Comparing the Roland Aerophone Pro and AE-20
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- A comparison between the Roland Aerophone Pro and Aerophone AE-20 with Alistair Parnell.
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Please note! The AE:20 currently has slightly less SuperNatural sounds onboard. Theses Super Natural Sounds cannot be shared between the AE-30 and AE-20 as far as I can see.
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Chapters.
0:00 Intro
0:33 A brief history
1:05 Similarities
3:21 Connections
4:55 Bluetooth and apps
7:05 Differences
9:44 Control advantages on the AE-30
11:18 The sounds
14:40 Which one should you get?
Further details on the Roland AE-20
The Roland Aerophone AE-20 main page
www.roland.com/uk/products/ae...
The Roland AE-20 documentation page
www.roland.com/uk/products/ae...
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Excellent video. Thank you for really breaking down the difference between the two instruments. This is a great time to be a woodwind player and now a wind synth player. This is actually much clearer than the postings on the Roland site.
Glad it was helpful!
Update on the key noise : the pro has new quiet keys now just like the AE 20. So, if "key noise" was ever an issue, it is solved now !
As usual a terrific, detailed, thorough comparison of the two Aerophone Models. Thanks !
Many thanks again Dan for your support.
I've had AE-10 for sometime now.and just played it with a piano trio and they loved it. So, this video convinced me to move up to the 20, thanks Allistar.
The long awaited video !!! I am watching and enjoying ! I am also about to buy !!!
Hope you enjoy it!
Very well done - and informative. Love the new Logo too....
Glad you like it!
Another great video Alistair - thank you for posting!
It’s great to have comparison between AE-20 & AE-30! Thank you so much! It really helps me to make up decision for AE-20 as amateur saxophone player!
Glad it was helpful!
I have watched many videos about Digital wind instruments and you have an excellent ability to explain and validate the explanation.please keep it going!!!
Thanks
Thanks very much for this Jeff.
Brilliant. Clear, easy to understand, and packed with really useful information. Are you, or have you been, a teacher by any chance? You've certainly got that gift in bucket loads..
Many thanks for your comment.
I’ve been a full time teacher of music for more than 40 years. My mother and father were also music teachers so you might say I was born into it. 😊
Very well done! You had me Thumbs Upping at the Intro segment! :)) Great explanation (as always) of the differences between the two. I had originally thought the 20 would do and was on a waiting list, but I decided I couldn't wait and I'm SO happy I went for the Pro. Even though it's not a whole lot of difference, there's enough difference there that I know I can be advantageous. Of course if I was seriously counting my pennies, the 20 would be a life saver.
Thanks for watching and you’re obviously into the Aerophone. Some folks are getting the AE-20 as a back up for their AE-30! Wow.
Great review comparison! Hope all is well, Alistar!
Thank you so much for your super clear comparison between the two, I found it really helpful! 🙏🎷🌻
Thanks for your kind comment. 😊
Thank you! Great presentation.
Dear Sir, that is the best explanation of this gear! Your pronunciation is Oxford-English, witch is not often able to hear on UA-cam. Thank you!
Not a compliment I’ve had before but thank you. 🙏. I’m sort of classed as a northerner coming from Nottingham UK. 😊
Just ordered the 20 based on your videos, upgraded from the mini, which I also got after watching your review . Thank you for your guidance
You are welcome.
Thanks a lot for your time !
Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and comment.
Another excellent video. Thanks a million Allistair
Thank you.
Hey Allistari glad i found your channel last year. It got my interest in learning a instrument again and chose the Aerophone 20 mini Blue that you review. Been having fun taking my time when I have time on learning it so far. :)
Welcome aboard!
Another great video, thanks also for the fun intro.
Ha ha. Many thanks. Yes, it took a while to do that first 10 seconds.
@@isax.academy It was worth it!
Fantastic review!
Great video - thank you Alistair. Really useful.
Thanks for watching David.
Always enjoy your content especially now since I’m looking to transition from my EWI soon (even though I still love my EWI 🎵). Thank you so much for this informative video. Blessings! 🎵
Great to hear!
Always at the top Alistair. Thank you for this precious video. 🤗
Thanks again!
Love you! Thank you!
Intro alone is worthy of thumbs up! Awaiting delivery of my AE-20 from Sweetwater - once they get their stock.
Ha ha. Thanks. Took me ages to make that 10 second clip.
Patchman already has them. I just got mine.
Amazing video!
Played sax in highschool - intermediate at best. Keen to revisit Aebersold with something similar I can play silently & learn. The AE-20 sounds perfect. Once the chops/theory are mastered, onto exploring the next gen pro model. So glad I didn't just drop the $$$ for the AE-30. Exceptional job explaining the differences.
