I have one of these, it's great fun. It also has MIDI out so you can control a normal synth with it or connect to your PC, or do anything you would normally do with a MIDI signal.
Where this little guy shines is live if you play in typical rock covers band that has two guitars, bass and drums. Out of our 80 song list I use it on about 25. Just adds a bit of flavor to the mix here and there. Can these things ever replace a keyboard.. hell no, but for certain applications and if you are patient enough to work with it can be a lot of fun. Nothing like cranking out a screaming sax solo and seeing everyone looking around for that horn player :)
@XHALE303 also, some midi pedals allow you to layer patches, so you can get a guitar/square wave/tubular bell preset or something; get some wicked crazy unique solo tones.
how do you return the device to factory settings? I bought a used one that the SENS settings seem to have been customized and it isn't picking up well wj=hen connected to my guitar with built in 13 pin synth access.
the pickup does NOT do anything with MIDI, it is a regular analog pickup with 6 individual humbucker pickups for each string, the actual Pitch to MIDI conversion happens in the GR-20/30/33/55
Considering the built-in sounds on this seem to be so lousy I think anyone who was wanting to play, say, a cello with their guitar would be far better off going straight into a laptop running something like the Vienna Symphonic Library (which isn't at all cheap, but it's very good). Also from what I hear Graph Tech's Hexpander is much better as far as MIDI pickups go, not least because you can do stuff like split the playing position or fretboard to play different instruments.
i see no reason 2play keyboard sounds with your guitar :/ but anyway is it possible 2record those midi notes & when u press play, will it control the guitar with all the slides & velocitys etc, just like a midi synth?....so will it also control/play back the guitar aslong its connected?...i dont mean the keyboard sounds
Hello, dear friend, thanks for your information. Now I have a problem so I would like to know if you are willing to help me. I am working with Sibelius notation music software in my PC. I use a "Midisport uno" interface. The problem happens when I try to assign midi channels to a different sounds of a Roland GR-20. When I open Sibelius configuration mode and then I assign the numbers of bank and program change number to channel number 1, everything is ok, but when I try to assign the next sound to channel 2, it doesn´t sound any sound when I activate the test function, however, the interface lights, indicating that the message has passed through the interface and get the GR-20, but no sound. The only sound I can get from the GR-20 is the one of channel1. In other words, I just can use only one sound at a time. Sorry for my English, my native language is Spanish.
Question - how would you go from patch to patch by foot? Would you need another exterrnal pedal if you specifically wanted to change sounds by foot? and if so, could you recommend any foot switches in particular?
I have a sonnus i2m and its terrible, it can't track faster than 8th notes at 120bpm and it always messes up octave and sometimes semitone out. does the g2 pickup allow me to track midi into a sequencer and record audio at same time?
this is a old video so hoping someone can answer this.....im looking to use midi guitar to control xpand2 in pro tools 12..ive been using yourock guitar (midi guitar) really cheap but works for triggering notes and i cant play piano nearly as good as guitar will gr20 meet my needs?
You can control any PC based synth with it. There are tons of sounds (or you can make your own). You can have a different instrument set to each string!
I know, but this particular case do not do none of those, right? The only thing it does is controling for exemple the roland g55 wich is the interface, because the output is not a midi it looks like but is a roland "jack" (has a name dont remind now) wich has more pins.
WarriorOfMetal RoadOfKings I'm more used to the VG99 by Roland. I see your point, but when these devices were released the tech needed to just plug a guitar in and have a DAW or signal processor affect the sound was too slow. You don't really need it now, but if you are someone who experiments you can do some mad shit (tunings on the fly, different instruments/effects per string etc
i will take my chances with the yrg :).....mainly for the tap and mode seems the closest thing to the synthaxe or steppe guitar. midi has always seemed to respond better to keys and buttons. for slower arpeggios, strings can work. but try to tremolo pick or alternate pick and it get's quite studdery and sloppy..and the built in sounds just don't do it for me on these rolands....i have played free vst plugins that are 100 times better sounding
@XHALE303 if you're in a band that wants to have a piano or an orchestra sond, but just in the second verse or something. you wouldn't want to hire a keyboard player just for that.
Yes but then you can trigger virtual instruments, like ivory, EWQL, 8dio, Kontakt, trigger the 8dio legacy piano and it wont sound like a $10 keyboard!
Back in the 90's, I bought a CASIO electronic guitar. These Roland GR-20 or 30 things do what I wanted that stupid piece of CASIO shit to do. I tried selling it a few years later and was told it was a toy. That CASIO was your 10 dollar keyboard....
i frkn hate you intro, specially the music, the podcast is really good, the only reason i dont watch it often its because of the intro that iiiss really annoying, that said, good job =)
There is a wide availability of more easily played chord inversions with this kind of set up, along with the uniquely easy control over bending and sliding between notes. Then there is the ability to take the midi data from jams and use that to produce tabs of the notes you played (even in real time), that can be played back, easily mixed in with music on a home pc, and altered in a wide variety of ways.
