I recently ran across the Yamaha's Venova, which seems to be another competitor for the "pocket saxophone" market. That makes it different from instruments such as the Xaphoon is that it's got a "branch" in the pipe, which causes it to behave more like a conical bore instrument (such as a saxophone) than a cylindrical bore instrument (such as a clarinet or Xaphoon).
The branch means that the instrument is actually open at both ends. Like a saxophone - it overblows at the octave instead of at the 12th.
This branched pipe is - as best I can tell - something truly innovative. The design apparently first came out of a method for synthesizing conical bores, and later was applied to physical instruments.
The Venova uses a soprano saxophone mouthpiece as a resonator, and is about the same size as a tenor recorder. To make it fit in the hand better, the tube has multiple small bends instead of being straight, and there are keys for low C, C#, D and D# to make it easier to play.
The fingering is essentially the same as a C recorder.
Unfortunately, the advertising campaign seems to be aimed at young hipsters:
Yamaha's slogan is Venova - Casual Wind Instrument. Making music is fun!
Also unfortunate is the sound of the instrument - in most videos it is rather disappointing. I think the jSax sounds much better "out of the box" than the Venova.
This isn't to say that the Venova can't be played well - here's an example where it sounds quite good, if you ignore some of the rather squirrely notes:
It's pretty clear that this instrument isn't a saxophone, and it's certainly not a recorder. Rather, it needs to be approached on its own terms.
The first person I'd heard who actually sounded good on the instrument was Linsey Pollak:
On YouTube, Linsey's claim to fame is the ability to construct instruments out of household materials. For example, he's got a video where he created a clarinet out of a carrot.
After playing with the Venova, Linsey created a Dr. Seuss-ish instrument which he's dubbed the Cylisax on account of it having a cylindrical bore and a sax-like sound. Linsey can make anything sound good:
Clearly, the Venova could be a good instrument. But like a soprano saxophone, it seems to require more than just a "casual" player to sound decent.
I wonder if Yamaha has further plans for this past the "casual instrument" stage.
I like the idea of shortening the basic woodwind tube by those short curves. But I don't understand the function of the extra short tube on top.
Funny he would use a Kenny G tune to demo.
He never hit a D (for the horn) squarely; they were all over the place (squirrely, as you said).
The small soprano sax mouthpiece does require more control than a tenor sax mouthpiece as used on the competitor. People ask me what it's like when I play soprano, and I tell them it's like herding cats.
As to the tone, I think I much prefer a wooden tenor recorder to this. Perhaps they are aiming for the fourth-grade flutaphone market, in which case I think it would be great.
Perhaps if they made one out of some denser metal (if possible with those bends) then the sound could have some character.
Thanks for sharing.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
But I don't understand the function of the extra short tube on top.
The tube on the Venova has a cylindrical bore. That means that it should behave like a clarinet, which also has a cylindrical bore.
However, the additional pipe gives the instrument two open ends, with the reed in between. As a result, the instrument behaves similar to a conical bore instrument.
One result of this a timbre which sounds more like a saxophone than a clarinet. You can hear this in Linsey's Cylisax.
Also, instruments with a cylindrical bore and are closed at one end aren't able to support the second harmonic. The reason for this is too complicated for me to grasp.
Since the Venova is open at both ends, another result of the second tube is that it overblows (much more conveniently) at the octave.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!
Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.