My review of the Digital Wind Instrument by Carry-On

My review of the Digital Wind Instrument by Carry-On
There aren't so many digital recorders on the market, and the Digital Wind Instrument by Carry-On is a nice addition. It's lightweight, has ten different sounds and works as a midi controller via bluetooth.
What are the pros and cons of this instrument? Watch the video to find out!
0:00 intro
0:34 unboxing
1:19 details
2:19 sounds
4:54 settings
7:19 latency
8:17 how to connect to iPad and MacBook
11:35 Conclusion
Price £79.99 / €99.00 / $99.00, more info:
carryonplaying.com/product/ca...
Instagram @carryonplaying @carryonwind
Please give this video a thumbs up if you liked it and subscribe to my channel! Did I miss anything? Leave a comment - I'll answer to all comments :)
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[@yosemite-sam]

I received mine earlier this week. The main reason for buying was to have an instrument with recorder (rather than reed) type mouthpiece and fingerings that i can play silently at home or on work breaks without disturbing others, which will bring my practice schedule into another level. I'm a relative beginner, so some of the negatives don't really affect me at present. For me it's perfect and I'm very happy to own one. Thanks for the informative review 😊

Great! I think you fit to their target group nicely :) Have fun with the instrument!

[@ReasonAboveEverything]

Brah, my thoughts exactly.

[@250tegra]

Thanks again, Eero - after reading the manual and re-watching your fine review, I've placed an order!

[@bozenaszudzinska9179]

dzięki, bardzo pomocny filmik i ciekawe konkluzje

[@Hochjo]

Heipä hei, Eero, and thanks for the thorough review. I've been fooling around with this thing for a few days now, and despite the shortcomings you've noted, I've been really pleasantly surprised at how fun it is to use for quiet practice. One additional thing that's worth noting about the "simple" fingering is that it's essentially German-style, with some minor changes that cleverly enable a lower octave. So with the "S" mode you can play from C7 all the way down to C4 without having to stop and use the transpose button. It makes me wish I could get three octaves out of a normal "analog" recorder. 🙂

Moi! I think you are quite right! 🤩 With the analog recorder it’s not so hard to add a couple of notes on top of the high E flat (on a soprano), but three octaves is just a dream… 😎

[@Must_not_say_that]

Thank you for your review. For me the big advantage is that you can practice at any time without fear of upsetting the neighbours, and the layout closely resembles an accoustic recorder, so your technique can seamlessly be transferred to the acoustic recorder.

👍🏻Yes!

[@kelanth462]

The big thing I like is the headphone jack. I'm an early riser is a house of late sleepers. I feel my most creative and inspired watching the sun come up. (cue "Morning" from Peer Gynt.) With this I can play to my hearts content and not bother the sleepyheads or the neighbors. And Father's Day is coming up so perfect excuse to buy it.

Yes, the headphone jack is a great thing!

[@gblan]

My son has been rather difficult to manage lately. He's been unusually disobedient and deviant from his normal behavior. I suggested a recorder based wind controller might help him and he asked me for a suggestion of a make. I said Carry On my wayward son.

[@DocBree13]

😂

[@margaritacarpintero787]

🤦‍♀️

[@jjf6257]

Thank you! I just watched Sarah Jeffery's review some days ago. I think I have a good picture of the instrument now. The price sounds good but I still believe I would play with my wooden instruments even if I had that digital instrument. Sarah also said she hated the lag. Maybe a beginner could find this more useful? An interesting review, anyway!

A digital instrument is just an addition to the collection :) I think this digital wind instrument is more suitable for beginners than more advanced players, maybe for someone who just wants to experiment with different sounds and try out bluetooth midi.

[@DigitalWindInstrument]

❤❤

[@jsivonenVR]

Very nice review! I personally liked the recorder sound and maybe a little the trumpet and clarinet. But those sax sounds… void of all expression 😓 I’ve been thinking of buying a cheap EWI just kicks, but I think I’ll stick with my soprano, tenor &,bass recorders and clarinet and get a beginner sax next. And Roland EWI some day… any thoughts on those “pro” EWIs btw? 🧐

Never tried an EWI, but I have the Yamaha digital sax, which is ok for home practise but maybe not fo gigs. Besides these cheap electronic recorders there's the eCorder (www.ecorder.io), but I've tried that for just about 15 minutes so I can't say much about that instrument in detail.

