Roland Aerophone Pro AE-30 Digital Wind Instrument - Silver Reviews

I bought this instrument to play in the pit orchestra for a musical and found it was absolutely perfect for that use. The sounds are great. The ability to set the instrument so that you can play the sound of any horn in its transposition but using saxophone fingering is wonderful. Highly recommend this instrument to anyone interested in and EWI. I already love it and haven't even had a chance to try any of the synthesizer sounds yet.

I am brand new to wind instruments. I am a keyboard player looking to expand my horizons. Trying to emulate sax and flute etc on a keyboard is ok. The AE30 gives me more control over the nuances that a wind instrument presents. The AE30 has multiple fingerings to allow a better work flow for what instrument you may already know how to play. You can transpose to whatever key you need. It has been a blast learning to play this instrument. The quality is good and the sounds are good for the most part. I use it as a wind controller through my keyboard rig for better sounds on some instruments. I recommend the AE30 Pro to anyone who may enjoy wind instruments and to keyboard player wanting to expand their capabilities with horn sounds.

I play bari sax and live in a small apartment. Having 95 neighbors makes practicing almost impossible. I'd been thinking about getting one of these for a few years, and getting an aerophone seemed a good solution (for now) to allow myself to practice at home. I've found it highly responsive and easily *physically* configurable. The hard learning curve, for me, at this point, is actually using it as a synth, *while* playing, regardless of voice/scene/etc.

Highly recommended. Probably the second-best thing I've purchased, this year, behind my new bari sax.

Not sure I would go on stage with this, but a marvelous tool for private wood shedding and for writing horn arrangements.
I can play on my Roland RH-200 headphones at 2:00am in total privacy. Ask my wife! Also an ideal portable axe on the go; on the road, at the beach, out in the woods. Twist on transpose to read from guitar or piano music (or hands) and play in their same key. Lots of goodness.
Playing scales, arpeggios, woodshedding a tough passage, sorting out horn arrangement voicings can all be tedious for the collateral listeners.
This isn't my ideal performance axe.
The complaints I've seen about "noisy keys" are way overblown IMHO! I can't make any annoying key noises when I play with delicacy and precision like I use anyway on my vintage saxes. In some way it reminds me of the clarinet's demand for careful precise fingering. Scoops are way easy with your ombouchure but grace notes and octave breaks require disciplined fingers. Unless you played Bassoon, the multiple octave keys take some time to master smoothly. Your reward is the ability to simulate play lower than a Tuba and higher than a Piccolo. I'm not sure even dogs can hear it's highest notes, and the lowest notes are like the "eyeball shakers" at the bottom of a Contrabass Clarinet.
I wish I could only go for only 4.5 stars because all the presets have way too much reverb that needed to be turned down.
I knew I needed one of these, and I'm happy I spent the (too much?) money. Would buy again.
Versatile, fun, useful, easy to play, always in tune; glad I got one for such an awesome quick and easy tool with no fuss.
Mark VI, Naked Lady, Selmer St Louis, Gemeinhardt guy.

I bought my Aerophone AE-30 two years ago and here is what I can say about this horn (instrument).
It will give you so much joy to play. I played Sax in High School (1963) but never followed up more.
Here is the most important thing. Sweetwater gives you an automatic 2 year warranty (Roland only one year)if they can't fix it fast, they gave me a new one.!!!!

I am so happy with this instrument!! So easy to play with so many beautiful sounds I can have endless fun!! Thanks Roland!!!

I can't stop playing this superlative instrument. With this latest professional version of the Aerophone, Roland has set the bar extremely high in the area of wind controllers and musical expression via digital technology! I've owned the original Aerophone AE-10 for a few years and have frequently put it to good musical use, but the AE-30 is in a whole new class! Everything has been greatly improved, from the attractive professional appearance, the greatly improved controllers, and perhaps most importantly, the sounds! The new Supernatural sound sets, based on physical and behavior modeling are out of this world, with uncannily realistic models of a large number of acoustic wind instrument! As a very experienced saxophone player, I have no qualms about using the Aerophone Pro as a complete replacement for the real thing. All the other instrument models are every bit as good with a richness to the sound quality that surpasses anything I've used (which includes a lot of high-end synths). As if that wasn't enough, there is also the ZenCore synthesis system based on samples and virtual analog that is also superb and highly expressive. Dynamic and pitch control on the mouthpiece is completely natural and works perfectly with a huge range of dynamic tonal expression. A USB-C connector carries both MIDI and audio to a DAW. A very nice case is also included. There exists an iPad/iPhone app which connects via Bluetooth for editing. While this is a plus, the app is still a work in progress and is currently missing some key features such as the ability to back up patches! There are very little in the way of negatives with my review. The instrument requires 6 AA batteries with limited life for remote power, which is slightly disappointing. The newly designed controllers are excellent but takes some getting used to, although that should be expected on any new instrument that is worth spending time with. On my wish list for a future version would be voice modulation via the mouthpiece, like what's possible on an acoustic wind instrument, but that's asking a lot. Very highly recommended!

