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At 8:33 AM -0800 1/2/03, S V G wrote: >My understanding of the Godin/RMC system is that it outputs the >acoustic signal (pitch information) for each string on separate >channels. RMC also makes the Freakout Box, which provides individual audio outputs per string. This presents interesting possibilities for surround sound and for string-specific effects processing. >From there it is up to the pitch to MIDI converter to unravel all >this information...if you play a note within 50 cents (half a >semitone) >either side of middle C with a fretless guitar, the pitch to MIDI >device will output the note "C" plus the appropriate pitch bend >information (or not). Another note played within 50 cents either >side of C# will trigger a new note as "C#". The only time this >doesn't hold true is when you pluck a note and then slide your >finger up or down the string. The note has already been >activated and chosen and then the pitch bend information is sent to >modify that note up or down an octave or more. This system has both advantages and disadvantages. It assumes that pitch bends will always start within a semitone of the nominal pitch, but it's quite common for some players to bend down from a whole tone or a minor third above. The system I mention as being available on the Peavey Cyberbass (each string outputs a single MIDI note plus pitch bend within a two octave range) has some interesting possibilities for fretless and even fretted MIDI guitars. For instance, it allows playing with flexible intonation. Microtonal players (whose pitch discrimination can be uncanny) would be able to play guitar synth in Just or other intonations without the synth having microtonal features. Even though many synths have tuning capabilities, it requires switching presets in order to change from one to another. With a MIDI pitch bend based system the intonation would be left entirely to the player. There are certain technical issues related to pitch bend resolution. Unfortunately most MIDI equipment seems to be designed with 7-bit pitch bend and this permits only 128 discrete values. This means that bends are limited to 63 or 64 steps up OR down. With a semitone bend the individual steps are about 1.5 cents; a while tone is about 3.1 cents. Both are OK, but if you stretch 128 values over a two octave range you get pitch increments of nearly 19 cents! The technical solution to this is to use the full two-byte, 14-bit resolution allowed by MIDI, resulting in 16,384 steps and pitch resolution of about 0.15 cents. I don't think there are many sound modules that can match that. The Cyberbass Voice Module and the Oberheim Matrix synths can handle it. >C3 BTW - Middle C is "C4" no matter what Yamaha says. >This is a long winded way of saying that the Godin fretless synth >access guitar will probably work well with either the Roland GR >series or the Axon/Yamaha guitar synths. Not long-winded. Necessarily clear and detailed! >I can personally vouch for the Godin/RMC combination, the sound of >my nylon Multiac is extremely satisfying to my ears as a classical >guitarist. Any comments on the difference between Multiac and ACS-SA? -- ______________________________________________________________ Richard Zvonar, PhD (818) 788-2202 http://www.zvonar.com http://RZCybernetics.com