Guitar/Bass to Midi

[Periwinkle]

I was very surprised to see that Reaper can do this right out of the box. I was wondering if Reason can do something similar.

[diminished]

Bitspeek.

[diminished]

[adfielding]

Bitspeek.

I frequently think of Bitspeek as a bit of a (really, really cool) one-trick pony, but evidently I really need to use it more!

[diminished]

Bitspeek.

I frequently think of Bitspeek as a bit of a (really, really cool) one-trick pony, but evidently I really need to use it more!

Same here. It's definitely my rediscovery of the year.
The last (and only?) update was issued in 2012, which makes this little RE even more impressive.

[guitfnky]

in that vid he pulls up MIDI Guitar 2, which works polyphonically, and you can use it in Reason, via MIDI loopback. well worth the $100 price tag.

[Periwinkle]

I have demoed MIDI Guitar 2 and MIDI Bass today and had quite disappointing results (possibly my fault). Also, the demo limitations are infuriating.

I will definitely give Bitspeek a go next. Is there anything that I need to know about setting it up for this purpose?

[guitfnky]

I have demoed MIDI Guitar 2 and MIDI Bass today and had quite disappointing results (possibly my fault). Also, the demo limitations are infuriating.

I will definitely give Bitspeek a go next. Is there anything that I need to know about setting it up for this purpose?

not sure what your settings were like using MIDI G2, or what kind of setup you’re running, but it takes a bit of work to get set up with Reason. first thing is to get your MIDI loopback set up properly (they have instructions on the JamOrigin site). then in MIDI G2, use the same interface settings you use in Reason (buffer size).

tweaking the gate and sensitivity will improve tracking, but you’re not going to get clean results unless you play cleanly, no matter what settings you use. playing a synth isn’t the same as playing a guitar, and you have to understand that things you do on guitar don’t translate well to MIDI (playing muted strings for percussive effect, for example, sounds great on guitar, but results in a bunch of random notes in MIDI. that’s often the case even when you’re playing a chord using only a few strings, and accidentally strike another muted string or two. you’ll need good technique to get the most out of it. and no matter how good you are, you’re going to have to clean up your MIDI tracks manually to some degree once you’ve got them recorded.

I’ve found that playing patches with very fast attacks can be especially difficult (for me, anyway). I usually pick something with a slower attack to do my recording, and switch to the proper synth afterward, and do my cleanup.

[diminished]

I will definitely give Bitspeek a go next. Is there anything that I need to know about setting it up for this purpose?

Watch the video I posted, but I have to emphasize that your target should be monophonic. Things can get messy otherwise. Please noisegate your signal before you send it anywhere else. Last but not least, Neptune on radical settings can help with pitch stability - YMMV.

[xboix]

but you’re not going to get clean results unless you play cleanly, no matter what settings you use.

This.

[Proboscis]

Having spent a lot of hours trying to work with JamOrigin Midi Guitar, I gave up. Even playing 'clean' it still had too much mess to contend with. Whether this was due to my gritty pickups, some electrical interference in my studio, or other reasons, but I gave up on getting any workable result.

Which is a shame, because Guitar > MIDI would totally change the way I compose.

There seems to be a lot of positive rumblings about the Fishman Tripleplay hardware pickup for this, but at $500+ it's a big gamble. And I don't even know if it will behave fully in Reason, since I read elsewhere that the ROLI seaboard doesn't work (I assume that's the sending of pitch data, since the ROLI works in 'bending' the keys much like one would add color to guitar playing)

[xboix]

Having spent a lot of hours trying to work with JamOrigin Midi Guitar, I gave up. Even playing 'clean' it still had too much mess to contend with. Whether this was due to my gritty pickups, some electrical interference in my studio, or other reasons, but I gave up on getting any workable result.

Which is a shame, because Guitar > MIDI would totally change the way I compose.

There seems to be a lot of positive rumblings about the Fishman Tripleplay hardware pickup for this, but at $500+ it's a big gamble. And I don't even know if it will behave fully in Reason, since I read elsewhere that the ROLI seaboard doesn't work (I assume that's the sending of pitch data, since the ROLI works in 'bending' the keys much like one would add color to guitar playing)

You'll have the same problem with the Fishman that you have with the JamOrigin. I've used them both. The Fishman is only slightly better and has the downside that you have to physically fit it to you guitar and it looks butt-ugly, at least to me.

I get the best results with a jangly single coil pickup, with much of the bass rolled off. A standard Strat on the bridge pickup is best for me. It also matters hugely what synth sound you are using. It works best with big pads and strings. Stuff like piano will always give some audible rogue notes where you have not quite damped a string or made some fret noise. These notes tend to get hidden with pad-type sounds and, indeed, when playing the guitar normally through an amp.

[Proboscis]

You'll have the same problem with the Fishman that you have with the JamOrigin. I've used them both. The Fishman is only slightly better and has the downside that you have to physically fit it to you guitar and it looks butt-ugly, at least to me.

Thanks for this valuable input, it's good to hear the experience from someone who had used both.

I get the best results with a jangly single coil pickup, with much of the bass rolled off. A standard Strat on the bridge pickup is best for me. It also matters hugely what synth sound you are using. It works best with big pads and strings. Stuff like piano will always give some audible rogue notes where you have not quite damped a string or made some fret noise. These notes tend to get hidden with pad-type sounds and, indeed, when playing the guitar normally through an amp.

Oh is that right ? I recall using piano most of the time when I was trying to get the JamOrigin to work. I guess pads would make more sense, if the velocity was considered - those bad triggered unwanted notes would be drowned out. It still doesn't help me, since my primary use would be to 'write' passages and phrases into the sequencer while playing them on the guitar. All that mess still ends up there, and requires massive cleanup.

[Periwinkle]

Thanks guys for all the advice and information.

I have decided that until I can save up for my lefthanded, fretless bass Synthaxe, I will return to my primary musical instrument ..... the mouse.

Yes, I am a mouseist..
mousist?
mouser?
mouse player?
mouse hero?
mouseketeer?