Cool video sir. The first time I watched Mr Parnell, I was convinced to buy the AE-10. Now it may be time to upgrade :-)
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Can't justify the price of a 30 but I don't need any of the extra features. As long as the breath/bite sensor and internal synth systems are the same then I'll be happy with a 20
I got the AE20 off the back of your review and am very happy with it. Better for my budget and functions as good as the pro for my needs. Thanks for the heads up.
Good choice!
Very helpful
Well done! A very clear and helpful guide. 5 Stars!
Glad it helped!
There are AE-10 and AE-30. The two instruments were very different in every way.
Today I found out for the first time that there is also an AE-20.
Your video helped me a lot.
If possible, I would like to buy an AE-20 key module and put it in my AE-30.
And the AE-30's right-hand thumb pad is really cool.
A motion sensor can perform better when playing musical instruments.
Wow , excellent thanks 🙏🏽
You’re welcome 😊
Good illustration and demonstration
Thanks so much for watching
Alots thanks!!!
You're welcome!
You have been fantastically helpful, a couple of years ago, when I tried to unravel the mysteries of my newly purchased Akai EWI5000. Trying to decide what Ronald AE is a better option for me. This video is very helpful. THANKS
Thanks for watching.
Brilliant video!! I'm a uni student and have been looking for a saxophone to use for composition. Price is however a slight problem and as someone who composes a lot, the aerophone ae20 is going to be my choice because I can get a more 'human' feel that you can't get from woodwind/brass sounds on a keyboard!! Great review overall.
Patchman Music just got them in stock and mine is on the way!
I hope you enjoy it.
Hi Alistair. Great video. I'm really enjoying your channel.
Do you need as much are to play a wind synth as you would do to play a saxophone? Thanks
Thanks Chris.
You can adjust the response of the Aerophone so you don’t have to blow very hard at all to get the full volume. So the answer is no, you don’t need as much air as a saxophone.
Hi Alistair, you are “the reference” on Aerophones. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Let me ask you a question, if I may… Do you know about the AE-20SC? Do you think the extra sounds (23?) are worth the price difference?
Hi. I’m pretty sure the only difference is a few differently programmed sounds. These could easily be transferred from an AE-20SC to an AE20 or AE-30.
I think Roland just wanted to make a slight change to suit the tastes of that area.
Thanks
Many thanks to you. 🙏
Hi Alistair,
thanks for this great video.
I'm a analogue saxophonist,but after playing with some friends and their loop station (via microphone) I would really like to go to the digital saxophone to have a bigger field of electronic possibilities.
You made another video about a Bluetooth looper. Could you tell me if it's possible to connect the aerophone 20 to a loop station without Bluetooth? I'm not sure if I understood the function of the aerophone 30s special midi-output.
Thanks for your answer - I'll check out your online course when I have my aerophone (20 or 30, we'll see)
If you mean trying to send audio via Bluetooth to a looper this is not possible and wouldn’t work well anyway because there would be a delay with the sound over Bluetooth.
I use a looper with the Aerophone often and it works great when connected by an audio cable.
Hi.
Thx for all this precious information.
One question : Is there any piano sound? Can you make us listen to it?
Regards
Yes there are piano sounds onboard. Of course the piano is not really a sound that works well with a wind synth so its not something I would use really.
Excellent video. What’s your choice for between AE-20 or Yamaha yds150?
I’m sorry, I’ve never played a YDS.
Thank for the excellent video. I'm playing a AE 10 for 5 years and I'm very happy with it. Must of voices are very good, even the saxvoices in the last update (pop.alt etc). But i think to buy a AE20, because I want the very nice Duduk (not in the Ae10) , and the fun 'whistle'. And ofcourse, a better klarinetvoice :-)
The ae30 is too expensive for me. I just hope that in the long run I will not miss the motopn controller and the midi connections
Glad I could help!
LOL I love the into. Good job!
Thanks for watching Jim.
Great video yet again, thanks! Any chance you could do an AE-10 vs AE-20 comparison for those of us who got on board with the original Aerophone? Personally, I am much more interested in the classical instrument sounds (trumpet, clarinet, oboe, … that sort of thing) than the ‘artificial’ synth sounds. I’d love an AE-20, but is it really worth spending all that money when you already have a working AE-10?
Yes it is. The sounds are completely in a new level now.
Honestly, if you only play those instrumental sounds and you’re happy with the control of the AE-10 I’d stick with it. For me the synth engine and the much improved bite and breath sensor of the AE-20 is a huge step forward.
