Watch out for MIDI Violin. A violinist's bow is capable of controlling about 5 different parameters of a sound at once, and if tracking improves for audio -> MIDI and the bow direction/speed/pressure/curve/tone can be analyzed, violinists will not only be able to play synths, but actively control the entire sound the synth makes through all of the active envelopes we learn to control with our classical training
You should Warren! It reminds me of the old Roland guitar synths that were popular in the late 90's-early 2000's but made wireless, tiny, and USB compatible. It has almost no latency issue and the setup is tediuous because of the Triple-Play's sensitivity; but if you ever setup one of Roland's Synth pickups you'll have no problem with one of these. I love running Kontact with it!
I only play at home, with a laptop. If you don't mind that, there is a vst that is almost as good: Midi Guitar by Jam Origin. A friend even uses it for his music production. LOL, I just realized who the OP is! Well, my recommendation goes for anyone who reads this. I love playing midi instruments with a guitar. Plus, since it's a vst, you can use any guitar without any hardware installation.
Wagakki band plays their metal stuff on traditional instruments like Shamisen, Flute, Gongs, Gayageums and Japanese drums. If it makes sounds, it could metal.
For anyone who wants to try this sorta thing out on a budget, there's actually a plugin by Jam Origin called MIDIGuitar2 that effectively does what the Fishman pickup does, but without the pickup. It uses your DI signal to track pitch and it's actually not too bad. The latency and tracking is probably better on the Fishman, but for the price of MIDIGuitar2, it isn't a bad alternative.
Someone actually measured the latency of Midi Guitar 2 and it was around 10 milliseconds. I'd say that's decent. Also one of the pros of MG2 is that you can use any audio source on it, not just an electric guitar. Try singing in to it. I bought MG2 last month and I am having fun with all the possibilities it provides.
The downside to using a pluggin for Midi over a guitar track is that it will be "Monophonic" meaning it can only see one note at a time. Post processing this can be useful but the Triple play has a sensor on each string so you can play all 6 strings and get 6 different midi-notes at the same time. The other thing that Glen didn't talk about was the tab making - which was my main reason for buying one. You can play your song to a metranome in the software and it till tab it out for you instantly even noting what string you're playing (it may need some help with slides with a manual edit from time to time). Last I checked tabbing can only be done in standard tuning, which is why I don't use it (it's been a couple years since I used it, they may have a patched drop tuning in by now).
Jacinth Clifton The other guy said it first, but he's right. MG2 is polyphonic. It can take some tweaking to get some of the settings right with your chosen instrument, but it's an awesome plugin worth the price of admission. Also, I'm pretty sure that MG2 can be used to tab parts out. Not sure if you can do it in real time though. You can change the tunings though!
Glad you mentioned Jeniffer Batten. She´s so underrated for what she´d accomplished during her carreer. Also Steve Stevens used and stil uses guitar synths a lot during live shows.
Iirc they used guitar synths on Somewhere in Time, but moved to just using keyboards to record Seventh Son because it was less fiddly. But I could be wrong...
Seventh Son was all keyboards, no guitar synths (the arpeggiator in the intro buildup and ending of Moonchild MIGHT be Adrian Smith on a guitar synth...H is credited with "synths," and Steve Harris is credited with "string synths"; based off of their live stuff, I think H did the Moonchild stuff [he wrote the song with Bruce] and Steve did all the rest of the keyboard work for the album).
Gotta warn yas, its pretty addictive once you dial it in 100%. Got a Roland GK3 mounted onto a Schecter KM6 into a GR-55 and a SY-1000. Can spend days just browsing patches.
These videos that display something completely different technology vise are just the best. Especially the effort you put in to show and explain the history and legacy of said technology. I hope you'll put these on a playlist that they all deserve :) And MORE please! :)
I remember around 1988, or the beginning of '89. Jerry Garcia had a MIDI set up. He had it installed on a strat. He would only use it for the song "I Will Take You Home". Then by the end of '89 he'd had the pick-up installed in his custom Doug Irwin so he could use it all the time. I remember the night Brandford Marsalas sat in with them in March of '89. Jerry had the MIDI horn going and he and Brandford got a harmonized lick going.
So here's a question for you. I'm just a basement thrasher. I love music, but am not a pro by any means. I just like making noise. As a result, it just doesn't make sense to drop a ton of money on gear. That is why I am so grateful that you introduced me to amp sims and impulse responses. My question is, is there an impulse response that simulates a Leslie amp speaker? I like some of the songs from the 70s that use a Leslie.
In recent years, Boss and Electro Harmonix released guitar synthesizer pedals that do not require an external pickup. I own a Boss SY-300, SY-1, an Electro Harmonix Synth 9 and Mel 9. They work pretty good, and if you're careful, there are no tracking problems. I use them with guitar, sitar, and dilruba (I don't play metal, but I love your channel, and learn new things every time I check in). These pedals function exactly the way you described; they add a new and deeper dimension to the sound. You can also bring them to the foreground and do some insane things! Years ago, I modified a Roland GK pickup and attached it to my sitar. It sounded like a Jimi Hendrix concert! Scared the hell out of everyone! I highly recommend them.
