I played “Homura” by LiSA with the popular digital wind instrument Roland AE-30 Aerophone Pro!!

Aerophone Pro is the digital wind instrument that was released by Roland. In addition to the SuperNATURAL acoustic sound source that was adopted in the AE-10, the flagship model of the digital wind instrument Aerophone is equipped with the latest sound source ZEN-Core which is also installed in keyboards such as the JUPITER-X and the FANTOM by Roland. A conventional MIDI jack and Bluetooth MIDI have been installed as well as USB MIDI, and it is ideal in the studio to use as a wind controller. The fingering is based off the saxophone and this instrument is meant to be picked up by anyone who is new to digital wind instruments. Headphone output and built-in speakers allow you to perform and practice anywhere you like. You can control it with both hands, or connect a foot controller to the MIDI jack. Download the dedicated app Aerophone Pro Editor to your iOS/Android smartphone or tablet to customize the tone colors, fingering, sensor sensitivity, and other settings.

This time, thanks to Roland who rented us the Aerophone Pro and I actually played it! I would like to share some of the specifications and my impressions.

Roland/Aerophone Pro

I compared it with the soprano saxophone! It’s about the same size. The weight is about the same, too.

Power Supply

Compatible with a power adapter or batteries (6 rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries). For practice, I recommend using an adapter. *The battery life lasts up to about 6 hours when used continuously (from the Roland official website).

Display that is Easy to Understand

The OLED display makes it a very easy-to-understand display despite its compact body. The tone can be selected with the ▲▼ buttons.

Knobs that are Easy to Operate

The tones are broadly categorized into the scene categories and operated with the upper knob (you can also save your own scene settings!). And I’m most happy about the lower knob!
You can easily transpose the key with this knob!

Mouthpiece

The dedicated mouthpiece looks like the one used for saxophone or clarinet. The integrated reed is screwed on instead of being fixed in place by a ligature like an acoustic reed instrument.

It looks like this. The fluid builds up inside, so it needs to be cleaned regularly.

This must be the sensor that detects the breath!
The mouthpiece is slippery where the teeth touch, so attach a mouthpiece patch to make it easier to hold.

Headphone Jack

The Aerophone Pro has a built-in speaker in its compact body, so you can get the sound out of it, but I recommend using headphones to enjoy the ZEN-Core and the SuperNATURAL acoustic sound sources. The sound is even more realistic on headphones.

Now I will play it!! The Aerophone Pro is an up-to-date musical instrument, so I’m going to practice it with a popular song. The well-known theme song is from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, “Homura” by LiSA.

Here is the sheet music!!

Homura/LiSA [Saxophone (Bb, Eb)] (with piano accompaniment and karaoke CD)
https://www.gakufu.co.jp/products/kan/SOL/SOL2047/
https://www.gakufu.co.jp/static_html/8com_cover/SOL2047sample.pdf

It becomes like this when the original key is changed for the saxophone...
There are so many sharps and it may be pretty difficult for beginners...

But don’t worry!! The Aerophone Pro has a transposition function!
I bought the simplest sheet music at a bookstore!!

【※llustration purposes only】

Many arrangements have been published in the form of sheet music without sharps or flats, so it should be fine for the saxophone beginners. It’s mostly played with the fingering of the recorder.

There is a key change before the chorus, but that’s okay as well!! The keys and tones of the 1) intro-before the chorus and 2) the chorus- can be saved in the dedicated app, Aerophone Pro Editor, and can be changed quickly during the song.

https://www.roland.com/jp/products/aerophone_pro_editor/

Wirelessly connect this app to the Aerophone Pro via Bluetooth®.
Of course, the tone can be controlled through your smartphone, and you can also play the music saved on your smartphone with the Aerophone, so you can play the Aerophone along with your favorite tracks!

As for the tone, I liked the tone called “Pop Alto Sax” the most.
With an acoustic saxophone, it requires considerable training and attention to the mouthpiece and reed settings to produce this trendy saxophone sound, but with the Aerophone Pro, you can do it with just one knob control!

I’m a little scared, but... please listen to what I played.

I’m a digital wind instrument beginner, but I was able to play a piece in just two days!!
Please try the ROLAND AE-30 Aerophone Pro!!

ROLAND / AE-30 Aerophone Pro

By the way…
I painted my nails with the KIMETSU pattern for the video shooting!