The world's smallest and lightest electronic saxophone has improved... a lot.
When I met Ramón Mañas, creator of the Travel Sax, several years ago, he showed me the prototype of the first version of the product. While I thought the idea was great because it was incredibly small and portable, the device had a lot of room for improvement. The keys looked a bit flimsy, the spring action was very weak, the layout of some keys was not very comfortable, and the response to articulation was very slow.
However, hard work and effort paid off and improvements soon followed. With the launch of the Travel Sax 2, we find these great new features:
- The arrangement of the keys have been redesigned and steel springs have been placed, obtaining the feeling of playing a real saxophone.
- The material of the keys and the case has been reinforced, achieving a much more compact product.
- The air sensor is much more sensitive, so the response to the articulations is now immediate.
- A speaker has been incorporated for those who prefer to play without headphones.
- The app is completely new. It now incorporates more than 70 sounds, including pianos, strings, synthesizers, flutes, fx, percussions, etc. It allows you to edit the fingerings to your liking, set up effects and other useful functions.
- In addition to the auxiliary mini jack input that allows you to connect an external audio source, such as a cell phone or an audio player, to play over backing tracks or your favorite songs, it is now possible to do it wirelessly via a second Bluetooth connection, independent of the Bluetooth connection that pairs the Travel Sax 2 with the app.
- The latency is 0, so we can use it as a MIDI controller to record in our home studio, or to play live, with professional sound banks that we have in our computer or any type of professional audio technology.
- As a MIDI controller, it is compatible with any DAW software, such as Protools, Garage Band, Logic, Ableton, Cubase, etc.
- With the purchase of the Travel Sax 2 you get a free 45-day trial of the Swam Saxophone Collection, an excellent music library.
- You can now choose the colors of the keys, customizing the instrument to your liking. This option is available at an additional cost.
What are the advantages of the Travel Sax 2?
You can play anytime, anywhere without disturbing anyone. If you play with headphones the experience is totally silent for your neighbors, your family or roommates. It is so small that you can carry it in your backpack and play on the plane, train, beach, mountain, park, wherever you want. It has an internal battery that is charged via USB cable and lasts for many hours.
Being an electronic saxophone you can opt for alto, tenor, soprano, or baritone saxophone sound, or any sound from their mentioned library. You can play without a mouthpiece, simply blowing through the tube, but if you want to practice embouchure, you can play with the included alto saxophone mouthpiece or with the one you use regularly. It also comes with 3 adapters so you can play with your tenor, soprano, or baritone mouthpiece.
It comes with a super compact and small case, and several accessories, such as USB cable, mouthpiece adapters, alto saxophone mouthpiece with ligature, reed and mouthpiece holder, and a cleaning cloth, plus all the features of the app, which is easily downloaded from Google Play or Apple Store.
Mechanism similar to a modern saxophone, with Front F key, low Bb to high F# register, and very high register section (overtones) with customizable fingering.
In short, an excellent tool to practice quietly, anytime and anywhere, thanks to its small size and weight, 22cm and 225 grams!
As a musical instrument, it is not intended to replace the real saxophone, as the analogue sound of the saxophone is irreplaceable. As a digital instrument, it is another option that competes with electronic saxophones from Akai, Roland, Yamaha or Emeo, the Travel Sax 2 being the smallest and lightest of them all. It is true that the music library of the app is one of the most basic, but having the possibility to use libraries from any developer in the world through MIDI technology, this makes it an instrument to play live in a professional way.
The guarantee is 3 years, from the manufacturer, and we have it very close to our shop in Barcelona, in Sant Cugat del Vallés..
Do you have any questions? Send us a WhatsApp or an email!
You can buy the Travel Sax 2 here:
