For saxophone players, maintaining practice while traveling can be a real challenge. Whether you’re touring with a band, jet-setting for work, or simply on vacation, finding a way to keep your chops up without disturbing others is essential. That’s where the Travel Sax 2 from Odisei Music comes in. As a content creator at travels.edu.vn and a seasoned saxophone enthusiast, I’ve been eager to explore if this compact instrument truly lives up to the hype as the smallest and lightest electronic wind instrument for practice on the move.
Like many musicians, I’m always looking for effective silent practice solutions. Our community at Sax School constantly asks about instruments that allow for discreet practice, especially during travel. If you’re in the same boat, seeking a way to practice silently or maintain your saxophone skills while traveling for gigs, work, or leisure, then you’ll want to read this review. We’ll delve into whether the Travel Sax 2 is the answer to your on-the-go practice needs.
In this comprehensive review, we will cover:
- Understanding what the Travel Sax 2 is and, importantly, what it is not.
- Evaluating its effectiveness as a practice tool for saxophone players and whether it’s suitable for you.
- Exploring the functionalities of the dedicated Travel Sax app.
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Exploring Alternative Practice Instruments
Before we dive into the specifics of the Travel Sax 2 and my personal experiences, it’s worth mentioning that I’ve experimented with various practice instruments over the years. Instruments like the Akai Ewi and the Roland Aerophone are interesting and versatile, particularly for performance. However, from a saxophone practice standpoint, they fall short because their button-based systems and different key layouts don’t directly translate to the feel and technique of a traditional saxophone.
While there are other digital practice instruments that mimic the saxophone key layout and even the feel, they often come with a significant drawback: size. Many are nearly as large as a real saxophone. When you’re already traveling with a tenor saxophone, a computer bag, and luggage, adding another bulky case is simply impractical. The compact size of the Travel Sax 2 is what initially caught my attention and sparked my interest in testing it out.
So, does the Travel Sax 2 bridge the gap and provide a truly effective and portable practice solution for saxophone players? Let’s explore its features and performance to find out.
Close-up of a person reviewing the Travel Sax 2, highlighting its portability and design.
What Exactly is the Travel Sax 2?
The Travel Sax 2 is the evolved second iteration of the Travel Sax concept. The original Travel Sax was innovative, utilizing 3D printing in its construction. However, it relied solely on a smartphone for sound generation, lacking internal tones.
Responding to user feedback and insights from professional musicians, Odisei Music released the Travel Sax 2 in 2022. This version marks a significant step forward, featuring an injection-molded body crafted from durable ABS plastic.
A key improvement in the Travel Sax 2 is the inclusion of authentic moving keys equipped with stainless steel springs. This design aims to replicate the tactile feedback of saxophone keys, providing a more realistic practice experience.
The Travel Sax 2 boasts an impressive 70 built-in sounds, offering a wide palette for practice and experimentation. Connectivity is well-covered with a USB Type-C output for MIDI functionality and battery charging.
For private practice, it includes an internal speaker as well as a mini-jack output for connecting headphones. You can also enhance your practice sessions by connecting a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth or mini-jack to play along with backing tracks.
A hand demonstrating the compact size of the Travel Sax 2, emphasizing its travel-friendly design.
Unboxing the Travel Sax 2: What’s in the Case?
The Travel Sax 2 arrives in a thoughtfully designed, compact case that ensures the instrument is securely protected during transport. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to get started, including an alto saxophone mouthpiece, complete with a ligature and cap, and a traditional cane reed. The Travel Sax 2 is also compatible with synthetic reeds, offering flexibility for player preference.
Recognizing the diverse mouthpieces saxophonists use, Odisei Music includes three mouthpiece adapters. These adapters ensure compatibility with most soprano, alto, tenor, and even baritone saxophone mouthpieces, allowing you to use your preferred setup. A USB cable is provided for both charging and MIDI output, and a small accessory pouch keeps the smaller components organized. A cleaning cloth is also included to maintain the instrument’s condition.
Optional Accessories to Enhance Your Travel Sax 2 Experience
For players looking to customize their Travel Sax 2 setup, Odisei Music offers several optional accessories. An extension and a curved neck piece are available, designed to ergonomically position the instrument slightly further away from the body for increased playing comfort.
Additionally, an alternative mouthpiece is offered, suggested by Odisei Music to potentially enhance MIDI output performance. While personal testing didn’t reveal a significant difference, individual experiences may vary.
Each of these accessories is reasonably priced at around $15, allowing you to tailor the Travel Sax 2 to your specific needs and preferences without a significant investment.
The Travel Sax 2 instrument being held, showcasing its key layout and compact form factor.
Examining the Instrument: Design and Feel
Let’s take a closer look at the Travel Sax 2 itself.
The first thing that strikes you is its incredibly light weight. At just 400 grams (under a pound), it’s remarkably portable.
As you can see, the fingering layout is identical to a saxophone, including the essential rollers on the pinky keys. This familiarity is crucial for saxophone players looking for a practice tool that accurately translates to their main instrument.
To achieve its incredibly compact size (just over eight inches long), the distance between the right and left hands has been compressed.
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Initially, having your hands closer together feels a little unusual. However, the adjustment period is surprisingly quick. The key action is noteworthy; thanks to the stainless steel springs, the keys offer a responsive bounce-back, closely mimicking the feel of a standard saxophone.
