For the benefit of anyone who might be reading this without any prior context from other stuff that I’ve posted, “windsynth” is probably the broadest, most inclusive term for musical instruments that use breath control as an expressive input to an electronic sound source such as a synthesizer or sampler. Windsynths are sometimes also referred to by various other terms, some of which are brand- or model-specific, such as Lyricon, Synthophone, Electric Wind Instrument (EWI), Electric Valve Instrument (EVI), Aerophone, MIDI Wind Controller, and many more. Some of these closely resemble acoustic instruments like clarinet, saxophone, or trumpet; others have been compared to things like spaceships, toy trains, or parts from a vacuum cleaner. I’ve owned and played a few different versions of windsynths for many years. With so much expressive range, and an infinite variety of sounds to explore, there is nothing that compares.
This video tells some of the story of my new custom hand-carved walnut-body Signature Series NuRAD -- to me, this is the Stradivarius of windsynths. I’ve barely begun to explore all that it can do, and I’m loving it.