Vangoa Aerophone MAE 02 review - a budget EWI with lots of sounds

[@KiR_3d]

The t-shirt's print rocks! wow! :) In this lighting it has that 3d feeling on camera.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks, haha! :-)

[@AngMoKio8]

But I am not sure if I feel comfortable watching it 😄

[@mr_floydst]

;-)

[@jimbotron70]

​@@AngMoKio8 Tripophobia unlocked 🕳️🕳️🕳️😅

[@rjones1357]

It kinda weirded me out but at least you have a good sense of humor!!!

[@dinogoldie9716]

3:50 I'm so glad you told us what those instrument voices are supposed to be because I wouldn't have guessed most of em. The saxophones were alright but that "violin" and the "trumpet" voices sound like they came off an early 90s Soundblaster. The absence of expression/afterblow (or whatever the oral equivalent of aftertouch is) is a huge dealbreaker. My yamaha PSS480 from 1988 has more realistic sounds.

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, that's congruent with my conclusion (if you fell asleep before reaching that part, please watch it ;-) - _some_ of the sounds react to breath pressure and don't have auto vibrato, but they're few and far in between)

[@dinogoldie9716]

​@@mr_floydst Yeh I watched through to the end. Good review. They should have focussed on making a decent electronic sax/clarinet with 2-5 voices. As is, this doesn't seem good even as a learning tool. Aren't the entry-level Roland aerophones like only 100-150 bucks more?

[@rjones1357]

At this point the Roland Aerophone mini AE-01 is overpriced because of all of the sub and around $100 electronic wind instruments that are now available. While the AE-01, I think has Bluetooth MIDI it has less than 10 internal sounds.

[@ME-xf2fs]

Awesome floyd, you tell it like it is. That's why I like your videos.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! It's not a bad instrument (especially for that price) but your expectations need to be aligned. ;-)

[@ultracello]

Nice! Oh and was it intended at 2:10 playing the melody of "Ernst Busch: Lied der Partei (1950)") 😛

[@mr_floydst]

I'm sorry, I'm not old enough to know that song. I'm sure it's a banger, though ;-)

[@lummsmusik3219]

To solve the USB port problem I would recommend an angled cable or angled adapter. You get them angled in any direction for a few bucks. Maybe the manufacturer is able to put one into the box additionally.

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, you're right - it would have been the solution if I had one of those here. They reside in the "surplus cables" box in the basement somewhere ;-)

[@rogercornia8535]

I currently have the Vangoa EWI 100 I like it a lot. Saw the.MAE 02 on Amazon and decided to take a chance. It seems to be their latest product. Will be getting it in a day or two. The added sounds and the easier configuration of some of the buttons appeal to me. Will know soon if it’s actually an improvement over my current model.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I never used the S100, but the S55. I'll guess you'll find this model here is an overall improvement. As I said in the video, the hardware is quite good and some of the sounds are good. The reverb sounds nice as well. But there are some nitpicks and I think I have to mention those. ;-)

[@chriswareham]

I didn't expect a blast of Two Unlimited on a wind synth demo! Some of the sounds remind me of Japanese electronic kotos for some reason (machines like the Suiko ST20).

[@chrisliddiard725]

I also do wind controllers. Great review. Just to say there are 'USB C 90 Degree Adapter' which should take the cable down or to the side.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! Yes, I know of those, I even have some stowed away in the seventh circle of my basement. But ideally, Vangoa should provide such a cable with their instrument. :-)

[@rjones1357]

I am guessing the issue will still be something sticking out from the instrument under your playing fingers. If you locate the right angle plug, let us know how it works out. If the port was underneath I feel one could hide the cable management better.

[@RosalvoParadella]

Gostei do som !! Muito bom esse instrumento. Gostei especialmente do sax.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@RosalvoParadella]

@mr_floydst eu que agradeço. Continue com esse belo trabalho. Deus abençoe.

[@axs203]

Never mind the sax what about that mesh rubber vest!

