Professional Wind Instrument Con

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.

We connected this to an iXZ Mic & Instrument interface to attain professional sound during video recordings using an iPhone 4S. Simple setup. Works flawlessly. Audio is 10X better than using the iPhone's internal mic.

So easy to operate with the instrument panel. Prints perfectly! Looks very professional - it’s for home use.

Great photo quality, looks like a professional print with my inkjet printer. Only con, expensive...

I bought this microphone for my canon HFS21. The result are very professional. the wind is transform as low frequencies. I used it for a Wedding and at the party I used the 90 degree feature and 270 degree feature and I was able to record the music very well. The duo HFS21 DM100 is amazing.

I thought for a brief moment was a softie was good addition for my shotgun mic while filming outside. This product however really does put your mic into the realm of professional audio.� My first shoot with this thing was on a beach with high winds. My audio guy kept reassuring me that the wind wasn't blowing the mic out but I did not believe him until I got the sound onto my computer. The wind was not picked up once on this extremely windy day! (I called and apologized to my sound guy for not believing him) While this system is great (and fits my MKE-600 perfectly) my one criticism is that the arm lock doesn't always stick and you'll have to mess with the tightness at times. I will be booming a shot and abrupt movements can cause the zeppelin to sag and change angle at the end of the boom. While tightening does help it feels like I'm over tightening the screw and I worry about long term wear on the arm lock. Overall, great addition to my professional sound arsenal!

This mic was the perfect solution for professional on camera audio even in the wind. It can even be used as a shotgun mic on a boom pole if you're in a pinch.

I am a professional sound recordist. The MZW-601 is a work of art for dealing with wind noise. It fits perfectly with the MZS20-1 pistol grip. If you purchase the hair wind screen , there will be very little if any wind noise present in your recordings. This device is an absolute necessity in field recording. The only part I did not like was the screw on back assembly. It fits very tight and when you are on the run and assembling, it could slow you down to a crawl getting the pieces in place correctly.

Can’t beat this little instrument for the money!

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