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[on:]

I am in the process of developing a MIDI output guitar for my senior design project. Something similar to a Roland GK-3 but DIY and cheaper. Anyways, here is the site: http://GuitArduino.com in which I am keeping an up to date process of the project. Please feel free to comment or offer help or advice or even given me your input as to what your thoughts are on it. If you have seen a project similar to this let me know. Thanks.

[Reply #1 on:]

Wow! I sure hope that this goes to the final application! How does the commercial product take the pick into the controller?

Kari

[Reply #2 on:]

Have you seen my MIDI Guitar project:-

[Reply #3 on:]

The Roland GK-3, a current guitar to MIDI converter, only takes the MIDI information when the strings are being played. I would like to also do so as a final project. However, I haven't quite worked that out and plan on worrying about it when I get there. I think at first I am going to make it like a Guitorgan (), but with a synth. The Roland GK 3 is a really cool device, it is a pickup you can add to your guitar and I believe it reads the frequency coming off each of the strings. I kind of want to use dsp (digital signal processing) as a last resort.

[Reply #4 on:]

@Grumpy_Mike

That thing is awesome! I would like to have something like this but also have the functionality of a guitar. Like have similar effects and controls accompanying you while you play guitar. How long did that take you make?

[Reply #5 on:]

It was a good four months of weekends. 

[Reply #6 on:]

The Roland GK-3, a current guitar to MIDI converter, only takes the MIDI information when the strings are being played...

It must take the frequency of vibrating string, I cannot imagine any other technic for that, MIDI pickups looks so simple. And it probably work only with metal strings, so classical guitars are (???) out of the question?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to see this project getting to the... some sort of success! Too bad I suck with this kind of things, I can't help a bit here. Not yet!
Good luck!

Cheers,
Kari

[Reply #7 on:]

Have you seen my MIDI Guitar project:-

That is very impressing, I must say, but it is so far from actual playing... I'm interested in MIDI because its ability to record my playing to the sequencer for further edition.

But your technical achievement is really something!!! Well, it is the first of its kind that I've seen, so I must say I like it a lot.

Cheers,
Kari

[Reply #8 on:]

I just updated the site with video of my MIDI Guitar in its current state. I have MIDI output from the acoustic guitar, to the synth. Please check it out and tell me what you think.

Here is the site: http://GuitArduino.com

[Reply #9 on:]

I don't mean to keep on updating this if no one is interested but for the few that are here is the latest update:

http://guitarduino.blogspot.com/2011/02/build-day-1-overview.html

and the latest youtube video. Thanks.

[Reply #10 on:]

That is a novel method to know what note is being played with the voltage divider. You could also use the rectified guitar signal as midi volume even though it wont know what string is making the most noise with a pickup or mic

[Reply #11 on:]

i know you'd probably wanna try to make a guitar to midi converter you self but there is alot of hard ware involved. i have there synth pickup on my bass. and took one apart. its more or less one pickup per a string then the control has hard ware and soft ware to convert it to midi.
there's a new product out i forget who makes it but i can find it for you.its just a tiny box you just plug your guitar cable in to and it give midi out and guitar out. it runs off of a battery. you could take it apart and install it inside a guitar. or look at carvin web site. you can buy pazero(sp? iam half awake) saddles to retro fit a guitar and use there on board preamp to out put midi. you could use ether setup and know what notes your playing and have the guitar light react to it.

[Reply #12 on:]

i know you'd probably wanna try to make a guitar to midi converter you self but there is alot of hard ware involved. i have there synth pickup on my bass. and took one apart. its more or less one pickup per a string then the control has hard ware and soft ware to convert it to midi.
there's a new product out i forget who makes it but i can find it for you.its just a tiny box you just plug your guitar cable in to and it give midi out and guitar out. it runs off of a battery. you could take it apart and install it inside a guitar. or look at carvin web site. you can buy pazero(sp? iam half awake) saddles to retro fit a guitar and use there on board preamp to out put midi. you could use ether setup and know what notes your playing and have the guitar light react to it.

I believe the object you are talking about is a Roland GK 3. There is a difference between that and a guitorgan. The guitorgan will output sound without having to strum the guitar. Where as a MIDI converter like a Roland GK 3, the notes need to be played.  The guitorgan is basically a rearranged piano on the neck of a guitar. The guitar input and MIDI input are independent of one another. Where as the Roland GK 3's MIDI output depends on the guitar being played.

[Reply #13 on:]

Sonuus?

http://www.sonuus.com/products.html

  is that the guitar/ or bass to midi box?  It is 100 dollars and monophonic.  If this is cheaper, which I think labor alone and chopping up a perfectly good guitar would be more than 100, I hope polyphony is at least possible for all the extra effort.  I hope you continue to post updates as the project is a great idea.

Keep up the good work Andrew!

[Reply #14 on:]

BTW, I think piezo midi pickups have been available for a while (Graphtech ghost and others) so nylon or other strings could be used also. 
--E