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Looper's Delight
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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"