EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 33, Number 1 This issue's topics: Re: Roland Sound Canvas: Comments? (2 messages) Guitar/string controllers (3 messages) Korg T-1 SY55 and 77 (3 messages) Re: MIDI specifications Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 02:03:48 GMT From: Ken Morton Subject: Re: Roland Sound Canvas: Comments? I'm also interested in hearing what people think about the Sound Canvas. I'd like to hear how it compares to the Proteus. I'd like to create an integrated MIDI system that has a bit less emphasis on sound synthesis (Just for now). I need complete MIDI control though. Panning, individual volume, etc. How does it stack up? Regards, Ken -- Where's my .sig? Oh there it is... HiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHiHi! kmorton@panix.com Macintosh - the power to crush other computers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1991 13:10:54 GMT From: Bart Lijnse Subject: Re: Roland Sound Canvas: Comments? In my opinion the PROTEUS is the better one of the two, because : 1) Both modules are sampleplayers but the quality of the samples of the PROTEUS is much better. The SOUNDCANVAS sounds (like all ROLAND synth's based on RS-PCM ) a little thin and flat but very clean and brite. The PROTEUS sounds however have much more "power", you can "feel" the sounds. Also the sounds are very thick but still sound very brite. When you listen carefully you can determine the 'loop-points' of the sounds in the SOUNDCANVAS. From that point on the sound doesn't sound 'real' any more. The loop-points in the PROTEUS samples are better and longer and therefore the PROTEUS sounds more realistic. 2) THe PROTEUS has more edeting -facilities than the SOUNDCANVAS. The soundcanvas has only the basic stuf like a LFO, E.G., effectmodes. The PROTEUS has much more options to change the sound and much more MIDI-options (like special controller-functions). 3) THe soundcanvas has 24 voices , the PROTEUS has 32 voices. 4) One disadvantage, the SOUNDCANVAS has reverb and chorus, the PROTEUS only a chorus. 5) The PROTEUS has more samples/presets (soundcanvas 128, PROTEUS1 192 , PROTEUS1xr 384) 6) Listen to the demos and you will hear what i mean. For more detailed answers you can send your questions by mail to me : ajlijnse@.cs.ruu.nl -- + _____ ______ ______ ______ _-----ajlijnse@cs.ruu.nl - Bart Lijnse --------+ | / __ // __ //__ __//_ __/|==============================================| / __ // __ // _ \ / / | " ja hallo he !!!" Silja Renooij (1972-1991) | /____//_/ /_//_/ /_/ /_/ |----------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1991 21:46:43 EDT From: "Schmidt,Rodney" Subject: Guitar/string controllers I am writing specs for university purchases and need some recommendations for a good classical guitar controller. Am also considering ZETA classical violin and would like comments or suggestions from anyone on the list. Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1991 07:54:00 EDT From: cbema!wbf@ATT.ATT.COM Subject: Guitar/string controllers Hi Rodney, I have the Roland GM70 guitar to MIDI converter. It uses the GK1 pickup which can only be used with steel strings. I'm unaware of a device that can be used with nylon strings. Bill Fox att!cbema!wbf Columbus, Ohio ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1991 08:59:00 EDT From: RAY BROHINSKY Subject: Guitar controllers Classical MIDI controllers? I've only heard of one, the GTM-6 on an Ovation classical. That was in 1985, when I got my electric Charvel with the GTM-6. Both used a split piezo bridge for the MIDI pickup, and the electric also generated an `acoustic' output which wasn't too bad (except that the sound never matched the feel of the strings!) As for the classical, it was priced at $2400, a bit pricey even for something that was peeling back the foreskin of technology in '85. Because of the piezo bridge, it might have been better at reducing false triggers, but I doubt it. It didn't catch on (how many of you have seen one in your local store? ) Zeta may have a classical guitar controller. Someone may have made a classical-strung solid body controller that feels to the hand like a classical but doesn't have body resonances and acoustic coupling to ambient. I haven't heard of any such. One final point: as a classical and electric (and folk and acoustic) guitarist, I have to say that no previous technique has done me much good on midi controllers, except possibly electric lead techniques, and darn few of them. I've owned the GTM-6/Charvel and now a Yamaha G-10. Frankly, neither of them seem to be very interested in detecting technique, and where any attempt is made, it is perverted: the G10 tries to detect a muted string trigger, then plays a lower level output. No matter how hard you mute the string, if the G10 detects a trigger, you get a low-level note. This makes difficult passages that could be glossed by muting unused strings impossible. So you may just want to get a good MIDI electric guitar controller, and let your classical guitarists get used to the instrument, since I don't know of an instrument yet that tries to get used to the instrumentalist 8^) raybro ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1991 04:38:37 EDT From: "Schmidt,Rodney" Subject: Korg T-1 I really appreciate the comments and advice from those who responded to my earlier posting about guitar controllers. Thanks you. Now I am looking for some advice about the Korg T-1. We are purchasing two T-3EX's and would like to consider T-1's as a possible lower cost alternative. We have Yamaha SY-55 and SY-77 and are not pleased with some of the sound quality. How does the T-1 stack up? Thanks!!! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1991 09:34:44 -0400 From: Jarrod Norton Subject: SY55 and 77 WHOA there... Rodney, Could you tell me what exactly displeases you about the SY55? I had intended on buying one sometime Really Soon Now. Please expand on your comments as said keyboard would take a large bite of my available resources. thanks...........................................jn ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1991 17:57:46 EDT From: "Schmidt,Rodney" Subject: Re: SY55 and 77 The main complaint from students and faculty using the SY 55 is the sound/ tone quality in the lower register of some of the presets. Otherwis it works well. It's a qudstion of sound/tone quality. We have decided to go with the new Korg 01/WFD, that has WaveStation features plus 200 samples and 400 programs, 16 track sequencer, and so on. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1991 19:27:41 -0400 From: Jarrod Norton Subject: Re: SY55 and 77 Hm. Well, if you should ever decide you're going to sell an SY55 you know where to go! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jarrod Norton, Production Director, WCLH-FM | "Freedom is the freedom to 717/825-7663 717/824-4651 ext 2907 | say 2+2=4. If that is jnorton@wilkes1.wilkes.edu | granted, all else follows." R'don@PernMUSH Thymas@Rhostshyl | --Winston Smith, 1984 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1991 11:38:00 EST From: JONES@NYUACF.BITNET Subject: Re: MIDI specifications Several months ago someone requested a copy of MIDI spec in machine radlable form. Does anyone have such a file? Has anyone discussed making this info available in that form with the publisher? Bill Jones N N Y Y U U Head, Catalog Maintenance N N N Y Y U U Bobst Library N N N Y Y U U BITNET: jones@nyuacf N N N Y U U Internet: jones@acfcluster.nyu.edu N N Y UUUUUU ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************