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MIDI MADNESS-II

Sun, 24/09/2006 - 11:08 - Nick Andrew

It's kind of a shock to the system when a new midi guitar toy comes on the market, as this is probably one of the most forgotten about and dismissed parts of the guitar market. Yet in the current climate of everyone and their dog having the facility to write, record and produce their own music, as guitarists we tend to just be able to play just our trusty faithful 'wire and wood' with some lucky people have the grade 1 piano ability also!

If you've checked out my previous column then you will know that I am a convert to midi guitar in a big way, so for the benefits and advantages of this technology have a wee look at my other topics.

Now to business!

This month I'm going to look at where to buy one, what to buy.

Firstly, where do you get one? Music shops are the most obvious answer, but you of course can try eBay, local paper ads section, Loot if your near London, Loot online if your not. As with everything, know what your buying and research thoroughly. Don't just read this, follow some of the links and do your homework.

I tend to stick to music shops in this respect, because for the sake of a little more money I can have good advice, a guarantee and I also have that link to the manufacturer should anything go wrong.

What's out there?

Of all the devices on the market or that have been made my top tips are the GI-20, the older (much loved) GI-10, GR20, GR33 (all by Roland) and the Terratec AX-100 and new AX-50 USB (although the Terratec units are very hard to get hold of).

In my opinion any of these devices are good, although please note that you will need an external sound module to control the GI-10 and GI-20. Also the GI-10 and GR33 are now consigned to the second hand market.

gr33 Read all of the user reviews on each of these devices and you'll find mentions of lots of other pedals. It's the same as the normal FX market. If you buy second hand make sure you get to test the unit first etc. Also make sure the unit comes with a GK pickup or equivalent, unless you have one already. Don’t forget the 13-pin cable also.

Now as with everything there are two camps in the midi guitar world. Those who use it regularly, and those who don't. Simple!

That’s why I would choose either the Roland GR-20 or the Terratec AX-50 (or AX-100).

Both are the current models offered by each company and are aimed at different parts of the market, with the Roland being in the 'beginners' camp (as in new to midi technology), with simple controls, a basic 'plug in and play' style and great in built sounds.

Axon_-50The Terratec is stuck very firmly in the 'pro' camp with extensive programmability and control. It can sense where on the string you are playing and use the information to change the modulation or even the sound itself.

Check out the review and demo of the Gr-20 in the review section of the site.
In the meantime go and get ‘Googling’.

LINKS

Roland

Terratec

 

 

A word on Midi PickupsPickup

As a fully qualified midiphile (careful!) and winner of the midi guitar golden anorak award I feel fully justified in warning you that retrofit midi pickups can be a wee bit tricky.

Now I have midi pickups to lots of different guitars so I am not biased against any company or to the ever-faithful strat, but I have had to use some fairly brutal drilling/screwing and gaffa tape things to make sure the damn things don't come off mid windmill. There is a large packet that comes with the GR-20 containing lots of little thin rubber strips to help adjust the height of the pickup, some of which were like double sided sticky tape, so drilling and screwing are not necessarily required. However if you gig a lot then you'll know sticky tape just don't cut it honey! Adequate for studio use however. It takes a bit of trial and error, but getting the correct height is not a huge task.

One of the other problems is that the older pickups are only made with Strats in mind. The problem is if you fit your pickup onto a guitar like a Les Paul or Ibanez RG or any other guitar with a flat radius neck then the pickup is further from the stings on the two opposite E strings. This is because the pickup is concaved to fit the profile of a strat neck.
Roland has addressed the problem on their GK-3 pickup with what they call an adjustable curve design pickup. This is a screw in the middle of the Midi pickup, which raises the poles of the pickup at each end so it's much the same height as the middle ones (Thus making the pickup flatter). To be honest it's not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.

Having taken a few pickups apart I know it's only the pickup housing that’s convexed, not the pickup itself. Therefore it would be easier to ship the pickup with a Strat housing and a flat housing. Will they ever do it?
Watch this space!!!!

Midi Guitar Guitars

brian moore There are, of course, a few guitars that have Midi pickups built in like Brian Moore and Godin, Fender (Roland ready strat) and Parker (midifly) to name a few. Each guitar has much faster tracking and responds very well to your style of playing. Godin even make a midi acoustic with nylon strings!


Next time we'll look at how you can use Midi guitar to augment your bands sound live. Meanwhile have a listen to a wee demo of the GR-20.

Example 1

Audio

Sorry, flash is not available.

To get a good idea of what a midi unit can do have a wee listen to the audio demo which contains just the preset sounds of the GR-20 with no additional effects or editing.