Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

First, the service B&H gave me was superior. I would recommend them for anything....
Now to the instrument. I am not a professional musician, I play clarinet and after hearing a professional play the EWI USB I wanted it. It took me almost three weeks to figure out how to make a sound.... The instrument is great, the how to booklet is like getting instructions in another language. And the only thing to make it work was to find out the software had been set up with the breath controller? shut off. I have read online others with the same complaint. So, buy the EWI, but try to find someone who has already set one up. I will follow through when I figure out the fingering.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

I used this instrument for one night only. I am a professional saxophone player and I also write music digitally. I thought this would be great as a controller for music writing and electronic production. I found the fingering very intuitive and easy to use. I didn't have blips with the B/C note switch as others have reported, but then again, I have been playing professionally for 15 years. I really disliked the mouthpiece on it. It didn't feel natural to bite onto. It required a double-bite (somewhat like an oboe). A synthesized reed would feel a lot better. The mouthpiece was really resistant to my airstream. It felt fatiguing to play, but I realize that it was probably built to the needs of newcomers who would want the resistance to help them control their air.

I worked on it a few hours and got pretty proficient. I was shocked at how gentle the learning curve was.

The sounds it comes with really are pretty cheesy. My wife about threw up when she asked me to play her something. To be fair, I have spoiled her with the soulful sounds of a real saxophone for many years now. The supplied neck strap is also garbage.

The kicker was one of the keys stopped working, and started working again about 20 minutes later, stopping about 40 minutes after that. B&H was happy to refund me and pay return shipping for the defect. I don't know how reliable these products are, but I'll assume I just got a random lemon. I'd give a fully-functional one 2 stars. If they're prone to being problematic, that's an obvious 1 star. 5 stars for B&H's customer service.

It is telling that when faced with the defect, I preferred to get a refund rather than try another. For my electronic writing and production, it didn't give me the depth of expression I was hoping for. I'll stick with a MIDI keyboard.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

I m a multi instrumentist and beginning in the electornic wind instruments world. I ve been using Ewi for about a month. The sounds included in the bundle are not nice and not really using the full potential of the machine... i downloaded the demo version of Wivi Wallander and it is just breathtaking. an other trick is about fingering, the ewi fingering creates many different combination but makes the playing a lot harder, i recommand the sax finering, easier and more intuitive. the blowing technique is also disappointing since you have to let some air issung from your lips while blowing. once you know these tricks this machine is just fantastic !

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

This device looks like a winner...wind controller at a reasonable cost.
It functioned for about 15 minutes, then went sharp, then flat, then the touch keys played only a single note..then it stopped.
I restarted it, went through all the steps, checked all the web chats and came to the conclusion that this instrument was, alas, a lemon.
I sent it back.
So far I am impressed with the B&H service..

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

As a former trumpet player I had purchased an EVI directly from Nyle Steiner. I never could get the hang of that fingering model. After I sold it, I thought I would never have the opportunity to incorporate a wind controller into my rig.

I had seen the EWI 4000 and thought it was a great instrument; onboard sounds would be really cool, but the price kept me from experimenting. When the EWI USB came out the price was very attractive and when I heard that it could do so many different fingerings I thought I would give a wind controller another go. I could try EVI fingering again, or Sax or perhaps just straight EWI. Lots of flexibility meant I would have a better chance of success.

Once I got it I immediately set it up for EVI fingerings and gave it a go. Unfortunately the same mental roadblock that kept me from succeeding the first time ( coordinating the left hand for semi-octave shifts ) was still in place. Alright, I thought, since EVI fingerings are going to be such an effort I might as well push myself and just learn EWI fingerings instead. That way my daughter who plays the sax can pick it up and play it too without having to reprogram it. Plus, those sax guys seem like they can really tear it up. I dove in head first, sight reading everything I could get my hands on and really putting in the effort. I have to say it has paid off. I sincerely enjoy the EWI fingerings and the expressive power of this instrument.

I have the Native Instruments Komplete set so I already had tons of beautiful and expressive sounds to choose from. Practicing with such beautiful sounds is inspiring, especially some of the orchestral brass and woodwinds stuff. The sound bank that comes with the software is a little lack luster so if you have additional soft synths you should be quite happy. If this is your only sound source I highly recommend adding some additional sounds.

The only draw back I see to this instrument is that it has to be tethered to the computer in order to work. It isn't a huge obstacle as I spend most of my day in front of a computer anyway, but the freedom that the EWI 4000 offers is becoming more attractive. The EWI USB however is the perfect stepping stone on the path to the EWI 4000. If you are unsure if you will like this style of wind controller the EWI USB is a great way to get your feet wet and see if you want to make a further investment. I believe for most people the EWI USB will be a perfectly excellent controller with no need to upgrade.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

Going electronic is quite a dilemma. Out of the box, I'd say the EWI USB is not a satisfying experience.

