Midi bass questions

[Bjazzman]

i eventually want to get a midi setup. my intentions are:

use it for midi via finale to score

use it to get sounds from external synths

does the tracking suck for anything more than a 4 string? what is the cheapest way to do this with the best latency. i like plug and play devices also so i know it will be a chore to program sounds. If there is an easy solution let me know

what should i look at?

the vb-99 looks nice but im not sure i'd use all the features

[DocBop]

If you already have recording software with sounds you can get a Roland pickup and their basic input box GI-20. Then your computer and DAW becomes your sound module.

With any MIDI pickup how well it works depends on how good your technique is. If you don't have excellent technique it will mis-trigger all over the place.

[Bjazzman]

so all the pickups and converters are pretty much the same when it comes to latency?

[DocBop]

All midi gear has latency since it has to convert. So you compensate with your playing by playing more on top of the beat. Also if recording you can quantize the midi track to line things up.

Even live bass gear has latency, ever play will just a 15" speaker? Big speakers putting out a long waveform are slow to get air moving and for the band and audience to hear the note, so you have to play up on the beat to be in time. That's why players like 10's they respond faster or they get cab's with horns so the highend gets the note out fast. There is latency everywhere and you learn to deal with it.

[derrico1]

It's been a while since I've played with guitar/bass pitch-to-MIDI conversion, but IME I was generally happier using a guitar-based MIDI controllers--even to play MIDI bass lines. Latency was less of an issue on guitar than on bass. (The smaller strings settled into pitch more quickly, and the guitar's higher notes more quickly ran through the several cycles needed for the convertors to recognize pitch.)