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Any wind controllers/synths that don't block airflow?

paraparapa1

What wind synths/controllers are there that don't block air like the EWI and don't have octave rollers?

I'm an alto recorder player, but the only electric recorders out there are either extremely expensive (eCorder, Elody) or look like a toy (artinoise re.corder).
I don't mind not having built in sounds, but it's a nice bonus if they're decent.

I know the aodyo sylphyo and it's exactly what I'm looking for, but I've heard the company is bankrupt, and there's none on sale anywhere right now.

Someone suggested me the Clarii Mini, but I'm not too sure about the mix of touch sensors and clicky buttons. The built in sounds sound bad enough that I wouldn't use them anyway lol.

The Warbl 2 might be what I'm looking for, but I'm not sure. I like the Ewi fingering (I have one), it lets me avoid some inconvenient positions I have on the recorder, and has some extra dedicated buttons for going up or down a semitone. Still, having something that's just like the recorder (you can enable half-holing) definitely isn't bad.
 
Welcome to the forum, @paraparapa1 !

I myself don't have any personal experiences with the newer wind midi controllers. My experiences are mostly old school.

Back in early 1990's in the days of Windows 3.1, Logitech had an excellent but cost effective sound card for IBM & clones PC/AT motherboards. I think it was called the "Soundman Wave". It had Midi In and Out, connected to my then earlier GeneralMusic keyboard through the Midi ports. It had a professionally digitized sound library internally, made playing Midi files a joy.

Shortly after Logitech got out of the sound card business, had no support for Windows NT, so I had to abandon it.

I had Cakewalk, I think Version 6 for Win 3.1, could compose Midi parts. Unfortunately that software could not work on Win NT.

Is your interest for performance play? Or, Midi parts creation by using a digital wind instrument as controller?

Hopefully someone else can come who knows more about these than I do. I have focused more on clarinet and sax, although I have taught baroque recorder to children. It is a wonderful classical instrument.
 
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They are discontinued, but I like the Yamaha WX5.

It has a "reed" for pitch bend, the air goes through it, and it has octave keys.

You can probably get a reconditioned one from patchmanmusic.com or find a good used one.

It has no voice, it just sends out MIDI information. I use a Yamaha VL70m Physical Modeling synth module, because it reacts more like playing an instrument than triggering samples (also discontinued). I had the voice chip replaced with a patchman TURBO chip.

Roland has come out with an AE line, but since I am so invested in the WX camp, I haven't given them much thought.

I gig for a living www.s-cats.com and depending on the gig, I might use the WX for up to half the songs per night (I also play sax and guitar on the gig, plus a little flute).

There is also a wind controller forum at patchman music, and a couple of groups on Facebook.

Note: I have no connection with patchman music, except I'm a customer - so this is not a sales post.

Notes ♫
 
I was brought here because I have the same question! I have a Roland AE-01, which is very simple, has limited sounds and irritatingly clicky keys, but I still like it because its fake saxophone mouthpiece lets air leak out around the 'reed' while still triggering the sensor perfectly - you get zero pushback, so it does indeed feel like playing a recorder. By comparison, my Akai EWI USB feels like blowing into my thumb! (I've been working on some mouthpiece hacks to provide better airflow and will post the results here if they work.) I'm looking for a better instrument that also has free airflow. The other Rolands have the same 'sax' mouthpiece but look really ugly. The Yamaha YDS 120 may be a contender, while the YDS 150 certainly would if it wasn't so overdesigned (what's with the bell?!). Anyone have experience with the Yamahas? Does the YDS-120 have resistance to airflow, not having a sax-type mouthpiece like the YDS-150?
 
ZaxZaxx said:
I was brought here because I have the same question! I have a Roland AE-01, which is very simple, has limited sounds and irritatingly clicky keys, but I still like it because its fake saxophone mouthpiece lets air leak out around the 'reed' while still triggering the sensor perfectly - you get zero pushback, so it does indeed feel like playing a recorder. By comparison, my Akai EWI USB feels like blowing into my thumb! (I've been working on some mouthpiece hacks to provide better airflow and will post the results here if they work.) I'm looking for a better instrument that also has free airflow. The other Rolands have the same 'sax' mouthpiece but look really ugly. The Yamaha YDS 120 may be a contender, while the YDS 150 certainly would if it wasn't so overdesigned (what's with the bell?!). Anyone have experience with the Yamahas? Does the YDS-120 have resistance to airflow, not having a sax-type mouthpiece like the YDS-150?
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According to someone on the Gearspace forums, the Yamaha YDS-120 should be free-flowing. Compared to the ewi both the YDS-120 and YDS-150 look a bit overwhelming though.

