Japanese Wind Instrument Mario

I must admit, the first time I unboxed the instrument, I was amazed at the build quality. It has some heft, the keys are properly and ergonomically placed and you know Akai really took their time to perfect this wind controller. But as a long time saxophone player, the first time I actually played some scales, I was quite disappointed - it didn't feel like a saxophone. I was beginning to regret my purchase and thought about exchanging it for the WX5. So I gave it a few more days. Days turned to weeks, and I am beginning to appreciate this instrument. Keep practicing those scales, breathing with the mouthpiece and you realize how this is such an amazing wind controller. I made a mistake thinking that this is a replacement for a saxophone in an apartment situation. In reality, you should think about how this instrument can be an extension to your musical endeavors. The possibilities you can do with the sounds and playability are endless. There are a few usable synths prebuilt, but I suggest using the Akai EWI 5000 Editor to really play and edit your sounds then save it to the user bank. Also there are synths out there that can be used if you plug the EWI as just a midi wind controller; unfortunately you can't upload other synth sounds into the controller. Definitely give it some time to get used to the instrument especially moving from one octave to another. Keep practicing and you'll appreciate that there's hardly any moving parts here. I was opposed at it first since horns have that tactile and key feedback. But with the touch sensitivity, it really felt I was playing an instrument from the future. Again, you just have to get used to it - think about when mobile phones shift from physical keyboards to the modern phones we have today. And here I am today still keeping my purchase and writing a review. I thank Akai for making a top-notch wind controller and continuing the support for the modern electronic wind musician.

As Mario would say: \Just what I needed! Wahoo!\" I would say the same. This was a perfect tool to hook up my Cintiq Companion to a monitor arm without fear of it falling down. It's a little bulky but the construction and pieces are solid. Be warned though the screws are a pain to install with the provided wrench."

japanese capacitors = high quality

Japanese made and great performance in this price range

this the most powerful battery in this class,it is made in China but chemistry is Japanese.

Works great as I expected original Japanese made

Can’t beat this little instrument for the money!

Fine instrument, does what it should do and more. I recommend it.

A nice rubber hood reminiscent of 80's Japanese versions, very well made.

Wind bad, this good. Keep wind out.