During fast passages, I did notice a slight need for more deliberate fingering in a few instances. However, this is far from a drawback. In fact, I believe that consciously focusing on cleaner fingerwork on the Travel Sax 2 could actually refine my technique on a traditional saxophone.
A selection of Travel Sax 2 key color options, highlighting the customization available.
Delving further into the keys, they are available in an impressive seven different colors, offering a degree of personalization. What’s more, they are designed for easy replacement. If you wish to change the color scheme or if a key happens to break, replacement sets or individual keys can be ordered. The Travel Sax 2 even comes with a small tool for easy key removal and installation, a valuable feature, especially if you are in a location where instrument repair services are not readily accessible.
The Travel Sax 2 App: Your Control Center
Unlike traditional instruments with onboard controls, the Travel Sax 2 operates with minimalist physical controls – just a power button. All other functions are managed through the Travel Sax app. Connecting to the app via Bluetooth is straightforward, achieved by pressing two side keys on the instrument.
Within the app, you have comprehensive control over your practice experience. You can select from the diverse sound library, adjust instrument settings, transpose the pitch, and even configure custom fingerings for altissimo. The app also includes a recording feature to capture your practice sessions and even record videos of your performances on the Travel Sax 2. For learning and reference, a fingering chart, a collection of tutorial videos, and helpful key shortcut tips are integrated into the app. An upcoming feature will also allow users to track and log their practice sessions, adding a valuable element for progress monitoring.
The Travel Sax 2 boasts a remarkably intuitive design. If you are already a saxophone player, there’s virtually no learning curve. The fingerings are instantly familiar, allowing you to start practicing immediately. For beginners who have never played saxophone, the Travel Sax 2 offers an excellent entry point. You can focus on mastering fingerings without the initial challenge of embouchure development. This allows you to build a solid foundation in saxophone technique, making the transition to a traditional saxophone smoother when you’re ready.
Assessing the Sound Quality
The Travel Sax 2 features an extensive library of 70 internal sounds, encompassing both sampled acoustic instruments and synthesized tones. To give you an idea of the sound quality, here’s a brief demo showcasing a selection of these sounds.
[Include audio demo here if possible, or refer to original article link for sound examples]
As you can hear, the sound quality is varied, with some sounds being more convincing than others. This is a common characteristic of most electronic wind instruments currently available.
It’s unlikely that the saxophone sounds will be mistaken for a genuine acoustic saxophone. However, it’s important to remember that the Travel Sax 2 is primarily designed as a practice tool. In this context, it excels. It effectively serves its purpose: enabling saxophone practice anytime, anywhere, without the volume constraints of a traditional instrument.
Integrating the Travel Sax 2 into My Practice Routine
To truly evaluate its practicality, I incorporated the Travel Sax 2 into my routine during a recent trip to South America. Its minimal size was a significant advantage, taking up very little room in my luggage. I was able to practice poolside, a scenario that would be impossible with an acoustic saxophone. This portability alone is a major selling point for me. For working on technical exercises, solidifying finger patterns, practicing scales and arpeggios, and improvising over chord changes, the Travel Sax 2 proved to be highly effective.
These are precisely the aspects of practice for which I sought out the Travel Sax 2, and it performs admirably in these areas. It is important to acknowledge that if you have the time and opportunity to practice on your acoustic saxophone, that should always be prioritized.
The Travel Sax 2, like other electronic wind instruments, does not engage your embouchure in the same way as an acoustic saxophone. You cannot effectively develop your embouchure, refine your tone, or improve your intonation using the Travel Sax 2 alone.
My approach is to dedicate specific practice time to tone and intonation exercises on my acoustic saxophone when possible, ensuring I’m developing these crucial aspects of saxophone playing. For other practice elements, I utilize the Travel Sax 2, allowing me to practice at any time without disturbing those around me.
Expanding Functionality with Software Integrations
Beyond its primary role as a practice instrument, the Travel Sax 2 offers versatility through software integration. It can be used to input musical notation directly into software like Sibelius or Finale. This is particularly useful if, like many saxophonists, you are more proficient on the saxophone than on a keyboard for music composition. For performance applications requiring a wider range of sounds, you can connect the Travel Sax 2 to your computer. This allows you to trigger sounds from GarageBand, Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton, or other DAWs, as well as utilize VST plugins like Respiro or SWAM, expanding your sonic possibilities.
With an affordable adapter, you can also access a vast library of software synthesizers available for iOS or Android devices, further increasing its sonic versatility.
While I haven’t personally used the Travel Sax 2 in live performance settings, I have seen videos of musicians doing so. In my opinion, it doesn’t quite match the expressive capabilities of some other EWIs, as it doesn’t respond to bite pressure, limiting real-time pitch bending and vibrato beyond pre-programmed effects.
However, for those interested in exploring these expressive elements, pedals or additional MIDI controllers could be incorporated to expand its performance capabilities.
Ultimately, the Travel Sax 2 is designed and excels as a portable saxophone practice instrument. Its authentic key action and layout, combined with its incredibly light weight and compact size, make the Travel Sax 2 an ideal tool for any saxophone player needing a practice solution that fits into a travel-centric lifestyle. It truly ticks all the essential boxes for on-the-go practice.
Get a Discount on Your Travel Sax 2
If you’re ready to experience the portability and practice convenience of the Travel Sax 2, you can click here to order yours today. Use the discount code MCGILLTS2 to receive €10 off your Travel Sax 2 purchase.
