I have windows and the native bluetooth implementation is terrible so I don’t do that with the onboard bluetooth. Windows has an easier time installing the proprietary driver though.
I believe Macs work fine (as others in the facebook groups have mentioned using them) you just have to be careful to not be paired already to a nearby device, usually your tablet or phone. In bluetooth first device to pair wins.
Got it working. YOU THE MAN 🫵🏽!!!
So I broke down and ordered an AE-20W. Wish they had an all black model but all white is smooth too.
Truth is, the GO model was sufficient.lol. GAS got me when I saw the new colorway and bundle deal from Costco. It’s amost a full $100 cheaper than retail and comes with Roland over the ear headphones, Roland stand, Roland shoulder harness (no lame neck strap) and free Roland Cloud Pro membership along with all of the things AE normally comes with (bag, moisture catch, etc).
Couldn’t resist.
Pretty sure nobody’s beating that deal!
If you are in the US usually Patchman has the best deals: Patchman Music Roland Store
Alas I am not.
I agree. Typically that’s the case as it relates to wind instruments for sure. I purchased my EWI and many sounds for it from there years ago. Also, as I’m sure you know but many may not—Matt was/is greatly involved in Roland’s AE project and still makes many of the Zencore sounds for it available on Roland Cloud.
I would still recommend everyone interested in a wind instrument to purchase from Patchman if in US—especially if you’re a beginning player or unfamiliar with wind synths. They set it up for you and also throw in some sounds.
However, in this case, for a limited time only Costco’s bundle is definitely the best value I’ve seen worldwide unless one just doesnt like the all white finish.
This is a gig vlog with an AE-20 & a NuEVI:
Tetris Duet:
He also has videos playing the AE20 on Omegle.
This is me accompanying myself on the Aerophone Pro with a Novation Circuit Tracks to sequence some of the channels. Albeit with a very crude accompaniment and not a whole of thought just noodling around while testing out.
This demo configuration is using Local On (MIDI control switch on the side to off) and I set MIDI RX to off for everything in Parts 2-4 so my part 1 would be handled by my breath and Parts 2-4 would be handled by the Circuit Tracks. This kind of works for sounds where the breath controller CCs acts as a gate on all the output so with that 0 nothing sounds (the drone Bassoon in part 4 does this).
The problem is there’s no MIDI RX at the part level for velocity so it still triggers note in the other parts which for Part 2 Bass and Part 3 Sitar layers it into the sound because they are primarily velocity dependent. Additionally that extra note triggering will override instruments which are set to Mono (the default for the Bassoon tone) so they stop sounding while you are playing (which may be what you want, haven’t explored how well it works when something else retrigs in the window) so you’d need to set Poly to keep the drone going.
This is fixable by setting Local Off (MIDI control switch on the side to on and setting MIDI Ctrl Sound to Off in the menu) the only problem is you’ll have to merge the streams at some point and get it back into the input on the Aerophone. I wasn’t about to try setting up the wiring for now, this worked as a proof of concept and I’ll factor that in when I rejig my routing at some point in the future.
Additionally I found you can’t use the drum kits on the Aerophone at the same time as synths but usually that isn’t much of a problem as most of the sequencers will have plenty of drum kits and audio inputs/outputs to merge things together (I haven’t tried though so I’m not sure how easy it is on the Tracks).
Overall this seems to work well and I can combine this sort of strategy with the on the fly MIDI handling I’ve implemented in the Electra One. I’ve also ordered a much more advanced sequencer (Synthstrom Deluge) because I like the Tracks grid setup approach but there’s lots of stuff that still needs a screen to know specifics.
This is very helpful. I’ll be using AE-20 with other Roland gear like MC707, MV-1 and/or SP404. They all have similar implementation so getting them optimally configured shouldn’t be too painful but a bit of trial and error…
I wonder if Aerophone can control the Zencore tones on the MV and MC. Both came with a ton of sounds. Both also have TR style sequencer with motion, tons of great effects and scene based workflow which should make creating grooves and environments really quick and deep.