You did not scratch the surface. I hope you are not making a living selling tis unit on comission. You would starve. The worst demo I have seen. If I were TRUMP-"YOURE FIRED"
I have one of these, it's great fun. It also has MIDI out so you can control a normal synth with it or connect to your PC, or do anything you would normally do with a MIDI signal.
Where this little guy shines is live if you play in typical rock covers band that has two guitars, bass and drums. Out of our 80 song list I use it on about 25. Just adds a bit of flavor to the mix here and there. Can these things ever replace a keyboard.. hell no, but for certain applications and if you are patient enough to work with it can be a lot of fun. Nothing like cranking out a screaming sax solo and seeing everyone looking around for that horn player :)
You didn't demonstrate how well it picks up playing fast. Bending strings? Slides?
How does the glide sound? Come onn..
you should show how close or closer to the strings by youtube video
That was cool. I just bought four of them.
@XHALE303 also, some midi pedals allow you to layer patches, so you can get a guitar/square wave/tubular bell preset or something; get some wicked crazy unique solo tones.
Very helpful for Guitarist in Music Programing.
2:40 good sound for moby - porcelain
Great Demo!
The GR-30 is also an awesome piece of gear!
that riff sure was dry but it got me WET
how do you return the device to factory settings? I bought a used one that the SENS settings seem to have been customized and it isn't picking up well wj=hen connected to my guitar with built in 13 pin synth access.
actually his intro is the most creative thing in this video
the pickup does NOT do anything with MIDI, it is a regular analog pickup with 6 individual humbucker pickups for each string, the actual Pitch to MIDI conversion happens in the GR-20/30/33/55
no it is in the pickup
why dont they make midi pickups that let you control the synths you actually want to play?
Aaron Reece probably you know why. though they have smth like gi-20, with that you can control any standard midi synth
+Aaron Reece Roland has made the GK-3 pickup for just that
but only with additional midi converter
Considering the built-in sounds on this seem to be so lousy I think anyone who was wanting to play, say, a cello with their guitar would be far better off going straight into a laptop running something like the Vienna Symphonic Library (which isn't at all cheap, but it's very good). Also from what I hear Graph Tech's Hexpander is much better as far as MIDI pickups go, not least because you can do stuff like split the playing position or fretboard to play different instruments.
does this have 13- pin Midi?
Yes
Midi is taking OVER!!!!!!!
There was no mention of MIDI.
Ralph Detko , yup, no mention of MIDI, even though it’s in the title. There used to be a way to flag videos with misleading titles.
wow. this guy knows a lot of songs.
What's the price of the PK5 bass pedal?
i see no reason 2play keyboard sounds with your guitar :/
but anyway is it possible 2record those midi notes
& when u press play, will it control the guitar with all the slides & velocitys etc, just like a midi synth?....so will it also control/play back the guitar aslong its connected?...i dont mean the keyboard sounds
Hello!
Plese, how make the reset to factory settings on GR 20?
Thank you!
bom trabalho
Hello, dear friend, thanks for your information. Now I have a problem so I would like to know if you are willing to help me. I am working with Sibelius notation music software in my PC. I use a "Midisport uno" interface. The problem happens when I try to assign midi channels to a different sounds of a Roland GR-20. When I open Sibelius configuration mode and then I assign the numbers of bank and program change number to channel number 1, everything is ok, but when I try to assign the next sound to channel 2, it doesn´t sound any sound when I activate the test function, however, the interface lights, indicating that the message has passed through the interface and get the GR-20, but no sound. The only sound I can get from the GR-20 is the one of channel1. In other words, I just can use only one sound at a time.
Sorry for my English, my native language is Spanish.
Are these things
obsolete these days..?
can i use a gk 2 pick up with this??
aaand here he is, ladies and gentleman: the man who only could play one riff...
no haven pedal sustain in the piano???
Does the pickup system provide a MIDI signal or is the signal converted to MIDI in the GR-20?
Julian Woods Hi Julian, the pick up is an interface (hex-analog), the MIDI conversion is in the GR20 itselves.
Question - how would you go from patch to patch by foot? Would you need another exterrnal pedal if you specifically wanted to change sounds by foot? and if so, could you recommend any foot switches in particular?
You can program the foot pedals to change patches instead of their glide/hold functions
I have a sonnus i2m and its terrible, it can't track faster than 8th notes at 120bpm and it always messes up octave and sometimes semitone out. does the g2 pickup allow me to track midi into a sequencer and record audio at same time?
Does the gr-20 have a "growling sax" type sound? (the gr55 doesn't). Also does it have a B3 type organ?
I dont need this. TmMy Boss GT5 and Gt3 and GT8 does what this do and a whole lot more. I got a GR1 just as good as these
What's a port mento?
+Kevin Herbert he means "portamento"
right, so what's a portamento?
