midi guitar

I'd imagine you could get some good results with brass instruments, particularly by bending strings etc to give nuances to the performance. Basses should work pretty well too, you'd expect. Not too convinced about how a piano triggered from a midi guitar would sound though.

This converter is supposed to be pretty good to also just let you use a regular guitar now.

http://www.audiomidi.com/G2M-Converter-P12359.aspx

I have a Roland gr-33 and it sounds great, BuuuuuuuT..........it is late. Like in latency. But if you use it with audio snap, you can line it up. There are MANY good sounds on it. Just frickin late. The only way I could see using it live was when I add the guitar sound WITH IT, that way the guitar hits ON TIME and the latency of the MIDI is not really noticed if you ballance the 2 together.

ORIGINAL: 95svtcobra
The newer V series, I believe has the G to Midi converters built in.

Hi Jeff

I own a VG-99, and yes, it has a guitar-to-midi converter built in. BUT, to me it does not seem to track any better (faster) than the converter in my ancient GR-1 (it has a midi out). Seems like a common issue in the VG forums. However, for using the models in the VG, the tracking is excellent.

However, there's a lot to be said for properly adjusting the hex pickup.

Yeah - I'm seriously considering the Ghost system in my next guitar build.

a little late to the party...

I use a handful of systems to convert guitar playing to MIDI data. For the most part I use the guitar as a MIDI controller for solo instruments such as woodwinds, brass, and orchestral strings - pretty much everything but keyboards, drums, and guitars come to think of it<G>! I'm not a great keyboard player, so I find that often I get a more expressive, and realistic performance by using the guitar as a controller.

One of the really unusual applications I use is three strings for a three-part horn section, high E is trumpet, B is sax, and G is trombone, then I can play all sorts of three note chords to get a pseudo-horn section. The spacing is fixed, so I  can't get really tight clusters, and I'm limited for octaves, so no, it isn't going to replace writing a sequencing a really great horn chart, but it is fun!

To get from guitar to MIDI I use two different systems:
1) if I'm feeling particularly patient I still have a Yamaha G10/G10C - it takes some time to get it tweaked, and using six of the same string - no two of which are in tune - is frustrating for me. But when it works the results are remarkable.
2) my primary converter remains my Kramer/Digitech/IVL Pitchrider 7000. I won't begin to claim that it tracks faster than modern converters, but I am so used to it that I kust know where the problems lie, and I can get around them. I seldom drive it from the factory pickup, instead I use either a GK1 or a GK2 driving a GR-300. I pick up the individual string signals at the output of the per-string compressors in the GR-300. Don't laugh, it works pretty well.

I do have a VG-8EX, and I really love it. I spent some time with the VG-99, and if the MIDI output had blown me away I'd have upgraded, but it didn't.

I have used most (probably all) of the Roland stand-alone converters, and I've been tempted to grab a GM-70 or a GI-10 or 20, but thus far I haven't been overwhelmed with the need to do so<G>! Of the bunch the one I had the best results with was the GI-10.

I've also tried the GR-xx synths, and their internal tracking, especially the GR-30, is great, but the MIDI out always seems to lag, and that tends to be frustrating.

I'd love to have time to spend with an Axon and some of the others... perhaps one day!

All in all I'd say that even the slightly older Guitar-to-MIDI converters can work well enough to be worth experimenting with. Three things to keep in mind (all of which have been mentioned already but are worthy of the repeat):
1) the pickup makes all the difference in the world, and there are big differences between magnetic and piezo-electric, and within either category there are differences between manufacturers and models! You will need to try a couple.
2) the guitar set up can have an even bigger impact. Don't automatically stick the pickup next to the bridge and assume that's as good as it gets! I have a couple of guitars where tracking improved dramatically when I moved the pickup to a spot closer to the neck. Pickup height plays a role too! Setup will require some patience. Once you find the optimal spot anchor that puppy!
3) you are no longer playing the guitar... your technique needs to adjust to this new endeavor.

Have fun!