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MIDI Guitar Links

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 2:25 pm
by wvandyck
Here are some links I discovered from unicorn members and at large...
Hopefully others will add to this list.

AX100 mkll
The TerraTec Website with links to the manual PDF, demo movies, and a very informative collection of related forums:
http://audioen.terratec.net/modules.php ... icle&sid=1


Old Blue Chip version of the Axon
SOS 1998 review of the Blue Chip AX100. Includes still relavent information.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may98/a ... ax100.html

Information on the the Blue Chip AX-100 and older Axon models
http://www.musicindustries.com/axon/index.html

GI-20
http://www.roland.com/products/en/GI-20/index.html
http://www.kellyindustries.com/guitars/ ... i20gk.html

Godin and the GI-20
http://www.godinguitars.com/berklee/davidmash.htm

McLaughlin and Holdsworth discus guitar synthesizers. (Including GI-20)
http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?s ... urecode=49

The old GI-10
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_ar ... dg110.html

The Ghost System
http://www.graphtech.com/prodghost.htm

RMC
http://www.rmcpickup.com/

An interview with Richard McClish of...RMC
http://www.richardhallebeek.com/interviews/mcclish.php

Godin
http://www.godinguitars.com/godingman.htm

Brian Moore
http://www.iguitar.com/iGuitar/iGuitar.asp

StarrLabs
http://www.starrlabs.com/

Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:34 am
by dosuna11
Thanks for the info. I have been doing MIDI guitar since 1986. It is always nice to get more info.

Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 8:44 pm
by wvandyck
Good to hear that you found this list useful.
I had the idea of promoting more discussion of MIDI guitar at this forum.
I've been playing MIDI guitar since 1989.

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:14 pm
by mhschmieder
Here is a new one from Ron Hoag, just announced on Harmony-Central today:

http://www.opticalguitars.com/

http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/20 ... I-Max.html

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 11:14 am
by wvandyck
mhschmieder wrote:Here is a new one from Ron Hoag...
Looks interesting.
I wonder how well it tracks in comparison to a GK type pick-up, or an RMC???

Any users out there???

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:52 pm
by mhschmieder
http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/20 ... ceAxe.html

A strange one indeed, and possibly the most revolutionary "guitar"-like MIDI interface to date.

It's a bit pricey. Not sure if it behaves any differently than a long Kurzweil ribbon controller hooked up to a compatible keyboard.

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:53 am
by wylie
That ElectroKraft thing looks like something they would have done the sound for all those 60s scifi movies with.

I find using a guitar as a MIDI controller very interesting but I have never used one can someone do a comparison between.
AXON AX 100 MKII vs GI-20 and are the pickups compatible?

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:27 pm
by dbudde

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:15 pm
by wylie
That looks more like my style,I wonder what the damage is I can't find a price in these.
Something tells me because I had to ask there way over my head.

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:45 pm
by dbudde
wylie wrote:
That looks more like my style,I wonder what the damage is I can't find a price in these.
Something tells me because I had to ask there way over my head.
I priced one of these about a year ago. It was about 2K then. But since the dollar has since fallen quite a bit against the Euro, it's probably more like 2500ish.

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:02 am
by wylie
OK now I know why I don't have one,if I ever do get the time to experiment with one I might consider the Godin's. I can get a fairly reasonable price on those.
For now I think I'll just invest in a new set of strings.

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:10 am
by wvandyck
mhschmieder wrote:http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/20 ... ceAxe.html

A strange one indeed, and possibly the most revolutionary "guitar"-like MIDI interface to date.
A most interesting discovery!!!

This one takes the prize for the most ..."space age" design. And fretless!

I listened to the mp3 examples. It' a natural for sci-fi film soundtracks.
"Code Bender", at a theater near you now.

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:52 am
by wvandyck
wylie wrote:That ElectroKraft thing looks like something they would have done the sound for all those 60s scifi movies with.

I find using a guitar as a MIDI controller very interesting but I have never used one can someone do a comparison between.
AXON AX 100 MKII vs GI-20 and are the pickups compatible?
http://www.motunation.com/forum/view" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... hp?t=12170

The Axon is definitely faster and more accurate than the GI-10 (which I've heard performs that same as the GI-20, but lacks the USB connector, and the capacity to store presets).

The accuracy of the GK-2A pickup compared to the RMC pickups in the Godin was a real surprise. I could play the GK-2A equipped guitar without having to get into a Zen state of mind. It responded accurately in all positions.

The RMC pickups are more sensitive!!! I'm still in the process of refining my touch to achieve accuracy with the Godin LGX-SA. (It's back to the metronome playing sssllowly, which is ok because my only use of MIDI is for sequencing. It's like a bio-feedback learning process where the goal is: no false triggers!!! I have to mute strings mostly with my right hand because momentary release of the left can cause false triggers. What seems to work best is to sustain the left hand fingering, then right hand palm mute before switching the left hand position).

The Axon has 3 parameters (Input Note Off; Input Trigger Level; and Input Sensitivity (for each string) that will affect accuracy. You can save up to 8 presets to accommodate different playing styles.

The main advantage that I can see, is that the Roland GI-20 has the USB connection. It's the only game in town if you need to travel light with a laptop.

If you need an acoustic sound, it looks like the Frameworks or Godin Multiacs are the way to go (with either a Roland or Axon converter).

The Godin LGX-SA is a beautiful instrument. The xtsa is a little more than half the price but with a boat-load of functionality.

If one's budget is tight, buying a GK-2A pickup and the Axon will give you fast and accurate MIDI control.

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:05 am
by wylie
Thanx flashgerkin: that helps, one the reasons I've looked at these in the past is because my background is guitar and I spend allot of time transposing guitar to a keyboard controller and its very time consuming.Not to mention the other benefits but it would be a real time saver if I could use a guitar as a MIDI controller.
If you had a choice would you go with a Godin or pickup a cheap guitar and put a GK-2A on it?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:47 am
by dosuna11
I have used both Godin and Roland. Roland is the way to go. It still won't track as well as you can play but it isn't a guitar anymore.