advice, I also insured it ($2.50 per $100 of value), for what that may be worth. Total $148 (ugh). Time from drop-off at a Connecticut DHL retail output to delivered at Aodyo in France was 42 hours ... pretty good!
Please tell me how to send my Sylphyo to Aodyo for service.
Background: This relates to This Issue ... and Aodyo determined that it is best to send it back for service. However, I don't have the shipment details ... and have not been able to contact Matthias ...
Please tell me the details (address, carrier I should use, etc) and could you also advise the rough turn-around time?
Also wondering if you could put in a new battery. I've been using this Sylphyo pretty heavily for 2 years now, and I'm wondering if a fresh battery might be a good idea ...
Thanks!!
@blipson Here's my diagram of how things should work ...
... so it does look like the Signal ("S") from the Sylphyo should be going out the USB Host port to the Aerophone ...
Could someone suggest a source for this tape??
@reidid789 I believe they have just started a new production run of the same model that they have been offering. Sounds to me like they have reasonably robust sales ...
I have a very basic video that demonstrates the issue. I am on the road, so best I could do was a handheld camera showing the Sylphyo play a SWAM trumpet, and the sound is coming out of headphones sitting in my lap. Sound is pretty quiet, but you can hear the sound being produced (high pitch whine) when I am not playing. This has just happened after about 90 minutes of practice.
I would really like some assistance with this. It would not be good during a live performance.
I turn off the Sylphyo and with SWAM trumpet, the sound does not stop (as it does with the VL70-m after about 2 seconds).
Here's the link:
@Fanch35 I'm sure there is nothing to be anxious about. Everything that has happened to me on my Sylphyo over the last two years has had an explanation and a simple cure. I'm sure this is similar ...
@Fanch35 Thanks for the thought ...
I keep the inside scrupulously clean with a combination of microfiber oboe swabs followed by silk swabs. I then check the inside by sighting down the bore to make sure there is no moisture inside and re-swab if I see any droplets.
I do this more-or-less hourly when I'm playing, if I am playing for a long time.
More info: if I lay the Sylphyo in my lap (horizontally), it can cause the problem (after 2-3 hours of play), and it immediately goes away if I hold it vertically. Usually.
Hoping that @Laurent_AODYO or one of the other Sylphyo designers could give me some ideas on this.
It continues to be an issue. After playing maybe 3 hours, I start to get the "residual pressure" issue (or whatever we want to call it.
The technique of raising the [Breath / Minimum] parameter is not a viable option for me ... that totally messes up the way I play.
I've seen that Pedro Eustache generally performs with two Sylphyo at hand ... not sure if that is for this issue or for general redundancy.
Tell me if a video would help (although we are on the road for 3 weeks and that will be tricky ...)
At the other end of the safety/protection scale is my home-grown, thin-wall PVC case. I really feel much more secure with this setup ... Full post is in This Post.
@Paul-Flute said in Is there any way to know when the Base Key changes?:
note on/off messages my Sylphyo is sending on base note change, help you
I thought that you might be connection by direct USB wire, so I just tried that configuration. I am not seeing any messages, wireless or wired, immediate or delayed, when I change Base Key ...
I am on firmware v1.4.9b5 ...
@Laurent_AODYO This is very helpful info!! This kind of insight gives an idea of what is possible and what the design parameters and motivations are given priority.
For myself, latency is a big one, so features that materially compromises latency I think should be off the table.
Do not change the base note on the Sylphyo but rather at the destination
Great suggestion! But for latency reasons, I've gone down a route that prevents me from modifying the MIDI on the receiving side.
I am routing the Link directly to a VL70-m, and then mixing that dry signal in the RME interface direct monitoring facility directly to the output. This saves me the Round Trip Latency, which makes a noticeable difference in mhy playing.
By the way, the Link has an excellent and reliable MIDI-merge capability, so I can output messages from Cantabile through the Link that get merged with the MIDI stream going to the VL70-m ... an excellent setup.
I would use the push functions of encoders 1-11
Right! That'll work. I can easily allocate another bank just for this purpose ... Good one!!!
a string to set the base note on the current Link
That would be interesting! ... not sure if it exists ... Love to hear from @join or another core member if this is possible.
telling the software that the base note is coming
That's another thing I haven't through of ... Cool ...
I could actually potentially use these thing for the situations where I'm only using software synth ... typically when I do complex layering (as opposed to "just playin sax" when I use the VL70).
Cantabile is really good at generating whatever MIDI is needed and routing it to wherever it is needed ...
Peter ... Thanks for these suggestions ... they are gold (and will send me down an untold number of rabbit holes)!
@Paul-Flute Thanks Paul ...
I'm working in Cantabile and transposing various MIDI inputs to a set of drones. The transpositions (e.g. to the key switch that turns off a drone), change depending on the Base Key of the Sylphyo. I also keep the drones within the range of a specific 12 pitches, which requires more transpositions depending on the Base Key.
