Christopher Willits using midi pickup and Live.

OvertoneZero · Post by **OvertoneZero** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:27 pm

Terratec converters ARE better than Roland. Faster, more accurate, etc etc

At least that's what I read on the internet

so,

it MUST be true.

landrvr1 · Post by **landrvr1** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:59 pm

OvertoneZero wrote:
OvertoneZero wrote:

Cool, good info here. Here's something similar for OS X:

http://www.widisoft.com/english/widi-au ... di-au.html

Haven't tried it, but I will today!

Well, 30 minutes later.. the plugin was very easy to setup... but... the tracking on a DI electric guitar signal was horrible and there was a significant processing (or perhaps IAC?) delay. I tried single notes all over the guitar, I messed with the settings a fair bit, not so much the EQ, but if this is the way it is I wouldn't be able to use it in real-time.

Let me know if you have better results with the tracking, it seemed *really* bad to me...

OvertoneZero,

I had no luck in setting the thing up. I found the help file to be confusing as hell; probably because I'm pretty new to Ableton and thick as a brick. The plugin installed correctly, no probs there. But...

Using File Browser locate audio file you are going to recognize and drag and drop it to the Audio track (named "1 Audio" by default).

What? What the hell are they talking about? What audio file?

IAC Driver is recognized, but when hitting the guitar strings I get no Midi recognition signal.

Via Plug-in device browser locate Audio To MIDI AU and drag and drop it to the Audio track. WIDI AU window will appear

What? When I drop the AU into an audio track I sure as hell aren't getting any Midi From and To options.

Grrr. I know that I'm missing some really basic point about all this but damned if I know what it might be...

OvertoneZero · Post by **OvertoneZero** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:12 am

highlight the button in the plugin that says something like 'Audio to MIDI', you have turn it on in the plugin

set IAC out and in to 'track' in Live MIDI prefs

It only works about half the time when the scrolling word 'evaluation' is on the banner. There's a 'setup for Ableton' in the help file that was handy.

bulo · Post by **bulo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:24 am

Landrvr1:
Just forget about IAC. I don't understand why you want to use it.
Just put the widi plugin into your guitar or mic audio track.
Then put a synth on a midi track, and choose the audio track as the input for this midi track. That's it.
But I think this widi plugin is not good. Big latency...
I said "I think" because this evaluation mode is just a big big shit.
How can you try this thing which just works 15 seconds every 30 seconds!

I found it yesterday and was finally so disapointed by.

Tone deft: thanks for the earvana link. This look very interesting, and it's very cheap!!

DrXparaMental · Post by **DrXparaMental** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:33 am

Tone Deft wrote:Dr X - OK. I don't care. I've been going on about the pickups and thoughts got crossed with the converter. I don't know what's out today, TBH I don't care. when I got mine 2 years ago Roland didn't have much to offer and ALL the reviews said Terratec made better converters than Roland.

wait, have you ever even touched a midi guitar?

as far as 'the coffee', you were just reporting on what you've read, boring. I just skimmed your post and made a mistake.

the thing is, at the end of the day I have a SWEET midi guitar setup and you're just reading about them. suck it bitch, suck it long, suck it hard. I win motherfucker!!

FUCK YEAH!!

long story short, get one, they're damn fun.

/fueled by Red Bull and tarnce

What d'ust thou mean "midi guitar"? Variax or real guitar set up with 13pin, or???

I have been using a Roland V Bass for about 5 years. Bought it right when they hit the street at Guitar Splinter. Been foot controlled hardware looping for about 10-12 years. Only been doing midi control for about 1.5 years now on an Axiom 49. Been playing bass/guitar for about 30 years now.

DrXparaMental · Post by **DrXparaMental** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:37 am

OvertoneZero wrote:Terratec converters ARE better than Roland. Faster, more accurate, etc etc

At least that's what I read on the internet

so,

it MUST be true.

The internet is everyone's favorite free attorney. Everyone's cousin Vinny. You can win any case you set your mind to because I good and guarantee whatever point your attempting to drive home, you'll find plenty of HIGH QUALITY info there to support your claims. No view point excluded.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:45 am

DrXparaMental wrote:What d'ust thou mean "midi guitar"? Variax or real guitar set up with 13pin, or???

I have been using a Roland V Bass for about 5 years. Bought it right when they hit the street at Guitar Splinter. Been foot controlled hardware looping for about 10-12 years. Only been doing midi control for about 1.5 years now on an Axiom 49. Been playing bass/guitar for about 30 years now.

...and the penis waving did commence!

STILL you ain't got no midi guitar!!!

guess what I got that you don't???

*hint* it rhymes with gidi mitar!!!

(dude, totally joking around)

(kinda LOL!!)

fuck it, us musicians gotta stick together, too many DJs around here dumbing the place down, stinking it up.

Variax has nothing to do with MIDI, otherwise I'd get one, very cool system, pricey but very cool.

btw when all the boxes start showing up with your Roland midi system and the wife starts ranting, tell them some asshole on the Ableton forum MADE you do it. it's all MY fault. granted she'll probably destroy your ethernet card but it'll be worth it.

landrvr1 · Post by **landrvr1** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:19 am

Tone Deft wrote:
DrXparaMental wrote:What d'ust thou mean "midi guitar"? Variax or real guitar set up with 13pin, or???

I have been using a Roland V Bass for about 5 years. Bought it right when they hit the street at Guitar Splinter. Been foot controlled hardware looping for about 10-12 years. Only been doing midi control for about 1.5 years now on an Axiom 49. Been playing bass/guitar for about 30 years now.
...and the penis waving did commence!

