Wind Instrument Pickups

I originally bought this to mic a cello as the available pickups were unsatisfactory. After a makeshift adaptation of the instrument clip we were getting a nice, rich, warm, full tone right away without even touching the EQ. We've been using this for frequent gigs--weddings, parties etc.--for about 4 or 5 years now and it's still working perfectly. This unit has served us so well at such a great price, I just bought 3 more from B&H to mic the string section of the jazz orchestra.

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.

Can’t beat this little instrument for the money!

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

I've used this on pickups from a number of acoustic instruments: violins, mandolins, guitars, etc. It always has a clean sound and the features I need to enhance the quality (if necessary) like a ground/lift switch, impedance switch for the input (instrument/amp) and a filter switch. Plus it's passive so I don't have to worry about phantom power. I love it!

Love the guitar! I especially love the sound of both single coiled pickups. Also the humbucker pickups sound great too!

Really enjoying this for my home studio. Tested by recording an acoustic guitar and it sounds much better than my acoustic pickups.

I mounted this unit in a closet with two BlueRay players. Set up infrared pickups in two rooms using a 3.5mm Y stereo connector. It works beautifully. Wasn't sure it could handle this setup, however couldn't have worked better. I can now control two players in a closet from either room. Sweet little product!

Until now I have used various mics on short mic stands as pickups for my acoustic cello. I had tried various contact mics which tend to give an electronic instrument sound and require attachments which are not convenient. A friend recommended the Shure and I used it first time in performance - straight out of the box. Super satisfied with it. Attaches easily in 5 seconds to the tail piece and with the mic super close to the f hole it was the first time I could actually hear the cello from the speaker system - in fact I had to limit the gain. As a result very low pickup of ambient sounds. Plus no tripod to lug. Less lugging is always better.

I own the 4000HD as well and we needed another. I thought I'd get this to use for shorter, quicker broll pickups. I got it with the wrist brace and it's just like the 4000HD but lighter.