NuRAD R2 (EWI/Sax etc. fingering instrument)

NuRAD was born in 2020 by Johan Berglund, a Swedish genius developer. Its high expressiveness and wide range of expandability have earned it a reputation as a wind controller that is loved by a wide range of artists, from amateur players to professional artists. After four years, NuRAD has evolved even further as R2, combining various requests from our customers and technical advances. The NuRAD is rooted in the rich history of wind controllers invented by Nyle Steiner.

At the heart of the instrument is a small microcomputer board equipped with the Teensy 4.0 ARM Cortex-M7 processor, and the extensive I/O functions and flash memory maximize the expressiveness of your performance.

It also comes equipped with two independent MP3V5004GPs made by NXP Semiconductors of the US for the breath sensor and vibrato sensor, which play a major role in detecting the breath you blow into it and the subtle changes in pressure when you bite the mouthpiece, and converting them into musical expression.

The NuRAD R2 is handmade in small batches. They are made available to interested parties on a first come, first serve basis. The NuRADs are built on demand for each person that orders them in the order of which they are offered on the waiting list.

New HiRes expressive control

The conventional vibrato lever, which is operated with the right thumb, has been changed to a vibrato pad. A new function has been adopted that allows you to assign any control when you touch the pad with your right thumb. This means that by moving your right thumb, in addition to bending up and down (vertically), you can now assign new functions to horizontal movements.

Improved octave roller and glide standard

In response to requests from many users, the octave roller is now a little thicker than the previous model. In addition, a knurled roller is now installed in the center position to make it easier to recognize the center position while playing. In addition, the glide plate, which was previously an option, 
is now standard equipment 
next to the octave roller .

Ergonomically improved keys

The round touch keys on the front have been changed from a flat design to a recessed type.

The natural slope makes it comfortable to the finger.

Improved Lip Sensor

The lip sensor (extra controller) has been improved to be made of stainless steel, making it more durable.

In addition, while the previous optional glide plate was assigned the same function as the lip sensor, the R2’s lip sensor and glide plate function independently, making it possible to assign signals individually.

Technical specifications

Power source: 3xAAA alkaline batteries (6–7 hrs battery time), NiMH rechargeables (9-10 hrs battery time) or USB, alt. optional LiPo battery ($35 extra) with charging through USB port (15 hrs battery time)
Brains: PJRC Teensy 4.0 microcontroller dev board (Cortex M4)
USB: Micro USB jack, class compliant USB MIDI
Type of sensing: Capacitive, using built in Teensy cap touch sense and 3x the MPR121 chip
Sensors: Touch keys and rollers, pitch bend pads (proportional), vibrato/portamento lever, breath sensor, bite sensor (for vibrato or portamento) and lip sensor (extra controller)
Breath sensor system: Closed (like the Akai EWI1000 and the original Steiner EVIs and EWIs), NXP MP3V5004GP piezoresistive transducer, 0 to 3.92 kPa
Body: Main body from 3D printed PLA plastic, top and bottom sheets in transparent laser cut/etched acrylic
DIN MIDI: one MIDI OUT jack
CV output: 0 to 3.3V breath CV through unused pin of DIN MIDI jack, or pitch+breath CV output for amplification by optional module or box.
Length: 46cm (18″)
Weight: 635g (1.4lbs)
Accessories included: Removable handle and neck strap.
Wireless MIDI (optional purchase feature): Panda midiBeam v2 Wireless

The NuRAD R2 comes standard with the pneuBite which is based on the bite sensor of the vintage Steiner product “The Master’s Touch”. Instead of measuring the capacitance of two metal strips being flexed by biting, the pneuBite is a closed air pressure system. It gives a more immediate feeling when biting or bending the mouthpiece. An improvement from the Master’s Touch system is the addition of a valve that serves for equalizing the pneuBite pressure to ambient pressure (needed when using bite for portamento). Fingering includes the following options: EWI (standard EWI), EWX (Extended EWI fingering), SAX (sax fingering, allowing low fingers to stay on keys), EVI (standard EVI), EVR (EVI fingering with reversed roller action). Chord play and midi rotator are features from the NuEVI that are present in the NuRAD too, as well as the nice OLED display and menu system with full manual control over all sensor adjustments and easy setup of CCs, MIDI channel, transposition, and much much more.

Here is a link to user guides and fingering charts

Other combinations can be provided on demand, with possible extra cost for material not in stock and extra waiting time for acquiring material. For example, a red/smoke NuRAD like pictured below would not be anything extra, as that’s standard materials used.

See here for first edition NuRAD specifications.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Pricing

EU pricing

€1595 VAT incl. (€1276 w. VAT excl.) – Base model with AAA battery power.
€1645 VAT incl. (€1316 w. VAT excl.) – Base model with built in LiPo rechargeable battery system
€1845 VAT incl. (€1476 w. VAT excl.) – Base model with build in LiPo + Wireless MIDI

Shipping: €30

Sales within the EU will also have VAT (25%) on top of that (unless valid EU VAT number is provided). Payment in advance will be required in order to get into the building queue. Payments are made through PayPal or IBAN bank transfer. Payment details will be in the order invitation email that goes out when I reach your place on the waiting list.

USD pricing

$1595 – Base model with AAA battery power
$1645 – Base model with built in LiPo rechargeable battery system
$1845 – Base model with built in LiPo rechargeable battery system + wireless MIDI

Shipping: (calculated at time of purchase)

Color Options

(displayed as first edition, NuRAD R2 offers same color options)