Guitar, and synth.

[Arpangel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgTWS4GqCVE

Not a lot to say really, this guy sounds "really interesting" some of the best sounds /playing I’ve heard for ages,

[arkieboy]

I'm surprised I don't come across a lot more of this, but it's still fairly niche. Which is surprising because guitarists with their pedal, pedalboards and power supplies look remarkably similar to eurorack modular synthesis/signal processing. Even more surprising considering Pete Townsend was using an ARP2600 as DSP on his guitar back in the 70s.

Asides from having your hands full of guitar, and needing a foot-controlled interface, I think part of the problem is that to really get something different to what you can get with some of the more wacky pedals we're now seeing, you need to split the signal into one-channel-per-string, and there have been some severe missteps in the marketing of hexaphonic pickups over the years. To too many guitarists, a hexaphonic pickup is a midi pickup, and that means unplayable delays and mis-triggers because the only application of a hexaphonic pickup in their mind is pitch-to-midi.

You can get specific eurorack modules that have a hexaphonic guitar interface using the standard Roland pickup, but they are specialist and expensive. More accessibly the last couple of Roland/Boss units will stream each string individually to your DAW for in-the-box processing so you can assemble quite elaborate rigs in your computer.

https://www.synquanon.com is the place I know of for eurorack modules.

Are there any good free/cheap virtual modular synthesisers that will accept external signal input that anyone would care to recommend?

[zenguitar]

That's a very interesting link, thanks.

Andy

[sonics]

Are there any good free/cheap virtual modular synthesisers that will accept external signal input that anyone would care to recommend?

I think they all process external audio.
Both Voltage Modular Ignite an Softube Modular can be found on sale for $50. Ignite has been as low as $25.
AAS Multiphonics modular is on sale at $99.

I use and enjoy VM and AAS. VM has a huge number of add-on modules available if you want to built something very unique or personal.

[Arpangel]

I think the key to using synths with guitar are the various filters, and having direct access to oscillators for modulation purposes, there’s lots more control.

[merlyn]

There's VCVRack 2, which has a free standalone version.

[Arpangel]

There's VCVRack 2, which has a free standalone version.

That looks cool! may give it a go.
I’m finding something interesting with my Behringer 2600, it’s very strange, I have the Arturia software version and I’ve spent many years making my own sounds for it, the Arturia feeds back really nicely, I’ve created some very interesting strange patches with it, but unfortunately a lot got corrupted when they brought out new versions.
I’ve been trying to recreate some of these sounds on the Behringer, with no success, ironically, the hardware 2600 doesn’t respond as well to feedback patching as the Arturia does, the Arturia is really unpredictable, and wild, impossible to get this on the Behringer.

[BigRedX]

Having spent most of the 80s trying to make synths sound like guitars and then much of the 90s trying to make guitars sound like synths, I have discovered that a lot of what gives the guitar its expression (ghost notes, deadened and semi-deadened strings etc.) simply doesn't translate when using synthesiser oscillators. I've found the most effective way is to use lots of distortion on the guitar sound and then run that through the filter and amp stages of a synth, using the raw (undistorted) guitar sound to trigger them. Ideally you also need to process each string individually.

Conversely to use a synth to produce guitar-like feel, you need to approach the part as being played by 6 separate mono synths each with a slightly different sound, and think how a guitarist would play the part. Of course there's also nothing wrong with using this approach to create something that would be in theory impossible to play on the guitar, but still having a guitar-like feel.

[Arpangel]

Having spent most of the 80s trying to make synths sound like guitars and then much of the 90s trying to make guitars sound like synths, I have discovered that a lot of what gives the guitar its expression (ghost notes, deadened and semi-deadened strings etc.) simply doesn't translate when using synthesiser oscillators. I've found the most effective way is to use lots of distortion on the guitar sound and then run that through the filter and amp stages of a synth, using the raw (undistorted) guitar sound to trigger them. Ideally you also need to process each string individually.

Conversely to use a synth to produce guitar-like feel, you need to approach the part as being played by 6 separate mono synths each with a slightly different sound, and think how a guitarist would play the part. Of course there's also nothing wrong with using this approach to create something that would be in theory impossible to play on the guitar, but still having a guitar-like feel.

I always distort a synth sound heavily before using it as a guitar sound, I find just using a basic sine wave is best, you have to have the right distortion, and they are hard to find, most don’t work.

[arkieboy]

Forgive me, but isn’t there an obvious solution to that?

Pick any one … guaranteed to be authentic, all essentially the same circuit

https://www.andertons.co.uk/search?sear ... &orderBy=3

[Arpangel]

Forgive me, but isn’t there an obvious solution to that?

Pick any one … guaranteed to be authentic, all essentially the same circuit

https://www.andertons.co.uk/search?sear ... &orderBy=3

No, they don’t all sound the same, by any means.
The only one that works for me is the guitar-multi in my Boss SE50, nothing sounds anywhere near like it, it’s incredible.

[arkieboy]

Forgive me, but isn’t there an obvious solution to that?

Pick any one … guaranteed to be authentic, all essentially the same circuit

https://www.andertons.co.uk/search?sear ... &orderBy=3

No, they don’t all sound the same, by any means.
The only one that works for me is the guitar-multi in my Boss SE50, nothing sounds anywhere near like it, it’s incredible.

I didn't say they all sounded the same - only that they have 'essentially the same circuit'.

But nice to see that nirvana is a Boss unit nevertheless

[Wonks]

But nice to see that nirvana is a Boss unit nevertheless

Have you forgotten that the Anderton's search was for an Ibanez (Maxon made) unit?

You're working too hard, dear boy.

[Arpangel]

Forgive me, but isn’t there an obvious solution to that?

Pick any one … guaranteed to be authentic, all essentially the same circuit

https://www.andertons.co.uk/search?sear ... &orderBy=3

No, they don’t all sound the same, by any means.
The only one that works for me is the guitar-multi in my Boss SE50, nothing sounds anywhere near like it, it’s incredible.

I didn't say they all sounded the same - only that they have 'essentially the same circuit'.

But nice to see that nirvana is a Boss unit nevertheless

Yes, I can’t seem to find anything that sounds like this Boss, I bought the SE70 when it came out, but had to ditch it, it didn’t sound as good as the SE50 and was lousy at distortion.