[@denthepom]

Thank you for your review. Can I ask , how do the sounds compare with the Re.corder?. I have one of those and the sounds are not great but some are not too bad once I have put them into an amplifier and add effects to them. I am not an expert wind player and only use it to add to my guitar busking. My problem with the Re.corder is the connectivity that sometimes goes wrong. I like the idea of an instrument the I can just switch on, plug in and play.

Hi, I also like the idea of plug and play of the Digital wind instrument. The sound of the recorder is not great on the re.corder or the digital wind instrument unfortunately. It's a bit hard to compare the sounds all in all since the re.corder has many more sounds than the Digital wind instrument.

[@jamesr2408]

About the lag, I would assume, that is only a real-time Garage Band playback issue. This happens even in live voice recording through a professional analogue mic and digital interface with Garage Band. So with this midi instrument, after the playing has been recorded, as a midi track the issue disappears. One way to overcome the "lag," when recording, I would say, plug in a headphone directly to the recorder, and don't depend on Garage Band's monitor output for audio monitoring.

I'm quite able to do lagless recordings with Garageband and other DAWs with an audio interface and a pro mic. I'd have to do more testing on the Digital wind instrument to be sure or overcome the lag issue.

[@LarryShone]

I need this. Headphones= silent practise, and less than £80!

🎉👍🏻

[@nasiranwar9776]

Amazing and affordable. Can you tell me if it goes out of tune when it fills with water. Also, is it possible to run it via the headphone jack into an amp and through loopers and guitar pedals ?

I haven't played it many hours straight, but I believe that the water comes out of the instrument and it won't fill with water. And I haven't tried yet, but it should be possible to connect the instrument to loopers and pedals via headphone jack!

[@davidm1922]

The notes with legato sound pretty terrible... But I'm thinking about this (with headphones) to practice while traveling to not annoy my travel companions. Would you recommend it to a low intermediate player for practicing silently?

If you can stand the not-so-great sounds and other small flaws, I think this device could be suitable for practicing silently! At least you can practice small melodies and fingerings with it.

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

The instrument doesn’t seem to be available on there website right now, mid 2023

[@benturner6389]

Thanks for the review! Just one point, isn’t S fingering for Saxaphone? And S mode allows for 3 octave range which might be useful for some pieces.

You're welcome! I haven't checked this myself, but according to the manual S stands for single fingering. Here's the manual: eadn-wc03-5526742.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/234400M-7-CARRY-ON-DIGITAL-WIND-INSTRUMENT-HANDBOOK-GUIDE.pdf

[@benturner6389]

@ Ah got it. I’m a recorder player too and much prefer those fingerings. The S doesn’t seem simple to me.

@@benturner6389 Me too 😎

[@250tegra]

@ Thanks for that link!

@@250tegra You’re welcome!

[@stormbound_guitars]

Is there no USB option to reduce latency while using it as a midi controller? I've played with many midi guitars and I get frustrated with the lack of accuracy and the tendency to trigger unwanted notes. I don't play wind instruments, but as a synthesizer enthusiast I can imagine something like this being really cool for controlling a variety of sounds.

I don't think there's a USB possibility unfortunately.

[@AlaSawan]

This or Re.Corder ? please advise, does this Carry_on have an acoustic option like the Re.Corder ? and which one has a better sound ?

Hi1 The Carry-on isn't acoustic, so if that's what you are after then the choice is clear. Re.corder has more sounds than the Carry-on.

[@AlaSawan]

@ Thanks alot , I think I am gonna order now :)

@@AlaSawan Ok, good luck with your new instrument!

[@kentaccordionist]

Good concept, but the onboard sounds are terrible. If it had a full sized midi, or even a better USB port for midi over usb then it would be more tempting. As it is I’m sticking with my EWI

I have to agree. EWI is on a different level, but also on a different price category.

