Wood Wind Instrument Played To Side With Keys

I’m not a musician, I can’t read music, and I don’t know music theory. But I can play this and it makes me smile! I’ve had this instrument (yes, it is an actual instrument - not a toy) for close to a month now and I’ve played it almost every day. It’s allowing me to learn to make music while also having fun with music. The strumplate is magical. It feels so nice and accurate. It is sensitive enough to pick up the lightest touch (although, it is not force sensitive in how it plays a chord). The “keyboard” if you will is something you either get used to or may not enjoy. I’ve learned to accept it, as its keys are firm, yet mushy-ish rubber buttons. The body is made of a high quality and strong plastic. It isn’t flimsy feeling in my observations and feels sturdy when you play into it. Once you learn its characteristics, you can be one with the Omnichord and just have a blast! This instrument has many uses too, as it can be used as a MIDI controller! I’ve connected it to my MacBook Pro and have played so many different sounds/electronic instruments through Logic Pro. I’m still learning the ins and outs, but I’m seeing limitless options with how you can play this thing! The onboard sounds are crisp, clear, and this little speaker can play big! Also, knowing it’s part analog, part electronic is neat. You can tell there was a lot of thinking that went into this. Overall, I’d buy this again if I ever needed to (who knows how many Suzuki will make though!) simply because it’s has captured my attention for this long and brings a smile to may face every time I play it. You’ll be the hit of the crowd when you show this off, too! It’s unique, it stands out, and it’s simply a joyful part of my day.

At the time I purchased this bass it was on sale at the price of $199 for the Champagne Gold finish. Although I was not familiar with this specific model line of Ibanez basses, for the price it seemed worth a try. I had played other more expensive Ibanez basses and found them to be made with quality woods and parts. They played well too. When it arrived I was amazed at the quality of this bass. I had thought I might be getting less for the lower price. Even if it had been purchased at the full MSRP of the instrument, I would not have felt slighted. The build quality is excellent. After setting it up with a new set of DR strings it plays extremely well. The tuners and hardware are high quality. The tones I have been able to get out of it with the onboard active electronics alone is pretty staggering for a single instrument - without using any outboard effects. It seems like a bought 7 basses for the price of one. I've been playing it through a DI interface and Apple's Mainstage software for effects and the possibilities seem endless. Truly a surprise for such an inexpensive instrument. Well worth a try. Great for experienced players or beginners.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Loved receiving this product. I never “played” and instrument but so excited to finally learn. I had a keyboard as a kid and self learned some simple songs. This was super easy to set up and has so many different sound qualities I can’t wait to dig I more and learn more piano ?

I attached this SmallRig Mini Wood Side Handle on the left side of my SmallRig cage that holds a Sony RX100M6. It perfectly compliments the wood grip of the cage and still fits inside my Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L. This handle helps me steady the tiny camera for stills photography. Together with the SmallRig Universal Hand Strap, I don't need to attach a neck strap. Highly recommended!

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.

To express my experience so far I do not know how. I want to play every album, CD or stream every artist. I know its not possible, I played Earth Wind and Fire's "That's The Way Of The World" it was sounded so warm like the first time heard it the 70's.

This is a fantastic keyboard, very well built, keys work great, and the wood looks beautiful. A minor complaint would be that the keys are plastic instead of metal, like the trim work, and the keyboard sometimes takes a while to work when the computer hibernates. I would like to add: a matching trackball mouse would be fantastic.

and it is wood.

The wood inlay is so gorgeous. Beautiful texture and colour. And on the plus side, the case gives a ton of protection and impact resistance, and looks mighty good while doing it.

Excellent quality and performance for a generic/universal cage. Feels solid and rigid. I personally don't use the hot shoe connection to secure the camera, I use only the camera screw, which makes it much quicker/easier to attach (I'm reasonably gentile with the rig, so skipping the hot shoe connection isn't concerning me). Currently using the cage with an EOS R, and the cage is just tall enough for that camera model when utilizing the shorter 4.9-inch side rod (the longer side rod included with the kit being 5.7 inches in length). All parts of the cage can be reversed so that the side rod is on the right, EXCEPT for the wood handle, because the wood is carved to fit your left hand. Note that there is side-to-side adjustment provided for the top and bottom cheese plates (i.e. camera plates), effectively allowing you to position the side rod closer or further from your camera body (an adjustment option that is easy to overlook). The cheese stick within the top handle can be loosened and rotated around its long axis in order to give some adjustment as to which threaded holes are facing upward, however you will need to supply your own 2.5mm hex wrench (the only size of hex wrench not furnished by the manufacturer). My only quibble (minor) is that the camera screw does not have a D-ring on the bottom end to permit secure tightening without a screwdriver. I personally have not used the wood handle very much (unneeded in my use case), so I can't comment on the frequent criticism that this CAMVATE wood handle design (which is used in multiple CAMVATE products) tends to develop slop in its connection regardless of how much you try to tighten it.