I just upgraded to the AE-30 from an AE-10 and all I can say is the new wind controller is outstanding as was the service from Sweetwater; it still makes sense to buy specialty items from specialty retailers that's for sure.

So here's the deal on the AE-30 with less than 10 hours playing time. It is awesome in every regard except for the clicking sound when you play particularly aggressively. I am working on adopting my bebop style two very sensitive key stricking pressure and that seems to be the ticket. None of this would matter on stage if you're amplified but if you're busking it can distract.

Here's why the AE-30 is worth it compared to the AE-10:
- it's all about the sounds I can't even begin to describe how amazing the sounds on this new unit are compared to the old one. The old one wasn't bad but at the end of the day there were only handful of sounds that I would ever play live. I have found at least 150 sounds that are truly spectacular.
- The user interface is a giant step forward. It's easy to operate, find what you're looking for, make adjustments. I just started using the editor on my iPhone and it seems to make things very accessible and easy to adapt.
- notwithstanding my comment about the keystroke volume the accuracy & responsiveness of the keys is a huge step forward versus the old unit, the new keys have been vastly improved and the keys are more responsive and more accurate. I found it with the old unit I had about 60 to 70% of the Percision I have on my selmer R54; I can honestly say that I'm at least 90% with this unit. That's huge for me because I can count on this instrument to be accurate.
- the Unit is more attractive, more professional looking, more solid. It doesn't look like a toy as the old unit did. The case is way nicer but that's not a big deal.
- The bite sensitivity on the mouthpiece is significantly improved and more controllable. There are additional buttons for controlling sounds and some master control buttons for transposition and excess banks of sounds both of these are big step forward.
- it was really easy to start using this unit because I was very familiar with the AE-10 and there's a lot of similarities however I don't think it would've taken me that much longer to get up to speed on this unit if I was just starting out with an Aerophone.

Hope that's helpful, all in all I'd say the two most important reasons to upgrade our quantity and quality of sounds and accuracy & responsiveness with keystrokes and mouthpiece.

Finally I would often find that when playing the AE-10, that I related to it as an imposter instrument trying to be something that it couldn't be. The AE-30 Is a solid instrument that I believe I can learn to really count on in live sessions.

I upgraded from the AE-10 to the AE-30 and am very happy I did. The AE-30 is an incredibly responsive wind synth with tons of great sounds. Not all are great--like many synths, the sax sounds are disappointing--but many of the wind instrument and "ethnic" sounds are a pleasure to play. And there are a host of synth sounds that are excellent. The ability to customize and combine sounds really sets the AE-30 apart. Unlike some other posters, I find the keys easy to use while playing (and I come from a sax background). The only reason I knocked off 1/2 star is that the key clicking is even louder on the AE-30 than on the AE-10, and that can be annoying if playing at lower volumes or in a small setting.

The 2 reasons I bought this are that I already own the GO version, and I wanted a digital woodwind solution for pit orchestras. This does the job! I would have chosen another brand with better keywork, but this has the best sound library. If you like synth leads and play sax, look no further! Please read the other reviews, as they do a good job discussing the flaws in the keywork as compared to a normal saxophone.

It's a good instrument, and Roland's sounds as usual are great. I like the built-in speaker setup; it's nice to hear yourself playing without headphones in if you don't want them. As others have said, the keys leave a lot to be desired, in my humble opinion. Like another user, I used Sugru to adjust heights of some of the buttons to make them easier and more comfortable to reach. The buttons are loud and not as fast or responsive as I'd prefer. I also have an Akai EWI 4000S, which is also a great device, though just plain different...but one advantage on the EWI is that it uses a different button design, one that recognizes when you touch them, there's nothing to depress (no actual buttons) like on the Aerophone. Roland would have made this instrument significantly better if they'd used the touch-sensitive buttons like on the Akai EWI. That said, I like the Aerophone AE-30 Pro a lot, and it's a good addition to my electronic arsenal.

Hi! I'm a semi-professional woodwind (mainly sax) player. I bought the AE-30 for two reasons - first as a quiet way to practice without bothering other members of the house and the second to be able to lay down recording tracks with a wide tonal variety.