[@ronj9448]

Nice thoughtful review. Have you plugged the headphone out to a piano or guitar amp? Sometimes the sound through a tiny speaker sounds well tiny but that is a limitation of the cheap speaker and not the sound driving it.

That's true! Of course a good PA is needed if you want this instrument to sound good.👍🏻

[@hesspet]

Using this as a normal Instrument via Midi is not usefull, cause of the latency, a very common problem when using bluetooth midi. But using a swelling slow pad sound, this can open a nice way into big soundscapes with such a cheap controller e.g. for ambient sound explorations (sitting relaxed in an armchair :-) ) . And ist allways a great showcase on stage :-) and using the recorder fingering changes the way of experimenting with electronic sounds, similar to the use of midi guitars instead of keyboards. It's a nice gimick to put my hands on for this price. One of the things I like is the idea of having a really small instrument for ambient sound work which does not need a big infrastruction like a table in front of you for a keyboard. I often use such sounds during church service sessions when it comes to meditation. I'll give it a try if I can get one. Thanks for showing this instrument (and it flaws)

You're welcome! And I agree with your thoughts about the instrument :)

[@danbarnes8263]

Hey, just come to this video. Very informative. I want to try and re-learn the sax, but I live in a block of flats. Would this be helpful do you think?

Hi! It could be. I live in a block of flats and it’s very ok to use this instrument. 👍🏻

[@danbarnes8263]

Thanks for replying, silly question… what’s the alternative fingerings? I.E would me knowing sax fingering work?!

@@danbarnes8263 Hi, check out the fingerings from here: www.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/856688.pdf

[@adouglas1735]

Hi, useful review but I have one question - is it hard to blow? Only I have a Akai USB EWI and find it very difficult to blow because of the breath pressure that you have to use. I am a complete beginner.

You don't need much breath pressure with this one!

[@adouglas1735]

Thanks so much for replying.

[@tomasdolezal835]

I feel that I have to develop higher pressure when blowing it comparing to normal acoustic soprano or alto recorder. On the other side the air flow is lower, so it is no problem even for kids to play it, just the feel is different from recorder. In fact there can be zero flow, because it senses pressure only. You can even close the output hole at the bottom and play with no flow just by changing applied pressure. One of my daughters plays the clarinet and the other one plays the oboe, and both play the recorder. And according to them the pressure is slightly higher than the one needed for recorder, but definitely nothing comparable to clarinet or even oboe. So do not worry about the pressure, it is really fun to play with this instrument.

[@rnflutes2399]

Is it possible to play half notes (Sharp notes) while playing the song?? Whats the fingering for that Ex: D E F FSharp Dsharp (like in saxophone)

Yes. You can check fingerings here: eadn-wc03-5526742.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/234400M-7-CARRY-ON-DIGITAL-WIND-INSTRUMENT-HANDBOOK-GUIDE.pdf

[@rnflutes2399]

In the pdf i couldn't get the way to play minor notes

c sharp is the same as d flat, d sharp is the same as e flat etc. @@rnflutes2399

[@rolandcampos3581]

I have a similar product different brand I can use it as MIDI controller using USB cable on FL Studio(Windows), my problem is the breath sensitivity doesn't work or the velocity doesn't change, breath sensitivity only works with the built-in sounds, is your Carry On instrument breath sensitivity changes the velocity of the garage band's virtual instruments?

I'm not sure, I'd have to check that out!

[@DocBree13]

What brand is yours?

[@adriandearden7742]

Personally for the price I think the sounds are pretty good. Of course they won’t compete with the far more expensive professional digital wind instruments but at £80 it’s a bargain.

I agree!

[@johnroberts262]

I am not sure where to put my thumb on the back of this instrument to get different octaves and also sharps and flats. Is there a fingering chart or video covering this

www.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/856688.pdf

[@johnroberts262]

Many thanks for sending me the fingering chart for this instrument. Ii is a tremendous help.

@@johnroberts262 You’re welcome! 😇

[@fefocabrera]

I've sent an email to Blackstar and they told me that it has usb midi connection. I'm now waiting for their answer on how to make it work. Any idea? thanks

Great that you reached out to Blackstar! I don't have any new ideas regarding this, but I should definately experiment!

