EWI USB & Midi

[ProDigit]

Hi,

 

Some have noticed that Akai released the EWI USB in oktober 2008. There are good reviews of the EWI4000s, but perhaps many things of this newer model might be different.

 

That's why I wanted to ask if anyone has experience with the EWI USB, and how it works in a live situation?

 

 

First of all, the newer version is a USB version, and does not have MIDI out.

In order for it to work it needs a (quite powerful) computer that has a USB in, and a midi out. From there one could send the signal to a midi synth or generator or whatever you may call it.

Or, one could use the software to use the provided Aria software sounds.

 

I've been looking around, and found they had a site 'patchmanmusic.com' which supposedly would offer better than factory samples for a few $$.

 

But even with the improved samples, sounds like sax or trumpets still sound artificially; especially if you go into the higher regions.

FM and generators can come close to, but can never generate a good woodwind or brass sound.

 

That's why I was thinking of a midi device that could handle samples. I don't know if the Yamaha VL70-m has samples or if it uses generated sound, but I know that the Roland Fantom XR has recorded samples that sound good in almost all the region (from the lowest to the highest tone a wind instrument would go).

 

The Roland Fantom XR is also expandable (with expansion cards), and one of their expansion cards is a brass band expansion.

I'm very interested in hearing the result of those 2 combined.

I know the samples of the Roland sound awesome, but they are made for keyboards, not for USB wind controllers.

 

If there's anyone out there that could test both of these devices it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Otherwise I'm looking for alternations to the Yamaha VL70-m midi, purely for wind instruments.

Instruments I'm planning to play would be flute, panflute, sax (a couple of versions), trumpets, brass, and perhaps some others.

I'm less interested in synth sounding tones.

 

 

 

I'd also want to know how users of the EWI4000s see the newer USB version?

I'm not so much interested in the EWI4000s for a couple of reasons:

1- the higher price,

2- the lower quality of the internal samples (if you can get one or two good sounds out of the internal soundbanks I'd be amazed!).

3- A third, less reason might be that the EWI4000s is at least 3 years old. I hope in those 3 years that Akai has improved some bugfixes.

4- Though the EWI4000s has 8 hour battery life, I'm less fond of using batteries onstage. Unless the internals are intelligent, and can play off the AC, until the power goes off (eg: someone accidently unplugs the power adaptor). If it'd be intelligent enough to switch to battery there, I'd love that.

 

But other than that I'm seeking on getting the EWI USB onstage sometime...

 

I've also looked at the Yamaha WX5, and so far haven't seen a clear comparison of both.

It is almost as if noone really knows the EWI USB. There are very little reviews out here at the moment.

 

*Edit: I have to say I had a lot of help from the customer service, often giving a mail reply within 6 hours (some even within 2 hours).