Is there anyone in here that would have an idea on where to start, if one would be interested in building a multichannel wireless solution for our hexaphonic PUs 13-pin jacks.
The optimal solution would of course be a transmitter/reciever solution with something like a breakoutbox/cable on the reciever side, and then straight into the audio interface.
I know of the BluCoe situation, and the takeaway from that is that we probably won’t see some big scale production solution to this problem due to FCC licensing reasons. But my question is more small scale. If we want to build one for ourselves? Do we have anyone in here with the particular kind of knowledge on how to do this?
Hi @Lofileif, as I understand it, you are looking for a solution to transmit the audio signals from a Roland GK3 pickup to an audio interface wirelessly.
Thankfully, our forum member @Dutti67 is currently developing a GK3 USB interface.
Wahrscheinlich nicht mehr allzu weit weg. Der erste Prototyp der Leiterplatte wird in den verbleibenden Wochen des Jahres produziert. Abhängig von den Tests und eventuellen Modifikationen wird die “HexBox” früher oder später auf dem Markt sein!
Ich halte euch hier im Forum auf dem Laufenden.
Perhaps @Dutti67 could say something about whether you could connect a USB transmitter/receiver to the solution he has developed. Perhaps there are already commercially available wireless USB transmitter/receiver could be used.
The advantage of @Dutti67’s GK3 USB audio solution would be particularly great as the 6-way audio interface would then no longer be necessary.
@Lofileif, I would be delighted if you could find a solution soon and report on it here in the forum. I believe that other players with GK3 systems would also be interested.
The problem I see is the power supply for the built in op-amps of the GK3 PU if you just plug a battery driven wireless transmitter into the 13-pin outlet plug on the guitar. If the guitar shall not have any cable connection it will be difficult.
I’m also not really any further with the interface. Since I do not have the deep knowledge I’m pending on subcontractors and I have spend too much money with no satisfying outcome yet! I’m at a point where I probably have to give up. The development costs of such a interface or wifi dongle/interface solution I estimate with roughly 5000 USD including several prototypes.
Thanks for the responses, guys. I have indeed followed @Dutti67 and his project with a great deal of interest and excitement. Everything that would facilitate even some part of this process (of getting out audio from our HEX PUs to our computers) is of interest, and your GK-to-USB interface idea is surely such a thing.
I’ve seen the idea of making it into a kickstarter floated here a some point. I don’t know how widespread this interest really is for either of these solutions (GK-to-USB or a wireless GK solution). But the BluCoe story isn’t all that inspirational, unfortunately. So that is why I am going for the route of asking for any knowledge of a layman’s build of such a thing. A good start would be to know If there are any obvious reasons for why it couldn’t be done to begin with, legal or technical.
You mentioned powering the unit @Dutti67. Problem or impossible?
Not impossible just tricky if no cable connection is wanted. Then a battery block needs to be mounted on the guitar and I’m not sure how long it will last. If I would have some idea how many units I could sell I probably would take another attempt. I have the feeling that not a lot is missing, just when it comes down to firmware and apps to adjust sample rate and buffer size I have to rely on outsourced solutions.
Hi anjo,
Here’s a basic dual battery +/-9VDC supply for GK3. I recommend adding two LEDs for +/- voltage status and as a precaution, two protect 1N4148 diodes - forward and reverse diodes. Two PP3 9V battery will only last about nine hours with GK3 use, or two heavy recording sessions. Finally, GK3 battery power needs care, as some op-amps can be be damaged with one voltage-rail dipping below op-amp minimum operating voltage. Best go for a v-guitar power supply instead, or use a dual-battery setup with great care.
Two GK battery adapters: Both offer the same specifications, though the boxed unit is easily modified and does not need diode polarity protection.
But this would be just for the GK PU, right? With a wireless setup, given that you could use the same batteries for powering the transmitter, this will of course be a little less than 9 hours.
@lofileif, first of all, thank you very much for your informative videos on MG3, of course also on the latest MidiGuitar 3 in 2025.
Maybe you can also make a current video just about bass guitar and its specific sounds and application scenarios?
To transmit audio via radio, it makes sense to look around for solutions and devices for small radio microphones.
If these modules also have a separate audio input, such as the modules from the Australian company Rode, e.g. Rode wireles ME (there are also other modules from the company), you could use 3 stereo inputs from 3 wireless modules:
About a video on bass guitar: I don’t have a bass other than my upright NS, and I haven’t had time to use that for MIDI purposes enough. So it is not likely to be any of my immediate projects.
I do have these Røde (Go II) microphones for when I am doing my videos, and I am not sure I could use these for that purpose. They have dedicated receivers, and I can connect a maximum of two stereo microphones at any time. Even if it was possible, it doesn’t feel like a very streamlined solution. Keep in mind that all of these transmitters batteries also need to be charged at every time you use them. So you need two batteries, and at least three (most likely six) pairs of Røde transmitter/recievers.
And having used them for a while, I know how easy it is to miss charging them for all occasions.
@lofileif, an important question is whether the radio modules have to be charged before operation, or whether they can also be charged during operation and the module already works simply by being connected to the operating voltage.
If this is the case, a power bank with a USB hub could also be the solution, whereby the hub must be able to charge several devices at the same time. This means that all wireless modules can be charged at the same time.
And then a second, already charged power bank could be a solution for the change.
Perhaps @Dutti67 knows to what extent the external stereo input of the transmitter radio module can be electrically cleanly operated with 2 mono signals from the GK3. The same would have to be checked for practicability for the separation of the audio outputs of the receiver radio modules.
I’m hesitant to reply here because I can’t personally answer “yes” to your original question. No doubt you’ve searched “Wireless GK” on the VGuitar forum. While the info there isn’t exactly recent, I think it outlines well the reasons why this tech hasn’t been achieved in a truly meaningful capacity – yet. But a kid can dream…I’m sure Elantric mentioned in the not too distant past that the technology used in the GK5 cabling could bring us a step closer to the holy grail – a functional wireless GK system (without much additional latency).
I have indeed consulted the Guitar forum for any alternative ideas on how to get started, but as you mentioned, it isn’t a lot of new angles being brought up there. But I saw in a more recent discussion about multichannel audio somewhere on YouTube something that could be interpreted as a way forward. But I must see if I can find that clip again, as it was just something I saw in passing.
The GK5 angle is of course very interesting. Do you have any idea on how the 6 (or 8) channels are being separated for transmission there?
a2b looks like a dante-like solution (analog audio > ethernet) and requires a cable to provide the <50usec latency, plus the cable is also required to power the transmitters/receivers.
it’s not designed for use on a wireless network, and even if it were possible (dante specifically blocks audio over wireless) the latency would be unacceptable.
the tech in the gk5 sends the six signals over a trs cable, that’s kind of a baby step in the right direction, but it does still require a cable.
This solution could also be for the future at some point:
As soon as the implementation of a single string recognition in MG3 Standard is realised by @JamO, the separate MG3 Hex and the associated difficult wireless multi-channel transmission would no longer be necessary.
At the moment, this still seems to be a distant feature for the future, but you can always dream
Is anyone in here familiar with the WMAS standard? It suggests that we could get away from the 1 or 2 audio streams per carrier we have with most systems today.
