VG Wind Ensemble — Feature Guide
VG EVI Keys
Play trumpet valve fingerings on a standard MIDI keyboard — a unique keyboard-to-valve converter inspired by Nyle Steiner's Electronic Valve Instrument.
What is VG EVI Keys?
A software implementation of trumpet valve logic for standard MIDI keyboard players.
VG EVI Keys converts a section of your MIDI keyboard into a trumpet valve controller. Instead of playing notes directly, you press key combinations that correspond to trumpet valve fingerings — exactly as a trumpet player would press valves on a real instrument.
The idea originates from Nyle Steiner's Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), developed in the 1970s. VG EVI Keys brings this concept into software, making it accessible to anyone with a standard MIDI keyboard.
The keyboard is divided into four groups: LEFT (L3, L2, L1) selects the register, and three RIGHT groups — LOW, HIGH, and HIGHEST — represent the three valve positions across octave ranges.
Controls
All buttons and knobs in the VG EVI Keys panel.
Keyboard Groups
| LEFT: L3, L2, L1 | Left-hand keys that select the register and valve combination. |
| LOW (R1, R2, R3) | Right-hand group for the lower register — corresponds to trumpet valves 1, 2, 3. |
| HIGH (R1, R2, R3) | One octave above LOW. |
| HIGHEST (R1, R2, R3) | One octave above HIGH. |
| -B (Bend) | Pitch bend keys — shift pitch down while held. |
| vib | Vibrato key — activates vibrato while held. |
Vibrato
| Vib Rate | Speed of vibrato oscillation in Hz. |
| Vib Depth | Width of pitch oscillation in cents. |
| Vib Delay | Delay in ms before vibrato begins after note start. |
| Vib Attack | Time in ms for vibrato to reach full depth. |
| Vib CC | MIDI CC for real-time vibrato control (e.g. mod wheel = CC1). |
Pitch Bend, Breath & Setup
| Pt Bend Depth | Pitch bend range in semitones when a -B key is held. |
| Pt Bend Speed | Time in ms for pitch to return after releasing the bend key. |
| Breath CC | CC from your breath controller — notes sound only while this CC is active. |
| Velocity | When On, keyboard velocity is passed to the instrument. |
| Octave | Transposes the entire output up or down in octaves. |
| KeyShift | Shifts all EVI keys on the keyboard in octaves. |
Fingering Chart
Interactive widget and complete reference table.
Complete Fingering Reference
Primary fingerings for all available notes. Colored dot in the register column shows LOW / HIGH / HIGHEST. * marks notes where Alt E fingering is also available (press R3 alone for the same result). Actual pitch depends on the Octave setting.
About the registers
LOW — Lower octave register. The register color on the R-keys in the chart shows which physical key group to use.
HIGH — One octave above LOW.
HIGHEST — One octave above HIGH.
The same valve combination (R1/R2/R3) pattern repeats in all three registers — just as on a real trumpet. The register is selected by which physical group of R-keys you use on the keyboard.
Performance Tips
With a breath controller: Set Breath CC to match your controller (usually CC2 for TEControl). Press the fingering first, then blow.
KeyShift = 1 (default): Places EVI keys in the C3–C5 zone, leaving the lowest octave free.
Mod wheel vibrato: Set Vib CC to CC1, Vib Depth 15–25 ct, Vib Delay 100–200 ms. Push the mod wheel gradually for a natural swell.
Alt E fingering: For E, you can press either R1+R2 (standard) or R3 alone (alt). Both produce the same note.
G fingering: Press only L1 — no R keys are needed. This mirrors the open G fingering on a real trumpet.