Firstly, I have discovered that you need better sounds than what comes with the device. The software that comes in the box sounds no better than a kazoo.

Secondly, there is a learning curve involved. Day 2 with the instrument was better than day 1, when I nearly sent it back. Word from experienced players is that persistence is rewarded, but I wonder if it's worth the effort.

Personally, I hate the non-moving touch-sensitive keys. If you touch - or even brush against - the G-sharp key while playing another note which would make no difference on a real sax, you get a wrong note. Same thing with the Bb trill key, etc. I don't see how you can move around and play the EWI if the keys are that sensitive.

There is no thumb hook. There are two sensors on either side of your right thumb and if you accidentally touch them, the pitch bends. The one that gravity causes you to touch most often bends the pitch upwards. You pretty much have to disable that sensor in settings.

The best sax sounds on the market are Native Instruments Mr Sax series and they will set you back about $200. The free patches out of the box are not suitable for performance. I'm uncertain at this point if I want to invest another $200 in this experiment.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

Easy to set up. Lite weight easy to maintain.

If you are a sax player, it takes some getting used to the higher register and the g# key. You are stuck to the computer for any playing situation. Needs dual core processor to get full value from the Aria Software. I get a small delay with a 2Gig netbook.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

This little thing is better than I thought it would be. It's lightweight, solid, and very expressive. I'm a keyboard player and this just adds alot to my studio..even if I can't play it yet..I can use the breath controller to add breath effects to my other tracks..and play any of my keyboard sounds. It's also great to see the virtual keyboard as I play notes.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

This is a great alternative instrument for the creative wind instrumentalist. It comes at a great price and works as expected. The only reason that I did not give it a 5 star rating is because of the Akai's tech support. It's good that there are other users and a great forum that will do what Akai tech support does not. I will use this EWI for midi composition and live performances.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

easy to learn how to play

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

This is an amazing and indispensable piece of gear.
As a midi controller I am still trying new applications.
The basic sounds included on the DVD are impressive and very expressive. MIDI uses are infinite.
I have the software on a laptop for gigging and on my mac mini and tower too. Great for playing into Logic, Garageband, Reason and Pro Tools.
Practice will make you better on this as it is a REAL musical instrument. You will need to work on this a little to be really god at it but you'll love every minute.
It ain't a sax, it ain't a clarinet or oboe either BUT it is the most agile and in tune instrument you may ever play.
I play with headphones while watching youtube jamming along with everybody. There are a couple keys in EVI mode that the manual doesn't mention but are trill keys and always move the notes up or down a half step. I discovered this early and use them quite often.
I LOVE this thing and only dread the day when the USB standard is so outdated that there is nothing to plug it into.
I think about a case but there are no moving parts, put the cover over the mouthpiece wrap it in a shirt and put it into your backpack. it really looks quite durable.
I play instruments in every family. I NEED this instrument for composing parts, soloing and MIDI recording. A wind controller is a studio requirement in my book right along with drum triggers, keyboards and guitar synth.
It requires a computer but it will run from my laptop with OSB power.
I'm going to try some pedals and effects. I saw Brecker playing EWI on you tube. He is running some deep MIDI gear with it.
This is very expressive, the breath has intense and subtle control over velocity.
The pitch bending ability is easy to control and well designed.
The octave keys are tricky at first but so was that sax. The rest of the instrument shows its versatility by having many fingering choices.
i suggest you pick the one you're most familiar with and stick with it. You'll find the scales are the same as your flute or sax. I love the ability to transpose the instrument to ANY key up or down a full octave. It's like an Irving Berlin piano for woodwind players. I found a tune in C#, I transposed the horn down -1 and it was all naturals!!!
The very best thing about playing EWI-USB is that it has made me a better clarinet and sax player.

Comments about Akai EWI USB Wind Instrument:

It is USB contolloer,not include instrument hardware.First inpression,it's easy setting.
Install instrument cd,and connect usb cable,and play.Instrument software is not bad.I use EWI in ableton LIve 7(windows xp) with vsti (kontakt3 ,toxic biohazard ...).I play something,I can hear sound. But, exercise and the lung capacity are necessary to play it(I played alto sax when I was junior high school,but I can't play as want.)And I have demands,1. I wanna Something to put it(I use the thing which I applied the guitar stands to.) 2.I hope exclude a mouthpiece more easy.
I am playing it happily.