Morrison Digital Trumpet Answers

I get so many people asking me questions about my Morrison Digital Trumpet that I thought I'd compile an FAQ here.

• You blow, not buzz, giving ultimate endurance!
• The harder you blow, the louder it gets
• 10 octaves
• Octaves are controlled on the left hand in half octave increments (C,G,C,G etc)
• Transpose into any key and play 'as written'.
• Pitch bend up and down operated by your thumb
• Vibrato operated by your thumb - faster you press the more it 'wobbles'.
• Growl (thumb also)
• Same looping fingering patern for every octave
• no valve oil needed - nor dribble emptying!
• Put on headphones for private practicing
• Put in stereo to wake up the neighbourhood
• Play hundreds of realistic instrument sounds or 'digital' sounds - depending on what you plug it into.
• It is a Midi controlling instrument - so you can plug it into a keyboard and use its sounds or a computer etc. It make no sound on its own.
• My fav realistic sounds: trumpet (up 1-3 octaves), piccolo trumpet, fugal, tuba, soprano/alto/tenor saxes, cello, clarinet, flute, Spanish/blues/bass/distorted guitars.
• It's so expressive, attacking notes at different velocities makes the sound behave different (on a VL70). eg. a guitar sound blown softly will lightly 'strum' but hit it hard and it twangs!

Links:

• Listen to this cool mp3 demo showing off several instrument variations on a VL70 with turbo chip
• http://www.morrisondigitaltrumpet.com/ (the official site)
• http://www.jamesmorrison.com.au/ ( the musician that inspires me and helped with the design )
• Patchmanmusic.com ('Wind Controller' expert)
• About the VL70 ( What I plug my trumpet into )
• About the Turbo Chip (What goes into the VL70 to make the the extra realistic sounds)
• Some behind the scenes pics of the MDT in James' hom studio

Testimony:

Having gained an overbite as I got older, playing an 'analogue' trumpet became harder and harder - cutting the inside of my top lip each time I played just a couple of songs. This instrument has reopened my ability to play great sounding and long lasting music - more than I could in my years of playing a 'real' trumpet. And I'm no longer restricted just to a trumpet!
You do get heaps of teasing from those who play a 'real' instrument, but it's 99% of the time because they think they know what it can do and will sound like but haven't experienced it for them selves. I know it's sound isn't a 100% match to a real trumpet, piccolo trumpet, fugal, tuba, sax, cello, clarinet, flute, guitar. . . . etc, but I'll never learn all these (or afford to buy them or cart them around to play.) If you walk into a room it will fool most people to thinking it is the real thing being played until they can't find it in the band. I love just being able to add to music groups that extra instrument a song needs. Playing guitar really freaks people out! . . . oh and no, i don't work for these people nor get a commission for sales - though should, don't you think??

Videos:

• Building one
• As seen on TV
• All videos

Pics: (Best pics can be seen at morrisondigitaltrumpet.com  but here's some you won't see there)

Can you spot me playing 'French Horn' on the MDT?

Analogue and Digital

Some pics of a clear version I got a hold of: