 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kenabbott
Date: 2005-12-21 00:31
I'm thinking about getting a Yamaha WX5. What's the latest on peoples' experience with it? There have been a number of threads over the past five years on this topic but not much recently.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-12-21 00:56
Ken,
don't you think you should get a basset horn first?
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Author: Chalumeau Joe
Date: 2005-12-21 01:10
Have you considered a used WX7? I've seen them on e*** for ~$200. It's supposed to have better key action than the newer WX5.
I started looking at these myself a few weeks ago, because it would allow me to try eJamming.net (an intriguing concept).
For feature comparisons, have a look at:
http://windsynth.org/home.html (Library -> Feature Comparison Chart)
Post Edited (2005-12-21 01:41)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-12-21 02:51
I highly recommend the "Saxxy," available from Sharper Image. I think they're going for around $11 - $12 now. 
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2005-12-21 05:23
Dang, I just spent oodles ($580, but they threw in a lot of extra stuff, including a free guitar) for a new WX5 at Sam Ash.
It's a real instrument. It's going to take me a while to master its basic functions, which include about five octaves, and it's probably expandable beyond that.
It's only as good as your sound generator. I'm glad I didn't spend another $450 for the sound generator that Sam Ash was selling, or even $700 for a Yamaha model, at this time, until I learn more about what I can do with it. My $300 Radio Shack keyboard has a better midi than that $450 model and you don't need to buy a speaker just to fool around with it, and I could plug the keyboard into a mixing board via an instrument cable should I desire to take it on a gig.
I'm still in the fooling around stage with it. If you set it to play a constant interval of a fourth or fifth, select a violin tone, and rip up into the stratosphere, you will sound like Fritz Kreisler. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Steve Epstein
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-12-21 07:57
Is that a midi controller? Now I use a midi controller keyboard, but my piano playing is pretty bad. Can I control VST sounds with the wind synth, or does it only have its own sounds?
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2005-12-21 11:57
I owned, and sold my WX-5 some months ago.
I found the flexibility of the instrument to be VERY limited.
It's much like an electic guitar - difficult to make dynamic changes without twiddling knobs on the electronics.
It has an impressive range of notes, with a simple thumbswitch under the left hand - and the fingering can be programmed to play as a clarinet, or sax.
The notion that the tone generator is key - if your keyboard will allow you to hook up the WX-5 directly, you can save a bundle.
Personally, I think it's an effective tool for the serious player that wants to emulate things like an English Horn without the expense. I just don't like the required electronics taking up so much space.
Your mileage will vary, no doubt.
FYI - If you buy one second hand, make certain the velocity switch (inside the removable mouthpiece) actually works - it is easily $150 to replace this essential part, if broken.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2005-12-21 17:16
The keyboard does not have to hook directly up to the WX5 via the provided WX5 cable, which is a different size from the standard midi cable (not provided). There is a port on the instrument for a standard midi cable (about $9 at Radio Shack) right next to the WX5 port.
It was my terrible (non-existent, actually) keyboard playing that motivated me to purchase this gizmo. You still can't play whole chords with it, ASFIK, unless you pre-record things first. Synonymous Botch complains about space being taken up by electronic gadgets but this is nothing compared to the warehouse amounts that electric guitar players bring to gigs. A friend with more knowledge of this stuff than I says you only need to use as much gadgetry as you like; electric guitarists have so much because they like it.
Yes, it is difficult to make dynamic changes as SB indicates, but it's not meant to substitute for an acoustic instrument.
As far as cost, we have to remember how cheap clarinets can be compared to other acoustic instruments and so keep it in perspective. In perspective, the WX5 Wind Midi Controller is a bargain.
Steve Epstein
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