Extraordinary perfect ex`lanation. Thanks a lot.
Glad you liked it!
Excellent video, as ever Alistair, and now a humble apology re-key noise. A few weeks ago I left a comment stating that Roland had made no improvement to the key clacking on the AE20. Having now had my '20' a couple of weeks ('10' for over 4yrs, and the '30' for 2 weeks before returning it!) I will retract my previous comment and say that the key 'noise' on the '20' is VASTLY improved - well done Roland. Not silent, but, hey, what instrument is??
Many thanks!
Do you think Roland would ever make a physical EVI version of the AE
Does the instrument play Bagpipe sounds amongst the Natural Sounds?
Great explanation.
Can this instrument bend notes like they do in Indian classical music which is quite central to that art form.
Yes it can. Either with the lip or the pitch bend wheel.
How do you access the user memory on the AE20 On the AE10 you just scrolled through the presets and you entered the user area after the last preset. That doesn't seem to work here unless of course I'm doing something wrong. Would appreciate your help. You've been very helpful to me and I do thank you. Hopefully I haven't been a pain.
Hi. If you have a look in the manual it tells you there. Hold the down arrow key and turn the category nob. Then you’ll be selecting the User tones.
A very useful video. If the AE20 had been available 2 years ago, I would have probably bought it instead of the AE30, as it gives you the essentials and is much better value for money. However, I don't mind having bought the AE30 as I have explored a lot of the potential on it. One interesting feature of the MIDI connectors that you didn''t mention is that you can use MIDI In to link a controller keyboard to the AE30 and play polyphonic parts with all the wind synth control of dynamics and expression available on the AE30. I have never risked doing it at a live gig, but it could be very impressive.
Thanks for this. You're absolutely right of course. Good idea.
My Question. Can you play polyphonic piano with it? How many keys of polyphony can you get?
Thank you for another great video Alistair. I was hoping for a quiet way to get back into playing sax as a retirement gift (after 30+ years) and to maintain a happy marriage 😉.
I picked up an AE-05 in February 2020 and just didn't like the build quality/style. The 30 is out of my price range, but when I saw your first review of the 20 I got excited and looking to pick one up soon.
Thanks for some great reviews!
PS - Love your twin! Looking forward to your duets together 🙂
Thanks very much for this. I'm glad you're getting into it. Right, duets, thats a challenge.
Excellent.Honestly please tell me. The AE 20 have better sounding tones than the AE 10?
Yes indeed.
Dear iSax guy.
Thank you for this review. It is very helpful.
I'm a flute player that considered for some time to buy an electronic woodwind instrument. I have watched Akai EWI videos and thought that the 4000 is a good choice. But now I think that the A20 would be a good choice for me.
Per this comparison BTW the A20 to A30 it seems (to me at least) that the most prominent difference BTW them is the 1 GB extra memory space for waves in the A30. However, I’m not quite sure I really got into the bottom of this issue. Is this similar to the EWI 4000 capabilities compared to 5000?
Hi. Thanks for watching and commenting. I'd say the AE-30 is different to both Akai's. Neither of them had the ability to add extra waves. The 4000 is certainly the better of the two. The sounds can be edited of course but the editing and expansion on the Aerophone is a completely different world. Having said that most people will be completely satisfied with the AE-20 AND save some cash!
@@isax.academy Thanks!
Got the AE-20. Played trumpet in the past and was hoping to just be able to pick up the Aerophone and play it with the same 3 fingers. Turns out that the Trumpet Fingering mode involves considerably more than just using the 3 normal valve fingers and has it's own learning curve. In the end I decided to opt to convert to Sax fingering with a slightly longer/steeper learning curve but also seemed to offer potentially better control.
The brass fingering is much easier as it uses far fewer keys than sax fingering. Neither fingering system gives “better control” than the other.
@@alphabeets I'd have to disagree. Their are a couple of pieces I play with parts that I found quite difficult in Trumpet Mode that where easier in Sax mode because their seems to be more options for achieving the same note. I also suspect that learning the Trumpet fingering system would not be useful for other instruments where clearly learning Sax Fingering would be.
It’s great to have those options.
I bought the AE-30 in March 2021. The button sound is very loud, but does the button that was released later make a clicking sound? Does the AE-20 also have a button press sound?
Hi. Hopefully you can hear this in this video?
Are both compatible with Roland AEZ003 sound set? Do they have the same range? I play flute and oboe and wanted to play bassoon, clarinet, alto flute, and soprano sax and am hoping that I could get one of these with the AEZ003 sounds. What about the 30? It is the Pro in this review? Thank you for the video!
