EWI4000s - First Impressions

I thought it might be helpful to provide some first impressions on the EWI4000s I just bought, as I’m moving on from a EWI3020, and have some experience playing the WX-series of horns. Please take my comments with a grain of salt; they’re really just my impressions. As such, they just represent a snapshot in time.

First, the reason to change is because my 3020 is getting old, and it’s really nice to have an EWI I can travel with. Now, when on the road, I can play in my hotel room. That alone is worth a lot to me. Nothing wrong with the old 3020, I’d always been happy with it, though I hated the boat-anchor of a synth I had to take with me everywhere.

As an aside, I bought my new 4000s from Matt at Patchman Music. I’ve bought patches from Patchman before, and, just like before, this transaction went smoothly. Everything arrived on time and as described. I bought the Patchman patches too for the 4000s, as I know from past experience they’re worth it. I say this so that any folks wondering about doing business with Patchman can know that at least for me, all has been better than fine. They’re a good company to work with.

The most obvious thing I noticed with the 4000s is that it’s larger and heavier – so much so that it feels very different to me when I play it. I can’t imagine the weight will be an issue for any horn player, but it is a difference from the earlier models. The keys for the right hand little finger (Eb, C#, C) are easily adjustable, and the construction is solid. Everything I need is onboard, so I can use it completely standalone if I want to.

In terms of playing, I find it a lot like my old EWI, except the implementation is far superior. The internal synth (see below) is handy for when I travel, and the configuration/control parameters, while taking some time to learn, are very usable and easy to tweak. Expression is increased by the addition of a hold and Octave button, triggered by the right hand. They do pretty much what they say they do, and light up so you can see when they’re on.

I don’t know if Matt (from Patchman) pre-tweaked the MIDI configuration for me or not, but right out of the box, the horn drove my VL70m perfectly (I do have the Turbo upgrade, so it was already set up for proper breath control). In fact, layering the sounds from the 4000s and the VL70m is very effective. I’ll put up some recordings when I have a chance. However, folks should know that the 4000s synth sounds very electronic. Personally, I like that, because I don’t want my EWI to sound like a “real” instrument, but that’s just how I’m wired. If you want to sound like a sax, you’re going to upgrade the internal synth very quickly indeed! Response of the onboard controller is lightning fast (no delay from note to sounding). However, even if just use it as a controller, I have to say the EWI’s response is fast and expressive. I did have to turn the key delay down to a pretty low value, but once I had changed that, all was well.

In conclusion, I’m very happy with this EWI, and prefer it to my 3020. Knowing what I know now, I’d still think it’s well worth the money. The onboard synth is limited, but does exactly what I want it to do; the construction is very solid, and having everything onboard should make this a great live horn. Well done Akai!

Caveat

On a final reading, I realized that I didn't say much about the WX-series of wind controllers. The main challenge with the EWI in terms of learning is the touch-sensitive keys. That is, the keys don't move at all, they work by touch. Some horn players find this very difficult to get used to. For me, when I first started learning EWI it took a couple of weeks. Thus, some people will most definitely prefer the WX controller. I don't (it's just a matter of taste); thus, this EWI is fabulous for me, but your mileage will vary. You have to learn this like it is a new instrument. Don't just assume because you're a good horn player you can just pick it up and sound like Brecker did. Doing scales and articulation exercises is a most worthwhile investment.