Ever since I bought the Jamstik Studio I’ve hardly used MG2 but when I bought a cheap $25 mini electric guitar I used it with MG2 to trigger VSTs.
This track / music video was made in a few hours some months ago for the KVRAudio Music Café competition -
”music in a sauna”. I decided not to enter the competition with this track but thought I’d still share it here.
BUT more importantly, I have a love/hate-relationship with the Jamstik Studio. The tech is great, it has MPE but the actual guitar is awful, one of the worst I’ve ever played. Even the cheap $25 in the music video is better…
I know Jamstik have made better versions since the Studio and that a new Deluxe version is coming in january next year, and it will probably play really great but I honestly think MG3 will be a better option since it also has MPE just like the various Jamstiks + many more options like the Guitar MODS!
If we can hook up and route a Boss GP-10 or SY-1000 via MG3 I see no reason to buy a new Jamstik, might even sell my Jamstik Studio. Instead I can happily play with my Godin guitars.
instead of spending $250 for a gk pickup and $400-$1000 for a gp-10/sy-1000 use the nu multi’s and any 6+ channel audio interface.
the sy-1000 is a real headache to use for this type of application, among other things you have to ensure that boss tone studio is not running in the background as that affects the performance.
the gp-10 is better, but why incorporate a discontinued piece of gear into your setup when there’s a cheaper and higher fidelity option available?
NU Mulit looks really nice, but not cheaper.
The pickups are not that expensive indeed, but you have to make a multicable connection somehow.
From their shop, this is the cheapest set: Nexus-GK DAW Set with one Nu Multi 6 Standard. $559.99
and then you still need a multichannel audio interface.
for me, the goal is to extricate myself from the roland gk world, not immerse myself further.
i can take the six channels from the cycfi and manage them as i please, rather than adhere to an obsolete standard.
i see no reason to use any gk hardware now that mg2 is here.
plus, you seem certain that the ftp/gk options do not filter the signal, but several people, including fishman, disagree with you.
(edit to add) - my apologies, i mistakenly believed that the nexus-gk is the version for roland 13 pin connections. all of their options are called ‘gk’. who knows why.
in any case, the nu multi basic is $410.
which is still a bargain compared to going the roland 13 pin route (used gp10 + gk pickup + 13 pin cable = 400 + 190 + 100 = $690).
another issue: both the gp-10 and the sy-1000 (especially the latter) are great sounding audio interfaces. but, they are inconvenient to use as such because they lack many of the typical controls you’d find on a ‘real’ audio interface (ex: headphone volume, computer/input mix knob).
For those planning to buy one: brand new, from 18 to 30 £ (1 meter to 5 meters) .
Good quality material, I have already bought several items for Atari 1024 CoolNovelties
I was under the impression MG3 would make it somehow easier for GP-10 & SY-1000 owners to hook up everything via MG3.
I might just go with this solution too:
Need a new sound card for that.
Thank you very much!
I used to enter the KVR OSC (One Synth Challenge) competitions, here is one entry where I went wild with the Jamstik only using Surge XT and nothing but Surge XT…
I’ve quit doing OSC but who knows maybe next year if MG3 is finally out I might show up again, but this time with my fretless Godin…
does your fretless godin have a gk pickup installed?
if so, that breakout cable is a cheap and quick solution.
six channels is obviously the goal, but if you have a 4 channel audio interface, that’s four strings, four instances of mono mg2, four synths (or four copies of one synth).
no need to wait for mg3.
another option: separate channels for E, A & D, and combine GBE onto the fourth.
Yes the fretless has 13-pin but MG3 also has MPE so I think I can wait a few more months
BTW there’s a plastic thing called Guitar Flatter that will make any guitar fretless so to anyone else reading this:
Make any guitar or bass(!) you have fretless:
I actually got Guitar Flatter last week and put it on the $25 guitar, I will soon put it on the ”normal” Godin electric and more importantly the Jamstik, but the headless design and size of the neck might mess it up, we’ll see…
Best be careful wearing it while playing guitar. Salty, funky, sweat, will likely be dripping all over (and ruining) your equipment. Kinda like working out on a stationary bike, or racing bike, on rollers. I ruined a bike one winter, despite trying to wipe up after workouts.
Think about what it might do to your guitar. Even worse … may be an electrical safety hazard if it pools around your A/C power supply!
; O )
Otherwise … maybe a good tool to help stay in shape.
Hey, I’ve been thinking about launching a YT channel focused on helping us old “Boomers” keeping fit enough to continue those “Boomer Bends” well into our “retirement years”. Think there might be any interest?