[@user-yc1gn8tu9w]

Please can someone tell me if they have used the midi function with a windows OS /windows computer?

I don’t have a Windows computer available so I can’t test unfortunately…

[@stephenstephen74]

Sir. This fingering the same as saxophone keys?

You can check fingerings here: eadn-wc03-5526742.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/234400M-7-CARRY-ON-DIGITAL-WIND-INSTRUMENT-HANDBOOK-GUIDE.pdf

[@hygog]

hi guys, how do i clean it?

[@LaTeamRocketII]

Do you mean that you can't change the attack of the notes ? :0 13:15

You can change the attack: if you articulate the note, you will hear an articulation. But if you play legato and change notes (like in a scale) you still hear this clicking noise whenever the note changes.

[@mrbrick5907]

This seems to cover all the bases that the Roland Aerophone Mini does but for about a third of the price. I think it wins over the Re:corder too due to the inbuilt speaker so you can just pick it up and play electronically without any apps. I found the Aerophone Mini app unusable due to the latency.

Haven't tried the Roland Aerophone Mini, so can't really comment on that. Yeah, I also like to built-in speaker of the Digital wind instrument by Carry-On, but I really like the lip and keyboard modes of the re.corder...

[@SeymourSunshine]

I have both, and the Aerophone mini wins on many levels - not least of which are (i) the quality of the sounds and (ii) the Aerophone has a built-in reverb adjustment which really enriches the sound. But having said that, I love the Carry On for its simplicity and very reasonable price and that it uses genuine recorder fingerings ... and the recorder sound is lovely.

[@Hvranq]

Does it also have timing/lag issues if used with USB Midi?

I think it uses only bluetooth midi, not usb midi.

[@Hvranq]

@ Amazon(.de) product description says is has USB Midi. I think, I might give it a try and find out myself. Thanks 🙂

[@Hvranq]

OK, Amazon description is wrong. No USB Midi. Btw is it normal that the Bluetooth LED keeps flashing after connecting?

@@Hvranq Unless they have updated it somehow...but during the time of my review it was only bluetooth midi. Don't know about the led unfortunately.

[@kingstumble]

It sounds like the digital wind instrument equivalent of the old Bon Tempi organs. Remember them?

I have no idea!😅

[@DocBree13]

What a shame it doesn’t have midi over usb - I don’t think I could handle that latency

Yeah, I agree.

[@cockleman1]

Does it have holes or sensor pads where the holes were

Sensor pads!

[@cockleman1]

Thanking you ,cheers from Tasmania

No prob! @@cockleman1

[@user-gv1iv9oj1r]

สั่งได้ที่ไหนครับ

[@andreatamborrino1213]

The B flat fingering is different, isn't it?

There are two fingerings, the "normal" one and the one where you also add a finger from the right hand: eadn-wc03-5526742.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/234400M-7-CARRY-ON-DIGITAL-WIND-INSTRUMENT-HANDBOOK-GUIDE.pdf

[@gariekwong9549]

could it be connected with active Bluetooth speaker?

Haven't tried that yet!

[@manickamvictor4377]

What is the price of this instrument and AVAILABILITY INDIAN. PLEASE INFORM.

I have unfortunately no idea…

[@joebowbeer]

The new Konix DC02 looks like a V2 of this. Has anyone reviewed it?

I also noticed this on alibaba, but haven't got it myself. Looks like the same product.

[@joebowbeer]

@ It has more buttons and was released in late 2022. However, like the Carry-On and re.corder, it is entirely dependent on BLE MIDI; there is no MIDI via USB cable as far as I can tell.

@@joebowbeer Oh, ok! Thank you for the info :)

[@pat0424]

are there clarinet fingerings?

Not to my knowledge.

[@SeymourSunshine]

No. There are the two fingerings available: 1 - standard recorder and 2 - simple which gives a range of C to C in each of three octaves.

[@barabbazagency4620]

Is it possible let it works without blowing?

I think this instrument doesn't work without blowing, but the re.corder by ARTinoise does!

[@youradica]

Am I able to connect to midi via USB, or no?

Unfortunately the answer is no.

