Pardon my ignorance, but can you use Jamstik STANDARD with MG3 Hex?
Looking at the product specs, it appears that the Jamstick’s features do not include hexaphonic audio output. So, no, you can’t use it to drive the multi-channel audio inputs of MG3 Hex.
Thanks, Vaultnaemsae! Is there any advantage to using the Jamstik with MG3? Or should I simply use an analog Electric Guitar?
Also, I seem to recall a few years ago, that our Hero LoFiLeiF using 6 instances of MG2 with a hexatonic pickup - to get a Minor 2nd. Is it logical (or even feasible) to open 6 instances of MG3 with the Jamstik?
I can’t see any advantage to using a Jamstick over any other guitar to drive MG3 unless maybe you can use the pots on the Jamstick to send MIDI control data…is that possible?
You can open as many instances of MG2/3 as you like but you will get nowhere unless you have isolated, per
-string audio for that technique to work.
Anyway, Jamstick already has its own MIDI thing going on so I’m not sure where MG3 even comes into the equation. But, I’ve never tried Jamstick. Honestly, I always thought it looked like a toy, but I could be wrong.
Thanks, again Vaultnaemsae! Yeah, it seems I’m trying to put a Round Peg in a Square hole! LOL
Just to be clear, Jamstik Studio is just OK, whilst Jamstick Standard has tracking and latency that closely matches MG2 - I haven’t tried MG3 yet…
One last thing, Vaultnaemsae: Jamstik DOES have superior MPE functionality - wouldn’t that be better with some MPE-enabled VSTs in MG3? I mean, a standard Guitar couldn’t enable MPE VSTs, right?
Interesting! 
How does Jamstik have superior MPE functionality? And superior to what? MG3?
MG3 generate MPE MIDI from a standard guitar magnetic pickup output. Strike, Pressure, Glide and SLIDE (CC74)
@Boppa, I don’t understand where you’re going with this.
I’ll reiterate that the Jamstick doesn’t appear to have hex audio output. Your only sources are the Jamstick’s 1/4" jack guitar signal and the MPE MIDI data over USB…unless you want to mount a hex pickup on the Jamstick and feed it to a hex-capable BOSS device or via a breakout cable to a multi-channel audio interface!
Of course, you can use the Jamstick’s 1/4" jack guitar signal, but you can do that with any electric guitar to generate MPE MIDI data with MG3. And why would you need MG3’s MIDI conversion if you already have “superior” pitch-to-MIDI fron the Jamstick?
While you can funnel external MIDI data into an MG3 chain via the MIDI DEVICE module (I’m not sure of the limitations on this), I cannot see what the benefit would be of using MG3 as a host to receive MIDI data from the Jamstick as opposed to using it with any other DAW/plugin host.
Anyway, I’d recommend you give MG3 a try and come to your own conclusions. It’s a lot of fun and beats the hell out of other pitch-to-MIDI tools. Good luck.
musicians with experience using roli/linn/other mpe input devices think of pressure as something which happens after the note is struck. this is not something mg3 can generate from a magnetic or hex pickup.
not that the jamstik is any different. i’m just suggesting that when you say mg3 does pressure you are technically correct, but not really telling the full story.
to really accomplish this requires an external cc input. and unless one uses 6, the result is mono aftertouch, not poly pressure.
The pressure/aftertouch concept in MG3 is derived from the gradual decrease in (vibration) energy in the string, after having been struck (tapped, picked or plucked)
You can perhaps object to my wording when it comes to “generate”, but you can’t really say the Pressure/Aftertouch concept is not related to the energy profile properties in the vibrating string - represented of course by the audio from the pickups.
Perhaps you think this is inappropriate use of “pressure” because there is no pressure sensor involved, and you can’t alter the way the individual pressure value behaves in the same way you can with a Roli Seaboard or a Linnstrument?
