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Questions about MIDI Guitars & Pickups? Sweetwater's Sales Engineers are regarded as the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the music industry, with extensive music backgrounds and intense training on the latest products and technologies. They are available to offer you personalized product advice any time you need it. Jan 19, 2015  How do you make your guitar into an MIDI Instrument? (self.WeAreTheMusicMakers) submitted 4 years ago by ReyJae. I feel the best way to express myself by music is by the instrument I'm most in tune with. So turning my guitar into a MIDI instrument or just buying a MIDI guitar, what should I do and or I should I go by doing it? Apr 16, 2013  The translator box will have MIDI connectors and a quarter inch jack to go to the rest of the guitar setup (pedals, or directly to the amp.) Some are rack mounted, some are half-rack, some are floor units. Many (if not most) have samples and patches built in, but the MIDI out can be sent to and control any other device with a MIDI input. Oct 11, 2013 Dan-D shows us how to create / edit Midi Patterns in RealGuitar. Real Guitar is the 1st VSTi I ever bought, and it remains my go-to acoustic guitar as well. I've been on v3. I hadn't really ever looked at v4, but when I got the Musiclab letter this morning, I upgraded for $39, even though I'm not clear about whether purchasing only the heavily discounted upgrade rather than a new instrument qualifies me for the v5 free deal.

Our updated list of guitar pedals with MIDI ports, covering multi-effects, modulation, ambient, distortion & pitch shifting pedals. Nov 19, 2015  This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

The concept of using the ‘guitar’ as a means to trigger synthesized sounds has been around for a long time. When I say the ‘guitar’ what I really mean is the fretboard.

The whole point of MIDI controller systems being built into guitars or being based around the guitar's geography is it enables the guitarist to navigate both technically and conceptually an interface that is familiar to them.

I’m a good example of a guitarist who is really into synths but finds triggering these sounds from the piano interface very frustrating as technically I’m just not good enough on the piano. As soon as I got a MIDI system put into one of my guitars it was like a revelation. I could now play all these great sounds from an instrument I understood and had the technical ability to play.

The conventional approach to guitar synthesizers has been to fit a guitar with a Hex pickup and convert the pitch information for each string into MIDI. This technique goes way back to the early 80s with the Roland G-303/G-808 synth guitars (These didn’t use MIDI but controlled a dedicated analog synth that came with the guitar).

Roland G 303

This has become a very popular way to get MIDI from a guitar but has always suffered from the fact that it takes time to convert the pitch to MIDI (you also need a converter) which on badly calibrated systems can feel like playing through mud. There’s also the issue of glitches generated by badly setup instruments (fret buzz) and overzealous techniques like vibrato. It requires a bit of getting used to!

There are a couple of Hex pickup systems around with the Roland GK-3 system being the most popular as it can be easily fitted to practically any guitar without damaging the instrument. Rolands VG guitar modeling technology (COSM) is a popular companion to this pickup.

Roland GK-3.

Another good system is the Graphtech Ghost MIDI setup. This uses Piezo saddles (available for all popular bridges) connected to internally housed circuitry (requires some routing) to convert the pitch. I had this built into a Parker P-38 and it works great.

Graphtech Ghost MIDI setup

Gibson's Robot Guitar uses this type of system and many other manufacturers like Godin, Parker and Brian Moore all make guitars using this Piezo MIDI setup. There are also less conventional instruments like the Chapman Stick that are well-suited to MIDI. I’ve even seen a MIDI Pedal Steel!!

80s New Wave MIDI Controllers

There is another angle to all this that I find a lot more interesting, and that’s the idea of a dedicated MIDI guitar controller! Not a real guitar per se but something shaped and mapped out like a guitar solely for triggering MIDI events. No pitch detection, no conversion, no latency.

Now again this isn’t a new idea and the concept has a history that dates back to the 60s when Vox released the V251 Organ Guitar. This never really caught on basically because it didn’t really work very well! The concept, however, was a good one.

V251 Organ Guitar.

Instead of converting pitch, the guitar's frets acted as contact points to complete an electrical circuit which generated a specific note (using the built-in organ tone generators). Each fret was actually separated into six unique frets (contacts), one for each string. This was a very similar voltage-based concept used when pressing a key on an analog synth or well, an organ!

