Hornberg MIDI Breath Station

Breathe Life into Your Tracks!

NEW: In multi mode you can use up to four hb1 presets simultaneously and with this feature it is possible to control up to four MIDI CCs streams independently.

The hb1 MIDI Breath Station from Hornberg Research lets you add natural expression to any electronic instrument or peripheral device with MIDI or USB. Breath controllers have long been used to add critical nuance and detail to standard keyboard performances, but after spending a few minutes with the hb1, you’ll understand why this goes far beyond any typical breath controller. The special wooden mouth piece, a precision sensor and the combination of a MIDI-merger, an integrated MIDI-interface and many innovative parameters set the stage for a high precision and richly expressive performance of your ideas, whether in studio or live.

Ten of the twelve parameters allow you to sculpt various details and impulses during your performance. For instance, the adjustable “Release” allows breathing in without interrupting the arc of the sound. The “Dynamic Attack” parameter allows for sensitive impulse control, even in the finest pianissimo. In multi mode you can use up to four hb1 presets simultaneously and with this feature it is possible to control up to four MIDI CCs streams independently. Realtime data reduction, Inversion and Limitation of the signal and, of course, Drive and Offset are all included as performance options. Each parameter set can be saved in one of 25 available presets. For visual feedback, the breath-data is displayed continuously on the Breath-Value Display. The hb1 approach is innovative and progresses far beyond the possibilities of a common breath controller. Through the integration of standard MIDI and USB-ports, the hb1 functions with or without a computer. The hb1 is hand-crafted in Germany with great attention to detail and with a focus on sustainable manufacturing.

The hb1 is composed of a controller unit and an extremely accurate pressure sensor unit, which is connected to the mouthpiece by a flexible silicon tube and to the controller unit by a sensor cable. Two mouthpieces are supplied in different sizes so that the most comfortable can be chosen for use.

Any keyboard (or a MIDI guitar, etc.) can be connected from its MIDI OUT to the hb1 MIDI IN. This means that the merged MIDI data of the keyboard and the hb1 data are accessible on the hb1 MIDI OUT and USB OUT. The MIDI OUT of the hb1can also be directly connected to the MIDI IN of a synthesizer or to the USB port of a computer. The hb1 provides an additional second MIDI OUT through its integrated USB MIDI-interface.

Watch Jason Yang perform with live instruments and the hb1.

Watch as Mick Baumeister shows off the new Multi Mode parameters of the hb1.