Roland today announced the Aerophone AE-20, the latest member of their family of digital wind instruments.
They say that the Aerophone AE-20 delivers the playability and expression of the flagship Aerophone Pro, but in a more compact and streamlined design. It features the core sounds and control of Aerophone Pro.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“Aerophone AE-20 provides a wide range of stunningly authentic acoustic instrument sounds at the touch of a button. Soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxes are on hand, plus clarinet, flute, trumpet, and more. Violin, cello, and other string instruments are also included, along with world instruments like erhu, shakuhachi, and bagpipes. Backed by Roland’s SuperNATURAL technology, every playing nuance is fully translated with lifelike dynamics, articulations, and overtones.
The versatility of Aerophone AE-20 extends even further with the ZEN-Core Synthesis System, the same advanced sound engine found in professional Roland keyboards like FANTOM and JUPITER-X. Everything from traditional analog synths to modern digital voices are available, all carefully curated for the unique articulations and extended dynamic range of a wind instrument.
Aerophone AE-20 lets wind players step right into their musical flow with a familiar reed-style mouthpiece, immediate response, and natural pitch and vibrato control. The breath and bite sensors are customizable and ultra-sensitive, and it’s possible to reconfigure the fingering for sax, clarinet, flute, recorder, or a personal setup. Instant transposition and a five-octave range enable players to cover any style without the range limits found with traditional acoustic instruments.”
The Aerophone AE-20 is designed to be an all-in-one solution, with a built-in speaker so you can play it anywhere and a headphone jack for quiet practice. There’s also a line output for connecting to a stage amp, plus USB-MIDI for controlling MIDI applications and hardware.
Aerophone AE-20 also features Bluetooth connectivity, for wireless connectivity to music apps from Roland and others. The Aerophone Lesson app helps users get started right away and the Aerophone Pro Editor gives you deep control over sound parameters and performance settings.
Additional sound packs are also available via Roland Cloud.
Availability & Pricing
The Roland Aerophone AE-20 will be available in the U.S. in March for $999.99.
wind players + electronic music has always seemed like such a niche area IMHO
but this thing looks like the ultimate wind controller, so thats interesting how something like this still exists
Where is loopop?
Preparing an unnecessarily detailed video?
As a keyboardist, I wonder how that shape affects a wind player’s embouchure. I’ve heard them emit some great music, but I wonder about their hassles a bit. I’m sure the user interface and connectivity have their fans & haters. I can’t say how long-lived they are if handled carefully, but $999 doesn’t seem excessive for that kind of sound, plus USB-MIDI & Bluetooth. Its a 10+ year tool and sure to make a few players go SQUEEE! to have one.
I also wonder if it has a traditional spit valve that gets all green and nasty after a while. 😛
?
I’ve been playing the Roland AE-10 (a less expensive version of the AE-20) for a while and you really don’t need an embouchure at all to play it. It’s more like playing the recorder where your mouth is totally relaxed and you just blow; You can put pressure on the fake reed (it doesn’t actually vibrate) when you want to add vibrato or bend a note, but it’s not like playing the clarinet or saxophone where you have to control the pressure on the reed. Along with the bite sensor, there’s a breath sensor inside the mouthpiece, so you can also control dynamics by blowing softer or harder. Hope this helps.
p.s. There’s no spit valve, but there’s a tube inside the instrument that goes from the mouthpiece to a hole on the end of the instrument where the water drains out.
rip mike brecker, king of ewi