Assinkĭownload: Roland GR-55 + Line6 X3 Controller Layout for MIDI Designer Pro (iPad) If you play a backing patch, you most definitely don't want chromatic sound, so change it to OFF (COMMON, PARAMETER 3 times).PLEASE SEE THE NEWER VERSION OF THIS LAYOUT HERE with several upgrades by the same author, G. If you play a solo instrument, you may want chromatic sound (so that you can do all the glissandoes, slurs, bends etc.). The last setting to possibly change is chromaticism. "Accelerated" comes useful only if you really play lightingly fast, but don't use "accelerated" with lower E and A strings, or you'll have tracking problems. With some sounds you may experiment with "envelope" (especially for guitar and e-piano tones). A backing patch might require a "normal", "soft" or "hard" style.
A solo patch will usually require a "normal" or "finger" Play Style (Press COMMON, press PARAMETER once). Understanding the patch adjustment requires a bit of imagination: first of all imagine if this patch will be used to play solo (trumpet, distorted guitar, violin etc.) or will be a "backing" patch (clean telecaster, pad, soft brass, strings etc.). This last step can also make a lot of difference, but it won't compensate for a badly mounted pickup, badly adjusted strings or badly adjusted system settings on GR33. You can only change this if you are sure the previous steps worked. That's why each patch in GR33 has a separate sensitivity setting. The last adjustment stage is different depending on your playing style.
Go into the system settings (Press SYSTEM, Press PARAMETER 3 times), use your manual and make sure that when you play each string, the level gauge shows about 3 bars when you play the weakest sounds and only occasionally touches the "empty square" symbol when you play the loudest ones. "Too far" would mean the amplitude is too big and the string might touch the pickup.įind the right setting on your GR33. "Too close" to the bridge would mean there is not much sound to pick. Horizontally, the pickup should be placed about 1 to 4 centimeters from the bridge. About 2 mm is probably the most sensible distance, although you might try a bit less or more. Start with a good vertical distance from the pickup (you don't need this step with RMC pickups). Basically, the more round a string is, the cleaner the sound. The more harmonics and the more complex ones, the more difficult it becomes for the synth to get things straight. Lots of harmonics means much more work for the synth! It has to analyse the sound and find the base tone. What guitar players call "rich" or "good" sound is usually the thing that will ruin tracking. Good strings are not necessarily the best-sounding strings. If you don't like or can't afford Godin, you can buy a Poly-Drive RMC pickup and fix it to your favourite guitar.īuy good strings and adjust them. This pickup doesn't pick any non-musical noises, resonating sounds from the guitar body or other strings. It has a pickup of a special type (RMC), built into the bridge. The second tip might be a bit costly, but it's often a change from hopeless to brilliant tracking: buy a GODIN guitar, especially the ACS series. It worked for me also with Casio guitar synthesisers (far worse at tracking than GR33 + GK2). In fact, this tip applies to any guitar-synth equipment. they don't leave sounds "on air" any longer than it is necessary. This is obviously due to the fact that such players are used to controlling both the articulation (the "finger-on" part of the sound) and the duration, i.e. I have found that the best synth guitar players are those who can either play classical guitar or finger-picked jazz or acoustic guitar. But if you start with indistinguishable harmonic mess, you'll end up with nothing. Obviously, you can play cleanly and add any amount of grunge later, that's OK. If you are into grungy, dirty type of sound, you'd better stay away from MIDI and synthesisers altogether. The single most important piece of advice is: play clean! No matter how good the equipment, if you play notes that are impossible to tell apart, badly articulated, they won't sound good through any synthesiser. Based on my experience and some knowledge gained through theory, as well as from various discussion groups, here are a few tips for people concerned about GR-33 (and similar equipment) tracking.