So I’d wager the vast majority of users probably never play more than a few saxophone sounds + (a few other things like flute when they feel like it) on the Aerophone and never open up the Editor App to tweak a sound.
I think most don’t use the USB Vendor driver and if they play backing tracks it’s with the Bluetooth Audio Pairing.
In contrast, I’ve dug up hidden parts of some of the SuperNATURAL sounds which aren’t explicitly documented by crossreferencing the Fantom/Integra docs. There’s a couple things I can’t get access to as there’s no documented Sysex but Fantom/Integra has access to (the Tambura drone pitch on the Sitar for instance).
I’m also pretty sure I’m one of the few to delve into sequencing this and gaining control over the channels for parts.
There’s a lot of depth in here but many tend just barely scratch the surface to use it as a practice sax they can play quietly at night. That’s a perfectly fine use case but I’m more into the broad spectrum of what I can do with a wind synth.
Zen Pro drum kits don’t import into the Aerophone at all, same goes for anything based on Model Expansions for Zen Pro. I’m really hoping one of the updates gets us stuff like Juno/Jupiter Model expansisons in a V4 or something like what the Fantoms got.
Nothing stopping from making drum kits in the DAW or using something like Addictive Drums.
Basic Respiro when it’s closely mimicking existing instruments you likely could achieve with some blending of stuff. Respiro when it’s being super exotic no, it gets pretty far away from subtractive stuff.
I don’t use Zenology Pro as I don’t find it useful for the Aerophone. Most of the real meat with control and parts is beyond the Tone level at the Scene level which can only be accessed with the Editor app. The Editor app also has access to all the Zen Pro tone level editing it’s just a bit clunky and menu divey (but Zen Pro is as well).
The Editor allows you have a bunch of separate libraries of banks you swap in and out if you want.
The Editor app is really core to working with the Aerophone if you haven’t played around with that you should take a look.
I know. What I was trying to say is that to workaround that you can make your own percussion/drum sounds using wave shape, noise, env (attack), filters, effects and other synth parameters. It’s quite easy to do even from the Aerophone itself or Editor if one is so inclined and wants to avoid Zen Pro.
You can have up to 4 different sounds in a scene so just use key range to pick which keys you want to control the tones. You can also create init patches for drum templates beginning with just noise, saw/square wave, etc. I certainly will be making a few drum scenes to go along with the factory ones. Tongue drumming offers different rhythms and pockets I wouldn’t find with my fingers. You can do pitched hats and subs trap style and a bunch of stuff only a BC or MPE controller can do.
You’re right about the EXZs. I have them for other instruments and thought I’d be able to export. No dice. That’s ok. If I did need to control them, I can via usb midi to my MV or MC.
Big fan of this silicone replacement mouthpiece. Eliminates the need for using the goofy sweatband around the neck to catch moisture leaking from the mouthpiece. Also, it’s easier on the teeth, tongue, lips and offers more bite control imo. YMMV.
You can get 16 partials with different PCMs if you go this approach with key splits. Each tone can do 4 partials which can be can be assigned to a portion of the range.
Which EXZ, if they are instrument specific or one of the drum ones it wont work but the cloud ones will.
Hi Aerophone users, my friend just bought it and now, he wants to jam with me. What is the best way to connect the Aerophone to my hardware Synths? WIDI? And if it’s WIDI, which one do I choose in this plethora of options?
This is contrary to the manual which states that AE-Pro/20 cannot send midi over Bluetooth but that’s false. Terrible that Roland apparently doesn’t know the very essential and compelling features of its own device. I almost skipped on AE-20 because according to Roland it couldn’t send Bluetooth midi. It didn’t make sense to me so I’m glad I checked for myself.
I can’t speak to the Widi unfortunately. I do kno that the Bluetooth is super stable controlling iPad and Mac soft synths. If your synths can accept usb midi you’re aces or perhaps a midi hub or cable like this:
Most likely a WIDI Master, Widi Jack, or Widi Thru6 BT would work on the destination synth.
