#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS HOW TO#
#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS INSTALL#
#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS DRIVERS#
#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS UPDATE#

Sure enough, the control was completely off. I went looking for the breath controller controls in Aria. * I also felt I was blowing really, really hard to get notes to come out.

#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS HOW TO#

The metal piece for this on the right hand is below what I'd use for a thumbrest if the 'thumbrest' wasn't set to do pitch bending (I could disable the pitch bend in software, I know, but the manual doesn't mention how to do this) and the metal piece for the left hand is a really thin strip next to the octave roller keys. * According to the manual, you have to have your thumbs touching a couple metal pieces to make the keys work. I decided to test with the flute sound, because the sax sound isn't that great and the clarinet sound is a bit below average.

So, with that done, I got to play with the EWI a bit. I'm going to have to explore a bit on that. However, it's possible that the software makes a setting for the EWI and it's set in the EWI. This, to me, also means that I might have to use the MIDI output of Aria into a different virtual instrument, should I want to upgrade the sounds and continue to use saxophone fingerings. It's actually a setting in the Aria player. It's supposed to support basic sax, flute, and clarinet fingerings (the EWI doesn't have the keywork to support most alternate fingerings), but how to switch between them isn't in the manual. * I wondered how the heck to change the fingering system. Required a long Phillips jeweler screwdriver, but I have a set. Luckily, that's easy: one 'captive' screw in mouthpiece. There are no instructions on how to actually remove said mouthpiece. * I knew that the mouthpiece on the EWI was removable and washable. The rest is more-or-less up to you to figure out. However, it worked fine with my powered USB 3.0 hub (Tripp-Lite brand), though.

There's a note in the manual that if Aria doesn't recognize the EWI, you should use a USB port on your computer, not a USB hub.

* Connecting the EWI was dead simple: connect the provided 3 meter long USB cable to the EWI and to a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port on your computer.

#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS UPDATE#

I also downloaded and installed the Aria update from Akai's website. The virtual instrument software is a custom version of Garritan's Aria player that supports breath control 'n' related MIDI data.

#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS DRIVERS#

You get a CD that contains drivers and a virtual instrument player. * Setup of the software was relatively pain free. However, if you go to the Akai website, there's a note that says that Windows 10 is supported. The box says that the EWI supports XP and Vista. Hey, I use mechanical computer keyboards, too. It's like touching a screen on an older iPad or something: nothing really 'presses down.' That's a disadvantage to me because I'm really used to the tactile feedback. The main similarity of all the Akai EWIs is that they don't have real keys to press down, like you'd find on a real woodwind. The EWI USB was introduced in 2008 and is the introductory model, with a much lower price: $300. The Akai EWI (which Akai pronounces as 'ee-wee') is available in several flavors: the top-of-the line is the EWI 5000 was introduced in 2014. So, I'm not a newbie, but it's been about 20ish years since I sold my Yamaha WX11. I even taught a (as in one) class at college regarding electronic instruments, MIDI, sequencers, and music publishing software. As mentioned elsewhere, I used to own a Yamaha WX11 wind controller and used to own a plethora of electronic instruments.

#AKAI EWI USB DIMENSIONS INSTALL#

(Thanks again, gifter!) I finally got my PC set up so I could install the software for the EWI (short for 'Electronic Wind Instrument').

Akai ewi usb dimensions