I have programmed my EC4 (a FaderFox MIDI controller with rotary encoders and lots of options) to send a CC to Cantabile whose value is one of the 12 keys. Cantabile is now programmed to install all the correct transpositions.
However, whenever I change the key of the Sylphyo on the back panel, I have to follow up with the corresponding knob-turning on the EC4. This is a pain, and prone to error (which would be a total head-scratcher during performance).
I have seen no info coming out of the Sylphyo whatsoever when I change Base Key ... Not shure where the Note On / Off messages are coming from ... Maybe there's a config option or mode I am missing??
I have a situation where I have a plugin that needs to know the Base Key setting of my Sylphyo. It also needs to adjust when I change the Base Key (which I do often between songs).
Is there any way to know this via MIDI? I see Program Change messages when I changed the selected Sylphyo sound, but not when I change Base Key.
Did some very long sessions (6+ hours) over the past few weeks and experienced some problems with notes that continued to play very softly after stopping all breath pressure into the Sylphyo.
I suspect that the side-tube that leads to the pressure sensor gets moisture in it or some such, leading to a false reading of "a little bit of breath pressure".
The problem resolves with overnight drying. I can also cure it very temporarily by breathing in on the mouthpiece (briefly and softly). Turning the Sylphyo off and on does not really cure the problem ...
Experimented with changing the [Breath / Minimum] parameter in the Sylphyo configure from the default of 20 to 80 and this greatly reduces the problem.
Does information point to a diagnosis?
Is it moisture in the side / pressure sensor tube?
Is there a reliable way to clear this problem, other than drying overnight?
Thanks for any thoughts and info ...
@StevieK Hi Stevie ... wondering if there was a resolution to this battery issue.
Might it be an issue with the Bagheera (sub-)model?
@wwoodard8 Thank you for your kind words!
I've just measured the current draw of my Sylphyo in 4 different states:
One thing to note:
When performing a 48-hour full charge, I believe that the Sylphyo is normally switched OFF.
My only 48hr recharge from a deep discharge state was when I initially received the Sylphyo. I am not sure of the battery state when I received the Sylphyo, but I suspect it may have to be depleted for shipping.
the instrument goes dark until the 48hr charge is up.
If you leave the Sylphyo switched on during this 48hr charge, I'm not sure if you will actually get a full charge.
There is an indicator on the Sylphyo screen that roughly shows the state of the battery charge. However, when I am charging it, I only turn on the Sylphyo briefly just to check that it is indeed charging (the little lightning bolt symbol).
I did a (required) 48 hour charge when I first received my Sylphyo 21 months ago, and only once since then. I did use the charger that came from Aodyo, but I'm not sure that was needed.
I subsequently did some tests (see the post at https://community.aodyo.com/post/1896 with a cool little in-line current meter) and the Sylphyo appears to draw only 170 mAmp at most while charging. It appears that most 5V USB chargers would provide that without issues ...
I would really like to avoid battery issues, so I followed the recommendation of waiting a full 48 hours for a full recharge.
By the way, the one time I did a re-charge, it turned out not to be warranted ... what I really needed was to reset the Sylphyo to factory settings (and reconfigure all my custom settings).
@TheSongSystem said in Prospective user with questions:
no representative in Japan
I've always dealt directly with Aodyo in France (from the U.S.), and it has been a good and smooth experience.
The Sylphyo works for most folks directly out of the box, but as you play more and more you'll find that there are a lot of things you can alter to suit your particular style of playing. People come to this instrument from all backgrounds, and the settings you can control on the instrument I believe cover a wide range of playing styles.
Here are some enjoyable and educational Electronic Wind Instrument playlists I've come across:
Marco Zagha's outstanding set of video playlists: https://www.youtube.com/c/MarcoZagha/playlists
Frank Cinti's live-stream Funk video sessions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfa0R69kXiVrB1pW6S8Iw_c79kmSuWaE1
Sam Davidson's 50+ video concert videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTZ7wKTb-FMsZu5Fe80KYId0GyqL2ebOf
Jon Diercks' Open Spotify audio playlist of 250+ songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vuIRIfLWYda40GT36oOvk
Matt Montag's Open Spotify "The Art of the EWI" audio playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5EhBWNSPM4c7ilUICZV1pL
And Matt Traum's discography page: https://www.patchmanmusic.com/WindControllerRecordings.html
Enjoy!
@Peter-Ostry said in Dual Sylphyo Setup:
Each time a player switches on his/her Sylphyo, it should connect to the same Link=Synth.
Yes, good point. That's the way it should be ...
@Laurent_AODYO said in Dual Sylphyo Setup:
I would have used Sylphyos on my side.
From my (American English) perspective, I'm liking "Sylphyo" as the plural of "Sylphyo". That would make it a linguistic "invariant" (or "invariable") like "fish" and "aircraft". To my eyes / ears, "Sylphyos" is a bit clumsy.