[@mr_floydst]

It's a very convincing print on a regular t-shirt. :-)

[@axs203]

@@mr_floydst That is really something!

[@Flat8G]

Essentially a plastic stick with a bad keyboard. BUT, it does actually sound good! :)

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, that's one way to put it - but don't forget the pressure sensor ;-)

[@rebeccaabraham8652]

Interesting... as I'm not familiar with the Vangoa brand. I've bought some of the Irin ewi's - the S56 and the S58 (the latest) - and just wish they'd combined the best features of both. The newer one is much more capable... but some of the shortcuts and keys from the older model are missing - and the lack does slow you down when you're on a roll! I wonder what next year's going to bring...?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! For some reason, chinese companies are really into the EWI business at the moment, and the results are quite good overall. Last month, I had the "Greaten AP 300 pro" which was a good instrument, and the S55 by Vangoa was nice and easy to play as well. We'll see, I guess!

[@flyingzulu]

Since I saw this on a Chinese site, I was wondering if it was functional, at least as a midi controller. It seems to work, maybe I'll buy one... there are so many cheap things that seem to be still correctly usable. Thanks for this interesting test

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

wicked cool

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

[@lindawaring9887]

It shows Bluetooth connectivity on the Amazon website. Is that correct?

[@mr_floydst]

There is no Bluetooth connectivity on my MAE 02. There's also no mention of it in the manual. So I guess it's advertised incorrectly on Amazon.

[@Wpossato]

How many key it has? Anda how many 8?

[@mr_floydst]

10 keys, one pitch bend lever.

[@rjones1357]

Good grief!!! Another electronic wind instrument plucked out of the Chinese genre flood. Sorry this is just humorous. I remember the SY55 now. So this is the 3rd Vangoa EWI, right? Is the manual online? Is there any audio or MIDI Bluetooth support for this instrument? It has a USB-C port, correct? Is there a control program for this instrument? Honestly thanks for the product review. I am a bit disappointed that Vangoa decided to use a product name and number confusingly close to what Roland is currently using. Again thanks for creating and posting this video.

[@mr_floydst]

;-) There is no bluetooth support here. There is no external software.

[@rjones1357]

The top surface keys are touch sensitive and do not move when pressed, right? Did you examine the battery? Are they AA or AAA sized batteries or a special plug-in rechargeable? Is the battery chargeable via the USB-C port?

[@mr_floydst]

@@rjones1357 It's an 18650 rechargable battery, those are widely available. It's rechargable by USB (I think I mentioned that in the video). The keys don't move.

[@Zzibbubby]

Which EWI is the best in your opinion? I think this is already the 3rd you review, right?

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, haha, I think I'm the EWI dude now. ;-) The best one so far was the AP 300 pro. It's slightly more expensive, but it is a good controller with some really good sounds. The S55 was fun and simple and most of all, very cheap. Sadly, it seems to be discontinued.

[@reverend11-dmeow89]

Finding the most and 2nd-most innovative sound-making gizmos is most defin9itely Floyd's Gift To the world. Your pointing to the issures with Vibrato, which I most-likely would fdind cool. Until I cannot disable it. This one now is just-plain annoying, right befor e'flute'. Thank You, Maestro wouldaboughtit

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! I guess they could fix that with a firmware update, but I couldn't find info on that (yet).

[@Gainn]

Find me an EX-5 please Floyd. lol

[@mr_floydst]

There are several on ebay at the moment! There will be more EX5 content in a couple of days here. ;-)

[@dvamateur]

I thought Aerophone was a Roland's trademark.

[@mr_floydst]

I just looked it up in the international trademark register and it was claimed by a law firm in Brunswick, Germany up to some months ago, but has expired since. Again what learned, as they say 'round here ;-)

[@axs203]

Midi port is a deal breaker for me....what a non logical place to put it

[@mr_floydst]

Yes ;-) Some viewers suggested using an angled USB cable, that might help.

[@axs203]

It should have been on the bottom. It just gets in the way at the side. They are interesting instruments