There's also the Zoot. It's cheap and interesting, but no shipping outside of US at the moment.
The PICO WIND looks cool too, but I confirmed it has the same breath resistance as the EWI by asking the developers with a japanese translator lol.
 
paraparapa1 said:
According to someone on the Gearspace forums, the Yamaha YDS-120 should be free-flowing. Compared to the ewi both the YDS-120 and YDS-150 look a bit overwhelming though.

There's also the Zoot. It's cheap and interesting, but no shipping outside of US at the moment.
The PICO WIND looks cool too, but I confirmed it has the same breath resistance as the EWI by asking the developers with a japanese translator lol.
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All helpful, thanks! I'm actually reasonably at ease with saxophone keys so I'll give the Yamahas a try at some point. My problem was (and still is) never having developed a reliable embouchure (a combination of many sessions of dental work and incompetence!), which is why real saxes are beyond me. This probably also explains why I'm not comfortable with restricted airflow and basically need an instrument that blows like a recorder! Anyone got any experience of the old Yamaha WX range of controllers? They turn up on eBay. I was wondering about their airflow.
 
ZaxZaxx said:
All helpful, thanks! I'm actually reasonably at ease with saxophone keys so I'll give the Yamahas a try at some point. My problem was (and still is) never having developed a reliable embouchure (a combination of many sessions of dental work and incompetence!), which is why real saxes are beyond me. This probably also explains why I'm not comfortable with restricted airflow and basically need an instrument that blows like a recorder! Anyone got any experience of the old Yamaha WX range of controllers? They turn up on eBay. I was wondering about their airflow.
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I don't have info on that, but there was another instrument I forgot to mention. The eigenharp. It has a mouthpiece that seems... very optional, and for the pico version you either only have one octave, or 2 octaves but can't do anything outside of diatonic notes, or you have to program a fingering system that works for at least two octaves... because the octave buttons are on the front. It's more like a keyboard instrument, except it has square buttons instead of keys. The tau and alpha are much more expensive but also bigger.
Then there are some interesting instruments that turn your literal voice into midi, like the TEControl USB MIDI Breath Controller. Pretty cool! Not sure if that counts as a wind instrument since you're literally singing.
 
The technology may seem intimidating until one learns how to use it. Of course, one wind instrument that could possibly also tackled is the bag pipes. Another may be a good amplification system for the recorder line.

Aside from saxes and clarinets, I gravitated toward keyboards. The higher end ones are like a Casio that one day decided to grow up. I prefer the arrangers to the workstations, because they can do Karaoke backing on the fly. The other night I was practicing There Will Never Be Another You on my Korg PA600 done to a Disco Cha-Cha backing beat. My intent is to eventually record it for background play for sax. I like the Korgs as their styles are more like a small band or combo than an orchestra. With 4 layers of MIDI loops, it has some interesting instrumental countermelodies toward the end of each cadence.
 
paraparapa1 said:
I don't have info on that, but there was another instrument I forgot to mention. The eigenharp. It has a mouthpiece that seems... very optional, and for the pico version you either only have one octave, or 2 octaves but can't do anything outside of diatonic notes, or you have to program a fingering system that works for at least two octaves... because the octave buttons are on the front. It's more like a keyboard instrument, except it has square buttons instead of keys. The tau and alpha are much more expensive but also bigger.
Then there are some interesting instruments that turn your literal voice into midi, like the TEControl USB MIDI Breath Controller. Pretty cool! Not sure if that counts as a wind instrument since you're literally singing.
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Also interesting! Sadly Eigenlabs went under a while ago and used Eigenharps now command astronomical sums, so that's out! I did have a student who owned a Pico, which I envied. : ) I'm also into voice-activated instruments, as by sheer luck I have an reasonably accurate singing voice. I aspire to a Soma Pipe and may yet break down and get one, but in the meantime I've been working on some experimental hack/mod projects. One involves a Yamaha EZ-TP, which converts sung notes into trumpet (and a few other) sounds (also via MIDI). The bell had to go - it was huge and unwieldy and did the weight and balance of the instrument no favours, but as it only contained the internal amp and speaker, which I had no use for, I just detached it and replaced it with a ferrule. The funnel-like mouthpiece was also a bit odd, so I replaced it with an ABS trombone mouthpiece (wider for vocalising into than a trumpet mouthpiece) and another ferrule. It functions nicely, but it's still a work in progress.
Photo2502.jpg

I'm also messing about with a plastic Pampet trumpet with various internal microphones and a pitch-to-MIDI converter, also as a sing-into instrument.

www.yamaha.com

EZ-TP - Display Collection - INNOVATION ROAD - Yamaha Corporation

www.yamaha.com www.yamaha.com

sonuus - Music Products Designed in the UK

Awesome music products designed in the UK. From the world's fastest pitch-to-MIDI converters to the most incredible guitar FX.
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I have a Carry-On digital recorder. It is the size of a soprano recorder but is easily transposed down to alto tuning. And you can plug headphones directly into it.
Here I'm playing with the trumpet voice for a bit of fun

 
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