Akai Professional EWI USB - Electronic Wind Instrument Controller Reviews

I've had this for a week now. I got myself a subscription at Tomplay for sheet music and was able to learn the fingering on the EWI in just 5 days. I don't think it's incredibly complicated, especially if you're already educated in music theory.

The performance has been great on my Windows 11 system. No drop outs, or lag - only consistent performance here. If your machine or audio interface supports ASIO then this shouldn't be an issue. The EWI was instantly recognized by Reaper when I first plugged my instrument into the USB port of my computer. I routed the MIDI input from the EWI USB and then my MIDI out to my external sound modules. Controlling VSTs within the DAW is also effortless.

If there's one thing I wish they could improve it would be the rollers on the back to change octaves. I found myself accidentally changing octaves. Maybe this will change with experience on my part. But as of now it feels like a design flaw.

I've had this instrument for a few weeks, haven't spent as much time on it as I would like, but I loved the times I have played it. I look forward to playing this on my tracks.

I've only had my instrument for a couple of weeks, but I love it so far. Very interesting instrument, and will take me a few to learn how to play it properly, but if you're ready to experiment with a fun instrument, this is it. Get ya one & get ya Grover Washington on!

I really love this EWI. It is simple to get started and learn. I have already learned a lot of songs, mostly in simple keys. I am yet to get more with the Chromatic notes, but I will get there. I got the instrument a few days before the Safer at home ordinance here in Los Angeles so I decided that I will go live and also YouTube videos to help relief some of the pain with people. My EWI will be there with me as we go through this Coronavirus situation. I really am hoping that once I have a good hold on it I will be able to perform it in person to an audience when all of this is over. I really think it's an amazing instrument.

When I ordered the AKAI EWI USB, my first concern was how much wind is this thing going to take to produce a good sound since a true tenor sax seemed to take so much (for a non-horn playing musician). The truth is it hardly takes any wind at all and even that is adjustable with the EWI. Within a couple of days, I was getting fairly proficient with some scales. My sales rep for many years, David Mikatadze, steered me right again. Thanks to Sweetwater for keeping good people around that are musicians and know how to solve our problems, big or small. Great instrument, great price, great service... what else would I need?
Thanks again.

The EWI USB Wind Controller a next generation musical instrument giving musicians a vast palette of sounds. It is easy to install I am using it with FL studio 12

I have wanted a wind synthesizer (or Electric Wind Instrument - EWI) since I first saw one in Denver many years ago played by a member of the band Images. The instrument is very versatile, being able to sound like many different instruments. High prices and the complexity of the setup kept me away for years. One had to buy the instrument itself and a MIDI unit and it all seemed pretty complex. Once I saw the EWI USB priced as it is and that it is essentially a self-contained unit (one does need a computer, either Mac or Windows though) I was sold. It was an added bonus that Sweetwater carried it since I have had nothing but excellent service from Sweetwater on multiple purchases. I'm still learning the instrument but it is great fun to play. It is capable of being set for different fingerings as well as a multitude of instrument sounds. As other reviewers mentioned, the owner's manual is not much, but there are resources on the Internet including different sounds and software. I don't know why manufacturers don't feel the need to make a good manual with their product, but it seems to be the norm now. This is a great product for the price and as far as I'm concerned, you can't beat Sweetwater's service. I also bought a Samson computer stand to hold my MacBook Pro and I love it as well. By the way, the Garritan ARIA software included with the EWI USB works great on the Mac. As of the writing of this review, I have had the instrument for several weeks and am becoming more comfortable with it as time progresses. I played the clarinet and toyed with the saxophone and flute for quite a few years. The feel of the EWI is familiar, but different from a conventional instrument. The "keys" don't move, but are touch sensitive. The octave rollers replace the conventional thumb hole and key, so that is different, but pretty easy to pick up the feel. The instrument is fairly light weight, but you do need to use the enclosed neck strap since you need to keep your thumbs in certain places and it is a little tricky to just hold the instrument without the support of the neck strap. If you are a woodwind fan, I think you will get a kick out of this instrument. I'm running through a MacBook Pro via a USB port and out of the headphone jack and then to an Ampeg BA 108 amp that I already had. (I'm a bass player too.) I got the cables from Sweetwater as well. (3.5mm to 1/4 inch jacks on a 10 foot cable) The setup gives me plenty of sound. I'm very happy with my purchase and rig!

