The unit feels good, nice balance, the fingerings are more than functional but the sound drives me away from playing it.ĥ Computers, 3 different sound cards from cheap to expensive. I have to be honest here, I'm really close to putting this up on Ebay or giving it to my kids.
I've been a horn/woodwind player for 30 (okay - pushing 40) years. I never understood why Brecker played an EWI. Some-mostly wind-instruments don't sound good with only keyboard input. I have yet, however, to find a workable saxophone sample library, although I haven't needed one, being a sax player. All you need to schlep to the studio are your whistle and your laptop. Given all the sample libraries on computers, it enables someone who knows sax fingering to use, for example, muted trumpet, oboe, etc., sounds in recording projects. Listen to the arco bass at the beginning of this tune. Here's an example in which both instruments are played on a keyboard and synthesized: It emulates all the violin family of instruments depending on the register in which you play the notes. Its solo violin samples are acceptably realistic when played with keyboard input. I have an Alesis QSR sound module with a Classical Instruments V-card.
CAN THE AKAI EWI USB BE MIDI USING A KEYBOARD SOUND GENERATOR
I was unimpressed when I recently played with the keyboards at the local music store: 20 years is enough time for really, really kewl stuff.Ĭlick to expand.It depends on the sound generator and the method of input. I'm still trying to find a sample playback module or synthesizer that is significantly better sounding than my old Roland D50 or U110 from almost 20 years ago (yes, there are the original demo songs at those links). (Yamaha's method of synthesis is actually very good for percussion.) average.Įlectric and electronic instruments are also quite good on sample playback modules. On the Roland stuff - minus their sample units - it's.
I think that the synthesized piano on the Kurzweil is quite good, for instance. They sound better on synths that incorporate sample playback modules or are sample playback modules. Actually, most "sections" sound pretty decent (the orchestral sample here is very nice, but they should use a bit more randomization in their quantizing: the note durations sound a bit too crisp). It can be overcome, but then you start thinking that your sax/clarinet/flute/whatever has got its keywork way too tight.įWIW, I think EWIs feel more like a clarinet, no matter how they look.Ĭlick to expand.I think you're generally right: string sections sound like string sections on a synth. However, the touch on any EWI is very, very light and takes a lot of getting used to. The Akais have removeable and cleanable mouthpieces, so there shouldn't be an issue there. +1 on the idea to try 'em out in the store, if you can. not the same as the tone I'd get on even a Bundy II. Roland samplers have the best sax sound, but they're still. If you don't care about breath control and/or map the breath control to a different MIDI channel - which I've done in the past - then there are some decent tone modules out there, but they almost uniformly suck on their sax patches. If you want breath control, you need to make your own patches or use the tone generator that comes with/is built for your EWI. The sound is only gonna be as good as your tone generator.
Again, I haven't gone really in depth on the specs. Looks like this USB one is the same as the higher-end, minus MIDI and tone generator. You won't need the amp, because it uses your computer's sound card. Or buy something used, like a Kurzweil Or a cheap, new Yamaha.Ĭlick to expand.Remember: the USB one's not the same as the big-daddy $700 model (edit: called the EWI400S). In other words, a wind controller can make life better, but it's not perfect.ĭesktop keyboard controllers (49 key or less sometimes with a built-in computer keyboard) aren't incredibly expensive. press a C on the keyboard and a 4 on your computer's keyboard to enter a quarter note C). However, I did have a little better luck with my Yamaha WX11 than with my various keyboards for realtime input.T o capture things exactly, tho, you want a keyboard and simple note entry (e.g. Especially if you aren't a good keyboard player. The last kind of input is really, really kewl. One of the things you could do is either realtime capture performances, which would be then converted into notes (which you'd then have to edit because your playing wasn't precise enough and you'd have 128th note rests 'n' stuff), have a metronome beat you could play to or stomp the beat on a synth's "sustain" pedal and play. I used to use a wonderful (and wonderfully complex) program that's called Finale. The input ability is actually a good thing.