Guitar Midi Controller

[daryl]

For a while I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a keyboard midi controller. And just recently started to research which ones are good and how much they cost. I found that I could buy a crappy little one for about $50.00 or I could get a bigger one with more bells and whistles for a lot more money. But then I wondered how much would I really use one especially since I really don’t play keyboards all that well. So I started investigating using my electric guitar as a midi controller.

A few years ago I was able to configure my guitar as a MONOPHONIC midi controller just using my DAW (Reaper). It was reasonably good with minimal latency and OK sensitivity (if you played very carefully and didn’t play too fast). Now (a few years later) I was hoping that I would be able to use it a POLYPHONIC midi controller. And guess what? I have found that some brilliant person has created a software program that actually makes any guitar a POLYPHONIC midi controller! No additional hardware is necessary. I’m using the trial version right now to see if I really will use it. The trial version does most every thing the full-blown version does except that the trial version will pause every couple of minutes. But that’s OK for right now.

So here I am playing a mellotron. How cool is that? Well, I think it’s pretty cool.

[spinland]

SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS! :woohoo:

I adore my MIDI guitar. Mine's from Inspired Instruments and features a patented touch-sensitive fretboard that has near-zero latency, plus six "strings" at the body for the right hand work. I've used it to play a harmonica, synth lead, even drums. So much fun! :side:



Besides driving my DAW it has 30 internal instruments and I can combine any two at the same time and run it through any standard amp. Been playing with a 12 string acoustic plus a nylon to get some interesting folksie tones out of it. The only limitations I've run into are you can't bend the strings (but the tremolo bar, properly configured, makes it sound like you can) and you can't pull-off to an open string, you have to pluck it because the sensors can't tell what you did.

Mark

[spinland]

Coincidentally, this just popped up on my radar yesterday, thanks to my creative mentor (and guitar nut) who is going to run afoul of my sweet lady love because of all the guitar porn he keeps sending me. I want this so badly:

VOX Starstream 1

I gotta land a lot more gigs before I can scrape up the play money to indulge. :side:

[spinland]

So, now that I've gone all SQUEE like a total fanboi, what's the software you're using to run your traditional guitar? I gotta know. :woohoo:

[michelew]

daryl wrote:

For a while I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a keyboard midi controller. And just recently started to research which ones are good and how much they cost. I found that I could buy a crappy little one for about $50.00 or I could get a bigger one with more bells and whistles for a lot more money. But then I wondered how much would I really use one especially since I really don’t play keyboards all that well. So I started investigating using my electric guitar as a midi controller.

A few years ago I was able to configure my guitar as a MONOPHONIC midi controller just using my DAW (Reaper). It was reasonably good with minimal latency and OK sensitivity (if you played very carefully and didn’t play too fast). Now (a few years later) I was hoping that I would be able to use it a POLYPHONIC midi controller. And guess what? I have found that some brilliant person has created a software program that actually makes any guitar a POLYPHONIC midi controller! No additional hardware is necessary. I’m using the trial version right now to see if I really will use it. The trial version does most every thing the full-blown version does except that the trial version will pause every couple of minutes. But that’s OK for right now.

So here I am playing a mellotron. How cool is that? Well, I think it’s pretty cool.

That is SO cool Daryl. And it sounds fantastic!
MM

[spinland]

michelew wrote:

That is SO cool Daryl. And it sounds fantastic!
MM

Yes, yes and yes. Was I supposed to include an Oxford Comma in there?

I hope I haven't overwhelmed this thread with my enthusiasm. I'm a total geek on the best of days and desperately seeking folks to validate my guilty pleasures on my worst. This has tapped into the depth of my geekness and I so much want to talk guitars and MIDI. :side:

[michelew]

It's all good Mark. I'm reading your posts with my eyes half covered so I don't get GAS, I simply can't afford the addiction

[daryl]

Hi Mark, I thought you might get a kick out of this. Everything I did in the OP can be done free of charge! Though I have paid for my DAW (~$60.00 for Reaper....and I LOVE Reaper).

Here is a link that describes how to set up ANY device (including the human voice) as a MONOPHONIC midi controller:


The POLYPHONIC software program created by that "brilliant" guy is "Midi Guitar 2" by "Jam Origin". You can down load the "trial" standalone program for free. If you can't find it let me know.

You can play with the standalone program as is and can link all your VSTi's to it. But in order to link the standalone program to your DAW you need something called "linkmidi". You create/define a port in linkmidi that the standalone program outputs TO and that the DAW inputs FROM.

BTW the standalone software handles bends, slides, trills, pull-offs, and vibrato (depending upon the virtual instrument you've selected of course).

I've also found some great VSTi's for free (3 different mellotrons, a great Hammond organ package, and various strings, brass, and woodwinds).

[wrsomers]

Daryl,
That is really cool. I've never attempted anything close to midi, but you have inspired me to try it on my Roland HP207 Piano.

Bill

[daryl]

What do you do with your Roland piano? If you play piano get your self a Hammond patch and play "A White Shade of Pale" (please).