“The full story” being? I have spent a couple of years trying to ease myself into using a nomenclature acceptable for all parties involved. I hate to think I am thought to be obfuscating, or even deceitful.
Correct, it is Mono Aftertouch (per note/string). So for six strings that makes it 6x Mono aftertouch, and for any MPE synth it is recieved as pressure. (And as with the case of for instance the U-He synths, you get to choose beteween the Poly interpretation (Single MPE instrument) or Mono interpretation (a synth per note/channel).
So my point is that you really don’t need anything more. You already have six individual mono Aftertouch curves to latch on to and control in whatever way you see fit. It will be most obvious with the Hex tracker where we can isolate and manipulate AT messages on a per-channel basis, by using string filters.
But your wording “to really accomplish this” leads me to assume you have one strict interpretation of what Poly pressure should (could?) be in any MPE controller, and that puts everyone else in an akward position when talking about it.
On the subject of aftertouch (aka channel pressure) versus poly pressure…I observed in the app called Graphical MIDI monitor V200 that these outputs appear to be reversed with respect to their destinations. Any thoughts?
I jotted this down as I observed it but didn’t capture a screen shot of the behaviour in the MIDI monitor.
• PRESSURE w CHANNEL PRESSURE selected sends to aftertouch meter. PRESSURE w AFTERTOUCH selected sends to poly pressure meter.
• Higher values generate higher output. Best described as note sustain stage.
I plan on taking a closer look at this when I have time but just thought I’d throw it out there since it’s on my to-do list for MG3 related things and we have the brains trust in this thread…
I know!
This is extremely confusing but Channel pressure is (6x) Mono Aftertouch (6 being rather arbitary, of course)
When you go on with your closer look you can think of it like
def. (GMM = Graphical MIDI Monitor)
(GMM mono) aftertouch = (MG3) channel pressure
(GMM) poly pressure = (MG3 poly) aftertouch
1 Like
Thanks for clearing that up!
1 Like
what mg3 sends is related to the string vibration, yes. but i cannot manipulate it.
for instance, how would i increase the pressure?
the problem for us is that there’s probably 25 roli/linn users for every midi guitarist.
that world is designed around pressure which can be manipulated. that world contains thousands of presets designed for pressure input.
i don’t know what nomenclature i would use. but i do think it would be better to present the operation of pressure (and glide) in mg3 as distinct from that on other mpe input devices.
for the record, i’m perfectly happy with mg3, it exceeds all of my needs and expectations.
If you are inclined to view the guitar itself as the MPE controller alone, I would have no problem with that line of arguing. But a guitar is a guitar, and it only become an MPE controller together with the software (as I view it).
And there are several places in the UI where you can get in and alter the pressure message stream.
Modulator or expression controller perhaps.
perhaps the issue between us is that you play 25,000 notes for every one i do. i use lots of long held notes/chords.
a modulator doesn’t work for me in this case. it does nice things but it is not under my control.
as far as i can tell i never use string vibration-derived pressure, or at least not knowingly.
perhaps i’m being too pedantic. but i do feel that people coming over from the larger mpe world will have expectations as to what pressure is and how it works, and these will not be
mono aftertouch using a modulator or expression pedal.
I’m also into long sustained notes to create textures so I’m a big fan of using an eBow or, better still, the Moog guitar to this end. I’m only just starting to scratch the surface of using this sustaining capability with MPE, rather than just audio, mainly trying to find the optimum MPE synth that responds well to MIDI guitar. I have mostly used an iPad Pro with MG2 in the past but now revisiting using my MacBook Air M1 with MG3 as we await the iOS beta. There are many more choices for MPE synths on MacOS but some interesting universal apps too, like Atoms and Soundbox, which I’m just starting to explore. By the way I have a Jamstik Studio as well as MG3, including the hex version which I’m using with a Boss SY-1000 and a Brian Moore hex guitar. We live in interesting times with so many options for creating new sounds with our guitars!