What a great value. Tracking is awesome. The sounds of course is dependent on your software. Check out Bernie Kennerson. This is capable of sounding real. Awesome product

I have owned a WX7 from Yamaha and currently own a EWI 4000s. This one has quickly become my favorite. It is lighter than the 4000s. The tracking is amazing. On a Windows machine it is not so good, but on a Apple, it is right there. Had a little trouble with a note not responding, so I contacted tech support and found out that I wasn't holding it properly for a reset which fixed it right away.Supplied sounds are good. This is a great product. I should have bought it sooner.

Just arrived. Always wanted a wind controller but they were always too expensive. Now I have one and it rocks. I installed it on my Mac and within minutes I was playing the superb Garritan instruments it comes with through the included Aria software. The jazz tenor (th) is a highlight, as is the double bass (that's right...playing the DB with a wind controller!) Also works great in Logic. Had a blast using it with Sculpture and with a guitar sound with "metal god" preset in Logic's amp simulator. Wish it had a stand, could be used wireless and had a sturdy case. Still for $299 I'm not complaining. Money well spent.

Before acquiring the ewi USB I thought that it would be a sax replacement. I haven't play sax since 2012 and wanted to get back into it. Well that thinking was wrong!!! The ewi USB is much more than a sax replacement it is its own instrument. In fact much of what I learned for sax playing I had to unlearn. The breathing, the distance of your fingers from the keys, your embouchure, all different. The instrument itself is a midi controller designed to be familiar to woodwind players. This is great in my opinion because it allows for a soundscape that is only limited by the software you have. The included software in my opinion has a few compelling sounds but I think that the soundset in the software is only to show you what it is capable of. I think the real purpose of the software is to set up how the hardware interacts with you. For example the pitch bend sensors can be set to many parameters such as sustain. Where it shines in my opinion and why I love it is because it works with "most" vst's and the included software is standalone as well as can be a vst in the daw. This allows me to create lead and synth sounds and play them with a level, of expression that I cannot acquire with my keyboards. It does have its limitations if you try to compare it to the ewi4000 / 5000 or the Roland aerophone and it is not without it's glitches but it absolutely shines at what it is, a midi controller with breathe and bite sensors and pitch bend sensors that can all be set to control various midi parameters.

It does exactly what it should and I already had Garritan plugins. I am by no means a woodwind/brass player. I purchased this item to experiment with. My lack of knowledge about ww/brass instruments to have a basis for comparing is the only reason I didnt give a 5***** "WOW Blown Away" rating. I gave it a 4.5****1/2"WOW" rating.

This is the most pleasure I have gotten out of a musical device purchase since I bought my Korg M1 in the 80's!!! And it was surely a lot less money than that M1 was then. So far I've used it as a sax with the included Aria software, but I also created a very impressive harmonica using Sonar's TTS1 virtual synth. I'va tried it with Sonar's Dimension Pro also. If you get all the controllers programmed just right, the results are out of this world. This is total love at first blow.

I play keyboard in my band, and wanted an expressive device like a wind controller for some of my sounds. I am not a sax player, but have played primitive flutes all my life. So within 2 to 3 hours I was able to get awesome sounds out of this beauty, and used it live on stage within days with beautiful results.

As far as bad things, the touch plates tarnish very quickly, but that does not affect the performance of the instrument. The Aria software is VERY slow to load, especially as a VST in Sonar. I have not experienced any hangs, but the instrument can initialize incorrectly if not handled properly. Do not touch anything while the device is first plugged in.