Although the Vox Organ Guitar died a commercial death, the concept of using frets as contact points resurfaced in the mid 80s with the invention of two MIDI controllers based on the ‘guitar’ concept. The first (in no particular order) was Stephen Randall’s Stepp guitar (this had built-in sounds but was later made into a controller-only version), the second was the SynthAxe.

Stephen Randall’s Stepp guitar.

Both controllers worked on the premise of the fret/contact points but with a difference: in both cases the strings that covered the fretboard were separate from the strings that triggered the notes. This is pretty obvious when you look at the SynthAxe which literally looked like an axe!

SynthAxe.

Again both of these innovative designs sadly never really caught on due to the fact that at that time the technology was so expensive. In 1985 a SynthAxe would have set you back $13,000. That’s $27,200 in today's money!! This is a shame as the SynthAxe was reported to have been the best ever MIDI controller for guitarists, when it worked!

It wasn’t all bad for MIDI guitar in the 80s though. You could have picked up one of these bad boys: the space age Casio DG-20. Cheap, and unlike its predecessor the DG-10, it had MIDI out, too! How to bring a wave fie to garageband mac.

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Casio DG-20.

Press The Button

Instead of using strings some manufacturers have taken a different approach to guitar like controllers. Essentially replacing each fret with a button! Starr Labs are the most prominent company that have done this with their Ztar range of controllers.

The Ztar.

The Ztar Z5 below is fitted with MIDI touch strips for strings. Nice!

The Ztar Z5.

Another product making an appearance soon is the Kitara. Again the fretboard is a series of buttons but this time you trigger the notes and modulation from a Kaoss type touch pad which looks rather interesting.

The Kitara.

Both these manufacturers' instruments aren’t cheap and start at around the $1,000 mark and go upwards from there! About ten years ago Yamaha had a stab at this with the EZ range of teaching instruments. Below is the EZ-EG that was cheap and had MIDI out.

The EZ-EG.

So can this tech be done cheap now? Well read on!

A (Cheap) Unlikely Saviour

Well it looks like cheap dedicated MIDI guitar controllers are having somewhat of a resurgence, all thanks to a rather unlikely candidate! The nemesis of guitarists, the Guitar Hero game!

There are a number of companies making Rock Band controllers that also function as MIDI controllers. This may have something to do with the fact that Rock Band 3 features two levels Hard and Expert that require you to play the right chord shapes when playing the game. The Wireless Fender Mustang Pro Guitar For PS3 is the latest to maybe show people that playing guitar has nothing to do with pressing five brightly colored buttons! Yes, it does MIDI!

The Wireless Fender Mustang Pro Guitar For PS3.

Just like Starr Labs Ztar range each fret has a button that outputs a MIDI note. Now I’m not saying this is a pro bit of kit but it looks like it could be fun!

Another one is the YouRockGuitar. Again a Rock Band controller doubling as a MIDI controller this time with inbuilt sounds (really bad ones!). I’ve heard some positive feedback for this one and although it has some limitations (only one note per string), it’s again a step in the right direction.

Realguitar 4 Controlled By Midi Guitar Lesson

The YouRockGuitar.

When you consider each of these comes in at under $200 (Mustang Pro is $88 on Amazon!) that might be worth the risk of actually trying one out!

The last one comes from the one and only Starr Labs and is named the Rock Controller. This looks like the most likely candidate for something that might really work. Again it’s a game controller with MIDI functionality.

The Rock Controller.

Seeing as it’s made by a company that has years of experience with MIDI controllers I’m very tempted to get one.. if it ever comes out!! The word on the street is that Starr Labs need an investor to manufacture this on a large scale (being a small company) to make it financially viable and keep the price sensible. Fingers crossed, eh!

So who knows how this will progress? Anyway, I’m off to play some sampled burp noises on my MIDI guitar!!

Check out Toby Pitman's Logic Guitar Recording Toolbox for everything you need know about creating awesome guitar sounds in Logic Pro.

Become a MIDI ninja by watching MIDI 101: MIDI Demystified by Peter Schwartz.

A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical instrument systems that allow a guitarist to access synthesizer capabilities.