I absolutely love it. I’ve read the comments and it isn’t clear that the FTP doesn’t have a sound, because it’s a data transfer device. It sends your performance to the PC wirelessly, and tracks pitch, velocity, and sustain. These performance aspects can be further tweaked with panning values and assigned to anything. It also bears mentioning that quality virtual instruments are sampled extensively at multiple velocities, so they are capable of conveying emotion. The FTP is a great way to connect to another world of sounds. It is resource intensive, so having a clean PC, running optimally will aid in latency, SSD drives a huge plus. I use a Microsoft Surface Pro (tablet) with external USB3 SSD. Effects processing with synth sounds is so much fun, a dream come true for me. Softsynths are exceptional these days, and a single instance offers any virtual effect you could imagine, automated control over parameters. Not to mention the accessibility to the MIDI data in Piano Roll, where you can shift things around and assign the notes to anything. As others have said, the song sounds KILLER, and those drums are so powerful, amazingly well done. Love it. Big 👍 from me. 😜
You complained in the other video that no one watched this. So I watched it. You’re welcome. With that being said, why did you leave out Roland? I picked up a VG8 Expanded for about $125 recently, and sometimes you can get the pickup and cable thrown in on the deal. Some of us poor “kids” had to wait about 25 years to the price to come down from $1000. We just weren’t going to get that when I was growing up. Gear like that was a dream back in the day. Definitely don’t want any of this to come off as dickish, so on a positive note- I had never seen the Fishman pick up before. Very very interesting. Also - I love your channel. You’re the Sam Kinnison of gear show hosts. Screaming at everyone to put down their bongs. I love it!! Keep up the good work Glenn!!
Glenn, this was an excellent timeline on the development of synths and midi as well as guitar synth. I have this Fishman unit, and that it permits interfacing with a DAW as well as allowing the guitar's usual pickups to be run through an effects chain allows ultra flexible improvising.
The historical overview on guitar synths was very cool! I can see this being useful in a metal context, adding different textures to augment the guitars.
For anyone looking to play around with guitar synth, check out MidiGuitar 2. I believe they're still offering a free demo and it functions without the synth pickup, though the tracking is far from perfect. So glad to see this technology getting some attention 👍
The Syntheaxe also didn't use pitch-to-voltage conversion so there was no latency like with the Roland synths. You think that ARP thing was expensive? The Syntheaxe was 20 grand IIRC. I wish Roland licensed their tech after they went out of business so we'd have that now, but that would have meant abandoning all the R&D they did to make pitch to voltage work better.
I have an idea for the next video in this series. Can you play metal on a lap steel guitar? I am thinking of Pink Floyds ”One of these days” which uses a lap steel with effects, so hearing it in metal would be very interesting.
I messed around with guitar synths for a few years. Regardless of the sounds they may or may not make, there's no better way to improve your technique than trying to wrestle with something that's perpetually a moment away from sounding like a cat having a fit on a keyboard if your fretting or muting isn't absolutely up to scratch.
KnapfordMaster98 Turbo is the epitome of listening with your eyes. I first heard Turbo lover accompanied by the black and purple reissue art. I thought it was one of the coolest sounding and looking things I had ever heard, and I immediately thought “oh I know exactly what they were going for and I love it.“ But then I found out it wasn’t the original art, and when I saw the original cover I thought “oh no I can definitely see how this was misunderstood.“ I know that’s all psychological, but I really wonder if there is something there. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a metalhead, I love 80s hard rock but at the same time I love Cindy Lauper and stuff like Til Tuesday, so I’m more open to crossover with rock. I think a lot of that 80s pop “cheese“ has immense charm and heart to it.
An alternative question, is there any instrument you can't play metal on or even better is there any instrument that hasn't yet been used to play metal with somewhere in the world?
When i was actively playing in bands, there were two keyboard players in the town that did metal.. There were dozens of guitarist.. The other keyboard player was Henkka from Stratovarius.. And no, i am nowhere near him in skills, i was more a mood creator and programmer. So yeah, based on my anecdotal experience, learning to play keyboards in a metal context, pays off.
Karl Sanders used one quite a bit early on with Nile. I was fortunate to see them just before In Their Darkened Shrines was released, and got a kick out of Karl dicking with his guitar synth, floor keyboard, laptop, regular guitar playing and doing vocals. It was was pretty impressive.
The jamorigin plugin "midi guitar 2" is quite phenomenal as well.. You miiiight want to check it out. Given you have a reasonably fast interface with a computer that doesn't date from Mathusalem, that plugin is almost as fast as the Fishman... At a fraction of the price. What's cool is that you don't need extra gear. Plug your guitar in your interface, launch the plugin.. and you're done. You can feed that thing's midi out to any VST. Pair it with kontakt, and you have one meaaaaaan synth axe.
Tracking midi tracks for EZbass, Eurobass II, Modo Bass; creating Guitar Pro Tabs faster, addig keyboards to a song without having a keyboard around - I got high hopes for this stuff. If the latency is killer, Dino Cazares can trigger kick drums with his picking while his drummer can smoke a cigarette watching it.
