Midi Guitar Controller

[Snowman]

I have old equipment. Pro Tools 6 on the earliest G5. My laptop I use to visit is a Windows 7, and I have melodyne on it to fix my vocals. I'm not upgrading anything soon. BUT, if you're like me, I play guitar the best. I can semi play notes on a keyboard. So, I've always wanted a midi guitar. Back in the 90s, they were expensive and didn't work well. It wasn't until yesterday I started thinking about midi guitar, and the possibility that the technology has perfected it. Technology has basically rendered it obsolete. 

 

If you have melodyne you can take a guitar track import it, polyphonic it, and export it as a midi file. Which means you can also fix any notes before exporting. Once exported, put it in your DAW and set a synth sound. 

 

The only thing you have to do when you record your guitar part is think of the instrument you plan on changing it to. Play within it's register. 

 

So simple and brilliant. 

 

There's an easier way with Reaper to record direct to midi with your guitar. But, I've been playing with it all day long on this laptop and it doesn't trigger properly. Which was the problem with midi guitars in the 90s. Though, it might just be my equipment. 

 

[Mahesh]

That's a pretty handy way to arrange sounds on the computer indeed. I've had so much fun converting my voice to midi data and using them to program string or horn arrangements. 

 

Though lately, I enjoy programming directly on Logic Pro using the mouse and keyboard. It's just quicker if you know your shortcuts right. Obviously quicker isn't the same as fun. But when ideas are brewing that isn't necessarily springing out of a single instrument but many sounds in your head, it serves quite well!

[Snowman]

I do like quicker and easier. I just have old equipment. My G5 barely gets the internet anymore. This ASUS has been the worst piece of crap computer I've ever used. 

 

Technology is beyond incredible. But, I will say, even though recording is fairly simple now. The music of the 40s - 70s, still produced the greatest music I've ever heard. If I were on a desert island, big band music...

[john]

Useful to know about that use of Melodyne. I will need to see if the version I have supports it.

 

Back when I used to develop music hardware and software there were a number of challenges for midi guitar, especially within a live audio context. Chords were one issue, string bends another, and of course tuning issues! Then there was the fact that string instruments vary the pitch when played. Over time after being struck or picked a string produces a note that can initially be a little sharp, but will settle to a lower pitch a second after the strike / pick.

 

The DSP to identify notes in a chord is now pretty straight forward, and I imagine using pitch thresholds and behaviour would clean up audio and enable pitch bends to be assigned as controller messages with the pitch bend wheel easy enough. Good stuff.

 

I sort of miss designing audio gear. Maybe something to do in an alternate life!