Thank you so much for this! Yes my main concern in chord tracking but my audio interface doesn’t have 6 inputs so a breakout cable won’t do.
Would you happen to know if the Roland GI-20 will work with MG3? Roland - GI-20 | GK-MIDI Interface
I don’t need all the fancy guitar-pedal related features of the GP-10 so the GI-20 looks perfect (so long as it works with MG3)
Latency isn’t my main concern. MG3 is amazing but it does seem to lose track of the notes in larger chords - which is what I’m looking to address with the hex. I have my eye on the Roland GI-20 I’m just trying to understand if it’ll work with MG3.
Signal path would be GK-3 pickup to GI-20 interface to laptop via USB
My knowledge and experience with Roland equipment is limited but I did not want to go that route to begin with because of the following issues:
1 - I’m on a PC, with ASIO I am limited to one audio device, I can not use both my audio interface and the Roland interface at the same time. I have been told that it might be possible to do so with “ASIO for ALL” driver but there is no way in hell I would use that driver instead of my manufacturer optimized audio interface driver that was custom build for my device.
2 - How much is a GI-20? How much is a 6 input audio device? Is the GI-20 cheaper? I don’t know, there are a lot of possibilities out there.
3 - GI-20 is a legacy product, I do not know how good are their drivers and will it work right in the future. I also know nothing about their USB latency.
4 - I’m not sure how much this matters but with my individually shielded custom cable I get better channel separation, dynamic range and signal to noise ratio then any Roland setup can give me.
PS… reading online, I don’t think GI-20 sends 6 audio channels over USB.
I believe the minimum you will need is Roland GP-10.
Others might have more info on this.
As @ElectroFuzz mentioned the GI-20 will not serve your needs. Only MIDI signals are processed through the USB port. The device doesn’t send the separated audio signals “outside” the box.
on this issue it is worth checking your pickup height. might not make a difference, but it’s also one of the easiest adjustments to make.
also infinite sustain is worth a try.
GP10 is the minimum as already said. However at NAMM on 16th January Roland/Boss will showcase new HEX device with new technology (GK-Serial) as GM800. Keep in mind that GP10 USB drivers could become obsolete at some point in the near future, making GM800 and the new Mystery device the de-facto minimum. SY1000 is based on old GK technology but it’s younger compared to GP10 so driver support should last some years.
Well said my good sir👏
I myself would not even go the mg3hex route if i didnt have the roland systems before. As it would be cheaper to get a tripleplay express or a jamstik and the tracking isnt far off either
any gm800 users - does it still have that annoying problem which plagued the sy-1000? (boss tone studio must be closed when the product is being used)
i think boss would be better served to offer a product more along the lines of what @dutti is designing. they should aim for a $300-$400 price range, otherwise they just can’t compete against mg3, both cost and performance wise.
synth guitarists don’t want their amp sims and guitar efx and they will just not accept that.
if they had a $300 solution with accurate midi out there’d be lines outside every guitar center.
Dunno if there’d be lines around the corner but there’d certainly be a lot less complaints from disgruntled MIDI guitarists, all 50 of us… 
Well… GP10 was around that price range with no GK.
However we are living a technology transformation as we speak and GK-Serial Technology has already taken over GK-Legacy. To access the new technology you will need to pay the GK-Serial fee or the conversion box fee. In any case around 240 and 199 Euros.
At that point you can add GM-800 or the new Mystery Device (less than 10 days remaining) but the price will likely be around 1000 euros.
Roland/Boss might have a GP-10 like unit concentrated on Virtual Guitar only and no PCM or Synths (that would be a huge mistake because the Wave Synth and GR300 emulation work very well). In any case MG3 has an unforeseen trick under its sleeve : Expressor. That offers some great play-ability and sonic palette that goes beyond Guitar to MIDI.
My personal take is that MG3HEX is there for Roland/Boss owners of newer devices (GP-10,SY1000, GM-800, What Comes) I won’t buy one to use it with MG3HEX. I’d buy one to use it for its capability and adding MG3HEX will be the ice on the cake!
I am lucky I have a GP10 so I could enjoy MG3HEX - I love it! When you have an Hexa pickup Splitter, you would need a 6 channel Audio interface or as said a GK to USB converter (which is what we all need without the Roland/Boss stuff in between) with a USB Compliant driver to carry 8 signals (6 strings + all strings stereo). 300$ for the splitter is acceptable, depending on what the Guitarist must achieve.
perhaps in the view of roland’s marketing dept, sure. but in real life? what exactly does ‘taken over’ mean anyway? (plus isn’t kind of weird to pick a 1/4" trs cable connector? what engineer made that choice?)
and i’m sure i would have read if the gk5/gm800 latency was a contender. instead i saw a reliable source suggest that only after a 2024 firmware update did it compare to the tripleplay.
i understand how mg3 enhances the experience of a roland/boss hex user. i do not see how any of boss’s hardware provides an enhanced experience to an mg3 user. especially not at the usual $800-$1k price point.
you know, i’d really love to know how many of us there are.
my guess is that there are 50,000 - 100,000 active midi guitarists out there today, disgruntled or otherwise.
