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#387817 - 04/11/14 01:19 PM Guitar-based MIDI: GI-20 or Axon 50?
DarrenH Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 04/11/14
Posts: 2
I've tried triggering soft synths from guitar via the MIDI out on my Roland GR-1. It's fairly useless. MIDI bandwidth seems to be just too slow for MIDI guitar, I'm assuming.

So I'm looking at the Roland GI-20 or the Axon 50.

The GI-20 (from what I see) uses old-school MIDI to transmit playing data. The Axon, however, uses MIDI via USB.

Is the Axon, with its' USB MIDI, any better than the GI-20 at reflecting the full range of what guitar-based MIDI is capable of? Or is my old GR-1 the culprit and much more is possible with a dedicated unit like either the GI-20 or the Axon 50?

THX DH

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#388421 - 04/27/14 12:41 AM Re: Guitar-based MIDI: GI-20 or Axon 50? [Re: DarrenH]
Nigel Offline
Admin

Registered: 06/01/98
Posts: 6482
Loc: Ventura CA USA
Originally Posted By: DarrenH
I've tried triggering soft synths from guitar via the MIDI out on my Roland GR-1. It's fairly useless. MIDI bandwidth seems to be just too slow for MIDI guitar, I'm assuming.

So I'm looking at the Roland GI-20 or the Axon 50.

The GI-20 (from what I see) uses old-school MIDI to transmit playing data. The Axon, however, uses MIDI via USB.

Is the Axon, with its' USB MIDI, any better than the GI-20 at reflecting the full range of what guitar-based MIDI is capable of? Or is my old GR-1 the culprit and much more is possible with a dedicated unit like either the GI-20 or the Axon 50?

THX DH


Yeah the GR-1 is old technology. But the latency (slowness) isn't due to MIDI it is because of the pitch to MIDI conversion back then which took some time ... I see a number of references to timing latency especially on the low strings using the GR-1.

The GI-20 or Axon would be the choice and both those would probably be much the same. USB or standard MIDI ports doesn't matter too much, the MIDI speed isn't what creates latency, it's the pitch conversion. Depends more on whether you want to drive MIDI gear that doesn't have USB MIDI.

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#390310 - 07/04/14 07:29 PM Re: Guitar-based MIDI: GI-20 or Axon 50? [Re: Nigel]
DarrenH Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 04/11/14
Posts: 2
Hi Nigel...I picked up a GR-50 afterward and noticed that the MIDI transmission works way better...in fact it works. So clearly it was largely a problem with the GR-1, a malfunction and probably compounded by the tracking issues you describe.

Thanks very much, D

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#390311 - 07/04/14 09:43 PM Re: Guitar-based MIDI: GI-20 or Axon 50? [Re: DarrenH]
Nigel Offline
Admin

Registered: 06/01/98
Posts: 6482
Loc: Ventura CA USA
That's great news Darren. It sounds like you have much more responsive system now.

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