Here’s what happened when a self-described ‘one-man musical army’ put the AirTurn Duo bluetooth pedal through the paces.
The following product deep-dive comes from a company we’re really proud to be partnering with . AirTurn making gigging a thousand times easier and more enjoyable, not to mention more lucrative. If you’re a gigging musician, this might just simplify your life.
My name is Marlon Longid and I am a lead vocalist and guitarist for a few fine music groups in the Chicago area. I was recently asked to review the Duo, AirTurn’s latest Bluetooth page turning pedal. I wholeheartedly accepted the challenge as recent gig experiences have involved playing guitar, pedal stomping, singing, leading the band AND tapping on my iPad to advance my charts.
After putting the Duo through its paces over the course of 2 shows (a wedding and a corporate gig), I have a few great things to say about it!
It frees my hands up so that I can do other things like play the guitar or direct the band. Our band uses hand gestures to signal the next section to be played (e.g. my hand shaped in the letter “C” to signify repeating a chorus or “V” to go back to the verse) it doesn’t sound like much, but being able to go back to a particular section while singing/playing a song that I’m not very familiar with by using the Duo makes directing the band so much easier.
It’s compact! The thin design allows me to put it in the same front pocket of my guitar case that my iPad and guitar strap sits in.
Bluetooth wireless operation.
I have enough cables on stage with me! Its wireless operation gives me the flexibility to set it up next to my pedalboard or in front of my mic stand. I suppose that if floor space is limited I can have another band member or our sound engineer control the advancement of charts, but honestly, this is so compact it’s not an issue.
Easy to use!
Pairing it with my iPad is as simple as pairing any other Bluetooth device to it. After that it’s as easy as opening my chart organizer (I use OnSong) and stepping on the pedal to go forward or backward. Plug and play never felt so good! (OnSong also lets you assign the pedal to dozens of other functions from automatic transposition to starting and stopping backtracks.)
Other applications.
The design allows for slide advancement in many other applications. My day job sometimes requires live presentations. I’ve used the Airturn to control a PowerPoint presentation while both of my hands were being used to demonstrate a device.
Long battery life.
I arrived at the first gig and paired it with my device about an hour before the start of our first set. It stayed connected with my iPad throughout the evening (5 hours in all) without issue. I then took it to the 2nd gig the following weekend and it stayed connected for the entirety of the evening (about 4 hours).
The manual says the Duo will hold a charge for 100 hours, and now I’m starting to believe that it will! At this rate, I should be able to play about 18 more 5 hour gigs without another charge. That’s efficiency!
Durability
The Duo held up rather nicely after 2 grueling gigs and a couple of work presentations, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so. The affordable cost makes wireless page turning attainable for working musicians. Performers and presenters can now concentrate on doing what they do best while in front of a crowd!
Check out the AirTurn Duo here.
Marlon Longid is all alone, and he’s perfectly fine with it. Armed with a guitar and a looping pedal, Marlon is a one-man musical army whose skills embody true musical innovation. His mind-boggling creations of percussion, layered vocals and bass lines (all summoned from his voice and acoustic guitar) impress both musician and layman. He also fronts the Chicago Rock band, Soulfixand Chicago’s top event band, Bluewater Kings Band.