This video is a great overview video of Guitar and Synth, but awesome to see the modern adaptations and that we're moving back into synth territory in the 2020's.. I've gotten heavily into Eurorack this year and have used it as an ambient machine, a drum machine, and overall processor for my songs! I made sure to include the Intellijel Audio I/O into my case so I can also plug my guitar directly into the Eurorack, use Voltage Control Amplifier modules to increase the translated CV, and then filter, delay, or decimate from there.. Using other modules within the case to provide gate or cv outputs into other permeators or modules you are running your audio signal to and get some amazing outcomes! :) Also, Eurorack is great with Midi keyboards as well.. As a guitarist, Eurorack was an investment well worth it, but you could definitely do alot with a unit like this! First unit I've seen to combine a guitar with synth vsts to create patches. I wonder if you could use the Fishman unit to also relay signal through Eurorack vsts..?
That's pretty cool. I myself prefer keyboard MIDI controllers. But it's great to see that guitar players have an opinion. There are loads of synth plugins so you can craft your own sound. Some free options include Vital, Odin 2, and Helm. I would love to see more metal bands using synths. Jump by Van Halen and The Final Countdown by Europe wouldn't be what they are without the synths. Keep in mind that modern MIDI works with old gear. If you get a MIDI to USB deal; you can plug that in to and school keyboard and rout the MIDI guitar to it in Reaper. Since I use a mix of USB MIDI and 5 pin DIN MIDI; I find myself using MIDI routing in Reaper a lot. It works great. Just set the track input to the MIDI device (the guitar synth) and set the track output to whatever device you want to control.
I had a Roland GK-3 pickup but relying on that short cable was kinda frustrating. I sold it now and put the Fishman on my Thomann wishlist. Especially as I got the EastWest Composer Cloud, this will be really nice.
Guitar + synths is a match made in heaven, I'm glad that this topic came up and has been making somewhat of a comeback, Misha from Periphery has used a similar trick to add texture to an already existing guitar line blending both together (as seen in one of his documentaries about how they made a Periphery record, "Stay indoors" I think it was called) and synths are completely different monsters of an instrument compared to a guitar or piano since you have total control over what you trigger with a key (or string in this situation), this is a thing I would like to see more proper integration since electronic music such as Trance (usually mislabeled as -Techno-), DnB, Goa/Psy and so on share a bit of the same modes and scales also found in metal, they have a tendency to go with minor sounding melodies and strong rhytmic foundations. However I would love to see it working with my own self-made patches on Sylenth, RePro and other synths, hopefully if this gains any popularity or force we can enjoy some cool blues synth solos like the one on Infected Mushroom's Heavyweight and also hopefuly it would lead to more people into synths and sound design.
Definitely have to look into the Triple Play for convenience alone. I am a big GK-3 13 pin pickup nerd and Roland/Boss GR/GP unit user. I do prefer the idea of the older fashioned wired up system since its passive, the tracking is instantaneous, and the pickups also work with V Guitar system modeling taking the flat signal the GK-3 picks up, and doing some rather stunning modeling of other pickups and acoustic instruments with the ability to use palm mutes, pinch and false harmonics, and generally natural dynamics. I am sure the Fishman will have that capability in time.
I know this is sponsored by Fishman and all that but after trying that and multiple types of midi guitars I’ve found that I enjoy the Jam Origin Midi Guitar 2 software the most. It’s just software that converts your signal to midi without requiring any special pickups or guitar modifications. Very affordable too! I’d recommend it to anyone curious about midi guitar technology. I may still buy an Artiphon Instrument 1 just because I like the idea that it’s not trying too hard to be a guitar without actually being one, unlike the Jammy which is more frustrating than it is useful. I’m going to be selling mine soon. The RockBand Mad Catz Fender Mustang is pretty cool but is built to feel more like a toy than a real instrument/tool(I actually found one at Goodwill for $10). The You Rock Guitar looks like a level up from that, but still falls into the toy category.
Thanks for the history lesson, Glenn. I didn’t ask for it or expect it, but it was a welcomed surprise. Side note; I really need to get one if these. I’d much rather perform the synth lines in my music than program them. I can’t play keys to save my life.
What a wonderful and comprehensive review of guitar synths. It would have been good to see King Crimson referenced for their excellent use of guitar-synth in the 80's.
i use a Roland GR20 guitar synth, it is a great addition to the sound when mixed in with the guitar signal. You need to modify your playing to get the most out of it, though If you play like normal the isolated synth tracks sound like a demented keyboard player following the guitar riff. I LOVE IT!!!!!
I was so confused when I saw Fishman in Sweetwater's guitar brands list. I was even more confused when I clicked on it and didn't see a single guitar. Now I know what these things are.
Now I need to go listen to modern Iron Maiden stuff because there's ALOT of guitar synth work in there. Goddamnit now I want a triple play, but I don't got a guitar suitable for one atm x-x
When you get into layering guitar tones with synth sounds, you have a bigger range of sound. I say this of experience, having once owned the ROLAND GR-20, GR-33, and currently the BOSS SY-300.
One trick that can really help with single note melodies is to switch the vsti to monophonic and it eliminates most ghost notes, that midi guitar is notorious for on poly mode, i have a discontinued yourock midi toy like guitar and it works, also tried it on the midi guitar plugin that is a plug-in of a midi pickup
Hi Glenn ! Love that, as a huge synth user and guitar player, this could make my workflow way more efficient ! Btw if you're curious about heavy metal synth rythms, I urge you to listen to a bit of darksynth/darkwave/whatever it's called nowadays. Artists like Carpenter Brut, Perturbator (who played at the Hellfest/Download festival) or Hollywood Burns are largely inspired by metal and some if not most of them have downright heavy riffs on synth. Great stuff ! Cheers from France mate !
