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Post by haydukej on Mar 27, 2015 14:24:48 GMT -5
Hello all, I recently acquired a used Roland GK-3, with the self-supplied false notion that I could plug its midi port directly into my audio interface's midi (5-pin) input. But something tells me, and confirmed by Ash, that the GK-3's 13-pin and the interface's 5-pin won't line up. Last time I let my brain do all the quick purchasing. So in short, I wanted to check if anyone on here might have an audio to midi (13 pin/GK to 5-pin midi) box lying around collecting dust that they might want to be rid of? Thanks for clicking |
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Post by lunaalta on Mar 27, 2015 16:36:26 GMT -5
Just out of interest..... what signals does the 13 pin lead carry? MIDI and audio?
I Hunted Roland, but couldn't find the answer... might be a 'me' thing, though... LOL
I even looked at the synths, and those I saw, didn't appear to have 13 pin connectors.....¿
Does Roland have a 'splitter' box/cable, if it carries both?
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Post by haydukej on Mar 27, 2015 17:44:31 GMT -5
Lunaalta, as I understand it, the 13 pin caries audio only. Basically 2 pins for each string, plus a ground.
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Post by lunaalta on Mar 27, 2015 18:40:09 GMT -5
AH, OK. I musta been having a 'senior moment'.....  Audio to MIDI? Is there such a beast? |
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Post by ashcatlt on Mar 27, 2015 19:24:05 GMT -5
Not exactly all audio on the 13-pin. There's supply power for the six buffers, a seventh to carry the guitar's regular output, and some control messages. See:  Like I said in PM, I use a Roland GI10. Here's one on ebay right nowWhen I go to that page it also shows some similar results including the GI20 which replaced it and the GR20 which has an actual synthesizer/sound module included (though IDK for sure if it spits out MIDI, you'd have to look more closely). They had a number of those converter/synth things at different price points. There are other manufacturers that make similar products also, but I'm drawing a blank on the names right now. |
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Post by sumgai on Mar 28, 2015 14:44:08 GMT -5
'duke, What you want is not an generic "audio to MIDI" box, you specifically need a pitch-to-MIDI adapter, or converter, or interface. Be aware that these exist in several forms (not all of them made by Roland), but there are a few devices out there that can accept a 13-pin input, but don't output a MIDI signal - only a modified (usually a buffer for each signal pin) audio signal. After Roland, the most common interface is Axon, also known under the name of TerraTec, they have a few different models too. Yahama is a spin-off from Axon, and they aren't currently keeping up with the market, but they can be found for sale all over the place. After those three, it's a crap-shoot as to quality versus price, versus reliability, etc. Next, you need to review both your budget and your end desires. If all you want to do is generate a MIDI signal to control some function on a computer, you don't need a hex pickup at all - a floorboard switching box will do that job better and cheaper. If you need to generate tones from a computer-based syntheziser, then yes, the pickup is required, as will be the aforementioned interface. If this is for "live" performance purposes, then you might consider an on-board synth, sort of an all-in-one solution, such as the Roland GR series. If it's only to feed an outboard synth (perhaps a keyboard, or the computer), then an interface box is all that's needed, and it's significantly cheaper to boot. From Roland, that would be a GI-10 or a GI-20 unit. Two places to start checking for gear would be eBay and craigslist. Both have oodles of used gear (and some not-so-great deals on the latest new stuff). Caveat emptor, of course. Two more sources of info, as well as tapping several of us Nutz as resources: www.vguitarforums.com, and many different groups on Yahoo. I used to moderate a couple of those groups, and every so often I still "read the mail" to see what's happening, so I know they're still going strong. In fact, I met gumbo on a Yahoo group 2 or 3 years before coming over here! (And yes, he was deraililng topics there too - I should've heeded the little bells going off in my head!) Now, does that help any?  sumgai |
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Post by haydukej on Mar 29, 2015 11:34:16 GMT -5
Ash and SG, thanks for the info. I guess my end use is to feed an outboard source and/or to generate a midi signal in Reaper. So I've convinced myself of hunting down one of Roland s GI boxes. TheGR boxes look nice, but I'm not planning on anything live and theyre a bit more budget than I can justify for myself at the moment. To be continued.
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Post by sumgai on Mar 29, 2015 19:34:54 GMT -5
The Roland GI-10 is nice enough for just starting out with MIDI, and it's not so expensive (for most of the offerings on eBay). However, the GI-20 does track better, meaning that it has a faster response time on the lowest string, when compared to the GI-10. Not by much, but the difference is there, once you know what to listen for. (This tracking or response time is called "latency" in MIDI-speak, and the lower the number (in milliseconds), the better it will respond to your playing.)
That said, I saw only one GI-20 on eBay just now, and it was currently bid out at $57 USD - not too shabby, but there's only 40 minutes to go on that one, so....
If you should happen to stumble across a used GR-20 for something around (or under) $150 USD, then take it. The latency is just as low as the GI-20, but the kicker is, it's pretty much not gonna get much cheaper - meaning, you can always get your money back out of it, when you go to upgrade.
In any case, good luck!
sumgai
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Post by haydukej on Mar 29, 2015 21:28:35 GMT -5
Thanks SG, I was actually watching that one (GI-20) hoping it wouldn't get to popular. Someone else swooped in and won it for $137. I see a few Gi-10 I coul probably get for $100 , which would really probably be fine
, but if I cou spend a little more and get a GI- or GR-20 that would be nice.
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Post by gumbo on May 7, 2015 3:12:13 GMT -5
Hmm.. I guess I should spend more time reading than derailing around here sometimes....  haydukej...have you sorted this yet? I happen to have a GI-10 here (Oz) that I don't particularly want that you can have for a fairly nominal sum + postage if that helps you..  ..please let me know if you need any more info on the subject, too.. Kind regards, gumbo (Peter) ...I'm 'gumbo' over on the Vguitar Forums also... |
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Post by haydukej on May 7, 2015 11:31:01 GMT -5
Hey Gumbo,
Thanks for checking. I ended up finding a GI-10 from ebay that went for a price I was ok with. So I got all the parts, now I just need to find time to sit down and get my feet wet with all of it. Hopefully it'll start to make sense when I actually start trying to play. If not, I might be taking you up on your offer of help and visiting the Vguitar forums more.
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Post by gumbo on May 8, 2015 4:31:43 GMT -5
Good news! ..don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I can help with. Cheers.. |
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Post by ashcatlt on May 8, 2015 10:31:43 GMT -5
Glad you found a solution! There's a few of us around here familiar with these things and MIDI in general. "How to" type questions probably belong in the Computer Aided... section.
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