STILL you ain't got no midi guitar!!!

guess what I got that you don't???

*hint* it rhymes with gidi muitar!!!

(dude, totally joking around)

(kinda LOL!!)

fuck it, us musicians gotta stick together, too many DJs around here dumbing the place down, stinking it up.

Variax has nothing to do with MIDI, otherwise I'd get one, very cool system, pricey but very cool.

Oof. That sig just reminded me how much I hated Spidey 3. Brrr.

DrXparaMental · Post by **DrXparaMental** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:37 am

Tone Deft wrote:
DrXparaMental wrote:What d'ust thou mean "midi guitar"? Variax or real guitar set up with 13pin, or???

I have been using a Roland V Bass for about 5 years. Bought it right when they hit the street at Guitar Splinter. Been foot controlled hardware looping for about 10-12 years. Only been doing midi control for about 1.5 years now on an Axiom 49. Been playing bass/guitar for about 30 years now.
...and the penis waving did commence!

STILL you ain't got no midi guitar!!!

guess what I got that you don't???

*hint* it rhymes with gidi muitar!!!

(dude, totally joking around)

(kinda LOL!!)

fuck it, us musicians gotta stick together, too many DJs around here dumbing the place down, stinking it up.

Variax has nothing to do with MIDI, otherwise I'd get one, very cool system, pricey but very cool.

re: Variax. Had no clue.

I have heard lotza good stuffs about them but honest to goodness, thought they were a midi modeler of some sort. Being a primarily an Ableton side tracked bassist, me guitar techy evolution knowledge is in the rears. So little time, so much to boo hoo.

I actually REALLY dig DJs. Some of those cats are just amazing. I have always wanted to do a project with a turntablist ever since I started listening to Les & Buckethead playing with DJ Disk. As a bassist I have to believe that drum breaks are the ultimate metronome and chops/riffs springboard. That's why I love Stylus RMX so much. One thing that being an RMX addict has helped me to understand and become much more influenced by is the musicality of drums. How they are tuned and how being in tune with them evokes a sort of third ear of rhythm.

The guitarist that I play and record with mostly uses Strats & Line 6 stuff.

I have heard of the Brian Moore 13pin readys. Used to go to an excellent chiropractor that lived by the BM code of ethics. Namely, anything else was mediocre crap by comparison.

I am using a pair of Fender American Deluxe P-Basses, but admittedly much more so for the neck and general continuity rather than tone. There tone is passable at best. In fact I would say by comparison to Tobias (remember the Killer B?) or Spectrum's the SUCK. I have used and owned most of 'em from Alembic to Zon and I have just gotten to the point where I prefer low slung spacious necks. Anthony Jackson concurs. Gimme space between them strings. Good to strum and slap and the continuity rules. I think the best basses I ever really got "into", owned and played for tone were Spectrum's. The mid to late 90s Czech models had tremendous tonal versatility and played pretty fine (low and fast). Just too narrow of a neck for me. These were what I played up until I switched to Fender about 6 years back.

landrvr1 · Post by **landrvr1** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:28 pm

OvertoneZero and bulo,

Thanks for the tips, but still no luck. In the AU window I can see the waveforms as I hit the strings, so I know that part is working, but getting the audio out to the speakers is another matter.

Ah well, given that the latency is horrid it's probably just as well. There's no substitute for a hardware solution here...

bulo, I am curious about one thing. In your post you mention:

...and choose the audio track as the input for this midi track.

How in the world to you do that? The input dialog for Midi doesn't list the audio track.

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:59 pm

you call that a MIDI geetar???

THIS is a MIDI geetar:

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/adlib/stories/s863288.htm

now we're talkin...

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:49 pm

Ah well, given that the latency is horrid it's probably just as well. There's no substitute for a hardware solution here...

I take it I'm the only WinXP user contributing to this thread?

DrXparaMental · Post by **DrXparaMental** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:36 pm

mbenigni wrote:
Ah well, given that the latency is horrid it's probably just as well. There's no substitute for a hardware solution here...
I take it I'm the only WinXP user contributing to this thread?

Nope. Whereas I know full well that on average the Mac is a better mass production pooter, there can be no question that when it comes to globe wide software development and application, PCs or Macs running windows, is the only way to go.

My partner that I play out from time to time live with uses a Macbook Pro. I use a MusicXPC M4x. Jim runs into compatibility issues frequently. Especially when it comes to sending audio from different side by side programs. I know he has had some real issue with NI's Guitar Rig. I have no clue why, but it is the case nonetheless.

I won't be using anything but XP for most likely a long time.

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:52 pm

I won't be using anything but XP for most likely a long time.

Then by all means, try out TS Audio to MIDI for yourself! It's got some limitations as I've noted (I can't seem to get pitch bend to work, nor velocity tracking) but latency is certainly not among them. This setup is *fast*.

Whereas I know full well that on average the Mac is a better mass production pooter...

I won't even get into that. Macs are very nice designs, but to call them "better" ignores a lot of variables. Anyway...

I know he has had some real issue with NI's Guitar Rig.

I think everybody has some real issues with Guitar Rig. Mac users, Windows users, everybody.

(But it's one of those products that happens to be worth the hassle.)

acroberts · Post by **acroberts** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:33 pm

Amazing discussion for this guitar player who has been lusting after a MIDI interface.

So mbenigni, am I reading right that my Godin Solidac (with a Fishman X-Bridge Piezo Pickup) might actually do a good job tracking to MIDI through using that TS Audio for MIDI App?

Cannot wait to try it out!

-drew