Jam Origin is Awesome

So I have been working on some solutions for a friend of mine who performs Live every week. He currently uses the Roland GR-55 with the 13 pin cable. He consistently has issues with this system as do so many others you can read about. I have setup Jam origin through a laptop with midi only and am targeting a Keyboard hardware synthesizer. This system seems to be working very well at the moment for me using a midi control pedal to switch through presets on the keyboard. When it comes to live performances there are allot of people struggling with using the Roland system and VSTs. However I have changed direction using Jam origin and I am having some awesome results and without that dam 13 pin cable. I have literally been creating new concepts with the GR 13 pin system for quite a long time and have decided to abandon it for Jam Origin. I also use Jam origin with VSts and love that for home recording and jamming, but I am really focusing on live use and want to be a continued part of this product as it evolves.
Thanks so Much
Mark

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Hi Mark!
I too went from that awful 13-pin solution to the MIDI Guitar2 world, and I couldn’t be happier. I mean, just those cables and connectors in themselves, what a hassle that was. Nowadays I mostly walk around as I do (almost) everything wireless too. :grinning: I find it strange though that feel-good reviews like yours are so few and far between, but nevertheless, I’m really glad you have a setup you are happy with and I much enjoyed reading this! :+1:

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I think these Roland guys are so focused on trying to fix the 13 pin issue they don’t realize the other possibilities. I’m watching my buddy play live right now, he bought a guitar that has pickups in it that uses light to send the information to the 13 pin cable. (he was thinking speed when he bought it) However it has a noise issue when using it with an amp or distortion. He also just spent 90 dollars on a new cable that basically didn’t help. (Still having issues with the cable) I have thought about a breakout box to eliminate some pins on that cable!! (Jam Origin is the ANSWER) He is coming over this Tuesday so I can show him the possibilities with Jam Origin. I will tell you I have spent hours looking at midi and how to make this happen. I have found using hardware synth with Jam origin is very reliable. The only thing the PC is doing is passing the midi info and (Jam Origin App), for a live situation this is awesome. You can always have a backup laptop that is ready to go. (Live guys worry about PC stuff) This is what I am looking at now maybe I can help others realize this I am dedicated!
Thanks
Mark

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I’d like to chime in and say how happy I’m with Jam Origin. MG2 works great and is way better than the 13 pin solutions - I’ve been on a 20+ year quest for a way to mix midi with my guitar and this is by far the best solution. I’m currently exploring the breath controller for the first time - what a time to be alive. : )

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Glad to hear Henk! And I guess you know I’ll help you with whatever small snippets of knowledge of the breathcontroller stuff I’ve accrued, right? :grinning: :+1:

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Thanks LoFileiF - Thanks for your offer to share tips on the breath controller. I’m still learning - Right now I’m focused on the SAWM sax with the TEControler - One thing that I’m trying to figure out is how to control the attack better. I still can’t figure out if I’m able to get a bit of a squack sound on a really fast hard attack. Anyway, This is so much fun - I’ve been waiting a long time for tech like this. : )

Hi Henk! I did a video a while ago addressing the attack and the TEC controller that I shared here with some explanation added. Perhaps you have already seen that? A place to start: A few tips to get started with MG2, Breath controller and SWAM Instruments

Hi, you said :" I have literally been creating new concepts with the GR 13 pin system for quite a long time"… What kind of new concepts ? Could you be more specific, as I’m still using that GR55, and I am very interested to increase my knowledege about this gear ?
Thanks

More specifically I have been looking at a different way to get the string info to the Roland without the 13 pin cable which is the big issue for most people. I have a few ideas I am in he middle of working on. I have been utilizing the Graphtec Ghost pickup system and currently doing some modifications, Ill keep you posted on my progress with this. Its a shame they simply haven’t put out anything new.

ok, thx for your answer ! have a good day :grinning:

As I Make more progress Il fill you in more. I really think that in the long run switching to GM2 is the way to go. I have found stand alone version on a PC running midi out to a Sound module for live performance may be a really god way to go. Basically name some presets with no settings other than midi out. Then use a midi foot controller to change the presets in your sound module or keyboard. This is working great, the only issue is sound modules are no longer being produced thus making it more difficult to get some of them. There are some deals out there though on used ones and the Roland Integra 7 can still be purchased brand new at a large cost. Anyways keep jamming man!!
Its a good journey,
Mark

Glad to hear you’re enjoying the switch to MG2.
I had the original VG8 , and GR gear and never really managed to get what I wanted- the VG was limited to its own sounds, the GR no good for more traditional guitar sounds, never managed a straightforward way of switching without huge amounts of extraneous kit.
I think I’ve found a fairly sweet spot now - I run a Line6 HX Stomp with a few extra pedals in a loop for normal Guitar FX, but use the built in USB audio interface as a loop to go out to an iPad running MG2. That in turn runs a variety of Synth plugins, and comes back into the output stage of the Stomp.
As I can program patches to switch the iPad loop on or off, blend or exclude each of the signal paths I can easily switch between very different sounds.
And what makes it all work together- midi messages mean I can use either the HX Stomp pedals - or more recently a Morningstar MC6 - to switch everything between patches, all synchronised.
The iPad is attached to my pedal board with what is basically a desk stand arm, and so the whole lot fits into a standard pedaltrain gig bag.
Sweet!