Of those WIDI Jack and WIDI Thru6 BT can use USB power so they don’t have to be powered from the MIDI Out (or if the synth doesn’t deliver much power).
If you want to only use MIDI IN (maybe there’s no 5pin out) then you have to use Jack/Thru6.
Overall a WIDI Jack, provided you get the version with the connectors, provides the most flexibility for a single destination.
I have not used an Aerophone Go with any of them so I don’t know how well it’ll work.
Loopy Pro for iPad and Aerophone is wonderful pairing for quick looping, songwriting and sound design with the various great synths iPad has to offer for breath controllers. Just wish we could pass audio over usb to iPad but apparently that’s pc/Mac only. iPad just recognizes midi over usb/bluetooth.
Btw. Qithesizer and Mela 4 were recently updated for more breath controller goodies. Both synths are iOS apps that come with free Mac compatibility.
Who’s going to do a video or share some music that’s more of the synth sounds and unique sounds. I’m so curious about these things as a sax player, but everything I’ve heard of them are really cheesy sounds approximating wind instruments, or really dated synth sounds.
Sound is subjective, so no way of knowing what doesn’t sound cheesy to one and not the other.
What I can say with supreme confidence is that more people find Roland sounds to be great than not. The evidence would be the countless classics, hits and legendary music created using them.
Aerophone leverages the same Zencore sound engine used in most of Roland’s other legendary synths.
So, if you don’t like the factory sounds….you can make your own in Zenology or shop through tons available on Roland Cloud spanning any and all genres of music. Or, you can control whatever synth you think sounds nice with Aerophone via midi.
For those looking to use Aerophone to control external hardware synths and groove boxes with 5 pin midi…iPad/iPhone is your friend.
You can use an iPad as the midi master using AUM, Apematrix or other apps to assign midi channels, ccs and everything else in a very intuitive interface.
You can connect whatever hardware to iPad/iPhone using usb or go wireless with an adapter.
This video will help with set up. Possibilities endless. Be sure to save templates and project states for quick access!
If you don’t have an iPad/iPhone you will need a small midi host box. They cost about $50 on Amazon and will convert usb to 5pin.
I’m actually pretty satisfied with a variety of options for physically modeled accoustics available for wind synths.
It’s come a long way.
As with most things, including real accoustic sax, it depends on how much you’re willing to spend to get the sound quality you want.
Casual listeners are fine with stock Aerophone and SWAM level through the right amp/monitors in my experience. YMMV
I think it’s more to do with context, what we do/intend to do with any instrument than the actual instrument. Just being able to play and practice silently is magical enough to me. All of the production and performance enhancements were game-changing icing I discovered after the fact .
Many of the people who buy wind synths just want a practice instrument that they can play without worrying about volume and most of those only care about the wind instrument sounds. They may experiment with some of the others from time to time but probably will largely play with their favorite sax sound.
That’s essentially what Yamaha targeted directly with the YDS-150/120.
Also there’s a bajillion synth sound options but very few when it comes to acoustic sounds as largely those are only within the workstation/keyboards of the big 3 with limited desktop options, so the fact it has SuperNATURAL acoustic sounds built in is a key differentiator.
That said usually the demo videos are focused more on the synth sounds:
The first voice I think is one of the shakahuchi sounds but the rest are synth:
They also demo the acoustic stuff it’s just not usually their main demo video for the instrument:
Looking at the extra expression options on the VL70m, most are available in the SuperNATURAL sounds and some have things you can turn on which you’d need a wholly separate sound in the VL70m.
You have to learn to play within the patch and each one requires different articulation/breath control to get the sound you want. This goes for both Acoustic and Synth sounds.
When you just have Velocity control you only have one variable to consider for a note but as more expression is added in you have more things to control for particular sounds just for basic play. Unlike a mod wheel or pitch bend, it’s not off to the side when you want to bring it in as Breath/Expression is a part of every note.
This isn’t really limited to wind controllers and many of the MPE controllers have similar things to factor in.
AE-30 has its own 5 pin out so doesn’t need this.
