Multi Mono "Guitar" Mode on the G2

EdmundEagan · Joined: Oct 19, 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Canada

I'd like to play the G2 from a Continuum Fingerboard (http://www.hakenaudio.com). The Continuum outputs it's MIDI polyphony as with note having a new MIDI channel, so that independent pitch bend can be applied to each note separately. Other devices have called this type of MIDI operation "guitar" mode, because it's the way that guitar-to-MIDI convertors work, sending out each guitar string as an independent channel.

Is there a way to put the G2 into a multi mono "guitar" mode? the only way I've been able to figure this out is to create a performance, each voice in the performance the same patch, and give them sequential midi channels 1,2,3,4. The drag about this is it's a little clumsy to set up and more importanly it limits me to four voice polyphony.

egw · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:07 am Post subject:

Haven't tried this, but you should be able to play more voices by using midi receive modules for different channels in the same patch. Keep the patch as mono, or else use the fx area. You would have to duplicate all of the sound generating modules though. Maybe you can fit two sounds in one slot this way, giving you a total of eight. If the sounds are simple enough, you could do more.

Would you like to post a review of the continuum fingerboard?
There was some discussion about it here a while back.
Looks very interesting.

mosc · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:21 am Post subject:

EdmundEagan to the electro-music.com forum.

Wow, you have a Continuum, very cool.

I'm not sure why EGW suggest you put the MIDI receive modules in the FX area, but I guess it is to save resources since apparently the Continuum won't sweet multiple notes on a given channel until the previous ones are terminated.

Even then, a note can terminate (NOTEOFF) but still be sounding because of a long decay time. I have sometimes patched the output of an envelope follower to block out envelope triggers until the sound has totally faded out. You make end up doing that as well.

I have found MIDI modules in the Poly area work very logically. Once you experiment and get the hang of it, I bet you can come up with a way to use the Continuum to play a polyphonic synth.

I agree with EGW, it would be great to hear you experiences with the Continuum. Please consider posting a review on the Reviews forum.

I suspect that most of your patches will end up being performances to handle this complication.

ian-s · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:31 am Post subject:

The G2 does not seem to be designed for guitar controllers with 6 channel MIDI. You could as stated create elaborate performances that will respond to more than 4 channels, but with no pitch bend receive module, the whole reason for having 6 channels is sort of lost.
Maybe get two engines for 8 mono voices but this I think would also be a pain. I dont think I could recommend the G2 as a sound module for MIDI guitar.

EdmundEagan · Joined: Oct 19, 2004 Posts: 5 Location: Canada

Hey thanks for you people for responding so quickly! From your three responses it doesn't seem that I can do EXACTLY what I want to do with the Continuum and the G2. Maybe that can change with an OS update. What is the best way to lobby for a feature addition to the G2 OS? Do I post to the wish list here, or should I send an email directly to Clavia?

And I will write a EM review of the Continuum soon.

Further to this current question of MIDI implementation, there is a mode on the Continuum where it operates on one MIDI channel only. In this mode the Continuum doesn't work as elegantly as it normally does, but it acts as a workaround for situations like I ran into with the G2.

Thanks for the wlecome and I'm glad to be part of the G2 community!

mosc · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:53 pm Post subject:

The best thing to do, IMHO, is to post an item on the Wish List forum.

It seems that if you limit your playing to four notes, you'll be OK on the G2. Looking at that controller you have, it seem like you could be very expressive within that limitation.

jksuperstar · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:53 pm Post subject:

That's an amazing controller....(good enough to match the control surface of the G2 Very Happy

)

It seems like in MIDI mode, the only thing you loose is the individual finger pressure. With all the programmability of the Continuum, I don't understand why each finger pressure couldn't get a generic CC#, rather than average of all fingers to CC#7. Then you wouldn't loose anything.

Maybe this should end up with requests to each manufacturer!

Rob