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Re: OT: Guitar Synth



At 11:16 AM -0700 5/19/08, Kevin Cheli-Colando wrote:
>
>I'm completely new to this so I'll have to start from scratch with 
>the pickups and then the synth itself and so on.
>
>What I'd like ideally is a way to use the guitar as a trigger for a 
>wide variety of odd sounds and percussive elements.  I really love 
>the feel of the guitar and like to play it in non-traditional ways 
>(more like a stick with long strings instead of as a melodic 
>instrument) so I would need something that can track odd strikes and 
>picking strength and the like, something that can register a wide 
>dynamic range.

Okay, the way I see this, it breaks down into two branching sets of 
two choices each.  Ask yourself which you prefer.

1.) MIDI or V-Synth?

If V-Synth, get a GK/Piezo setup, then spring for a VG-99.  There's 
nothing else quite like it.  Also, budget in an extra $200-400 and 
get an original VG-8 on Ebay to run in parallel (there are still a 
few nice things on the first grand-daddy unit that have never made it 
onto its siblings.  Oh, and don't forget to download David Coffin's 
excellent patch banks for the VG-8; some wonderful stuff there).  Or 
start with the VG-8 and move up later.

This is the only solution that will let you track/translate all your 
current playing techniques.  Every bump, slap, palm-mute, etc.  Want 
to use an E-bow?  No problem.  Scrape your pick along a string? 
Comes right through.  You could think of it more as an EXTREMELY 
advanced effect processor, since what it's doing is restructuring the 
actual sound coming from the guitar.  No two VG's sound exactly the 
same, because no two guitars/guitarists sound exactly the same.  Only 
issue here is whether it'll actually reproduce the types of sound you 
want.  Dedicated MIDI synths give you other options, but also other 
problems.

If MIDI, then go to branch #2....

2.) Dedicated unit, or retrofit to your current axe?

If you're looking at a retrofit, then there have already been plenty 
of good suggestions as far as pickups and converters.  The only one 
I've not seen mentioned yet is the Yamaha G-50 Pitch-to-MIDI 
converter.  It's an underappreciated model, but it has the same 
electronics as the Axon converters (Yamaha did a 3rd-party outsource 
with Axon).  Therefore, from what I understand, it tracks excellently 
but still goes pretty cheap (~$175-200) on Ebay.  I got one myself a 
couple of months ago, but had to put it into storage immediately as I 
was only a couple of days away from a long-distance move.

Also, you might look into finding a Switch guitar ( 
http://www.switchguitars.com/ ).  Some of their models (the Innova 
range in particular) already have a GK pre-installed.  For only about 
twice the cost of a GK pickup, you can have a whole new axe with the 
GK.  And these are actually really, really nice guitars for the 
money.  After a professional setup (it took a while for mine to 
settle in) these sound and play as good as any guitar you can name 
for under 4 figures.  I got the Innova III MIDI, because I needed 
something fairly bulletproof for travel.  I've rarely been this 
impressed with such an inexpensive guitar... ever.

If you're willing to go for a dedicated controller, there are other 
options entirely.  The biggest downsides to this architecture are 
that you probably won't be able to use the vibration of the string 
itself as audio (indeed, you might even find the tink, tink, tink, 
noises your pick is making a bit distracting) and you'll need to 
switch instruments in the middle of a set/song if you want to use 
your own guitar.

The upsides are that you can just forget about concerns with latency 
entirely.  For most intents and purposes, you'll never notice *any* 
tracking delay.  Play a note, hear a note; no delay.  Rarely will 
there be any glitches or mis-tracked notes either (forget about all 
those "pitch-to-glitch" jokes made in reference to Roland's MIDI 
tracking).