It plays best with very little wind flow. In fact, it takes very little air. So if you are a sax player, you will find it hard to pull back your blowing enough to fall within the sensitive range of the instrument. But once you get used to this, the range of expression is terrific, especially compared to what can be done on a keyboard. If you are a sax player, you'll enjoy controlling other virtual instruments and synths using the expressiveness that the breath and bend controllers can give you.

In conclusion, I have not been as excited and have not had as much fun on an instrument as I have on the EWIUSB in years. And for the money, it is hard to find this kind of musical fulfillment in an instrument any more. I highly recommend it!

I hesitated for months to order an EWI USB because I couldn't decide what to make of the reviews. So here's my own take now that I finally went for it. I just got it today, so bear that in mind.

The hardware side of this is excellent. Easily 5 stars. I've been playing saxophone for about 30 years and clarinet even longer, and it only took me about an hour of noodling around on this to get relatively comfortable with it. The pinky keys are a slight adjustment, but pretty natural feeling. The thumbs are giving me a bit more trouble — adjusting to the octave rollers is weird, and I find I accidentally hit the pitch bend plates with my right thumb, but come on… this is just after a couple of hours of playing! I think I'll adapt very quickly with a bit more practice.

As for the software… well, it's a good thing I just bought this to use with Logic, because the EWI software won't even open on my M1 Mac. AKAI is notorious for bad software so I'm not counting on this being resolved any time soon. I don't care so much since it is absolutely plug-and-play with Logic and MainStage. But since some things like the key configuration and other settings can only (presumably) be done with the EWI software, I have no way to control that. I don't know if the fingering default is sax or if the "EWI default" is just very sax-like, but whatever the case, it's working well enough for me!

One thing to note: there CAN be some bad latency in Logic, but that's Logic's issue. Turning on Low Latency Mode fixed it instantly. And I didn't notice any latency issues in MainStage, even with effects turned on.

Now I'm finally ready to add some brass, flute, and double reeds to my recordings!

All up to the operator from here on.

Bought for my son, who uses it to play his VSTs and trigger some of my old keyboards. He enjoys playing it and has adapted well from traditional recorder fingering. Wish it was updated, though. Akai could offer a better value for this fairly old model. How old? The installation CD is for Windows XP/Vista, although the new drivers are available on the Akai website.

The instrument was delivered promptly, and secured in a box with bubble wrap. I use Ableton Live and it had no problem detecting it. I enjoy using this while able to use many native instrument and vst plugins. Takes a little getting use to. I already recommend sweetwater,com store to all my musician friends. The service is top notch, keep up the great work.

Greetings,
I am a huge fan of akai products. I have owned several MPC's and just purchased an EWI USB. I must say, it is very well designed, and exceeds many of my expectations. I am not a brass/wind player, yet I find it very easy to learn & practice without disturbing the neighbors. One area of significant improvement though, is the free Aria software. To repeat what others have said in other reviews: it SUCKS. it's beyond limited. MY issue is this: If I just paid $... for a piece of hardware...with saxophone style fingerings, it should include a software that maybe has more than (3*) smooth-jazz Alto-Sax sounds, no? I shouldn't have to go drop another $... on 3rd party software, to make use of this. Native-Instruments has some libraries of sounds, that make this EWI really worth it. But their software is very expensive. I think Akai should release some new soundbanks for this, or give users a coupon to N-I.

Don't get me wrong, I love this thing, bought it used for $150 usd but its fatal flaw is its dependency on software to control its features. It used to be an annoyance but now it's a major handicap due to the fact that their software isn't working with the latest MacOS and not only that, it's still being sold at a regular price. They're should be a Bluetooth ewi or an ewi that works with iPad at this point, but if its not a priority, atleast either update the software to work with modern OS's. Great piece of hardware hindered by outdated and lackluster software.