[@BluessNRock]

I got mine but can't connect on Windows 😢

Oh! I can’t help since I only have Apple devices…

[@JennyEverywhere]

I got mine a few days ago. Actually, I got the OEM device from Midiplus, a Chinese company. It's identical except the button labels are in Chinese. The MIDI over Bluetooth is great...if you have a fruit machine. I can't get the thing to work on Windows or Android, even though the sellers all say you can. If you have an Apple product, you're all set. The latency is a big issue. Roland has their line of MIDI wind controllers, and they can use MIDI over Bluetooth, but the latency makes it unusable. But Roland put a USB port in their devices that can be used for data. So far, I haven't been able to use the Midiplus/Carry-on using a wired USB connection. The driver doesn't work. This is a great service for standalone use. I love it to death! But I have no illusions that the connectivity issue will be solved any time soon.

I guess that's the case with bluetooth midi at the moment...sorry I can't help you with non-fruit devices. :)

[@tomasdolezal835]

MIDI over BT is not a problem even for Android. For an Android device you just need an App that allows direct connection to BT Midi source. If you want to use for example Walk Band, which might be considered as the Apple GarageBand alternative, you have to solve the problem that Walk Band sees the System registered and directly connected USB midi devices only, but no BT. DO NOT PAIR WIND INSTRUMENT WITH ANDROID DIRECTLY FROM ANDROID BT SETTINGS, AS YOU NORMALLY PAIR FOR EXAMPLE HEADPHONES ETC. You must install some "connector" app to pair with Carry-On Wind instrument and use it to "register" the instrument as MIDI source to system. After that Walk Band will see the Wind Instrument as MIDI source. I use the free app MIDI BLE Connect from Mobileer from Google Play play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobileer.example.midibtlepairing&hl=en&gl=US When you open the MIDI BLE Connect app, turn on BT pairing on Wind instrument (BT diode flashing) and choose Bluetooth Scan in the app. Almost immediately you see that it finds the Wind Instrument, so choose it. Then you open the Walk Band, go to Menu / Midi Keyboard and you should see the Wind Instrument there. Now you can open the Walk Band Keyboard or other module and start to play using Wind Instrument. Other option, if you just want to play with different voices and you do not need recording and all the stuff coming with Walk Band, is to use some MIDI Synthesiser app that allows direct BT MIdi device connection. I use FluidSynth MIDI Synthesizer by Volcano Mobile SNC play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.volcanomobile.fluidsynthmidi&hl=en&gl=US For this app you do not need any 3rd party connector application, as it directly supports BT MIDI. First zou go to the "three dot" menu in the top right corner and select Bluetooth MIDI to scan for the Wind Instrument (it must be in the pairing - Bluetooth diode flashing - mode at that time). And then, after you pair it, open the Connector menu next to it and select the Wind Instrument. Now everything you play on Wind Instrument should also play on Channel 1 of the FluidSynth using the voice selected for that channel. One hint - if the volume from FluidSynth is too low or you cannot hear almost anything but the Channel 1 indicator light is flashing when you blow the Wind Instrument, check the Gain slider in the Settings menu.

@@tomasdolezal835 Thanks a lot for this!👌

[@gudrunegert7886]

Eero, "Instument" with an r, please.

Fixed!😅

[@gudrunegert7886]

Fast finnish fine tuning.

[@AndraDare]

Such a cool idea. Too bad the instrument sounds are kind of toyish.

Yeah, what can you expect from an instrument that costs around 100 eur? 🤔😎

[@AndraDare]

@ So true!

[@SeymourSunshine]

I find that the recorder sound is very acceptable ... and I have to agree that the others are very toyish.

[@edsoncastro3659]

Hello guy... the sound is very bad. :-(

Well, that’s your opinion 🙂 For a hundred euros you can’t get the best sounds…

[@SeymourSunshine]

I find the recorder sound is quite acceptable, but, yes, the others are very Micky Mouse. And it is inexpensive with a tiny inbuilt speaker, so you have to accept those limitations.

[@marcelocraprod1218]

Sounds like a cheap toy

Well it depends what kind of sound you're used to, but yes: the sound isn't that great. But what can you expect for the price?