Hi. Yes both compatible with AEZ sound packs. The have the same range.
AE-30 is also known as Aerophone Pro.
Thumb up!
Thanks.
thanks for the video.
As far as i understand these instruments have fixed pitch: you breath in, push a button and the note comes out of it already intonated and in perfect pitch. So that the player doesn't have to bother about his intonation.
Do you know of any electronic wind instruments or breath controllers with variable pitch instead of fixed pitch?
Or where you can switch between fixed and variable pitch?
So that the player himself has to take care of the right intonation and pitch of the notes. Just like on real trombones or eg on violins.
Many thanks in advance
Hi. The Aerophone can be used in exactly that way if you like.
The bite sensor can detect micro changes of lip pressure and adjust the pitch up or down.
It’s all in the menu settings.
Does the pro link up well with mp4 and akai and roland SP 404s please
The Aerophone will work as a MIDI controller with just about any other MIDI gear. However, the sounds within an external piece of equipment could have limited control because the Aerophone sends out continuous breath and other controllers to shape the sound. The sounds usually have to be tweaked to allow the Aerophone to get a full range of dynamic control.
Would there be an issue if midi to the Yamaha VL70m?
Hi. Theres have got it working very well. I remember someone doing it on my iSax Facebook page.
As a tenor sax player who looks to a wind synthesizer as an alternative instrument to practice with, is the motion controller a significant reason to choose the 30 over the 20?
Personally I’d say no. The AE-20 is just perfect for someone like you. I have both but I hardly ever use the motion controller.
@@isax.academy i went ahead and bought the ae-20. It's fantastic. Thank you for the video and for the response.
Hi! I have a problem with my Pro; the G#-key is loose! Does anyone have the same malfunction?
I’ve not heard of this happening. Maybe you should contact Roland?
If I ever need to connect an AE20 to a hard synth, is there any kind of adapter?
I think you either go via a computer or there is a USB MIDI host adapter by Kenton. I have never used it myself so please look into it carefully but I understand that’s a possibility.
I frequently use the “vented” middle C# fingering (octave and g keys.) Do either or these wind synths recognize this fingering (and/ or other alternate fingerings)?
There are 36 memory location for your own fingerings so I think you could set that fingering as you like. I haven’t tried that one specifically but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work.
Of course there’s no need to do that on Aerophone as the C# will be in tune without venting but I can see you might be used to using that fingering.
@@isax.academy Yes , thank you! And just one more question - how well does the mouthpiece/reed respond to pitch bends using normal sax technique?
Once you get the settings worked out to your liking, very well indeed in my opinion. I feel the vibrato and lip bend feels very comfortable.
Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate your expertise and the personal interaction you have with your subscribers!
Alistair, I really enjoy your videos. I’m wondering if you can help me with something. I am trying to reach out to roland before doing a follow up review on the AE series (after one year of owning the 30). The fact that the breath velocity seems to be limited to normal midi resolution, internally, is something that I’d like to discuss with someone. I can’t be the only person bothered by this. It doesn’t seem very “pro” in that regard to me.
Hi There
My guess is it's possibly to do with compatibility with the Roland Cloud and the whole ZEN-Core ecosystem. Its not something I have had any issues with or heard anyone else raise as an issue at all.
@@isax.academy I find it most noticeable on the lighter breath control settings - but it is present in all of them, as far as I have found. Essentially, it results in subtle volume stepping when sustaining a note and very subtly crescendo/diminuendoing. I'm reaching out to you because you're quite knowledgeable about this kind of thing - and because Roland support has ignored by request for assistance. I had hoped to hear back before I made a follow up review.
The same effect is quite noticeable on a patch like Jupiter AP, where breath is opening the filter. I am guessing that it's far more noticeable there because, I believe, the parameter in the mod matrix is bi-directional.
It all sounds very much, to me, like everything is limited to normal, 7 bit midi resolution. The breath sensor is very responsive (as you know) I'm just disappointed that it doesn't FEEL more organic. I would like to see something like the higher resolution filter knob on the Fantom. Or perhaps my unit it just defective!
I don't know how the breath sensor is activated, but I'm guessing that it starts off as an analog signal that is then interpreted digitally. Essentially, if that's the case, I wonder if this is something that can be improved in software.
I appreciate any help you're willing to offer.
Can I ask, what breath setting are you using?
@@isax.academy I prefer the H2 (I find it to be the most natural, comparing it to other wind instruments). As I said, it is less noticeable on the harder settings but it is still present - and it's a shame that it makes (to me) anything lighter (from H1, to M, to all of the L settings) unusable. (There are times where I'd LOVE to use the lighter settings - to be able to just practically exhale.)