The EWI USB is a good concept and I love playing it, but like all things new and electronic, it is in need of improvements. Most notably with Windows, it hangs quite a bit. A decent driver update would hopefully solve that problem but Akai is pretty famous for taking their time in supporting their stuff. And if my experience with tech support is still on the money, you probably have Akai, Garritan, and most of the sequencer and DAW writers arguing over who's fault the stuck note is. If you are really into the EWI sound; especially professionally do yourself a favor and fork over the bucks for the 4000s.

I have had nothing but problems trying to get the EWI to work with its own software. If I click on the controls button it crashes. I cannot get it to interface with Garritan soft ware in Sonar X2. Even though it comes with its own limited Garritan software. As a standalone it would get a good rating. As an interface with a DAW it fails totally. Akai cannot seem to solve the problem either. They have not updated the included software since 2009. Not to be recommend if it is to be used with a DAW program.

A great concept and well one executed by way of the hardware, the fact nobody is willing to confront is the abject failure of the software and the truly dishonest and flagrantly disgusting way by which the "people" at Akai seek to cover up these failings. First things first, the software is either to be found unreliable or outright non-functional on Windows systems. Furthermore, the instructions for installation on Windows specifically instruct the end-user that the software requires no additional drivers, an assertion that is factually false. Without the driver "ASIO5ALL" as it is known by way of being "Freeware", the instrument will not make a sound. When confronted with this error, the "support" staff at Akai and Matt Traum of Patchman Music (the man who sold this piece of junk to me) responded NOT by way of committing themselves to correcting the problem, but to the contrary they dedicated themselves to the indulgence of ridicule and abuse. Really, I have never in my life encountered such psychotic behavior associated with a single transaction, one which featured both parties refusing to honor the warrantee by way of accepting a return. Because this item is defective. And not just defective with respect to its operation on Windows system. A critical failure by design, embedded in the software, is the refusal to include any tuning/de-tuning parameter. And similarly hidden from open conversation by those trying to push this piece of trash is the problem of the crippling of the pitch-bend on the bite sensor whereby one can not even so much as vary the magnitude of the range to be accessed. It's all restricted to a puny little half step, a range so absurdly narrow as to arbitrary transform a piece of hardware with great potential into a rigid, artless and musically crippling soft of dead-end path of misery for any and all players. This is how Akai and Matt Traum--arguably the God Father of the entire technology of the Wind Controller--see fit to treat their customers. Evidently the idea is to sub-optimize and in this manner purposefully sabotage the experience of the beginning players, this so as to shunt them down the exploitation-alley so as to fleece the suckers and chumps. Strangely, the software company--Aria--makes a stand-alone rendition of the very same synthesizer called "Aria Player" that does in fact include the otherwise excluded parameters--permitting both whole tone pitch bend ranges on the bite sensor as well as tuning and de-tuning. Evidently the version provided for the instrument itself was purposefully down-graded. That much is painfully obvious. But who cares? Evidently we don't. Because if we did we most certainly would not allow a product such as this, one deliberately designed to fail and frustrate the end user, to enter the market-place at all. If we have no standards, then we deserve to be treated badly. As far as I'm concerned, the sabotage of the software in the context of an otherwise excellent hardware design constitutes a sinister form of vandalism. I can only imagine the frustration of those on the design team of the hardware. All their excellent efforts at crafting an entry level instrument for the masses have been deliberately trashed, and we the sheeple for whom they devoted their efforts are too shamelessly stupid and corrupt to so much as demand better. This is a bad moment in the history of otherwise blossoming field of music technology, one that stands out like a cancerous tumor. To be eradicated.

I had to down load this to three different computers before I found one that would work! The sounds are not good and it doesn't play in tune. The response is slow, so there is no way to ever perform with this instrument. It is a total waist of money! My 18 year old Yamaha EW20 sounds much better and plays circles around this piece of crap! I would no recommend is instrument to anyone! Stan Johnson