I was never a big fan of MIDI guitar, but that changed when I discovered two guitar-like controllers-the YRG1000 You Rock Guitar and Zivix Jamstik. Admittedly, the YRG1000 looks like it escaped from Guitar Hero to seek a better life, but even my guitar-playing tubes and Telecasters forever! compatriots are shocked by how well it works. And Jamstik, although it started as a learn-to-play guitar product for the Mac, can also serve as a MIDI guitar controller. Either one has more consistent tracking than MIDI guitar retrofits, and no detectable latency.
The tradeoff is that they're not actual guitars, which is why they track well. So, think of them as alternate controllers that take advantage of your guitar-playing muscle memory. If you want a true guitar feel, with attributes like actual string-bending, there are MIDI retrofits like Fishman's clever TriplePlay, and Roland's GR-55 guitar synthesizer.
In any case, you'll want to set up your MIDI guitar for best results in Studio One-here's how.
Poly vs. Mono Mode
MIDI guitars usually offer Poly or Mono mode operation. With Poly mode, all data played on all strings appears over one MIDI channel. With Mono mode, each string generates data over its own channel-typically channel 1 for the high E, channel 2 for B, channel 3 for G, and so on. Mono mode's main advantage is you can bend notes on individual strings and not bend other strings. The main advantage of Poly mode is you need only one sound generator instead of a multi-timbral instrument, or a stack of six synths.
In terms of playing, Poly mode works fine for pads and rhythm guitar, while Mono mode is best for solos, or when you want different strings to trigger different sounds (e.g., the bottom two strings trigger bass synths, and the upper four a synth pad). Here's how to set up for both options in Studio One.
To add your MIDI guitar controller, choose Studio One > Options > External Devices tab, and then click Add Figure 1: Check Split Channels if you plan to use a MIDI guitar in mono mode.
To use your guitar in Mono mode, check Split Channels and make sure All MIDI channels are selected (Fig. 1). This lets you choose individual MIDI channels as Instrument track inputs.
For Poly mode, you can follow the same procedure as Mono mode but then you may need to select the desired MIDI channel for an Instrument track (although usually the default works anyway). If you're sure you're going to be using only Poly mode, don't check Split Channels, and choose the MIDI channel over which the instrument transmits.
Note that you can change these settings any time in the Options > External Devices dialog box by selecting your controller and choosing Edit.
Choose Your Channels
For Poly mode, you probably won't have to do anything-just start playing. With Mono mode, you'll need to use a multitimbral synth like SampleTank or Kontakt, or six individual synths. For example, suppose you want to use Mai Tai. Create a Mai Tai Instrument track, choose your MIDI controller, and then choose one of the six MIDI channels (Fig. 2). If Split Channels wasn't selected, you won't see an option to choose the MIDI channel.
Figure 2: If you chose Split Channels when you added your controller, you'll be able to assign your instrument's MIDI input to a particular MIDI channel.
Next, after choosing the desired Mai Tai sound, duplicate the Instrument track five more times, and choose the correct MIDI channel for each string. I like to Group the tracks because this simplifies removing layers, turning off record enable, and quantizing. Now record-enable all tracks, and start recording. Fig. 3 shows a recorded Mono guitar part-note how each string's notes are in their own channel.
Figure 3: A MIDI guitar part that was recorded in Mono mode is playing back each string's notes through its own Mai Tai synthesizer.
To close out, here are three more MIDI guitar tips.
In Mono mode with Mai Tai (or whatever synth you use), set the number of Voices to 1 for two reasons. First, this is how a real guitar works-you can play only one note at a time on a string. Second, this will often improve tracking in MIDI guitars that are picky about your picking.
Use a synth's Legato mode, if available. This will prevent re-triggering on each note when sliding up and down the neck, or doing hammer-ons.
The Edit view is wonderful for Mono mode because you can see what all six strings are playing, while editing only one.
MIDI guitar got a bad rap when it first came out, and not without reason. But the technology continues to improve, dedicated controllers overcome some of the limitations of retrofitting a standard guitar, and if you set up Studio One properly, MIDI guitar can open up voicings that are difficult to obtain with keyboards.
In Mono mode with Mai Tai (or whatever synth you use), set the number of Voices to 1 for two reasons. First, this is how a real guitar works-you can play only one note at a time on a string. Second, this will often improve tracking in MIDI guitars that are picky about your picking.
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I was never a big fan of MIDI guitar, but that changed when I discovered two guitar-like controllers-the YRG1000 You Rock Guitar and Zivix Jamstik. Admittedly, the YRG1000 looks like it escaped from Guitar Hero to seek a better life, but even my guitar-playing tubes and Telecasters forever! compatriots are shocked by how well it works. And Jamstik, although it started as a learn-to-play guitar product for the Mac, can also serve as a MIDI guitar controller. Either one has more consistent tracking than MIDI guitar retrofits, and no detectable latency.
