For saxophone players, consistent practice is key to maintaining and improving skills. But what happens when life takes you on the road? Whether you’re a touring musician, a business traveler, or simply a vacation enthusiast, keeping up with your saxophone practice can be a challenge. Enter the Travel Sax 2 from Odisei Music – a revolutionary electronic wind instrument designed to be the smallest and lightest option for practicing anywhere, anytime.
Hey there, it’s Fred from Sax School. Like many of you, I often find myself needing to practice while traveling, especially when touring with Average White Band. Our Sax School members are constantly seeking solutions for silent practice and convenient ways to play while on holidays. If you’re in search of a discreet practice method or need to maintain your saxophone chops while traveling for work, leisure, or touring, then the Travel Sax 2 might just be the answer you’ve been looking for. Let’s dive into this review to explore its features and capabilities.
In this comprehensive review, we’ll cover:
- Understanding the Travel Sax 2: what it is and, importantly, what it isn’t.
- Assessing its effectiveness for practice and whether it’s the right tool for your needs.
- Exploring the functionalities of the dedicated Travel Sax app.
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Exploring Practice Alternatives for Saxophonists
Before we delve into the specifics of the Travel Sax 2 and my personal experiences, it’s worth mentioning that I’ve experimented with various practice alternatives over the years. Instruments like the Akai Ewi and the Roland Aerophone are interesting and fun, particularly for performance. However, I found that practicing on these, with their button-based systems, doesn’t directly translate to playing a traditional saxophone. The key layout and overall feel are just too different.
There are also digital saxophones that aim to replicate the key layout and feel of a real saxophone. However, these instruments often come with a similar bulk to an actual saxophone. As someone who frequently travels with a tenor sax, a computer bag, and a suitcase, adding another full-sized saxophone case simply isn’t practical. This is why the compact design of the Travel Sax 2 immediately caught my attention. It promised a practice solution without adding significant bulk to my travel gear.
So, the crucial questions remain: What exactly is the Travel Sax 2? Does it effectively serve its purpose as a practice tool for traveling saxophonists? Keep reading to find out.
Close-up of Fred from Sax School reviewing the Travel Sax 2
Unveiling the Travel Sax 2: A Deep Dive
The Travel Sax 2 is the updated and improved successor to the original Travel Sax. The first version was innovative, utilizing 3D printing and relying on a smartphone for sound generation. However, based on user feedback and insights from professional players, Odisei Music launched the Travel Sax 2 in 2022, marking a significant leap forward.
This latest iteration is crafted from injection-molded ABS plastic, enhancing its durability and feel. Crucially, the Travel Sax 2 features authentic, moving keys equipped with stainless steel springs. This design element is intended to mimic the tactile feedback of a traditional saxophone, providing a more realistic practice experience.
The Travel Sax 2 boasts an impressive 70 internal sounds, offering a wide sonic palette for practice. It utilizes a USB Type-C output for MIDI connectivity and battery charging. It also includes a built-in speaker for standalone practice and a mini-jack output for silent practice with headphones. For added versatility, you can connect your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth or mini-jack to play along with backing tracks, making practice sessions more engaging and effective.
Travel Sax 2 with a hand demonstrating its compact size
What’s Included: Unboxing the Travel Sax 2
The Travel Sax 2 arrives in a thoughtfully designed, compact case that securely houses the instrument and its accessories. Inside, you’ll find an alto saxophone mouthpiece, complete with a ligature and cap, and a traditional cane reed. The device is also compatible with synthetic reeds, offering flexibility for player preference.
Odisei Music includes three mouthpiece adapters, expanding compatibility to most soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone mouthpieces. A USB cable is provided for charging and MIDI output, along with a small carrying pouch for accessories and a cleaning cloth to keep your Travel Sax 2 in top condition.
Optional Enhancements: Accessories for Customization
For players seeking further customization, a range of optional accessories is available. These include an extension and a curved neck attachment, designed to improve ergonomics by positioning the instrument slightly further away from the body.
Another optional accessory is an alternate mouthpiece, which Odisei Music suggests might offer improved MIDI output performance. While my personal experience didn’t confirm a significant difference, individual results may vary. Each of these accessories is reasonably priced at around $15, allowing players to tailor their Travel Sax 2 setup to their specific needs.
Travel Sax 2 instrument and accessories laid out for review by Sax School Online
Examining the Instrument: Lightweight and Responsive
Let’s take a closer look at the Travel Sax 2 itself. The first thing that strikes you is its incredibly lightweight design, weighing in at just 400 grams, or slightly under a pound. This is a game-changer for portability.