Let's start with what the Pro does really well. It has a wide variety of sounds that usable right out of the box. The response of the mouthpiece is the quite good, and it allows you to calibrate to the way you play - where is the pitch centered, how wide is the vibrato - all of this can be adjusted to your taste. Many of the sounds change substantially as you blow harder, just a real horn. In addition, the left thumb can press down and introduce further sound complexity. It does this really, really well. On this the instrument is 5/5, easy. The sounds are just sublime.

Ok, lots of people complain about the key clatter. It is definitely there - if you are practicing in a room with other folks watching TV, well, you will definitely irritate them. If you are performing in an amplified setting with a pop band, or a jazz quarter with drummer with sticks and electric bass - all good. If you are playing in a very intimate setting, the key clatter will be a real distraction. It is significantly louder than the sound of pads on a saxophone. I am typically playing with headphones in the practice room or recording studio, and there it is not an issue. My score here is 3/5.

Onto the clunky. There are two reviews on Sweetwater about the poor key placement and ergonomics - that author goes so far as to discuss the usage of Sugru to remedy these issues. I totally, totally agree. At this price point the keywork is just not acceptable - it is missing rollers, the palm key height are miserable. This is just weird - there are multiple companies making electronic instruments that have this nailed, and making a comfortable/fast instrument is important to how players perceive the instrument. In addition, the build quality is really high, so bad keywork is just not ok. Candidly, I'm really trying playing this horn a lot right now, but I'm afraid that the general clunkiness of the keywork might mean that I'm only playing it for laying down specific tracks in the recording session, but not much as a general practice instrument. We'll see if some Sugru work gets these marks higher ;-) Here the score is 1/5

It is easy to write great stuff about the sounds. Alas, it isn't easy to write anything good about the keywork.

In the end, I gave it 4 stars because we're musicians, and ultimately sound rules.

Great improvement over the ae-10. Held back 1 star due to the lack of backup capability, something the 10 has, and I know Roland will improve with their updates. Really well designed instrument!

Now that I have put in many hours playing on both the AE10 and AE30, I want to convey some more thoughts for those trying to decide wether or not to buy either of these things. First off, I own them both, and I am happy about that. That said, both instruments are far from perfect.. My other AE30 review talks about the pros and cons of each, so you might want to read that one first, and then read this one, which tells about my efforts to improve on what I felt were shortcomings. I modified both models, and my new 4 star rating is sort of a reflection of the MODIFIED instruments. I want to say up front that I am not recommending to anyone that they do these mods. These are expensive and fragile instruments, and modifications will no doubt void the warranty, I would think. And if you are not talented at crafts, there is always the possibility that you could ruin your instrument. I say these things as a disclaimer to protect myself. If you modify your instrument, do so at your own risk!! ..But in my opinion, these mods are not that difficult, and with the material I used, (SUGRU), it is not really destructive, if done carefully, and the material is pretty much removable, although I have not tested any removal on either of these instruments... 1.) My largest complaint about theAE30 was that the left hand palm keys were too low in both position and height, for an accomplished player to perform difficult licks. The high D was the worst of the 3, and I used Sugru moldable glue rubber to raise the height and extend it's position upwards. The other two keys just needed a slight height adjustment. This is similar to what many players do to their acoustic saxes, and I find Sugru to be the best product for this, also. You can see what I did in the first picture. 2.) Both AE10 and AE30 had issues with the thumb octave key. The next 2 pictures show how I raised and rounded these keys. This made a HUGE difference on both units. 3.) For me, the body of the AE10 was way too wide, and I could not really get my thumb under the hook, so I built the hook out to the right, including the part that sits between the thumb and the body of the instrument. I also modified the hook on the AE30 just a tiny bit under the left side of the hook, to make the angle better for me.. So now, both instruments are comfortably playable for me personally. There are slight differences in the key work, and the cheaper AE10 is actually quieter, but is more prone to glitching when switching octaves, which is a pretty tough road on either of these models, and I hear ditto for the new Yamaha YDS-150. You still need near perfection in your finger timing to sound pro on these things... Both models have some really good sounds, both in the acoustic emulations and the synth sounds, but the AE30 is considerably better on synth sounds. I love having the physical knobs on the AE30- MUCH easier and faster to navigate between sounds and key transpositions. The extra size and weight of the AE30 helps stabilize the instrument for stand up playing, but I can sit back in my recliner and practice scales on the AE10 while watching TV... I think if I could only have one of these models, it would be the AE30, mostly because it is less prone to octave break glitching, and will look and feel better for live playing. Having said that, I really don't know if I would ever attempt using either one live, without the modifications I made.. It is sad that Roland did a pretty good job with the most difficult aspects of this machine, while failing on what should have been the easiest part of the design- the finger board! After all, I can get a Chinese sax for $300 that plays with great comfort and ease, and these machines have to do complex maneuvers pushing pads up and down without leaking. Roland only needed to provide on/off switches for the Aerophones, and they did not get it right, in my opinion. Hope this helps...

