Sylphyo Reviews?
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I have a Roland Aerophone 10G and a AKAI EWI Solo and am interested in this because it kind of fits the Gaps between the 2 others. Is it worth $800 US or should I wait for the New version with mouthpiece sensors I hear about. Would you buy it again?
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Hello Sarge707! Thanks for your question. In my mind Sylphyo makes for a great electronic wind instrument because of the customisability (every CC is remappable, and all the parameters are controllable directly from the instrument), the movements which add a lot of expressivity as well as the no-latency wireless technology that we built. On top of this, Sylphyo features a full air column set up which makes the instrument feel like an acoustic wind instrument.
As for any "new version", we are not currently working on any new versions of Sylphyo and continue to update Sylphyo about every month with new sounds and new features through software updates. The active mouthpiece you may have heard of is the currently unreleased Photon mouthpiece by Imoxplus which is a completely separate project from Sylphyo and Aodyo Instruments. You can find out more on their website https://www.imoxplus.com/site/
I will let others tell you what they think as well!
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@Sarge707 said in Sylphyo Reviews?:
Is it worth $800 US
No on can answer this question for you, even me ;-) It depends on the person -- how much do you care about $800?
The fact that you have 2 wind instruments and are considering a third tends to indicate that you value playing and enjoying instruments more than you value the cost of the instrument (at least for EWI and Aerophone). If that's an accurate summary, then this is probably a good use of $800.
(OTOH, if you were disappointed in the EWI and/or feel like it was a poor return on the cost, feel free to post more details. Maybe people will comment about whether your concern applies here.)
or should I wait for the New version with mouthpiece sensors I hear about.
… but I can answer this question for you: you shouldn't wait. Everything in the Sylphyo world is upgradeable. Even the oldest Sylphyo devices (which were purchased before a synth existed at all) could accept a synth chip, the upgrade was inexpensive, and the cost of the current mouthpiece is small (replacement mouthpieces are about $20). So, it's not like you're buying something that can't be upgraded or paying for an expensive mouthpiece you might later replace.
More than that, the current mouthpiece is extremely expressive. While there's always room for innovation, the current mouthpiece is great.
Also, the Aodyo team releases everything when they're happy with it, not due to arbitrary deadlines or release cadences. Aodyo support answered this question better than I could, but as an outsider, this isn't a MacBook where if you wait 6 months you'll always see new hardware come out. You could be waiting years :-)
Would you buy it again?
Yes.
Hope this helps,
Troy
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Hi I am a long time windplayer. Except for the Aerophone I owned and play the Yamaha wx series , The Ewi 4000 and 5000.
The Sylphyo is a big upgrade to all. Far more expressive, and a real musical instrument. since my upgrade i have never touched the others.
I have not played the Aerophone, but from the specifications, i conclude that it would be a step back.
I am considering the Photon, because i miss the pitch control via the lips: i come from the saxophone family of wind instruments.
The Sylpyo is truly wireless Audio and midi.
To be honest, i cannot imagine one plays the three of them, unless one depends on the internal sounds. The Sylphyo can do more than both the EWI and the Aerophone.
i use the Syl to control the hardware synth Hydrasynth Desktop, and software synths : Respiro from Imoxplus, The Surge , PA Thorn and some more.
Feel free to ask questions
Regards
Frank -
Well I love the aerophone 10G and the sound, flute, violin, harmonica, trumpet is Great and I'm a Trumpet major whose played woodwinds for years. The EWI Solo key layout to me is terrible as far as the g# side key and overall I like the aerophone better for playing fast classical stuff BUT the EWI Solo has some great syn sounds and sound great down a octave or more sometimes. At 71 I can afford ALL three and the winters are long. I just want to use the internal sounds with a speaker or small amp . Will it be hindered by Not having the wireless thing? Less wires the better for me and I don't need wireless at my age. The important thing is the expressive qualities like staccato, legato, crescendo, fast and double/triple tonguing, etc. How would you rate it?
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I don't own the wireless bridge. As long as you're okay with either a USB MIDI cable or a standard headphone-style audio cable (depending on whether you're generating MIDI, audio from the Sylphyo's onboard synth, or both), wired works just as well.
I expected that I'd buy the wireless bridge, but I haven't missed it. If I was performing for live crowds, I'd probably want it.
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Hi Serge, i think we are totally different players. Nothing is wrong with that. We share the age.
I am from a jazz background, an modern music. I am a big Coltrane fan, i am more into shaping the tone, lIke Archie Shepp's later years, Chat Baker maybe , slow Miles, Ella and Billy Holiday style.
I Married the WX windcontrollers with a Kurzweil K2000 to make my own tones or sounds. Later joined with a Physical modelling synth, the Yamaha VL70m. There one could make similar sounds ike the mistakes one makes on an acoustic instruments, like overblowing.