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 remarkably compact size – just over eight inches in length – the spacing between the right and left hands has been slightly compressed. While this closer hand position may feel a little unusual initially, you quickly adapt to it. The stainless steel springs provide a responsive and satisfying key action, closely mimicking the feel of a conventional saxophone.
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During fast passages, I have noticed that I need to be slightly more precise with my finger placement. However, this isn’t a major drawback. In fact, I believe that consciously focusing on cleaner finger technique on the Travel Sax 2 can actually enhance my overall saxophone technique.
Travel Sax 2 showcasing different interchangeable key color options
Speaking of keys, the Travel Sax 2 offers seven different color options for the keys, allowing for personalization. The keys are also designed for easy replacement. If you wish to change the color scheme or if a key happens to break, replacement sets are readily available. The instrument comes with a small tool that simplifies the process of popping out the old key and inserting a new one. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who may not have easy access to instrument repair services.
The Travel Sax App: Your Control Center
The Travel Sax 2 operates without onboard controls, except for a power button. All settings and functionalities are managed through the Travel Sax app. Connecting to the app via Bluetooth is straightforward – simply press the two side keys on the instrument.
Within the app, you can select from the 70 available sounds, adjust various settings, transpose the pitch, and even create custom fingerings for altissimo and other advanced techniques. A built-in recording feature allows you to capture videos of your practice sessions. The app also provides access to a helpful fingering chart, a series of tutorial videos, and useful key shortcut tips. An upcoming feature will even enable you to track and log your practice time.
The Travel Sax 2 boasts a minimal learning curve, especially for existing saxophone players. The familiar fingerings mean you can start practicing immediately. For beginners, it offers an excellent entry point to learn saxophone fingerings without the initial challenge of embouchure development. This allows new players to focus on mastering the fundamentals of saxophone technique before transitioning to a traditional instrument.
Sound Quality: Realistic Practice Tones
The Travel Sax 2 features 70 internal sounds, a diverse collection of sampled acoustic instruments and synthesizer sounds. Let’s take a quick listen to a demonstration of some of these sounds.
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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 high-end acoustic saxophone. However, that’s not the primary objective of the Travel Sax 2. It’s marketed and designed as a practice tool, enabling saxophone players to practice effectively in any location, at any time, without disturbing others. In this regard, it excels.
My Experience: Integrating the Travel Sax 2 into a Travel Routine
I put the Travel Sax 2 to the test during a recent vacation to South America. Its minimal size was a huge advantage, taking up very little space in my luggage. I was able to practice poolside, which is a significant benefit for someone who values consistent practice. For working through technical exercises, solidifying finger patterns, practicing scales, and improvising over chord changes, the Travel Sax 2 performed admirably.
These are precisely the practice scenarios I envisioned for the Travel Sax 2, and it fulfills these needs exceptionally well. It’s important to remember that if you have the opportunity to practice on your acoustic saxophone, that should always be prioritized.
Practicing on the Travel Sax 2, or any electronic wind instrument, won’t develop your embouchure or refine your tone in the same way as an acoustic saxophone. You can’t directly work on tone quality or intonation. My practice routine now involves dedicating specific time each day to tone and intonation exercises on my acoustic saxophone when possible. For other practice aspects, I utilize the Travel Sax 2, allowing me to practice at any time without disturbing those around me.
Expanding Horizons: Software and Performance Integrations
Beyond practice, the Travel Sax 2 can also be used to input music into notation software like Sibelius or Finale. This is a valuable feature if, like me, you find it easier to input musical ideas via saxophone than keyboard. For live performance possibilities and access to a wider sound library, you can connect the Travel Sax 2 to your laptop. This allows you to trigger sounds from GarageBand, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, or any other DAW, as well as VST plugins such as Respiro or SWAM.
With an affordable adapter, you can also tap into the vast array of software synthesizers available for iOS or Android, further expanding your sonic palette.
While I haven’t personally used the Travel Sax 2 in live performance settings, I have seen videos of musicians doing so. However, it’s worth noting that it may not possess the same level of expressive nuance as some other EWIs. It doesn’t respond to bite pressure, so pitch bends and vibrato are limited to what’s programmed into the sounds themselves. These effects can be achieved using pedals or external controllers for those who wish to explore deeper performance capabilities.
But again, the primary strength of the Travel Sax 2 lies in its core purpose: to facilitate saxophone practice anywhere. Its authentic key action and layout, combined with its incredibly lightweight and compact form factor, make the Travel Sax 2 an ideal practice companion for saxophonists on the move. It genuinely ticks all the boxes for portable practice.
Exclusive Discount: Get Your Travel Sax 2 Today
If you’re ready to experience the freedom of practicing saxophone anywhere with the Travel Sax 2, you can click here to order. Use the discount code MCGILLTS2 to receive €10 off your Travel Sax 2 purchase.