Overview[edit]

Today's guitar synths are direct descendants of 1970s devices from manufacturers (often in partnership) such as Hammond Innovex and Ovation, EMS, Roland Corporation and FujiGen (GR-500^[6] and GR-300), Ludwig, Norlin Music and Maestro, 360 Systems, Ampeg and Hagström, Arp, Electro-Harmonix, Casio,^[6]New England Digital, Terratec/Axon, Starr Labs, Ibanez, Holt Electro Acoustic Research, Zeta Systems, and Yamaha.

In the early days, there were three main types of guitar-synthesizers:^{[citation needed]}

• Multi-effectstype
• Frequency-to-Voltage converter type (using guitar with pickups)
• Guitorgantype (using guitar with fretboard switches)

Later, the multi-effects type evolved into modeling guitar, and the other two types evolved into current devices.

Presently, there are two main groups:^{[citation needed]}

• Guitar-synth using guitars: regular guitars equipped with special electronic sensors that actuate a synthesizer
• Guitar-synth using non-guitar controllers: guitar-like MIDI controllers.

Both types have advantages and disadvantages.

Software solutions[edit]

Though the term 'MIDI guitar' is sometimes used as a synonym, MIDI is not the indispensable feature of guitar synthesizers, especially after advances in DSP technology. Software-based guitar synthesizers without any special pickups have appeared, featuring polyphonic audio recognition (recognizing polyphonic pitches of each string, and possibly distinguish combination of fret positions and strings).^[7][8]

Guitar-based models[edit]

Typical instruments in this category consist of:

• an electric or acoustic or bassguitar;
• a hexaphonic pickup (also called a 'divided pickup') that provides a separate analog output for each vibrating string;
• a converter that translates each of these analog signals to corresponding digital representations, extracting the fundamental frequency or pitch of each, and passing this data along (CV/Gate in early days, and later MIDI-formatted).

This digital output can be stored or input directly to a synthesizer that generates corresponding notes made audible through an amplifier and speaker.

These components may be integrated into the instrument body or modularized in different ways. The hexaphonic pickup may be a separate component added to the guitar, or it may be built-in. Earlier guitar-synths required the musician to use a proprietary guitar with an integrated hexaphonic pickup.

Roland GK interface[edit]

Realguitar 4 Controlled By Midi Guitar Tutorial

Roland developed its GK series of hexaphonic drivers, consisting of a divided pickup and associated electronics (essentially a buffer preamp for each string signal). These were used in two ways, either with pickup and buffer module mountable to the guitar, or as a 'GK-KIT' intended to be fitted into a guitar body by a luthier or manufacturer.

The initial GK-1 had 24 output pins, with a resultantly bulky interface cable. The design evolved into a smaller 13-pin format, used in the GK-2, GK-2A, and GK-3 pickups, as well as the GK-3B bass pickup.

Guitar manufacturers that offered models with the installed 'Roland-ready' pickup kit include Switch Music, Washburn, Fender, Squier, and Ibanez (RG420GK). Fender released their Fender VG Stratocaster, a Standard Series instrument with inbuilt GK-2A hexaphonic pickup kit. Fender had previously offered a short-lived American Series version in the mid-1990s.

Godin and a few other guitar manufacturers have offered guitar models with an integrated 'RMC hexaphonic pickup and preamp system' that is compatible with Roland devices. The RMC system uses piezo-crystal pickups built into the saddles of the guitar bridge, which conduct the vibrations of the strings as a signal that can be converted into a (13-pin) hexaphonic synth signal. This setup can be found in the xtSA and the LGX models.^[9]

The GK drivers or compatible controllers are connected to a dedicated synthesizer module like Roland GR-1 or Roland GR-55 via a cable with 13-pin connectors. The module sits on the floor and has the appearance of a large effects unit, with footswitches for the selection of sounds and memory banks.

MIDI guitars[edit]

Usually, a cable connects the hexaphonic pickup to the converter. This allows the guitarist to be unencumbered by an on-board converter. However, several Casio models in the PG and MG product lines integrated the guitar, the hex pickup, and the converter as a single unit. Casio remains the only manufacturer to try this approach. The advantage of this arrangement is that a MIDI cable can be plugged directly into the guitar. Disadvantages include weight and the need for an external power supply.