For the current top-end dedicated MIDI controller, check out Harvey 
Starr's Ztar designs at http://www.starrlabs.com/ .  I've actually 
got a Ztar Z6SX myself, but haven't gotten a chance to completely 
come to terms with it yet.  I find the Starr controllers very much in 
the vein of a keyboard which has been refit into the form of a 
guitar.  It actually is missing a good deal of the "magic" (read: 
randomness and musicality) I love about guitar synths.  However, 
Harvey has programmed an amazing amount of MIDI functionality into 
his instruments.  I'm certain that I can force the instrument to 
recreate a good deal of this magic, if only I can get a couple of 
weeks to dedicate to turning it inside out.  I think I may also need 
one more hardware retrofit (key aftertouch on the fretboard) to get 
it to do what I need.

At the other end of the price spectrum, you might look for a Casio 
DG-20.  This thing looks and feels like a toy.  It's strung with 
cheap nylon strings -- which give it this weird slinky feel -- and it 
actually looks like something you might find played on Star Trek TNG. 
The tracking is very good, however, and the internal sounds are not 
so horrible.  It does MIDI wonderfully, with the exception of 
velocity (which is a big downer) so every note is played full on. 
Check out some of the videos on YouTube using this thing.  I've seen 
at least one comedy duo that does an act with one, which gives you 
some idea of their use.  I think you may be able to get a deal on 
Ebay too (just watch out for the lesser DG-10, which doesn't have 
MIDI, IIRC).  I've had mine for over a decade, and I don't think I 
sprang more than $100 for it.

Also, I've heard some extremely good things about the Yamaha EZ-EG 
and EZ-AG Learning Guitars.  Seems they do a great job as a cheap 
MIDI controller.  And a couple of the guys over at the KVR-VST forums 
put together some laptop widgets that turn them into quite powerful 
instruments.  For full details, take a look at 
http://www.tencrazy.com/gadgets/ezeg/ and the really (really!) long 
discussion thread at KVR, 
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41787

Finally, my personal favorite is the Yamaha G-10/G-10C (the G-10 is 
the guitar unit, and the G-10C is the required "brain" unit to make 
it do anything; the G-10 is useless on its own).  This has been 
referred to on countless occasions as a "poor man's SynthAxe".  It 
uses ultrasonics and the tracking is phenomenal.  MIDI-wise, it's not 
quite as full-featured as a Ztar, but that's not for lack of trying 
-- velocity, pitch bend on the fretboard, mod wheel, footpedal, 
breath control, assignable tremolo arm, etc..  It's a very deep 
controller, and it "does something" to the different synths I use 
with it.  They sound different than when using a keyboard controller; 
like, different instrument entirely.  In fact, that's the thing I 
love about it: it makes synthesizers sound/feel like instruments.  It 
takes a bit of tweaking to make it gel with a particular synth unit. 
I've had very good luck with a Prophet VS, an Oberheim Matrix 1000, 
and an E-Mu Morpheus.  The latter unit is what I've had dedicated to 
my G-10 for the past couple years.  When a combination comes 
together, however, it becomes a single instrument all unto its own.

Only problems I've encountered with the G-10/G-10C are that you need 
to learn to ignore the sound an feel of the strings directly under 
your fingers.  All six strings are "G" strings of the same gauge and 
tuning.  After a while, you get used to merely listening to your 
synth though.  Also, these are starting to get on in years (I bought 
mine new back in the late 80's) so you'll need to learn how to set it 
up yourself.  That's a bit of a pain, and one reason why I grabbed a 
spare G-10 unit.  Also, you never can be too sure about technology 
almost a quarter-century old.

G-10/G-10C prices seem to be going up over the past couple years 
(perhaps because of scarcity?) so expect to pay $500-800 for a 
complete setup in good condition (make sure you get the cord too). 
Seems a little pricey, but its only real competitors using similar 
technology are the SynthAxe, Beetle Quantar, or Stepp Guitar (also 
the Peavey CyberBass if you play bass).  And just try affording one 
of those, if you can even find one...  ;)

        --m.
-- 
_____
"bye-bye empire; empire, bye-bye"