Alternative MIDI controllers

[Ian Popperwell <popperwell@iname.com>]

Hi,

I'm not a guitarist, but this post interested me because I do think a lot
about
what we expect of 'alternative MIDI controllers' and how we play them. I 
agree
that the conversion needs to be fast, track/play well and be
reliable/predictable.I play a MIDI wind controller and really came very
quickly
to consider it a entirely different instrument from my saxophone - an
instrument (or I guess more accurately, part of an instrument together with
the
sound source) in its own right - its different from a guitar synth (I know)
coz
it is physically different from a sax (not a converter. Most of the sounds
that
I play with it, sound terrible if played like a saxophone - for me, its 
about
'playing the patches', developing new ways of playing as suggested by each
different sound - herein lies the excitement and creativity for me. I 
think of
a pianist, who might first try playing all their synth sounds like a piano 
-
this is certainly what I did when I first got my wind synth (I did what I
knew). I guess I'm questioning whether using all of our well-honed 
instrument
techniques to 'play' the infinite palette of synth sounds through MIDI
converters/controllers, will do justice to those sounds, or if its more 
that
these sounds might require a new set of playing techniques. Whether guitar
techniques work for the guitar but might not for an un-guitar-like patch? -
this is certainly my experience and philosophy with my wind synth. It does
mean
that loops can become very stylistically varied and expressive, changing
sounds
with the associated playing techniques for them. What do others think? 
There
must be a whole lot of experience of using guitar/wind/drum/violin/etc... 
to
MIDI converters or purpose designed interfaces for non-keyboard access to
synth
sounds.

Ian.


At 21:48 14/02/03 , you wrote: 

>
> I'm totally skeptical about all the midi pickups and midi conversion
systems.
> I wonder if there is anything out there with no 
>tracking/latency/interface
> problems at all? I mean I want to play a guitar synthesizer, which means 
>it
> really is a guitar, and it also really is a synth. I want to be able to 
>use
> all the methods of producing sound that I currently use with just my 
>guitar
> (bending, vibrato, tone control from the pick/fingers, legato, palm 
>muting,
> pick scrapes, muted strumming, harmonics, picking behind the nut, altered
> tunings etc). I want every nuance of my playing to come through as much
as it
> would with a good overdrive pedal. As a lower priority, if it were 
>possible
> to also use digitally controlled analog design methods, and use things 
>like
> midi in/out, a sequencer, an arpeggiator, and split sound 
>strings/fretboard
> areas, that would be my other request. But, the fact is, I doubt all 
>this is
> possible in one unit. Maybe my b! es! t bet is to go for a GR-300, or 
>build
> my own, and use it with just looping, in lieu of a sequencer? I honestly
> haven't done enough research to know.