MIDI bass

[JC JC]

Ok, so I want to play kyoto and flute and the sound of spaceships on my bass...
So, I want to order a bass with piezeo pickups and a midi output.

Question)
Besides the bass, what do I need?
What stuff is "top of the line", cutting edge....that'll let me make alll kinds of whacky sounds?

Or how do I run the system through my laptop?
What do I need for that?

I don't like the reliability issue with the laptop and flimys computer cables (I'll be gigging with this rig).

JC

 

[NecroticImbecil]

How much money do you want to spend?

I know absolutely nothing about these guys, just found them on Google.

http://www.industrialradio.com.au/

I think you're talking about getting a custom bass with a Graphtech Ghost system or similar installed - I can't compare the performance of those to the cheaper solution of just getting a Roland GK3B pickup, but either way you will still need the cable to go from the bass to the Midi converter, be it Roland, Axon, or whatever. No real way to get a high performance MIDI-bass system without that cable, which might be a problem since you don't want "computer cable" hassles with your rig.

There's also the old Peavey MIDIbass, still found on Ebay frequently,which works pretty well but requires a cable that is essentially impossible to replace now that it's out of production. The link above sounds like it's basically a reissue of the Peavey with whatever tweaks they've introduced.

If you don't need blisteringly fast tracking, polyphony, and other such features, for $100 you can trigger a MIDI module with your bass with this:

http://www.sonuus.com/products_b2m.html

I have the guitar version and expect to order the bass version soon. The guitar one tracks well enough for moderately fast leads, can't really handle hammer-ons, pull-offs, or extreme pitch bends. It's great for a little background synth pad or strings, odd sounds, or augmenting single note lead playing. Since it just takes an audio input, you don't need a special cable, or any cable if you'v egot a wireless.




These guys stick to the higher strings mostly, I'd expect they track better - as with every guitar or bass to MIDI device I've ever seen.

 

[lposavad]

This is a two part answer.
The easy part: you can get the sounds from any any old hardware or software synth module. There are a LOT of old rackmount hardware synths out there for pretty cheap ($50 and up). Even a cheesy beginner's keyboard will get you started, as long as there is a MIDI input.

The hard part: On the bass side (I'm assuming you have a bass that you want to use to trigger these sounds) you have three options.

1. The SONUUS plug mentioned before - it looks cheap, quick and dirty but would be a low cost way to find out if you're serious about doing this;
2. Adding a pickup, most likely a Roland GK-3B. These are US$200 and can be installed by anyone with some skills (hey, I've done it!).
3. Permanent installation into your bass. I believe you can get a GK-3B permanent install kit (the guitard version is available). Another option is piezo pickups in your bridge saddles with the appropriate electronics to convert to MIDI. RMC and GraphTech are two places to start looking. This option requires permanent changes to your bass (routing, etc.) and will involve serious cost, from at least $500 up to maybe $1500 (I'm guessing here!).
4. If you want to just buy a synth-ready bass, save up your loonies and grab an F-Bass(!).

You're not done with the hard part yet. You need an interface that converts the signal from the MIDI pickup into actual MIDI data. There are two options:

1. (More popular) Converter with onboard sounds and MIDI output - these have been around since the 80's. Roland is the leader in this business (their latest is the GR-20), although Terratec offers the Axon AX-100 which apparently tracks better than the Roland gear. You may also find some old Yamaha gear laying around that did this kind of thing (their G50).
2. (Less? popular) Converter with MIDI and USB output. These produce no sound at all, but include a USB connection for direct recording to your computer. Look for the Roland GI-20 and the Axon AX-50, both around US$500.

Just for laughs, here's a ten-year-old site you can check out for some ancient MIDI-guitar history: http://jpsongs.com/troubadortech/mgtr.htm

DISCLAIMER: I've tried some of this stuff over the years, some of it quite long ago when the technology required more patience than I had. I'm still interested in going this route and plan to purchase this year, but I have no direct experience with any of the newer hardware I've mentioned (well, I did play a GR-20 with a Roland-ready Strat recently, but there's only so much you can do at Guitar Center with their demo gear...)

Now, my advice to you:
Pick up a SONUUS plug and a cheap hardware synth (rackmount) in the near term; you can get used to the technology for under Cdn$300.
Once you know you're serious, a Roland GK-3B and either an Axon AX-100 or one of the Roland floor synths (GR-20, GR-30, GR-33) would probably be best for you (since you're gigging).

CAUTION: some of the Roland modeling products, like the V Bass, do NOT output MIDI note data, so you're stuck with the onboard sounds. Broke my heart when I found that out...

 

[him666]

Have you guys ever tried the Sonuus b2m?
I wouldn't recommend it if you're serious about going to midi.

It's a fun little box to play around with. But the tracking is quiet sloppy, don't expect to be able to play those disco octaves..

The newest thing is laser to midi, but that will probably cost a lot of money,
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[elros]

I've used the Roland GK-2B and the Roland GR-20. Works quite well. Some lag on the lowest notes (the lowest octave on my 6-string) but still useable.

 

[Shroom]

I'm also interested in this, and your thread sparked a short research session that lead me to this video of the Roland GK3-B pickup and GR-30 processor thing:

It seems to track pretty well. The sounds are kind of cheesy but I'm sure you can program whatever you want or have an output go to a device which does allow you to program whatever you want. I'll have to look into the prices and stuff later.