GLEEENNN!!! You can't talk about synth guitars without mentioning Canadian-made Godin guitars, with their iconic LGX model, and the Multiac, the first (and only?) nylon-string synth guitar.
Nice video as always, Glenn. I think a guitar synth would work for metal but it depends on the needs of the band, especially if they are more experimental. I would use it to give some atmosphere for some rhythm parts combining amp and synth sounds. As a suggestion for future videos, you should try these concepts: - Can you play Metal on a Brian May's Red Special? (yes, I know Queen played 'Stone Cold Crazy' but I talk about more heavy sounds) - Variax vs the real deal, what should you buy?. Greetings from Chile.
This is what I'm working on right now. Very close to getting to go. Godin XTSA, Roland GR 30, into Reaper. Older system, but it won't matter as much for longer dramatic tones for movie soundtracks.
Always loved the idea of having a guitar synth but eventually gave up, because it was always so weird to play and the tracking was strange. The best one i had was the latest one from Roland but still not convinced. Then I took some time and learned to play keys, which imo just makes more sense, delivers a better result and is also very useful in a composing context.
It worked for Cynic back in the 90s! Mind you, they weren't using it for main rhythm or lead guitar tones, but it did away with the need for a keyboard player.
I play a Parker Fly that's something of a custom MIDI Fly into a Roland GR-50/GP-10, and if you have the right noise loaded, sure, you could play metal.
Glenn, In your historical reference to early guitar synthesizers. Why did you decide not to cover the 1990s Roland VG8? It’s Guitar modeling technology is still being used today in Roland amplifier and FX Pedals. Also are you planning on covering the use of panflute and accordion as well as the triangle in metal music? Thank you again for the video. It was very enjoyable.
Clicked for metal, got a short history. No complaints here
A short history in Glenn's voice is freaking me out. Aha
Wow... someone surely did their research!!!!
Watch out for MIDI Violin. A violinist's bow is capable of controlling about 5 different parameters of a sound at once, and if tracking improves for audio -> MIDI and the bow direction/speed/pressure/curve/tone can be analyzed, violinists will not only be able to play synths, but actively control the entire sound the synth makes through all of the active envelopes we learn to control with our classical training
Nine Inch Nails used synthesized guitars for a lot of the orchestral sounds on “The Fragile” in 1999. Pretty convincing sound, still!
Well hello Tony :-)
How are you and ye channel? It's been some time since you got dew from the mountain.
I love your videos dude! Grind on!
I have to get one of these!! Thanks for showcasing it!
The Boss SY-1000 is really amazing right now.
They are amazing
@@claudianreyn4529 thanks for the tip! I still don't have a guitar synth! I should definitely have one!
You should Warren! It reminds me of the old Roland guitar synths that were popular in the late 90's-early 2000's but made wireless, tiny, and USB compatible. It has almost no latency issue and the setup is tediuous because of the Triple-Play's sensitivity; but if you ever setup one of Roland's Synth pickups you'll have no problem with one of these. I love running Kontact with it!
I only play at home, with a laptop. If you don't mind that, there is a vst that is almost as good: Midi Guitar by Jam Origin. A friend even uses it for his music production.
LOL, I just realized who the OP is! Well, my recommendation goes for anyone who reads this. I love playing midi instruments with a guitar. Plus, since it's a vst, you can use any guitar without any hardware installation.
Damn Glenn, this short history of the synth guitar was really well made.
*Laughs in Somewhere in Time*
Everything can be used to play metal if you're creative enough.
use a sheet of metal to play metal. Ready, GO!
Makes me think of Rob Scallon's sitar metal \M/
Wagakki band plays their metal stuff on traditional instruments like Shamisen, Flute, Gongs, Gayageums and Japanese drums. If it makes sounds, it could metal.
Chainsaw has entered the chat
I second That!
To hell with convention and rules.
For anyone who wants to try this sorta thing out on a budget, there's actually a plugin by Jam Origin called MIDIGuitar2 that effectively does what the Fishman pickup does, but without the pickup. It uses your DI signal to track pitch and it's actually not too bad. The latency and tracking is probably better on the Fishman, but for the price of MIDIGuitar2, it isn't a bad alternative.
Someone actually measured the latency of Midi Guitar 2 and it was around 10 milliseconds. I'd say that's decent. Also one of the pros of MG2 is that you can use any audio source on it, not just an electric guitar. Try singing in to it.
I bought MG2 last month and I am having fun with all the possibilities it provides.
The downside to using a pluggin for Midi over a guitar track is that it will be "Monophonic" meaning it can only see one note at a time. Post processing this can be useful but the Triple play has a sensor on each string so you can play all 6 strings and get 6 different midi-notes at the same time. The other thing that Glen didn't talk about was the tab making - which was my main reason for buying one. You can play your song to a metranome in the software and it till tab it out for you instantly even noting what string you're playing (it may need some help with slides with a manual edit from time to time). Last I checked tabbing can only be done in standard tuning, which is why I don't use it (it's been a couple years since I used it, they may have a patched drop tuning in by now).
