When Akai designed the EWV2000 in 1986, they created something genuinely unusual: an analog sound module built specifically to respond to the nuance of wind controllers, turning breath pressure into real-time synthesis control in ways most keyboards simply couldn't match.
This is a dual-voice analog synthesizer built around two CEM3394 synth ICs, the same chips found in Akai's own AX/VX series and other respected analog gear. Each voice runs through its own voltage-controlled oscillator with selectable waveforms (sawtooth, triangle, square, and combinations), voltage-controlled filter with resonance and cutoff frequency control, and envelope generators for both the filter and amplifier. The magic happens when you assign breath pressure to modulate any of these parameters independently across the two voices, or use the global vibrato function to modulate both simultaneously. You get two envelope generators and an LFO for shaping dynamics, plus a filter bank circuit designed to approximate the tonal characteristics of reed instruments. There's also an external audio input that lets you run outside sounds through the same breath-controlled modulation and filter processing, which adds serious expression to samples or other gear that wouldn't normally respond to wind control.
The front panel features a backlit LCD display, data entry slider, increment buttons, and four performance knobs on the left side for real-time tweaking. You can store 256 presets in internal memory, and the module includes a transpose function that shifts pitch from C up to Eb or down to Eb across a three-semitone range. Connections include standard audio outputs, headphone out, and the control inputs for wind controllers. The unit weighs 3.7 kg and measures 420 x 195 x 103 mm, making it a compact desktop or rackmount addition to any setup.
Players who've spent time with the EWV2000 consistently praise its ability to produce both emotive, expressive wind-like tones and surprisingly fierce, squelchy acid-style sounds that rival classic analog boxes.
