# Best midi guitar for (me) sequencing - Mad Catz



## gsilbers (Mar 7, 2020)

Just for those who might be interested. It stems from another thread but its a video i wanted to do for a while showing how i use midi guitar.
Youtube is littered with tons of videos of midi guitars for electric guitars players and mostly pitch to midi systems like fishman triple play.
But pitch to midi has a huge disadvantage since there is no MIDI note off... it doesnt have a way to acuratly asses when the note or group of notes stop playing and when there whould be a release since its basing it on the conversion envelope generated during the capture of the string vibrations.
So basically think like adding a pitch to midi converter to a $200,000 steinway piano. You would choose a crappy 2003 oxygen midi keyboard ($20) to sequence.. (you would use the steinway for inspiration of course  )

Having trigger button system is not the most convenient or confortable way of course but for more acurate sequencing of non guitar based music, i think this midi guitar is very cool. I think ive tried everything midi guitar out there and even this small toy beats a $4k+ ztar system. the only thing is getting used to the buttons. but its easier to do that than to learn 15 years worth of chords and scales ive learn on guitar and relearn it on keyboard. i use both... and the main thing i dont mention on the video is that i cannot play those more advance chord and progressions on piano.
i recommend wathcing in 1.5x speed as im a little tired 

Guitar world poeple get very defenisive about their gear and midi guitar is no different and im usually open to new things but im constatly trying to explain this way of sequencing and the other thread in VI gave me an oportunity to show how i would use it and also hopefully maybe some other guitar players might find it useful.
....also my plea for some programmer out there to figure out a simple mac sofware hack for the yamaha EZ-AG. the huge thread at kvr kinda jumps around too much and coudnt figure it out. 

anyways, hope you find it useful and again... plyabck at 1.5x lol


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## wst3 (Mar 8, 2020)

I'm curious - how difficult was it for you to become acclimated to the controller? What were the biggest obstacles?

And what is the exact model name/number? I'm not having any luck finding it on line.

Thanks!


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## gsilbers (Mar 8, 2020)

wst3 said:


> I'm curious - how difficult was it for you to become acclimated to the controller? What were the biggest obstacles?
> 
> And what is the exact model name/number? I'm not having any luck finding it on line.
> 
> Thanks!



I got used to the buttons since many like the ztar, you rock, and lineage had buttons. 
But in this mustang the buttons are so simietrical and clicky it took me q while to not see a guitar and see a controller where I could use the same fingering as w classical guitar.
I added the stickers on the fretboard so I could easy see 5th fret, etc. 

I’m still getting used to it. Even after years. Mainly because ever sample library has a keyboard as midi controller in mind so instruments w low velocity or very dynamic will need adjustment in my playing. I’ve also started using logic velocity processor so it works like a compressor. It limits high dynamics to a setting I add, like 119. And low dynamics of something like 30. That way there are no huge bumps in velocity that might happen when changing chords or hitting the bass 6th string to hard. And other things that happen when playing guitar that don’t translate smoothly.

And that’s the other thing. Learning what translates and what not. I mentioned in the video about guitar vs keyboard Harmony differences and even though it’s the same notes, the guitar makes the player use more specific things like octaves and fifths. Bar chords etc.
And some music translates better than others. But that’s just general midi guitar.
But thought I mentioned since getting used to midi guitar is tough but this controller made it a bit easier once I practiced and got used to the buttons. The right hand is where it’s at. I wish I could use the right hand portion of it on the bigger brother fender squier midi guitar.
That Neck technology is a beast. It’s incredible but the right hand just sucks no matter how much adjustment is done.




It’s the fender mustang midi guitar








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