All user reviews for the Akai Professional EWI4000S

Hello, I possde EWI since May.
I must say I'm really happy, better than j'esprais level expressiveness!
The factory sounds are not all gniaux, but there's way with the editor to make other.
Site (srieux and pro) is specially in the design and sale of sound banks and specifically developed to the ewi yamaha wx, with synths and diff with lots of DEMOS.
Here is the link of a bank's concocted with the internal sound gnrateur ewi (this will give an ide of how it sounds):
www.patchmanmusic.com/akaiEWI4000s.html (https://www.patchmanmusic.com/akaiEWI4000s.html)

In terms of expressiveness is great! We must experiment with diff. techniques because the mouth is ewi trs sensitive to the level of the attack and can sound flat and trs synth if you dig a little.

Otherwise, you must know that his fingers are close to those of sax and flute beak, but do not try to reproduce the same thing forcment ... It is an instrument in itself and its own personality possde and there are plenty of tricks to find a technical point of view to make it out of good juice!

- How long have you use it?
I ewi4000s for 2 months.

- What is the particular feature you like best and least?
This instrument offers many possibilities. The expressiveness when you start mastering all possible parameters controllable in real time is huge.
Sounds internal dcevront some because they are on a bass synthse analog. Also, the goal is not to imitate / mulate real acoustic instrument. Against by the sounds that can come out can be really gniaux. An editor PC / Mac comes to permetre to program other. This process is facilitated by the function to blend two sounds if you select your existing dj gnres 100 new sounds that sounds custom settings mlangent previous ones. There is more that the costs to see if there is one that looks like what you are looking ...

Also the only least in my opinion the lack of sound "acoustic" but clearly it's advertised trs. If you want the sound amule must either buy a keyboard or sound module (like the Yamaha IDAL vl70m trs but expensive) or else play the VSTi (or other samplers) via MIDI by logging on PC.

- Report qualitprix trs is good even if it is not given. The bte inspires confidence, the audio section is nickel (not a breath). Akai offers currently rgulirement of updating the firmware (it TRANSFR via midi) that adds new functions (accumulation of finger trumpets, assignment of the mouth or glides a control CCmidi choice ...).

There is a yahoo group or AkaiEWI guys at akai much are proposals to add functions ....

I would do without this choice hsiter seen the quality of bte but we must be honest, the sax passage of this new instrument is not automatic. Fingers is not a pb but it is a long work for any mastery ....

Bought two weeks ago. The "touch n'feel" is more like a flute mouthpiece than a sax or clarinet, as it does not operate key: one puts his fingers on it, it's like the butcher holes. Also do not blow really hard (even if you can adjust the sensitivity to the opening of the mouth and thus remains Troit blow hard quickly gives the impression of blowing into a straw mouth).

The Poins ngatifs:
- Big noise by plugging headphones
- No tui provided, not even available to the Official tui marchbr /> - no AC adapter
- The supplied strap to hold the ewi around the neck is a misra, she ESG left thumb.
- No way to customize its Doig, one can simply choose from the types of prdfinis fingers.
- Some bugs in the management of sensitiv keys, you must disable certain options (such as changing his finger simply by not having a problem
- The keys oxidize over time (two weeks of use, and it starts dja)

Pros:

- Touch sensitive for a game faster trs
- Touch, vibrato, and bends, the VLOC and portamento are all in paramettrable sensibilitbr /> - This is my knowledge the only afternoon with wind synth controller integrated by the first " synthtiseur wind "of the market.
- The software to edit the 100 internal sounds is very well designed, if only one is interested in sound design and wave-based filters is the IDAL.
- The instrument is lightweight (less than one pound with batteries)
- You can assign midi control (CC) for some key customs and to settle what is transmitted by the breath controller, everything is very practical if you drive a sampler via midi.
- The mouth is enjoyable and well rpond trs breath and vibrato (for chewing).
- The last 3 keys right hand can be adjusted according to the morphology of each.
- The internal synth with two voices, octaves and hold functions are possible, which is extremely interesting. Hold can be set to two fawns diffrent, more opportunities.

In short, an excellent intrument.

I bought this 1 month.

The negative Poins:
- The bill had a chlorine aftertaste. During the first use, a random white noise in the headphones (not in the output amplifier) ​​that seems to disappear over time. Oxidation of keys from the first use probably due to the low current carried by the sensitive keys. I tried to get the antioxidant cloth I use on my sax silver, but traces reappear.

- Not able to display the version. Can not use the software provided with ... error dialog, though the MIDI interface works in two directions.
- Support (stand) for EWI nonexistent. Compelled to tinker with it one.
- It takes a certain period of adjustment with the octave key.

On the plus side ... I could copy / paste of the previous opinion.

Currently, there are only the electronic wind instrument.

No it is not given, but given the options, its price is justified.

I would definitely do it again this election.

For how long have you been using it?

over 2 years.

What thing do you like most/least about it?

the +:

+ Instrument expressive
+ Very "portable" (light, no need to expander)
+ Versatile (use of internal synth or any expander - well programmed for # CC2)
+ Solid construction
+ Fingering altrernatifs handy
+ 99 programmable internal sounds (subtractive)

the -:

- You have to adapt the system to octave (a very different sax)
- Noise in the headphones (but it depends on the headphone!)
- No "box" dedicated (but works very well Protec PB310)
- The factory patches are a bit dull (but patches are great patchmanmusic)
- Limited autonomy with rechargeable batteries (~ 2-3 h / much more with non-rechargeable batteries)

What is your opinion about the value for the price?

I paid 830 euros, which is a bit expensive, but it is an extraordinary instrument! on the other hand, like any instrument, it takes work to make best use its expressive potential. It is now much cheaper (Thomann, eg.)

It should also be aware that the sounds "internal" are very synthetic, so if you search for "emulation", it will also invest in a VL70m, or XV-2020 (with patches patchmanmusic), or ... any other expander * pout programmed correctly answer the 'Breath Controller' # CC2 *
Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice? ...

Yes, yes and yes!

Note: I receive no com. patchmanmusic in, but Matt is the only one to offer libraries really really well optimized for wind controllers / associated hardware. For softwares, there are plenty of other sellers (Wallander Instruments Nortonmusic patches for Reason, etc. ...).