By default you will be able to control anything not natively setup for a wind controller using tonguing for velocity. That always works even for keyboard designed patches on synths or plugins.
Roland though tends to have CC11 for expression set to control patch volume by default in a lot of their stuff (the Virus Ti2 does as well) so if you send that you may get rudimentary breath control. CC2 and CC11 are both sent by default.
That’s rudimentary because making a wind synth patch usually requires a volume component and a timbre component where the timbre changes as you breath harder. This is why just controlling the LPF cutoff is used so often as it does both at the same time.
If you do use the expression CC with keyboard designed patch, you’ll want to set velocity to fixed to get consistent results not based on tonguing.
So far not so good. A lot of note mistriggers and inconsistent notes. I’m hoping a setting is off somewhere but my gut is on faulty unit.
Update firmware, usually it means you are hitting an unintended key (side/front f) and they made it more forgiving in a later firmware update. Key delay higher will make it sound smoother but key delay 0 will show exactly how imprecise your fingering is.
Also if you switch to E-Wind fingering mode you’ll know exactly when you screw up as the side keys are semitone modifiers.
Also the switch is right at the bottom so make sure you are pressing deliberately and not lightly tapping.
Great tips. Thanks. I’ll consider and try them. I’m really hoping it’s all just me needing to get used to it. Completely different build than the much cheaper GO. So while there’s more opportunity for fault there’s also more opportunity for user error which is more likely.
I did update to the latest firmware (1.22 for Ae-20) straight away before even testing sounds.
I’ve found one. As you mentioned the buttons require a firmer press and consistency than the GO model. I’m assuming this was due to them adding whatever padding as the buttons are now virtually silent vs the clicky sound. I actually preferred those as it reminded me of a real sax. I never had a real sax with silent keys but this is a different instrument. I’ll get used to it.
Also, the mod wheel type thingy is very close to the right thumb rest and as you mentioned, everything is pretty sensitive. The side keys and the mod wheel respond to slight brushes just enough to impact the sound so it may be all user error. I’ll give it time.
You can turn off keys if they really cause you problems but there have been cases of people returning their Aerophone and getting a new one with the “same defect” and they’ve been smacking the front F or side keys the whole time.
I have the V1 keywork which is clicky, I think the extra travel makes it more obvious and less likely to miss a note because you have to have some motion already going before you hit the sensor. If you lighten up at the bottom you can actually still have it mostly press down without it triggered.
I mean I’d like it to be a bit quieter but from what I’ve seen it’s not as dramatic as people make it out to be and it does change the action a bit.
Pitch bend wheel? The AE20 doesn’t have the thumb button which people indavertently trigger (there’s a setting for that to reduce the sensitivity).
There’s also S1/S2 which change the sound a bit and some people have problems with indavertently activating those when pressing side keys.
It’s a digital computer, it’ll do exactly what you tell it to so garbage in results in garbage out vs a slight trigger of an extra key may make a leak on a sax that you can just power through.
The easiest way to get your fingering/tonguing up to snuff go to something percussive like Xylophones/Marimbas/Acoustic Bass (plucked one), set Key Delay to 0, and focus on tonguing notes from soft to loud staccato in time with your fingering actions. You’ll know when you trigger too early/late and you’ll get used to controlling the velocity which is a lot less obvious in wind patches (but they do respond to it).
Also you may need to adjust your breath settings if you can’t get the full range of velocity after trying for a bit.
AE-20 has a mod wheel thingy. It’s just like the one on a synthesizer or midi keyboard. It’s set to bend pitch up and down but I don’t see a need for that when you have a bite sensor and mouth muscles for that. Plus, where it’s placed will always bug me based on the size of my thumb. I’ll figure out a better use for it. I’m thinking for sending an on/off message or program change where I have to deliberately press up or down.
You have an abundance of switch controllers with S1/S2 and most of the Performance Keys (Side Keys, Front F) being remappable to CCs for stuff like PC.
However, there’s less continuous controllers, especially in the AE20 where you lose the thumb pad and motion so you’d likely want to utilize those for the things where nonswitch actions make the most sense
Mela 4 is on sale for a limited time. Highly recommended Mac/ios/ipad synth especially for wind instrument sound design.