A slide from one note to another - I think he states this in this video, also.
what happens if you bend the strings? :D
this is a old video so hoping someone can answer this.....im looking to use midi guitar to control xpand2 in pro tools 12..ive been using yourock guitar (midi guitar) really cheap but works for triggering notes and i cant play piano nearly as good as guitar will gr20 meet my needs?
What is the point of midi if cant connect to pc, only to have diferent sounds?
You can control any PC based synth with it. There are tons of sounds (or you can make your own). You can have a different instrument set to each string!
And for that you need another gear like gr 55 wich are expensive, like I said its only to have more sounds not to connect to a pc.
WarriorOfMetal RoadOfKings
MIDI is a lot more than just sounds. MIDI can control all sorts, lighting, video,
I know, but this particular case do not do none of those, right? The only thing it does is controling for exemple the roland g55 wich is the interface, because the output is not a midi it looks like but is a roland "jack" (has a name dont remind now) wich has more pins.
WarriorOfMetal RoadOfKings
I'm more used to the VG99 by Roland. I see your point, but when these devices were released the tech needed to just plug a guitar in and have a DAW or signal processor affect the sound was too slow. You don't really need it now, but if you are someone who experiments you can do some mad shit (tunings on the fly, different instruments/effects per string etc
Hardest TH-cam video I've ever watched.
Can anyone tell me if I could use the GR or perhaps the gi-20 to convert the sound of a melodica to midi and use it the same way as with a guitar?
I guess you're right. Thanks for responding.
No these midi pickups only work with stringed instruments. If they have a midi controller for wind instruments i'm not aware of it.
Cool riff bro
i will take my chances with the yrg :).....mainly for the tap and mode seems the closest thing to the synthaxe or steppe guitar. midi has always seemed to respond better to keys and buttons. for slower arpeggios, strings can work. but try to tremolo pick or alternate pick and it get's quite studdery and sloppy..and the built in sounds just don't do it for me on these rolands....i have played free vst plugins that are 100 times better sounding
Any one can show me can I use gr 20 on 12 string acoustic guitar?
this is the stupidest comment ever
wow you managed to make something that should be FUN AND AWESOME into something boring...
I can't understand the chord progression you play since the beginning lol
@XHALE303 if you're in a band that wants to have a piano or an orchestra sond, but just in the second verse or something. you wouldn't want to hire a keyboard player just for that.
Bizarre ces sons !
I should have got this instead of the YouRock guitar.....looks MUCH better
At the least that one riff isn't "Smoke On the Water"
Shows you how to 'check' string sensitivity but not how to adjust it? Not very helpful...
I'll buy the You Rock Guitar Pro when it comes out. Visit their page on Kickstarter.
fucking awesome!!!
im not impressed looks and sounds like it was made in the 80s
Ruined "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". It's 1 8 6 5 3 5 2 not 1 6 5 3 2 5 2.
Lol
Yes but then you can trigger virtual instruments, like ivory, EWQL, 8dio, Kontakt, trigger the 8dio legacy piano and it wont sound like a $10 keyboard!
I would use a midi guitar, but only through propellerheads REASON, why fuck around and use anything less than perfect
Sounds like ass.Who the hell would buy this crap?
Back in the 90's, I bought a CASIO electronic guitar. These Roland GR-20 or 30 things do what I wanted that stupid piece of CASIO shit to do. I tried selling it a few years later and was told it was a toy. That CASIO was your 10 dollar keyboard....
i frkn hate you intro, specially the music, the podcast is really good, the only reason i dont watch it often its because of the intro that iiiss really annoying, that said, good job =)
that last sound sounds like fart noise
FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY
....thats all I need to say, look it up.
I respect any opinion, but.. Why would anyone want their guitar to sound like a keyboard? Why don't you just buy a keyboard?
Some people might be more comfortable with a guitar? makes it more simple
There is a wide availability of more easily played chord inversions with this kind of set up, along with the uniquely easy control over bending and sliding between notes.
Then there is the ability to take the midi data from jams and use that to produce tabs of the notes you played (even in real time), that can be played back, easily mixed in with music on a home pc, and altered in a wide variety of ways.
good for looping. so your not restrained to just regular guitar sounds
Because I can't play a keyboard but I can play a guitar?
I write piano / orchestra / synth sounds into our recordings, and recreating them live with my guitar would be really handy.
awful demonstration.
You demo it then ...
That's why it's a useful demo, it's shows the real approach for anyone, not just ''marketing product''.
If you can't play the key, you want to pretend.
Cassio
there nothing more boring than a guitarist using the 3 sames notes for every sounds..
GR 20 SUX
Bob is not stoned at all………..
horibble melody
1/20 boring
Sounds like a ten dollar keyboard.
You did not scratch the surface. I hope you are not making a living selling tis unit on comission. You would starve. The worst demo I have seen. If I were TRUMP-"YOURE FIRED"
the Moog guitar seems to be better, but of course all I can afford right now is VST freeware... :(