model. Touching a plate next to the rollers sends portamento by default (this portamento strip is not on the EWI USB). EWI USB and EWI 5000 also have pitch bend up and down plates all operated by the right thumb. The latest EWI known as Solo only has pitch bend down plate so the player has to scoop up from the bottom pitch down plate before blowing a note for an upwards pitch bend which will be of a more limited range compared to all the other twin bend plate EWI models; this sacrifice apparently made as the thumb hold at the same position also supports the greater weight of the instrument. The Solo however has seen the addition of a dedicated F# key to the EWI key sensors. A key not seen before on previous EWI models, which should be welcome for players using the saxophone fingering mode instead of traditional EWI. Notable players Michael Brecker Takeshi Itoh Masato Honda Bob Mintzer Steve Tavaglione Darren Barrett John Daversa John Swana Seamus Blake Chase Baird Dev Hynes Tony O'Connor (composer) Jeff Kashiwa Everette Harp Richard Elliot Candy Dulfer Dave Koz Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Laura Intravia Jørgen Munkeby Courtney Pine Marshall Allen Wenzl McGowen John L. Walters References External links Wind Synthesizers; John L. Walters compares and contrasts the Yamaha WX7 wind controller and the Akai EWI wind synthesizer, first published in Sound on Sound magazine, December 1987. A review of the Akai EWI4000s by Jonathan Block Live looping using the Akai EWI4000s by Jonathan Block (posted by the copyright holder) Akai synthesizers Electronic wind instruments