In addition to these configurations, the converter may also be combined with a synthesizer. The earliest models^{[citation needed]} were combination converter/synthesizers, and this type is still produced.^{[citation needed]} As the early integrated models predated the MIDI standard, their components were not interchangeable; the guitarist's only option was to use whatever synthesizer came with the converter, and vice versa. By the 2000s (decade), however, all converter/synthesizers were MIDI-compatible, so any synthesizer with MIDI-input capability (the vast majority since the 1990s) can be used. Stand-alone converter units also drive synthesizers via MIDI.

Pros and cons[edit]

Among the advantages of synth guitars are that the musician can play either the guitar or the synthesizer alone, or blend the timbres of the both together in any ratio. Many models can be used with almost any guitar, with the addition of a hexaphonic pickup. In the early systems, there was a detectable latency, especially at lower pitches, between playing a note on the guitar and the note's sounding on the synthesizer, but this was remedied in 2000s-era instruments.While this type is also somewhat prone to note-tracking glitches, the problem can be overcome by adjusting the sensitivity controls of the pickup or converter — and by playing more precisely. Another possible disadvantage is that not all of the variable performance parameters available on a synthesizer can be actuated from a guitar; a synth guitar lacks assignable controls to open a filter in real-time, for example. Nevertheless, contemporary synth-guitar designs often include an expression pedal for such purposes.

Translation of guitar techniques[edit]

Some systems consist of two separated parts, the guitar controller and the interface and sound module, where the former control the latter (as in Roland instruments). One of the challenges of guitar synths is that not all performance techniques can be smoothly translated into MIDI and resulting sound. Harmonics, palm mutes, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and pick slides are not easily picked up by guitar synths, largely due to imperfect fretting technique; with the exception of harmonics and palm mutes, these techniques can be achieved with a concentrated effort to maintain good fretting. Similarly, the synthesizer portion of a system often lack the variety of controls (sliders, faders, knobs) for synthesis parameters that are normally available on a standard keyboard synthesizer.

Nevertheless, controlling a synthesizer with a guitar has some advantages over a keyboard. More expansive chords are possible, and some intervals are easier to reach. As well, guitar synths provide access to sounds normally available only to keyboard players and percussionists. A guitar player could play a flute part using a sampled flute patch, or play percussion by triggering synth drum voices. By blending the regular electric guitar tone with synthesized sounds, a guitarist can create a hybrid timbre. The guitar synth also enables a guitarist with limited or no keyboard-playing skills to provide MIDI input into digital notation programs such as Sibelius and Finale.

Guitar-like MIDI controllers[edit]

Some manufacturers of guitar-synthesizers wanted to eliminate the tracking and latency problems associated with guitar-based systems, while retaining the expressiveness of the guitar. They achieved this, to some degree, by redesigning the instrument part of the human-machine interface so that it was better suited to driving a synthesizer.

Earlier models[edit]

The 1980s-era SynthAxe was a futuristic controller consisting of a fretboard attached to the body at an obtuse angle.^[10] The fretboard strings were used to indicate pitch and sensed string bends. A separate, shorter set of strings were used for picking and strumming. These triggered the notes fretted on the fretboard's strings. It also featured trigger keys that could be used instead of the trigger strings. A whammy bar was assignable to any MIDI parameter. The SynthAxe was prohibitively expensive and therefore not widely used. Two of the most famous SynthAxe users are guitaristAllan Holdsworth and percussionist Roy 'Futureman' Wooten of the jazz quartet Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Wooten programmed his modified SynthAxe controller with a variety of Drum Kit and Percussion sounds. The instrument was previously owned by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour.

Yamaha originally entered the market with a guitar-like MIDI controller called the 'G-10,' considerably less expensive than the SynthAxe. The G-10 had two assignable knobs and an assignable whammy bar and it used six strings, all the same gauge [thickness], which sensed both right- and left-hand input. The fact that the strings were all of the same thickness made the instrument feel substantially different for a player, in contrast to the typical guitar, and may have hindered the instrument's acceptance.

Both the SynthAxe and Yamaha G-10 have been discontinued.

Recent models[edit]

Beginning in the early 2000s, Yamaha have re-entered the market with simple midi guitars (EZ-AG and EZ-EG) these have illuminated frets to teach finger technique and 20 voices.