The WX controllerswere rather primitive: Breath, pitch in the good way, with the mouth , and a modulation wheel.
The WX es were rather breakable, so i added a EWI 4000. I found that a total desaster`: with bite you add a vibrato from a LFO ? Pitch was two half wheels with the right thumb?
I could not do the things i do with the internal sound. Midi was not wireless. And on stage it is warm, one sweats: when th controls touch a sweaty shirt, it is out of control. I sold the 4000 immediately.When my last WX broke down, i got an EWI 5000 hoping that this was a cure: least i had a windcontroller.
When i found out about the Sylphyo, i immediately ordered one. I think i have one of the first white ones, La Neige. It looks like a toy, not a golden flute, more like a baby drinking bottle. And it plays like a toy: so much fun to play! I blocked the air exit with a piece of tape, so i have the right amount of backpressure and a need less air to make a tone.
First strikes is the enormous dynamic range : from pppp to FFFFF, easy and natural. One can really whisper, And raise natural. Tongueing is like a recorder. Simple.
Helas no pitch reed, But it has alternatives. Up and down movement changes the pitch: I add vibrato like a cellist on the string. A natural way and in control.an other way is via the fingers: Sylpyo allows half hole fingering, like on a flute or recorder. this allows pitch bend up, and down.
Top of the right hand slider window is also set to pitch bend. I have assigned it to something else ( sometimes a puff of breath noise)
One of the great things about the Sylphyo is the extremely versatile configuration options. all controllers can be assigned as you wish. Which means also tht you have to know what you are doing, and it can mean that one has to learn from scratch how to play.
Same for the fingering: you could choose EVI (three valve something) I started on Sax, than i wondered why should i use the ugly fork grips? I changed to EWI + left pinky, which allows me to play easy chromatically. Back to the exercise board, scales scales. It workes but sometimes my mind switches to sax. And that is messy.
I am marrying the Sylphyo to a ASM Hydrasynth Destop + Vl70m when i play computerless, with computer i use the Respiro and [Surge](lihttps://surge-synthesizer.github.io/nk url)
Hope i gave you some idea
Frank
I intend to add the Photon in a later stage.
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I love the link: complete freedom of movement. I made a small case, which has the link, Midi wiring to the VL70, and USB wiring to a synth.
Audio goes to a small ( halve size ) ad converter. So to connect to the outside world i have left right Audio, and power, For a three Synth setup ( Link, Vl70m, ASM Hydra desktop.Quick setup and tear down.
Regards
Frank
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Question? With my aerophone 10G I can listen thru headphones (1/4 inch connection) and play along with Band in a Box thru a 1/8th input connection to the computer. The 10G has the 1/4 connector for headphones and a line in 1/8th input connector. Can I do this with the sylphyo ??? I'm not sure.
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@Sarge707 So you cannot do that on the Sylphyo alone as it has a 1/8" headphone connector only. You could use a small mixer or small cable splitter for this.
However, with the Link receiver, there is 1/4" input as well as the stereo 1/4" line outputs and 1/4" headphone output so you can definitely use an external input :)
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I just like to sight read song after song and the less wires the better, that's why I like the 10G and Solo BUT I rarely use headphones so using them with a Bose soundlink and my computer 5.1 logitech system with sub woofer is perfect at around 70 Decibels. Your online manual short video's are excellent, I will keep considering?
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Well I ordered it Tuesday and am waiting for it to ship to CT, USA. I hope there is NO ban on sending things here?
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I do not know the rules of the USA But i doubt if there are any restrictions between France, or the EU and US.
Good luck with the machine: i was very happy receiving mine! There are a lot of configurations possible, You play sax, and EWI : there is an Ewi mode.
Happy blowing !
regards
Frank
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I started with 2 Casio horns and I used to love the Flute fingering which has D,E,F, and G above High C just by lifting your first finger and playing the higher note without having to touch the octave key. I read in the manual these fingerings are the same on the Sylphyo. I Love the aerophone 10G for natural sounds and the Solo for the syn sounds and the rollers make the lower octave sounds great. The aerophone was clinky because the side of my hands near the index fingers used to always touch and squeak. I have large piano player hands so people should be aware this can happen if you have smaller hands and that's why they changed it on the next smaller model. I needed the 2 speakers so I used my dremel to cut off the tops of 6 side keys, Top 3 side keys on each side cut off half way and the problems are over and you still have All the keys the EWI Solo does??? Now I can really get around those Classical midi pieces and I don,t plan on selling it. The first three days I got the EWI Solo I felt like sending it back because its so different from the Roland but day after day I began to love it, especially for the lower octaves and the Syn sounds. I'm sure the Sylphyo will take some getting used to but Its gonna be my 3rd and last wind controller?