For reference, I am a 68 year old pro tenor sax player. I have the AE10, which has many good attributes, especially love the trumpet sound, same for the AE30, which I have been playing for about 3 hours now... The AE10 looks and feels like a toy. This (AE30) is much better looking and feeling, having the aluminum face and a nicer plastic on the rest of the body. The worst thing for me on the AE10 was the octave thumb key-it had no travel, and it was impossible to even tell when my thumb was on the key. I made a key riser out of plastimake, and glued it on with rubber contact cement. This instantly improved the instrument by 75%- I kid you not! The AE30 octave thumb key is better right out of the box, having increased travel, and a raised key- but the key SHOULD BE ANGLED. It is flat, and my thumb is constantly getting pinched between the key and the thumb rest. (I will modify this- it is incredibly annoying, and even painful!)The AE10 had a body that was too wide, and the right hand palm keys were always getting hit, forcing me to play with my right thumb almost completely off the thumb hook. The AE30 has fixed this problem with a slimmer body, and they have added an F# key, which I like.. On a real sax, I play many fast chromatic licks up high on the left hand palm keys, which involve the high F# key- and this brings me to the absolute WORST problem with the AE30- the left hand palm keys are so poorly placed, that I will not be able to play any of those great licks on this thing. The high D is WAY too low on the body both in position and height. This forces me to pull my hand off the body, making it impossible to transition off the palm keys to the finger table.. No amount of practice is going to solve this, it is just not designed right, and sadly, while the AE10 is not perfect in this regard, it is vastly better than the AE30!! I am trying to figure out a way to modify this, but it is really disappointing that I should have to do this on a "pro" instrument..Also, I found the AE30 keys to be even noisier than the AE10, but the AE30 is not nearly as "glitchy" as the AE10, and I find it less likely to squeal when playing fast runs involving an octave change. I like having the Knobs to change keys globally, and get to presets- very nice. Also the AE30 has more useable synth sounds, but there is no real improvement in the "natural" sounds. Neither model has anything I would call useable in soprano, alto or tenor sax sounds, but the bari sax is quite convincing. Both models have very good trumpet, violin, flute, harmonica, cello, trombone, and even tuba sounds..If you want to have nice synth sounds, the AE30 is the clear winner... I believe either model can be played live, or used for recording. I did a "violin" track on an Irish Rock song that came out very beautifully, using the AE10.. If you were to ask me which model to get, I would have to ask your purpose. Do you just want to play some horn lines, such as the trumpet part on "Ring of Fire"? The AE10 will work fine, but will look like a toy on stage. If you want a tool that will be less glitchy on fast runs, you will need the AE30. If you are not handy with modifications, and most people are not, then remember that the AE10 has the HORRIBLE thumb octave key. For me, the AE30 is worth the extra money in playability, and also in the fact that it will look and feel like a real instrument in live situations. But buyer beware, this is not perfectly designed instrument, owing to the fact that the left hand palm keys are just not placed correctly, and I don't think this is a matter of opinion. But I'm a fussy old grump, so it could be just me. I gave it 3.5 stars, but if the palm keys were done right, I would have gone as high as 4.5 stars. Hope this helps!

I DO NOT recommend anyone purchase the Roland AE 30 Pro. I've had horrible TRS issues with this instrument during live performances. I've used different mixers, cables, and 2 different Roland AE 30 Pros with the latest firmware. The sound still diminishes significantly during practices and performances while connected to the TRS output. I have many Roland products and I'm an experienced, gigging saxophonist with over 20 years of playing each and every week. The only way the instrument works properly is when I make a connection from the headphone jack on the AE 30 to an input on a mixer. I will update my review with a video later. Again, two different AE 30s with the exact same issue. SMH... Sweetwater has been great handling this issue thus far. So grateful for the professional service and concern my Sweetwater Rep, Anthony, has given me while dealing with this issue.

I love the instrument at first glance but the d saxophone key sticks right out of the box!!
I am returning the instrument immediately.

The keys DONT release immediately. Every key only releases with NO preassure UNLIKE every wind instrument. I will try to make the adjustment but in slow playing/ expressive playing this ruins the feel of the instrument..... If there is some reason this is a benefit electronically I want to know what it is-otherwise it shows the new design IGNORED the feel of playing it-- that an EXPERIERCED player has.