@@jacinthclifton636 Midi Guitar 2 has a polyphonic mode also
@@2free2snakes Interesting, I'll have to check it out!
Jacinth Clifton The other guy said it first, but he's right. MG2 is polyphonic. It can take some tweaking to get some of the settings right with your chosen instrument, but it's an awesome plugin worth the price of admission.
Also, I'm pretty sure that MG2 can be used to tab parts out. Not sure if you can do it in real time though. You can change the tunings though!
Glad you mentioned Jeniffer Batten. She´s so underrated for what she´d accomplished during her carreer.
Also Steve Stevens used and stil uses guitar synths a lot during live shows.
Great video, glad you mentioned in it this week's VC video. And the Jedi Priest shirt, killer!
Adrian Smith " Hold my beer"
I was expecting that midi guitar Jared and Stevie T did videos on
Oh Odin? I've tried using that plugin. It's nowhere near bass or drum vstis yet. Maybe in a few years they'll get better.
@@nightingalemedia4288 No. He's talking about 'Jammy'. The guitar that works as a midi 'keyboard'. It's pretty fun
I actually play one of these mounted too a Variax JTV59 guitar. The combinations from that are damn near mind boggling
I half expected you to rag on sampled synth sounds, and got treated to...playing an electric contrabass.
That's pretty neat.
Fun fact: The Simpsons' folley artist uses a guitar-triggered sampler when recording the tracks.
Now this I will be looking into extensively!
8:00 Hearing that would made me think of a Rammstein riff chugging along.
Cynic did that in '93 and Focus is a classic record from the early days of prog metal. So, yeah, you can.
YES. I was going to comment about this one. Cynic made a totally new style with that record imo
And ran the vocoder like a boss.
Ok. Before watching, I'm thinking of Somewhere In Time. To me it's Iron Maiden's best album. They used guitar synths on that.
Every time I ever start looking into something, you immediately do a video on it
I’m beginning to thing you use the “angry engineer/producer” shtick to mask you being genuinely nice and consistently helpful. I’m on to you.
Thats been true for years. We all pretend we're not onto it because "fuck you Glenn" .
@@jbag3408 ah well now that makes sense
Of all the things I've bought for my guitar and used once, this is the one I'm most excited about.
Fantastic timing. I've been trying to find good demos from reliable sources for the TriplePlay the past few weeks.
Thank you for releasing this!
My buddy has the new Jamstik Studio MIDI Guitar and the Komplete 12 Ultimate Suite and he says it's absolutely mind blowing what you can do!
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Somewhere In Time: are we a joke to you?
See also Turbo
seven synth of a seven synth !!!
Iirc they used guitar synths on Somewhere in Time, but moved to just using keyboards to record Seventh Son because it was less fiddly. But I could be wrong...
@@LewisF451 I've read the same thing as well, although the album's liner notes use the term "string synth"
Seventh Son was all keyboards, no guitar synths (the arpeggiator in the intro buildup and ending of Moonchild MIGHT be Adrian Smith on a guitar synth...H is credited with "synths," and Steve Harris is credited with "string synths"; based off of their live stuff, I think H did the Moonchild stuff [he wrote the song with Bruce] and Steve did all the rest of the keyboard work for the album).
Gotta warn yas, its pretty addictive once you dial it in 100%. Got a Roland GK3 mounted onto a Schecter KM6 into a GR-55 and a SY-1000. Can spend days just browsing patches.
Must. Buy, TriplePlay.
1:38 just blew my mind.. I've needed that for years.
Good thing you reminded us to check this review in your most recent video, thank you !
DUDE. Those drums are explosive. I know the video is about the guitar synth but DAMN those drums!
I fucking love triple play
Really Really love the way you did your research and made this video explaining each and every detailed history
These videos that display something completely different technology vise are just the best. Especially the effort you put in to show and explain the history and legacy of said technology. I hope you'll put these on a playlist that they all deserve :)
And MORE please! :)
Sorry not many of us checked this video out. It was RUclips algorithm's fault, not mine!
I remember around 1988, or the beginning of '89. Jerry Garcia had a MIDI set up. He had it installed on a strat. He would only use it for the song "I Will Take You Home". Then by the end of '89 he'd had the pick-up installed in his custom Doug Irwin so he could use it all the time. I remember the night Brandford Marsalas sat in with them in March of '89. Jerry had the MIDI horn going and he and Brandford got a harmonized lick going.
So here's a question for you. I'm just a basement thrasher. I love music, but am not a pro by any means. I just like making noise. As a result, it just doesn't make sense to drop a ton of money on gear. That is why I am so grateful that you introduced me to amp sims and impulse responses. My question is, is there an impulse response that simulates a Leslie amp speaker? I like some of the songs from the 70s that use a Leslie.
I REALLY enjoyed the format on this video, Glenn! Very cool and educational - and the track turned out pretty darn cool as well, I must say! 🤘
“Less used... I don’t think so” Iron Maiden, Somewhere in Time 1986. 🤣
I loved that album.
sounds cool in the mix
In recent years, Boss and Electro Harmonix released guitar synthesizer pedals that do not require an external pickup. I own a Boss SY-300, SY-1, an Electro Harmonix Synth 9 and Mel 9. They work pretty good, and if you're careful, there are no tracking problems.
