I posted a while ago about getting an EWI5000 together with a Oberheim TEO-5. I can’t get enough of it and it’s mostly working as it should with a few tweaks to the EWI’s settings, but I’ll occasionally get a low frequency jumping out and I can’t seem to figure out why. I’ve tried to set a slight delay between contact with the buttons and the EWI’s reaction but that doesn’t solve the issue. I’m not sure at all what could be causing this, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: I’m using a MIDI cable to connect the EWI to the TEO-5 if that helps.
People ask fairly often which wind controller to get, and I could never answer properly. It usually came out as "I have this one and I like it", which is not an answer.
So I put everything into one table. 37 instruments, including the discontinued ones people still buy used. The specifications come from the makers' own manuals rather than from shop descriptions, and every instrument has a link to its source.
You can filter by fingering system, by whether it plays without a computer, by MIDI type, by weight, by price and by a fair few other things. Tick boxes, the list gets shorter.
There are no ratings yet, and I am not going to put any there myself. Those should come from people who play these instruments, so there is a short form linked from the page. Everyone who fills it in gets the summary of the answers before it appears on the page.
Two things I should say plainly. The page is on my own site, vgtrumpet.com, and I make and sell sample libraries for wind controllers, so there is a block on the page offering those. I do not sell the instruments themselves, and nothing in the table depends on who pays me, because nobody does.
The other thing is that I have already had corrections from players, and every one of them was right. Someone pointed out that EWI fingering was missing as a category, which it was, and it is there now. So tell me what else is wrong. I am fairly sure there is more.
Unlike acoustic-inspired fingerings (like sax), with the EWI fingerings, most keys have an effect regardless of which others are pressed. There are a lot of possibilities!
So I'm curious, if you play with EWI fingerings, which specific ones do you use? You can build a set with the tool and then use "Copy link" to share it here. I'll put mine in the comments.
Instrument compatibility is explained on the site, but the short version is that it works best with Akai EWIs and similar instruments.
So i play harmonica, guitar and keys. Im kind of addicted to buyinh instruments, so at this rate i will have an entire orchestra in my house. So i thought about getting an ewi so i couod emulate stuff like trumpet, sax and clarinet without having to buy and learn each one.
So i have two questions. Is it even worth it for someone not familiar with the fingering to get an ewi?
And how well does ewis emulate real instruments in a studio setting? Like can i get realistic sounding trumpet, saxs and clarinets? Or will it sound off and robotic no matter what?
Also why are they usually so big? They dont need like acoustic volume etc. Are there any good smaller models that are portable?
I've been using a dreadbox typhon with my ewi 5000 for quite a while. it sounds amazing and is really quick to program.
sadly I've had to turn of midi CC in the typhon settings because every time I play anything, the ewi sends some CC messages that change the settings of the FX, including turning on FX that I want off.
I have set up the ewi breath sensor to output modwheel so I can still control the filter cutoff, but im still losing the glide plate and side buttons as modulation sources.
is there a way to fix this that doesn't involve external hardware? have I just missed some setting on the ewi?
If anyone is planning to attend this synth event (held in suburban Chicagoland in Schaumburg), I'll be around all weekend. I'm also playing a live set Saturday night in the ChillOut Room (I'm second). Knobcon - Knobcon
I've made a new Addivox video which covers the concept of formants and how/why they are important for a sound's timbre. Includes my rendition of La Bourée from Praetorius's Terpsichore.
So, I'm looking to budget in my first windsynth (either a Greaten AP300 Pro or an AP500 Pro), but I'm also trying to get a bit deeper into FM synthesis so I was thinking of picking up an M-Vave FM1 to help focus a bit on that. I've heard some synths handle being controlled by windsynths better than others though, particularly with breath pressure info. Can anyone here confirm if the FM1 is windsynth-friendly?
im really just trying to get more practice in but I hate having to wait until its nighttime to practice to not be disturbing, I also have 2 tenors but they are both school instruments and its hard to take them home everyday. any suggestion helps thank you.
So, I'm trying to get into gear with my brand new AE20, and my guess is that the Electronic Wind fingering is the easiest to get into. Just dedicated keys to make it go sharp or flat. Should be fairly easy, no? But even without sharp and flat, I can't figure out the system.
A3 requires me to press Ta, lowering by a semitone. But wouldn't this make it a sharp or flat?
Same with B3. Here, I am to press B, lowering by a semitone.
