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Possible Roland GK alternatives?
https://www.stickist.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15894		 Page 4 of 6
Author:  SteveS [ Wed May 11, 2022 1:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
I gave MIDI Guitar 2 a little tryout.

Impressive!

For stick players though it appears that it will be necessary to run both MIDI Guitar and MIDI Bass, as the Stick’s bass range is too low to trigger MG. Not perfect though as it appears that even though I have MG only listening to the melody signal, bass notes within MG’s range are also triggering it. Might be a work-around, but I’m not really in a place where it’s a priority to figure it out. MB also appears to be monophonic, so no chords sllowed on the left hand! :(

AFAIK they are still bundling the Win/Mac MG and MB products, but for iOS (the version I’m playing with) the MB product is not yet available.
Author:  gpoorman [ Wed May 11, 2022 2:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
Quote:
Not perfect though as it appears that even though I have MG only listening to the melody signal, bass notes within MG’s range are also triggering it.

If memory serves, MG can also be run as a plugin (both VST and AU) so if you're running through something like Mainstage and you've separated your melody/bass into separate channels (which there is no reason in the universe not to), then you won't have that problem.
Author:  SteveS [ Wed May 11, 2022 9:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
gpoorman wrote:
If memory serves, MG can also be run as a plugin (both VST and AU) so if you're running through something like Mainstage and you've separated your melody/bass into separate channels (which there is no reason in the universe not to), then you won't have that problem.


Ah! Thanks, Glenn. I’m running AUM, so I’ll plug it into a melody channel. I think the free version can be invoked as an AU (it shows up in the list of effects) as long as I use one of the built-in synths.
Author:  DavidWS [ Thu May 12, 2022 2:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
SteveS wrote:
Not perfect though as it appears that even though I have MG only listening to the melody signal, bass notes within MG’s range are also triggering it.

gpoorman wrote:
...so if you're running through something like Mainstage and you've separated your melody/bass into separate channels... then you won't have that problem.

Am I missing something obvious here? I thought Steve was already separating the channels and that the issue was down to the melody pickups getting some cross-talk from the bass strings? If so how does running GM2 as a VST or plugin help? Won't the cross talk still be there?

Is the suggestion maybe about using a high pass filter as a partial defence against the cross talk, cuting any frequency that is too low to be from the melody side?

As I said, maybe I'm missing something, in which case I'd be delighted to be educated. :)
Author:  DavidWS [ Thu May 12, 2022 6:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
MOD Devices (the peopel behind MOD Duo, MOD Duo-X & MOD Dwarf) have just introduced a new plug-in that does Pitch to CV, that has opened up a host of possibilities. So many possibilities that they've added a new 'Guitar Synths' page to their main website and produced a series of video about the new facilities. I'll embed the first video below. The rest can be found at https://moddevices.com/guitar-synth/.

If you already have a MOD device you can find the sample pedalboards if you use GSYNTH as a filter on the pedalboards page: https://pedalboards.moddevices.com/

I've not yet tried them out, but I know that at least one Stickist has, & liked what he found.
Author:  SteveS [ Thu May 12, 2022 7:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
DavidWS wrote:
Am I missing something obvious here? I thought Steve was already separating the channels and that the issue was down to the melody pickups getting some cross-talk from the bass strings? If so how does running GM2 as a VST or plugin help? Won't the cross talk still be there?

I'm really, REALLY new to this, David, so I may not be the best source for info on this, but I'm separating the signal through the two inputs on my audio interface (see the pic). My initial testing was running MG2 as a stand-alone app. So, my assumption (from Glenn's suggestion) is that the "crosstalk" was occurring on the MG2 side, even though I had it only connected to the melody input on the interface.

I ran MG2 as a plug-in in AUM on the melody channel (as Glenn said, I had separate channels for melody/bass) and sure enough, it worked perfectly. No "crosstalk" from the bass side. The only issue is that because I haven't paid for the program yet (only $30 so not a big deal, really) it "turns off" with a nag prompt every few minutes when running as an AUv3 plugin, even when just using the built-in synths to play with.

Why I should have experienced the problem when running stand-alone but not as a plug-in is a mystery to me, but considering that's the only way I'm likely to use it (I really need to learn to play the Stick first!! :lol: ) it's not a show-stopper.

Attachment:
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Author:  DavidWS [ Fri May 13, 2022 4:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
SteveS wrote:
I'm really, REALLY new to this, David, so I may not be the best source for info on this, but I'm separating the signal through the two inputs on my audio interface (see the pic). My initial testing was running MG2 as a stand-alone app. So, my assumption (from Glenn's suggestion) is that the "crosstalk" was occurring on the MG2 side, even though I had it only connected to the melody input on the interface.

I guess it all depends on what happens in the audio interface & what is meant by 'had it only connected to the melody input'?
Impossible for me to tell. If MG2 is seeing the split signal remixed to stereo audio then it's pretty much bound to see the bass. It's probably more complex than that (& now that MOD Devices have introduced their new plug-in (see above) I'm even less likely to dig into MG2 to investigate further, since A MOD Duo-X is what I already use with my Stick).

SteveS wrote:
AUM on the melody channel (as Glenn said, I had separate channels for melody/bass) and sure enough, it worked perfectly. No "crosstalk" from the bass side.

That's great. Glad to hear it. :D

SteveS wrote:
I really need to learn to play the Stick first!!

Me too! ;)
Author:  waltschwarzkopf [ Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
For those interested, I have a 5-String GK-3 MIDI pickup for sale here: https://www.stickist.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16163
Author:  griotspeak [ Fri Jul 28, 2023 10:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
We have a new contender! https://www.boss.info/us/products/gk-5/

I'm excited by this, even though the pickups are not spaced for stick, because the module is much smaller. If we figure out a way to adjust the spacing, the Railboard might be able to fit 2 of these without too much hassle!
Author:  DavidWS [ Sat Jul 29, 2023 1:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Possible Roland GK alternatives?
griotspeak wrote:
I'm excited by this, even though the pickups are not spaced for stick, because the module is much smaller. If we figure out a way to adjust the spacing, the Railboard might be able to fit 2 of these without too much hassle!

It also looks to have a radius to suit a guitar, whereas the Stick & Railboard are flat across the neck.

My impression is that Stick version of the GK3 pickup literally involved cutting it into pieces & putting it back together again; a process that was only done by one person who has now retired, or passed on?
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