Success! Thanks to the genius skills of Johan Berglund (instrument maker extraordinaire), this project has exceeded my wildest expectations!  The project originally started out of a desire to preserve the legacy of a brilliant musical instrument design by Nyle Steiner - the EVI aka the Electronic Valve Instrument.   

In an age where trumpet players have virtually no options these days in terms of migrating to electronic music, the EVI was an elusive unicorn.  The EVI was in danger of extinction, due to lack of access.  EVI players, such as myself, James Ingenito, and others faced the difficult prospect of someday not being able to play the EVI in the event of the loss of current instruments.  Nothing lasts forever.

That's why Johan and I started the Save the EVI project.   We both have tremendous respect for Nyle Steiner's contributions to the field of wind controllers and could not stand by idly as we watched a great instrument like the EVI fade into oblivion.  Our goal was to create a path for the EVI that would allow it to survive and would make it easier for those interested in this great instrument to have access to them.

Together, Johan and I worked on getting a prototype built and establishing proof of concept.  I ended up with this:

I used off the shelf parts and with Johan's patience and guidance,  I was able to build a rudimentary EVI.  From there possibilities started to bloom, as Johan and I put our creative heads together. 

From there, Johan took the reigns and continued to push development to a higher level of refinement and elegance.   As a result, he was able to achieve an aesthetic level of fabrication that is, quite frankly, astounding. Behold the evolution of the Steiner EVI, which is currently dubbed the "NuEVI":

As a longtime EVI player, I have to say.....this new EVI has a level of craftsmanship, materials and robust features that are something EVI players have dreamed about.   Battery changing is a breeze. Solid state Breath sensor.  Nice keys. An OLED menu for setting controls and response (goodbye trimmer pots!).  And lots more.  Need I say more?  

This EVI has ALL the features of the current Steiner MIDI EVI along with some additional features NOT currently available on our old Midi EVIs.   And so it should. The EVI is an electronic controller. It should evolve and it should improve.

I look forward to playing the next generation EVI. A huge thanks to Johan Berglund for his major contributions and leadership of this project.   This project could not have succeeded without him. 

More news to follow that will no doubt be of great interest to all EVI players - and those that wish to play an EVI but could not due to lack of availability and access.