The fact that Aerophone Pro & 20 are usb audio/midi interfaces is bananas. I read it in the specs but dismissed it as just a way to play backing tracks and control soft synths. I assume that what it was intended for and how 99% of players will use it for but that certainly is just scratching the surface of what it can be used for.
It’s likely I’ll upgrade to Pro when/if they expand the sampling feature as it will be essentially a Wind/Groovebox workstation.
As is, you have the ability to completely control Logic/Ableton or any DAW while also selecting AE as a two way audio/midi source so you can build complete songs without even really touching the mouse or looking at the screen.
There are zero videos about this. It’s going to be a busy year.
Mind blown. What a time to be alive.
This isn’t unique the Aerophone Pro, most of Roland’s more flagshippy stuff has it and some of them have multiple outs like FANTOM has 16 stereo in/out. Jupiter X has like 4 I think.
There was one guy that was going to get a Stereo interface and I was like “have you tried the Vendor driver”
In the event though you need to hook into something like an Ipad you can change the driver to Generic for class compliant USB MIDI.
You can already load SRX PCM wave expansions in the pro, they are the EXZ on Roland Cloud.
Drum Kits are not loadable from anything though and if you use one of the ones built into the Aerophone, that’s all your part slots used up so no reason to use anything other than the preset versions.
Matt Traum has about 8 AEZ expansions designed specifically for the Aerophone and the first 3 are free. These work on either AE20 or AE30.
Other things is there’s enough effects in the Aerophone that you have the equivalent of a Boss Multi Effects Pedal as well.
Wind controllers also have problems with inconsistent MIDI implementations in hardware where you may need to use different CCs for the breath control ie Aftertouch on one, Expression CC on another, etc. You can make Scenes with the setup for each and just switch between them.
Also if you want you can plug a midi keyboard into the Aerophone and use it as a sound module. (Easier on the Pro)
Also I was hinting you’d probably want the Pro 
By “no videos on this” I meant videos covering why this feature is so amazing. I’ve never seen anyone with an Aerophone actually using it as a DAW control surface, midi and audio instrument to build complete records in say Logic or Ableton and/or perform them live like people do with a Push, SP-404, etc. No necessity for any other Hw, audio interface, mixer, etc. This is nuts.
I could be wrong but the absence of videos tells me most users just use it for backing tracks, loops or just ignore it altogether.
No need to import drum kits. I mean you actually can but you have to make them yourself in Zen Pro leveraging key ranges. Same workaround also works for all of the sound packs including the files that they tell you only work for AE-Pro. However, I prefer to create User banks that mirror the factory categories annyways. Then, I organize all of the patches by sound (Bass, Brass, Lead, Pad, etc. I already had a headstart from doing the same for MV-1 and MC-707 packs.
The Matt Traum expansions are pretty good. A bit on the stingy side and also not as good as other third party libraries but it’s easy enough to deconstruct any sound in Kontakt, Respiro, etc to see what makes them good and replicating in Zen Pro. It has all of the synth goodies necessary to make any sound.
Part of the reason I went all in on Roland gear a few years ago was how great Zencore and Zenology was. It’s one of the more intuitive and easy synths to program and it’s plenty powerful. I think it gets overlooked because many people don’t take Zenbeats seriously. It’s also greatly underrated worldclass software and the only one I’m aware of available on virtually all platforms from Android to Windows desktop and mobile. Add the software/hardware integration and I just don’t think anyone offers anywhere close to the value.
Once you cherry pick all of the sounds you want from Roland Cloud packs, expansions, etc and save as user patches…you can export as ZC1 files to back up in Zenbeats in case you want to create a massive but organized library bigger than the 600 scene slots available on board AE.
As long as they don’t patch this loop hole I’ll likely keep a Pro or Ultimate license to make sure I’m supporting ongoing development of this great ecosystem and…to keep access to Zen Pro which really is a killer value.
I couldn’t be happier.