I’ve owned a few GP-10 units over the years. Currently, I only have one which I purchased dirt cheap from a local guy who couldn’t figure out how to use it – along with a spare GK-3 and 13-pin cable – all for under $300. I’ve never paid more than $350 USD for one without a GK included.
Pros: It can be battery powered with a 9V supply, it weighs very little, has a built in expression pedal, guitar modelling, alt. tunings, passable amp sims, basic-but-useful effects, comes with drivers for modern macOS…it’s a good entry point deal to get a taste for hexaphonic guitar stuff if you can find one for the right price. You can always sell it at little loss if you don’t jive with it. I ocassionaly think about selling mine but it’s a handy testing tool and backup device to have at hand.
Cons: Hijacks system audio in macOS, becomes unusable with certain MIDI devices in my rig from time to time, limited sample rates available, no DIN MIDI connectors, crippled BTS editor, software bugs that have never been fixed…just off the top of my head.
I solely use the SY-1000 now because it’s more flexible and frustrates me far less than the GP-10. It was a real stretch to get it back in 2020. I had to import it from Japan (expensive – no proper distributor in Korea), paid a load of import tax and had to wait for multiple new firmware revisions to be provided before it felt usable. But when your main guitar has a GK built in you want to take advantage of that 
I dream of acquiring a Bill Bax breakout cable and and a powerful multi-channel interface one of these decades, but for now the SY-1000 is doing just fine. Though, I’m definitley intersted to see what BOSS will bring to the NAMM table on January 17 and @Dutti67’s device-under-development certainly has my attention.
There’s also a fellow (he might be a member of this forum but I’m not sure) who I’ve had some contact with lately. He talked about a small footprint GK-pedal-type device with a comparable technology to MG3 Hex baked in…I guess we’ll hear more about that if and when it progresses past prototyping.
the cycfi people may be about to work on something similar.
that’s my holy grail. a unit with midi out which is small enough to mount in an enlarged guitar cavity.
I’m considering creating an open-source multichannel pitch-to-MIDI converter with 8 audio inputs, one MIDI output, one USB-C output. This device would convert audio signals from multiple sources, like divided pickups (including our Nu Multi, piezo pickups, and the Roland GK3), into MIDI (MPE and MIDI-2) in real time, with minimal latency. It will be a high-quality, customizable solution for electric guitars, basses, and other instruments.
GK-Legacy had given the world the wrong impression about Guitar HEX Modeling. Everybody, including Music Stores called that a ‘MIDI Pickup’. … they changed not only the format but also the technology using automotive bus protocol : New Capabilities To The Automotive Audio Bus (A2B). You are right. Analog to Digital made outside the device, enhancing the speed and the bandwidth did not result in faster Guitar to MIDI conversion (GM-800).
MG3 is incredible. Ole has crafted a wonder for all of us! I can solo with some synth sound and I see almost any difference with plain guitar. When using MG3 to strum chords I can obtain good results with some sounds, less good results with others. Owning a Roland HEX Gear mean only you can use MG3HEX which is MG3 on steroids! I agree that while MG3HEX brings something to BOSS GK Guitarist the reverse is not valid. One day I predict we’ll have a device that will pair nicely with MG3HEX. We need only a GK to USB conversion box and now that is all digital I feel that finish line closer and closer… and do not forget that Ole told us recently that he was working on something new during the Holidays… I am holding my breath for Ole’s more than for 16th January… 
Thank for sharing that, @kimyo. Cycfi Research has been on my radar but I haven’t taken the time to read all Joel’s posts yet. The “introduce yourself” page on the GitHub repository is some interesting reading though and I see some members from here too I’m going to look into this some more as time permits.
Has the ability to re-tune/transpose individual strings been addressed yet? I was going to ask in a new thread but didn’t want to clutter things if I missed it somewhere!
Its in the next update.
Don’t know if this has been asked anywhere else, but will Jam Origin make a HEX pickup and interface in the very near future?
I was excitied to see a hex feature, but disappointed it won’t work with the Triple Play (although I understand why). I really don’t want to buy old Roland stuff (Also, I don’t like them as a company). I’ve still got a few GK2 and 3’s, but only old boxes Gr-33’s and a Gi 10 somewhere. They are not very road worthy. I can’t even spell DYI so I can’t make anything (I solder like a baby eating custard!).
MG3 is attractive as an alternative. I use the Triple Play live with Mainstage and I play a lot of synth guitar. I’ll be doing a lot of festivals in the future with quick turn arounds, so need an easy and quick setup. A wee interface and sleek Hex pickup is just what I need. Wireless even better!
Apologies if this has been asked before. I’m as bad with forums as I am with IDY!
Cheers
a splitter cable and your gk2’s or 3’s into a 6+ input audio interface will work.
if you want to start fresh the graphtech hexpander provides a neater installation with nothing to clamp or glue on. it also works with a splitter cable and is a road warrior-friendly solution.
i don’t recall if jamo has said so explicitly but i believe a hardware solution is not in the works.
sending 6 audio streams wirelessly is possible i guess, although size and power wise i don’t recall ever seeing an option which would fit on a guitar.
for me the holy grail is wireless six channel midi, and i bet we will see that in the next few years, as smaller/faster processors capable of handling multichannel audio become available.