Even though it is different (breath controlling the filter, not velocity), Jupiter AP is one of my favorite sounds - and the setting makes it a lot less usable. I feel like there should be something done to smooth out those changes.
Twins! I bet your mother couldn't tell you apart! 😀 Great video 👍
Thank you 🤗
The Roland Aerophone Pro is the most modern wind instrument, the current superior function and timbre. But Roland invented the ultimate product but lacked video clips for users to use and express ... it is really wasteful because when using AE10 is good, but when using AE30, it does not achieve high efficiency because of the lack of advanced installation sample video clips ... I fall into this category and there are many other users.... I hope Roland soon has more advanced video clips to let users be widely used around the world with Aerophone instruments or how great !!! Thank you Roland !!!
can you play altissimo on them? like f# going up?
Yes indeed. The Aerophone recognises altissimo fingerings.
Can you pair the AE-20 to a USB-Midi adapter and play a synth without using a computer ?
I think this is possible. Something like the Kenton adapter you mean?
@@isax.academy Thanks for responding. I was thinking about the Yamaha MD-BT01 connected to a synth.
Not something I’ve tried I’m afraid so wouldn’t know for sure.
How to fix AE20, AE30 keyboard, when you play with fast speed AE20, AE30 keyboard sometimes stuck ?!!! Thanks
Did you check out the Key delay setting?
@@isax.academy Yes, i set delay with 5...
Get the 30. The thumb controller is cool. Motion is as well if you get creative and work on it. 6 pin midi in and out is handy. Key click is a non issue on any of this gear. You're not micing it up! If you can spend 1000 then you can spend 1500.... or wait for a used one.
Technology is advancing with Internt/Bluetooth delay. I do a week;y flute lesson with my flute teacher in New Hampshire in the US to where I live in Oregon. We all play against a sound delay even if we're only 10 feet apart. It's part of our physical makeup. We do this naturally. Adding the artificial delay from the Internet complicates it. The more I play with my teacher the better I get. If you add more people for a real time performance it does get more difficult. Probably as you know, there are apps that link you're performance through their own networks/computers to map individual performers and latency. Things will improve but it'll be thrilling to have a real time performance fro musicians from every part of the world. It's happening!
I sure would like a roller between the table keys.
AGREE!!!! I have been banging on about this feature since I got my '10' 4yrs ago. Surely, in this era of doing micro heart repairs through keyhole surgery it isn't rocket science to put micro rollers between the pinky keys!!!! 🤬😡🤬😡🤬
Personally I'm not a big fan of rollers. Remember that rather than using the pinky keys you can easily just change octaves. Also theres the user fingerings you can programme in. No real need to even use the pinky keys.
@@isax.academy I respect your opinion but I would like it to feel and play more like a real sax. I know that it is something different and I absolutely love what it is but I would like something more like a good old analogue sax.
@@MarkALong64 you could get a Softwind Synthophone for $3800+ and also a MIDI sound module. 4 to 5 times the cost, though.
I understand that this is a controller but I'm still surprised that they cannot integrate a decent sampler with realistic sounds for the most important instruments like for example a saxophone. Despite the improvement of sound quality the sounds for me are still sounding like cheesy 80s synths. Allthough I have to admit that the trumpet sounds quite decent.
99 percent of what I'm going to use it for us controlling swam instruments so the 20 looks great.
With such complex systems, learning how to maximize the capabilities require practice regardless of experience. Understanding the updates also offer more understanding of how to make more use of foot draws/distortion boxes. Understanding keyboard and aerophone mixes with stereo tracks for recording. I love the great options. But I will need expert help, if nothing else, than to teach others via optional channels.
bruh who disliked this video... why?? 💀
Saxophone dudes overvalue their contributions, in every single instance.
I have the AE-20 and BT doesn't work, it connects but wont play audio
Hi. Can you tell me a little more detail?
The Aerophone cannot be used to send its sound directly to a Bluetooth speaker.
It can receive audio from your phone to play backing tracks and it can send and receive MIDI.
@@isax.academy Hi thanks for your reply Alistair, Im trying to hear music from my phone through the AE-20s headphone output using my headphones. Even though the AE-20 connects it's not active in my list of Bluetooth devices, it's simply paired, but no audio is coming through. Perhaps it needs a firmware update to resolve it do you reckon ? Thanks
Do you know there are 2 different connections that will show up under Bluetooth?
The MIDI Bluetooth connection will not connect audio. You should see Bluetooth ‘audio’ in your list of Bluetooth connections on your lest in settings on the phone.
Can’t remember if you have to turn that on first on the Aerophone itself.