I use them with guitar, sitar, and dilruba (I don't play metal, but I love your channel, and learn new things every time I check in). These pedals function exactly the way you described; they add a new and deeper dimension to the sound. You can also bring them to the foreground and do some insane things! Years ago, I modified a Roland GK pickup and attached it to my sitar. It sounded like a Jimi Hendrix concert! Scared the hell out of everyone!
I highly recommend them.
I absolutely love it. I’ve read the comments and it isn’t clear that the FTP doesn’t have a sound, because it’s a data transfer device. It sends your performance to the PC wirelessly, and tracks pitch, velocity, and sustain. These performance aspects can be further tweaked with panning values and assigned to anything. It also bears mentioning that quality virtual instruments are sampled extensively at multiple velocities, so they are capable of conveying emotion. The FTP is a great way to connect to another world of sounds. It is resource intensive, so having a clean PC, running optimally will aid in latency, SSD drives a huge plus. I use a Microsoft Surface Pro (tablet) with external USB3 SSD. Effects processing with synth sounds is so much fun, a dream come true for me. Softsynths are exceptional these days, and a single instance offers any virtual effect you could imagine, automated control over parameters. Not to mention the accessibility to the MIDI data in Piano Roll, where you can shift things around and assign the notes to anything. As others have said, the song sounds KILLER, and those drums are so powerful, amazingly well done. Love it. Big 👍 from me. 😜
You complained in the other video that no one watched this. So I watched it. You’re welcome. With that being said, why did you leave out Roland? I picked up a VG8 Expanded for about $125 recently, and sometimes you can get the pickup and cable thrown in on the deal. Some of us poor “kids” had to wait about 25 years to the price to come down from $1000. We just weren’t going to get that when I was growing up. Gear like that was a dream back in the day. Definitely don’t want any of this to come off as dickish, so on a positive note- I had never seen the Fishman pick up before. Very very interesting. Also - I love your channel. You’re the Sam Kinnison of gear show hosts. Screaming at everyone to put down their bongs. I love it!! Keep up the good work Glenn!!
Best drum sound yet. Great video Glenn.
Glenn, this was an excellent timeline on the development of synths and midi as well as guitar synth. I have this Fishman unit, and that it permits interfacing with a DAW as well as allowing the guitar's usual pickups to be run through an effects chain allows ultra flexible improvising.
Thanks for making this video Glen. Awesome and informative!
The historical overview on guitar synths was very cool! I can see this being useful in a metal context, adding different textures to augment the guitars.
I'm just looking at that SLO in the back. When is that demo?
It’s being edited now!
For anyone looking to play around with guitar synth, check out MidiGuitar 2. I believe they're still offering a free demo and it functions without the synth pickup, though the tracking is far from perfect. So glad to see this technology getting some attention 👍
The Syntheaxe also didn't use pitch-to-voltage conversion so there was no latency like with the Roland synths. You think that ARP thing was expensive? The Syntheaxe was 20 grand IIRC.
I wish Roland licensed their tech after they went out of business so we'd have that now, but that would have meant abandoning all the R&D they did to make pitch to voltage work better.
I have an idea for the next video in this series. Can you play metal on a lap steel guitar? I am thinking of Pink Floyds ”One of these days” which uses a lap steel with effects, so hearing it in metal would be very interesting.
I messed around with guitar synths for a few years. Regardless of the sounds they may or may not make, there's no better way to improve your technique than trying to wrestle with something that's perpetually a moment away from sounding like a cat having a fit on a keyboard if your fretting or muting isn't absolutely up to scratch.
KnapfordMaster98
Turbo is the epitome of listening with your eyes. I first heard Turbo lover accompanied by the black and purple reissue art. I thought it was one of the coolest sounding and looking things I had ever heard, and I immediately thought “oh I know exactly what they were going for and I love it.“ But then I found out it wasn’t the original art, and when I saw the original cover I thought “oh no I can definitely see how this was misunderstood.“ I know that’s all psychological, but I really wonder if there is something there. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a metalhead, I love 80s hard rock but at the same time I love Cindy Lauper and stuff like Til Tuesday, so I’m more open to crossover with rock. I think a lot of that 80s pop “cheese“ has immense charm and heart to it.
You were right in your vc305 video, this is awesome! That bit about the split amp signals sounds dope
An alternative question, is there any instrument you can't play metal on or even better is there any instrument that hasn't yet been used to play metal with somewhere in the world?
When i was actively playing in bands, there were two keyboard players in the town that did metal.. There were dozens of guitarist.. The other keyboard player was Henkka from Stratovarius.. And no, i am nowhere near him in skills, i was more a mood creator and programmer. So yeah, based on my anecdotal experience, learning to play keyboards in a metal context, pays off.
Glad to see you not shying away from trying new stuff Glenn.
LOVED the history lesson, Glenn! I would seriously love to see more videos like these! Also the mix of the jam at 9:32 is to die for🤤
I've done a few... more to come! Look up "metal on a Strat" for some Fender history.... BTW< hit that subscribe button!