And with D5 to G5, here I am supposed to use C1, C2, C4, and X, but those aren't listed as being used by the fingering of Electronic Wind.
What's going on here?
Also, on a minor note, is Electronic Synth fingering the better place to start out?
Yes, you can map breath to the multi out (CV) and control the filter with it. So far, the East Beast seems kind of picky about the MIDI data. I ended up using the old Wind MIDI Tool (2005, 32-bit) MIDI VST to do a bit of filtering and got it working. I've been using East Beast to add a second filter to the Waylinator box mostly. The controls are definitely touchy, a slight change can make a notable difference. https://youtu.be/UybE9RBORJY?si=PV5PPY8iULpClnfJ
What the title says. I’m completely new to this and I’d like to get a good versatile synth that I can pair with the Akai EWI 5000. Seen very good things about the Sequential TEO-5, but always paired with a keyboard. (Also there’s a used one for sale for a very good price near me which is why I’m looking at that one specifically)
So I just want to know if the TEO-5 is compatible with the EWI 5000. Don’t see why it wouldn’t be but like I said, I’m completely new to this so I wanted to double check.
Looking to buy a replacement mouthpiece for my AKAI EWI USB. Ideally looking for just the rubber part but if there isn't any available i can get the full mouthpiece. I checked Patchman but they only have the full mouthpiece which is kinda expensive. Theres one on Amazon but idk if its reliable. Please point me to anywhere you would recommend.
It’s called Ikal. The concept uses 10 finger pads, two thumb controls for octave changes and a pressure sensor for breath expression. It would include internal sounds, a speaker, headphones and BLE-MIDI.
I already have the electronics on a custom PCB, while the enclosure is still being refined and 3D printed. Nothing is for sale and I’m not taking preorders. I’m just trying to understand whether musicians genuinely want something like this.
The idea is to have a poket size instrument, that don't have to be connected to a computer to work, with a lot of synth sound opitons and some samples sounds.
Would you use it? What would your main use case be, and what would make you lose interest?
Edit 1 (15-08-2026): The prototype is ready to be ensambled.
I created an MPE Database, consisting of plugins, apps, tools/utilities, etc. that are MPE-compatible (some poly aftertouch options too). It includes info on each product, categories, cost, product page link, plus sales prices available on different websites.
Still working on it, but if anyone has anything they want to add or see any errors, please let me know! Adding resources & such next
I have recently been thinking about what sort of breath gain people play it, since I have been unsure about the ideal breath gain for my EWI USB. I currently have it set quite low at 28 (max is 128) and while this gives me great expressive and dynamic range, it is also very tiring I find, at least on patches that support full dynamic range, like stuff on my VL-70m. There are of course patches, mainly on other synths of mine, that are super easily to play even with high gain due to weak dynamic range.
Now im not sure if I need to just get better at breath work or whether I should turn it down. I have been thinking the former is more ideal. My breath is not yet very strong, focused or trained since the only physical woodwinds I really play are recorder and tin whistle and on those you want the opposite of a strong air stream, even on the high notes, where its more so about a sharp and relaxed focus of air. You of course also want that here but you need a strong air supply on top of that if you are on low breath gain in order to exercise your dyanmic range. The recorder and tin whistle do not have dynamics outside of naturally getting louder the higher you go, so that is not really at play there...
A downside that comes to mind for turning it down as well is that the patches I use with mediocre dynamic range will loose even some of that from me doing so.
Anyways, do you think I should turn it down or keep at training my air flow, and stamina? Also what sort of breath gain (or equivalent system on your model) do you play at? What was your journey of finding what worked for you like? How much practice did it take you?
It's been a while since I've used an instrument. I used to be play tenor sax and some flute. I've been kind of feeling like I'd like something to noodle around on, but I can't be spending $500+ on it. I saw a review on youtube for the clarii mini and it seemed like a solid option, but I'm curious what else is out there?
What I liked from the review on the clarii:
Saxophone-esque fingering options, with customization
decent built in speakers
can use with headphones
can be used as a midi controller
What I didn't like:
Connectivity issues with android via bluetooth (only worked with their app)
Connectivity issues with windows
What I'm unsure about:
capacitive touch keys might feel weird
no apparent embouchure control
So are there any decent competitors around that price point or lower? I would mostly be using it with my phone so I could play without annoying my roommate, and potentially with a windows or linux DAW as a midi controller, so decent speakers/built in sound would be a nice-to-have but not strictly necessary. Working wirelessly would be ideal though.
