Best guitar midi controller for VSTi and note input

[tapper mike]

If you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got. It's only when you challenge yourself outside your comfort zone that you expand your abilites.

Standard z necks don't feel like guitar necks one can't bend strings on the neck. That being said my z6 feels a heck of a lot better then a gretsch. I can play it 10 hours a day and my fingers never get sore. and I can tap on it with both hands better then I ever could a chapman stick. I also can do things completely out of the realm of standard stringed instruments due to the way the fretboard layout works. My Baby Z with log neck is faster then a wizard neck tap tremelo puts flatpicking to shame, I've got 8 fully assignable cc pots and a touch strip. It's more not less expressive then a guitar and took a very short time for me to adapt to.

[wasi]

Watching the zTar videos I couldn't stand how 90% of everything was people playing guitar licks with a guitar sim synth/sampler patch. I think I saw two videos overall that were even mildly inspiring. I guess most guitarists (myself included) don't really have a clue what to do with a synth controller, no matter what shape it comes in. Starr Labs should give one to Jordan Rudess for a day or something.

I'm looking forward to the LinnStrument for now. It may end up playing a bit like a fretless tap guitar... If it's freely configurable enough it could offer some awesome possiblities. Sadly it's stuck in "When It's Done"-land.

[tapper mike]

Various non guitar sounds played via ztar


Progressive rock synth on a ztar


Granular soundscape


More non guitar synth action on a ztar


The instrument does not create the musician. Musician decides what context they want to go in. The musician not the instrument. If a musician chooses a direction with the instrument it's that individuals choice.

[wasi]

Thanks, #1 and #3 are better than most of what I found. The other two remind me more of those 'betcha can't play this' guitar vids. Not much 'expression' going on...

[Uncle E]

Exactly. I'm waiting for something to blow me away the way Samplemodeling's soprano sax did. I feel that I can get more of that kind of expression from a normal guitar than a midi guitar.

[tapper mike]

Expression is what you make of it as well as perception. MB's videos were the reason why I really wanted to play the ztar. It's all about the capabilities of harmony rhythm and accents. Vibrato, bends every guitarist with a guitar can do that and generally guitarists think that's the only "true" form of expression. As for sax sounds that's more about the sound environment not the instrument. Things like breath controllers make it sound more real. Although a simple cv expression pedal can be used just like it is on keys for any cc value. for wah,breath,volume,lowpazz not to mention the joystick. It takes time for guitarists to liberate the right hand and not use it for picking cause they still think like guitarists. Then they have to work out stuff like two hand harmonies which are a lot more fun and interesting on a ztar once you start to explore chord clusters and the like. Or use the right hand to controll CC values the way keyboard players use their left on guitars.

[wasi]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I was thinking more this:

(Eigenharp and Slim Phatty)

http://vimeo.com/31124021 (more Eigenharp and synths)

http://vimeo.com/24053655 (Eigenharp and Kyma)

Cost is about same as zTars amazingly, because the hardware is far more advanced (even if midi can't make the most of it).

It's not just vibratos, it's getting a response from your instrument (or controller) from every movement, every touch, every interaction. Yes, some may be unintentional, but it makes the instrument and the performance come alive.

http://vimeo.com/33155016 (more Eigenharp and Slim Phatty)

http://vimeo.com/33519954 (Drums)

With the Eigeharp performances, I can see all that 'touchiness' of the instrument is there. Every little stroke or accidental movement makes a sound. With zTars it always seems 'sterilized', like a work-around for using a keyboard, which to me is not enough, certainly in that price range. But maybe it's the performers. Eigenharp players seem to be more adventurous or experimental and that may contribute to the results.

[ew]

I haven't had much problem getting Roland stuff to work well with external gear; the big secret is to set the sensitivity correctly. You never want to peak out with it; it will doubletrigger (whether you hear it or not) and waste precious processing time. The other thing (if you're using independent channels for each string) is to use a synth that will actually utilize mode 4 instead of going multitimbral- synth response times slow down dramatically when operated multitimbrally, even from a keyboard.

Using a piezo bridge such as a GraphTech or Fishman helps a lot too; if you don't, setting your distance correctly is critical.

I just finished my controller:



It's a Les Paul Traditional Pro with a GraphTech Floyd Rose. A 57 Classic at the neck and a DiMarzio Norton at the bridge. Some of the clearances are really tight, and routing out too much wood while doing the spring cavity's a real possibility; have a pro do it for you if you aren't really good with wood and you're really patient and don't mind measuring after each pass. I'm neither, so I had my friends at Brown's Guitar Factory do it for me- they did an outstanding job

ew

[Uncle E]

It's a Les Paul Traditional Pro with a GraphTech Floyd Rose. A 57 Classic at the neck and a DiMarzio Norton at the bridge.

OMG, I have to clean myself up now. Thank God it's not a natural flame maple top, that would have finished me. The Norton makes my basswood body RG550 thunder, I can only imagine how good it must sound in a Les Paul. That's got to be the most amazing instrument in the world.

[ew]

OMG, I have to clean myself up now.

Thank God it's not a natural flame maple top, that would have finished me.

I'd be much more hesitant on doing it to a flametop- that's for sure. When I bought the Trad Pro around a year ago, I played a boatload of Les Pauls. This one has an absolutely amazing neck- a little deeper front to back than the '60s profile that they usually put on these, and really wide. I have fairly big hands and they're arthritic to boot, so I like wide necks. There were a couple that sounded a bit better, but none that played as well as the Trad Pro.

Someone might ask "Why not an Axcess?" I've yet to play an Axcess that I like, either tonewise or playability wise.

The Norton makes my basswood body RG550 thunder, I can only imagine how good it must sound in a Les Paul. That's got to be the most amazing instrument in the world.

A Norton's been my go-to bridge humbucker since 1999 or so- I've got one in a few of my guitars. It's the best passive humbucker out there IMO.

And yeah- it sounds amazing.

ew

[t3toooo]

too bad the axon ax 50 is discontinued because mine is working pretty well.

i came back to midi guitar after a break because of setting up my equipment and buying plugins
now i'm using the axon in the trigger mode (no pitch bend) and separate strings (different midi channels),this is the fastest and most accurate mode and boy this thing rocks.

[polaris20]

too bad the axon ax 50 is discontinued because mine is working pretty well.

i came back to midi guitar after a break because of setting up my equipment and buying plugins
now i'm using the axon in the trigger mode (no pitch bend) and separate strings (different midi channels),this is the fastest and most accurate mode and boy this thing rocks.

The Fishman Triple Play will be as good or better than even the AX stuff is/was. I can't wait for it to come out.