Karl Sanders used one quite a bit early on with Nile. I was fortunate to see them just before In Their Darkened Shrines was released, and got a kick out of Karl dicking with his guitar synth, floor keyboard, laptop, regular guitar playing and doing vocals. It was was pretty impressive.
The tone coming out of that Billy Sheehan is deadly
The jamorigin plugin "midi guitar 2" is quite phenomenal as well.. You miiiight want to check it out.
Given you have a reasonably fast interface with a computer that doesn't date from Mathusalem, that plugin is almost as fast as the Fishman... At a fraction of the price.
What's cool is that you don't need extra gear. Plug your guitar in your interface, launch the plugin.. and you're done. You can feed that thing's midi out to any VST. Pair it with kontakt, and you have one meaaaaaan synth axe.
Man! The drumming on the song!! Those drum fills bang!!!
The Synthaxe...Wile E Coyote 😂 I think Maiden used the Roland for Somewhere in Time. The Fishman looks really, really cool.
You should test Shreddage with this system, there's an option for midi guitar. I'm curious when you palm mute if this translate how it should.
It's not accurate enough for shredding even if your playing it utterly perfect.
Tracking midi tracks for EZbass, Eurobass II, Modo Bass; creating Guitar Pro Tabs faster, addig keyboards to a song without having a keyboard around - I got high hopes for this stuff. If the latency is killer, Dino Cazares can trigger kick drums with his picking while his drummer can smoke a cigarette watching it.
This video is a great overview video of Guitar and Synth, but awesome to see the modern adaptations and that we're moving back into synth territory in the 2020's.. I've gotten heavily into Eurorack this year and have used it as an ambient machine, a drum machine, and overall processor for my songs! I made sure to include the Intellijel Audio I/O into my case so I can also plug my guitar directly into the Eurorack, use Voltage Control Amplifier modules to increase the translated CV, and then filter, delay, or decimate from there.. Using other modules within the case to provide gate or cv outputs into other permeators or modules you are running your audio signal to and get some amazing outcomes! :) Also, Eurorack is great with Midi keyboards as well.. As a guitarist, Eurorack was an investment well worth it, but you could definitely do alot with a unit like this! First unit I've seen to combine a guitar with synth vsts to create patches. I wonder if you could use the Fishman unit to also relay signal through Eurorack vsts..?
2:30 Steve Hackett of Genesis used this a LOT in the mid-70s
That's pretty cool. I myself prefer keyboard MIDI controllers. But it's great to see that guitar players have an opinion. There are loads of synth plugins so you can craft your own sound. Some free options include Vital, Odin 2, and Helm. I would love to see more metal bands using synths. Jump by Van Halen and The Final Countdown by Europe wouldn't be what they are without the synths.
Keep in mind that modern MIDI works with old gear. If you get a MIDI to USB deal; you can plug that in to and school keyboard and rout the MIDI guitar to it in Reaper. Since I use a mix of USB MIDI and 5 pin DIN MIDI; I find myself using MIDI routing in Reaper a lot. It works great. Just set the track input to the MIDI device (the guitar synth) and set the track output to whatever device you want to control.
I had a Roland GK-3 pickup but relying on that short cable was kinda frustrating. I sold it now and put the Fishman on my Thomann wishlist. Especially as I got the EastWest Composer Cloud, this will be really nice.
It's kind of neat, and would be cool on a track or two. Good way to integrate live synth into a show.
Guitar + synths is a match made in heaven, I'm glad that this topic came up and has been making somewhat of a comeback, Misha from Periphery has used a similar trick to add texture to an already existing guitar line blending both together (as seen in one of his documentaries about how they made a Periphery record, "Stay indoors" I think it was called) and synths are completely different monsters of an instrument compared to a guitar or piano since you have total control over what you trigger with a key (or string in this situation), this is a thing I would like to see more proper integration since electronic music such as Trance (usually mislabeled as -Techno-), DnB, Goa/Psy and so on share a bit of the same modes and scales also found in metal, they have a tendency to go with minor sounding melodies and strong rhytmic foundations. However I would love to see it working with my own self-made patches on Sylenth, RePro and other synths, hopefully if this gains any popularity or force we can enjoy some cool blues synth solos like the one on Infected Mushroom's Heavyweight and also hopefuly it would lead to more people into synths and sound design.
Definitely have to look into the Triple Play for convenience alone. I am a big GK-3 13 pin pickup nerd and Roland/Boss GR/GP unit user. I do prefer the idea of the older fashioned wired up system since its passive, the tracking is instantaneous, and the pickups also work with V Guitar system modeling taking the flat signal the GK-3 picks up, and doing some rather stunning modeling of other pickups and acoustic instruments with the ability to use palm mutes, pinch and false harmonics, and generally natural dynamics. I am sure the Fishman will have that capability in time.
I know this is sponsored by Fishman and all that but after trying that and multiple types of midi guitars I’ve found that I enjoy the Jam Origin Midi Guitar 2 software the most. It’s just software that converts your signal to midi without requiring any special pickups or guitar modifications. Very affordable too! I’d recommend it to anyone curious about midi guitar technology. I may still buy an Artiphon Instrument 1 just because I like the idea that it’s not trying too hard to be a guitar without actually being one, unlike the Jammy which is more frustrating than it is useful. I’m going to be selling mine soon. The RockBand Mad Catz Fender Mustang is pretty cool but is built to feel more like a toy than a real instrument/tool(I actually found one at Goodwill for $10). The You Rock Guitar looks like a level up from that, but still falls into the toy category.
