About time for MIDI

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

I have been trying to get into MIDI synth for steel and getting nowhere! The steel rider is out of production and although antiquated with limitations is scarce on the used market. I looked into the John Birch device but it seems complicated and has to be installed on your guitar by a technician and it doesn't sound user friendly. Has anyone tried a John Birch MIDI device or is there any alternative for MIDI? There's no volume or big bucks to be made for the manufacturors to do any R&D for MIDI steel players!...So what's a guy to do?
Len Amaral

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Al Petty had a midi system he was selling several years ago. At the time it was fairly high priced, but with modern electronics the price should be "reasonable" now. Don't know if he's still selling it, tho.

Rich Paton · From: Santa Maria, CA.,

Len, I haven't seen a midi pickup for PSG, but I have played a friend's Music Man Tele-style guitar with the Roland midi pickup. It would probably be a bit easier to play using the bar on a PSG, but it was hard to keep playing a phrase when you turn the voicing switch and all of a sudden you have a Hammond B3 or a Fender Rhodes or a vibraphone coming out of your amp! The attack characteristic of picked notes was very quick and needed practice to get used to.
I was just playing (as in with a toy) around with it, so I really never worked it out.
I can definitely see a great deal of veratility from it, and intersting variations on solo parts. Chording with it is probably a non-event, due to triggering errors, unless you used 6 seperate tone banks to generate the analog audio signals from the midi information output by the pickup. Unless the technology has taken a huge leap in the past two years.
The Roland midi pickup for 6-string is just
six triggers in a housing, so why would it be so difficult to adapt the concept to PSG?
I think I remember that about two years ago
someone here at the forum was diligently persuing a PSG design, and nearing a "breakthrough". Que Paso' ?

[This message was edited by Rich Paton on 17 April 2000 at 08:39 AM.]

Bobby Snell · From: Austin, Texas

Heard Al Petty's system a couple of times at the shows, and it was really good (and about $5000). His controller fed into commercial synth equipment, and he had a big library of great samples. Didn't look particularly hard to use, although it was foot-based and might take some adjustment. Perhaps he is still selling that controller somewhere in East Texas....

He also used a U-12 or 14 with some kind of diatonic tuning, so the grand piano didn't just do the ol' two-pedal squeeze.

Bob Tuttle · From: Republic, MO 65738

You can contact Al Petty at PO Box 308,
Overton, TX 75684 or by phone at
903-834-3986.
Hope this helps.
Bob

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

My good friend Jimmy Yates has retired and has a 1967 Push Pull Emmons with Midi pickups on both necks, synth, etc. and it is very versatile and great sounding. He has it for sale now, but wants to sell as a package, the Emmons has THAT sound too.Here is his Email,phone,and address....al

Jimmy H.Yates
P.O.Box 878
Hendersonville, TN 37077-0878
Phone 615-824-8083
Email roudyates65@juno.com

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Thanks for the input guys! I have used guitar synth on six string guitar. I had two different units. One was the Korg Z3 with a square computer type plug that was compatable with the Z3 module only and the other was a Shadow MIDI controller pickup from a company called (Electronicss of America) out of Florida that moved to Germany, that allowed you to use any module.The problem I see with six string MIDI pickups for guitar when used with steel guitar is the curved radius of the pickup. Guitar synth is sensitive and can track quirky if the pickup isn't set just right. With a curved radius pickup on a the flat raduis of a steel guitar is questionable.
Len Amaral

[This message was edited by Len Amaral on 18 April 2000 at 05:35 AM.]

Tony Palmer · From: St Augustine,FL

There is one thing that is pretty cool about midi with steel and that is when you slide the bar up on a single string, the notes sound like they are being picked one at a time at each fret as you slide up, but without actually picking each one.
Also, it has it best use for string and organ sounds, as it lacks the attack due to delayed response.
But, I agree, Len, it definitely needs a comeback for our community!

Robert Parent · From: Gillette, WY

I agree with Len that the curved radius is one of the main problems. I did manage to solve the lack of sensitivity with my Korg unit by tweeking the resistors used to set the gain for each pole piece. It would be better to have a flat pickup, but so far I have not found one either.

The second problem I ran into was the spacing between the individual pickup sections. The only solution I found was to mount the pickup assembly at an angle. Which caused other problems when playing the steel in a normal fashion.

I am with Len and would like to see a reasonable solution to the midi pickup problem. My ideal solution is one that would work with the Roland units.

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

Tony,
I'm glad the SteelRider is getting the (fun)use it deserved. It almost makes me wish I hadn't sold it!

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

I may be going out on limb here, but I approached someone about building a MIDI pickup that would have it's own convertor that would allow you you to use any module. I'll keep you posted and hope I don't shoot myself in the foot.
Len Amaral

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