Starr Labs' Ztar is one of the few remaining guitar-like controller product lines still in production. A Ztar differs significantly from the SynthAxe and Yamaha G-10 in that the 'fretboard' is covered with keys, not strings. Keys in the same row can trigger notes at the same time. This has no analog on a real guitar. It would be as if a single string were polyphonic. A number of variations are available, including an instrument that uses strings for strumming or picking, to trigger notes, whereas the pitch of the notes is determined by the keys that cover what would be a 'fretboard' in an ordinary, stringed guitar. Starr labs recently introduced the Z5S, a simpler and less expensive version of the Z6S. MIDI guitar controllers have regained popularity due to the Z6 model, possibly because of its usage by Rob Swire of Pendulum, who uses it on songs where he is required to perform vocals.

The You Rock Guitar, introduced in 2010 by You Rock Digital, combines a MIDI guitar controller/recorder with a patented touch-sensitivefingerboard and an on-board synthesizer. The instrument supports not only strumming and picking, but also tapping and sliding techniques, and provides a whammy bar for pitch bending and a modulation. The You Rock Guitar is used by guitarists such as George Pajon Jr. (Fergie, The Black Eyed Peas) and Josh Kelley.

Video game guitar controllers[edit]

Rock Band 3 (2010) featured three guitar controllers. One was modeled after the Fender Mustang, with six string sensors stretching from the bridge to the location of the neck pickup of a standard guitar, and 102 buttons in 6 columns of 17 frets, which together create MIDI note data. A second was built with Fender as a fully functional guitar, with a bridge pickup 'listening' to the strings and sending MIDI information to the MIDI port.

'You Rock Guitar' is compatible with Guitar Hero and Rock Band 3, including RB 3 Pro Mode. The guitar provides a number of features intended to help gamers become guitarists. The You Rock Practice Mode provides audible feedback when the user plays with the guitar's built-in song loops. The guitar can simultaneously drive a game system, an amplifier, headphones, a MIDI synthesizer, and music software via USB.

Pros and cons[edit]

The advantages of the guitar-like MIDI controller systems are that the tracking [the speed and accuracy of the notes the instrument produces] is much better than guitar-based systems, which means that there is no noticeable latency or pitch glitches. As well, whammy bars and other controllers can be assigned to any MIDI function, which gives the performer more on-stage control of their sound. Further, these controllers offer playing options, such as the keyboard-like tapping style, that are not possible on traditional guitars. Finally, the instruments with touch-sensitive fingerboards never need tuning, and they are easier on the fingers of beginning and casual players.

The disadvantages for guitar players are that the controller is not exactly a guitar, and the feel is different. Some instruments are rare and expensive, which may make it difficult to repair or service them.

Musicians[edit]

Realguitar 4 Controlled By Midi Guitar Chords

A number of well-known guitarists have used guitar synthesizers, often working in the jazz or progressive rock genres, or soundtrack composition.

See also[edit]

• Synthesizer

References[edit]

1. ^'Condor Ovation (Around 1970)'. OvationTribute.com.
2. ^Graham Hinton (2001-06-17). 'Synthi Hi-Fli (1973, formerly Sound Freak)'. A Guide to the EMS Product Range - 1969 to 1979. Electronic Music Studios (London), Ltd.
3. ^'360 Systems - Company History'. 360 Systems. Archived from the original on 2011-04-14.
4. ^Gordon Reid. 'The Seeds Of The Quadra: The Centaur VI'. FOUR IN ONE - ARP Quadra - Part 1 (Retro). Sound On Sound. Archived from the original on 2006-05-23.
5. ^'Patch 2000'. Hagstrom UK projects.
6. ^ ^abMcNamee, David (2010-02-16). 'Hey, what's that sound: Guitar synth'. The Guardian.
7. ^'MIDI Guitar'. JamOrigin. Archived from the original on 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
8. ^'Offbeat Guitarist'. JamOrigin. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
9. ^'Godin LGX'. Godin Guitars. Archived from the original on 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
10. ^Guitar Synth and MIDI. GPI Publications. 1988. p. 126. ISBN0-88188-593-2.

Footnotes[edit]

^[a] In addition, not every synthesizer requires an integrated human interface; see sound module.

^[b] Innovex seems to be a subsidiary or division of Hammond Organ Company to produce Condor series, according to the product plate.

^[c] Fuji-Roland was a joint-venture of FujiGen and Roland Corporation to produce guitar-synthesizer.

External links[edit]