Thanks for the history lesson, Glenn. I didn’t ask for it or expect it, but it was a welcomed surprise.
Side note; I really need to get one if these. I’d much rather perform the synth lines in my music than program them. I can’t play keys to save my life.
What a wonderful and comprehensive review of guitar synths. It would have been good to see King Crimson referenced for their excellent use of guitar-synth in the 80's.
I saw you pick the first note and I was instantly on my way to buy one.
This video was extremely well researched and written. Great job and thank you for your work man
i use a Roland GR20 guitar synth, it is a great addition to the sound when mixed in with the guitar signal.
You need to modify your playing to get the most out of it, though If you play like normal the isolated synth tracks sound like a demented keyboard player following the guitar riff.
I LOVE IT!!!!!
GLEEENNNNN!!! I don't understand why nobody wanted to see this! This is SICK!!!
I was so confused when I saw Fishman in Sweetwater's guitar brands list. I was even more confused when I clicked on it and didn't see a single guitar. Now I know what these things are.
Now I need to go listen to modern Iron Maiden stuff because there's ALOT of guitar synth work in there. Goddamnit now I want a triple play, but I don't got a guitar suitable for one atm x-x
As a midi controller, does it capture velocity well? And can you just record it to a midi track and run it into any VI?
I don't know if I'd get a lot of use out of this but it definitely looks like a lot of fun.
When you get into layering guitar tones with synth sounds, you have a bigger range of sound. I say this of experience, having once owned the ROLAND GR-20, GR-33, and currently the BOSS SY-300.
One trick that can really help with single note melodies is to switch the vsti to monophonic and it eliminates most ghost notes, that midi guitar is notorious for on poly mode, i have a discontinued yourock midi toy like guitar and it works, also tried it on the midi guitar plugin that is a plug-in of a midi pickup
Hi Glenn ! Love that, as a huge synth user and guitar player, this could make my workflow way more efficient !
Btw if you're curious about heavy metal synth rythms, I urge you to listen to a bit of darksynth/darkwave/whatever it's called nowadays. Artists like Carpenter Brut, Perturbator (who played at the Hellfest/Download festival) or Hollywood Burns are largely inspired by metal and some if not most of them have downright heavy riffs on synth. Great stuff !
Cheers from France mate !
Thank you for the history..
I am using Roland GR 55 for several years..
dude you have some chops..... keep it up
GLEEENNN!!! You can't talk about synth guitars without mentioning Canadian-made Godin guitars, with their iconic LGX model, and the Multiac, the first (and only?) nylon-string synth guitar.
Nice video as always, Glenn.
I think a guitar synth would work for metal but it depends on the needs of the band, especially if they are more experimental. I would use it to give some atmosphere for some rhythm parts combining amp and synth sounds.
As a suggestion for future videos, you should try these concepts:
- Can you play Metal on a Brian May's Red Special? (yes, I know Queen played 'Stone Cold Crazy' but I talk about more heavy sounds)
- Variax vs the real deal, what should you buy?.
Greetings from Chile.
Would be really interesting to use this to trigger something like the spitfire sample sets.
This is what I'm working on right now. Very close to getting to go. Godin XTSA, Roland GR 30, into Reaper. Older system, but it won't matter as much for longer dramatic tones for movie soundtracks.
@spectresoundstudios
The dance in that mix sounds effing amazing
Great video, loved the history part of it.
If no one has checked it out, I’d recommend the Graft Tech ghost pickups. They’re midi synth guitar saddles. Very cool.
Always loved the idea of having a guitar synth but eventually gave up, because it was always so weird to play and the tracking was strange. The best one i had was the latest one from Roland but still not convinced. Then I took some time and learned to play keys, which imo just makes more sense, delivers a better result and is also very useful in a composing context.
Man, where can I find/buy the song at 9min30? This song is fucking dope
It worked for Cynic back in the 90s! Mind you, they weren't using it for main rhythm or lead guitar tones, but it did away with the need for a keyboard player.
Cynic was the first thing that came to mind when I read the title
@@putridabomination Focus is a classic album with guitar synth, for sure. I gotta give Turbo another spin now, too.
I always thought Turbo was recorded using a normal synth. Hearing that lick from Out in the Cold makes me want one of these that much more lol
I play a Parker Fly that's something of a custom MIDI Fly into a Roland GR-50/GP-10, and if you have the right noise loaded, sure, you could play metal.
All i can hear and see in my head is those crazy F-Zero X tracks on the game soundtrack
MIDI Guitar 2, polyphonic AUv3. You can send virtual MIDI to other apps. with no additional hardware. I use it in AUM.
Glenn, In your historical reference to early guitar synthesizers. Why did you decide not to cover the 1990s Roland VG8? It’s Guitar modeling technology is still being used today in Roland amplifier and FX Pedals. Also are you planning on covering the use of panflute and accordion as well as the triangle in metal music? Thank you again for the video. It was very enjoyable.