Best midi pickup !

In a Moog Mood? Here's a forum for discussion of general Moog topics.
Post Reply
marc1634
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 11:38 pm

Best midi pickup !

Post by marc1634 » Tue Feb 04, 2014 1:23 am

I'm playing bass in a cover band and I would like to be able to have the ''moog minitaur sound'' on my bass. I know I could just use a keyboard with my minitaur but it looks better live. Did anyone tried playing guitar or bass with the Roland GK line pickups? I heard they were only compatible with their own product... Or is there other alternatives?

Thank you!

dr_floyd
Posts: 202
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2004 3:43 pm

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by dr_floyd » Tue Feb 04, 2014 2:07 pm

You'll need to learn how to play the pickups and adjust your timing, but it will work.
Sonuus has the cheapest mono solution, but you'll really have to play carefully http://www.sonuus.com/products_b2m.html
Sonuus also has an iphone/ipad app as a converter so you can try it out.
Fishman Tripleplay is supposed to be good, but is not available for bass yet.
The Roland system is good, but you still need to go from the 13pin output to MIDI using a GR55, VB99 or GI-20. There are other solutions too.
Graphtech makes great saddle replacement pickups http://www.graphtech.com/products/brand ... ups---bass

I would recommend trying it out before going too far. For me personally, playing synthesizer on keyboards feels much better than triggering from a bass.

GovernorSilver
Posts: 210
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 5:56 pm

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by GovernorSilver » Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:27 pm

You could try running your bass into the audio-in of the Minitaur, then your bass would at least get processed by the Minitaur filter. You'll need something to send a MIDI Note On message to activate the filter. Here's a video of somebody doing this - with a guitar instead of a bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0JW2kTDKa4

Geddy Lee got that sound the old-school way - stepping on the pedals of a Moog Taurus. I've seen somebody using a KMI 12 Step to trigger a Minitaur - maybe you could combine that with the bass-into-audio in thing.

Sir Nose
Posts: 1024
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:15 am

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by Sir Nose » Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:55 pm

You can open the minitaur gate by sending +5V to the tip of a jack plugged into the gate. Luckily the ring of the the other CV jacks sends out +5V. Plug one end of a TS cable all the way into the gate and halfway into pitch, vol, or filter cutoff.

User avatar
David Smyth
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:40 am
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by David Smyth » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:06 pm

Sir Nose wrote:You can open the minitaur gate by sending +5V to the tip of a jack plugged into the gate. Luckily the ring of the the other CV jacks sends out +5V. Plug one end of a TS cable all the way into the gate and halfway into pitch, vol, or filter cutoff.
Genius! Though should we worry about patching an input into another input? (even if it's only halfway)
Here I was using the CP-251 Mixer Offset to keep the Minitaur's Gate open..

David.
NZ
Minimoog Voyager XL, Little Phatty Stage II + CV Output Mod, 2x Slim Phatty, Minitaur, MP-201, EP-2, 2x CP-251, MF-102, MF-104M, MF-107

User avatar
Voltor07
Posts: 5197
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 3:04 am
Location: Waukegan, IL USA
Contact:

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by Voltor07 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:58 am

David Smyth wrote:
Genius! Though should we worry about patching an input into another input? (even if it's only halfway)
Here I was using the CP-251 Mixer Offset to keep the Minitaur's Gate open..

David.
NZ
The best way to do it is to make a cable where the ring on the TRS end goes to the tip on the TS end. :wink:
Minitaur, CP-251, EHX #1 Echo, EHX Space Drums/Crash Pads, QSC GX-3, Pyramid stereo power amp, Miracle Pianos, Walking Stick ribbon controller, Synthutron.com, 1983 Hammond organ, dot com modular.

marc1634
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 11:38 pm

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by marc1634 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 3:16 pm

Ok thanks for the suggestions!

I'm still a bit new to the ''scientific'' terms and use of Voltage on synth. How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?

So to be able to plug my bass in my minitaur I have to plug it in the audio in and plug one side of another jack in the GATE and the other side in one of the CV imputs?

I'll get it eventually :D

User avatar
Voltor07
Posts: 5197
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 3:04 am
Location: Waukegan, IL USA
Contact:

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by Voltor07 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 3:24 pm

marc1634 wrote:Ok thanks for the suggestions!

I'm still a bit new to the ''scientific'' terms and use of Voltage on synth. How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?

So to be able to plug my bass in my minitaur I have to plug it in the audio in and plug one side of another jack in the GATE and the other side in one of the CV imputs?

I'll get it eventually :D
On a custom cable, put the TRS side into Pitch, Vol. or Filter. Put the TS side into Gate. Put the bass guitar into Audio In.
Minitaur, CP-251, EHX #1 Echo, EHX Space Drums/Crash Pads, QSC GX-3, Pyramid stereo power amp, Miracle Pianos, Walking Stick ribbon controller, Synthutron.com, 1983 Hammond organ, dot com modular.

User avatar
David Smyth
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:40 am
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Best midi pickup !

Post by David Smyth » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:48 am

marc1634 wrote:How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?
When thinking in a modular manner, something like what I do works well. I have some Moog CP-251's, which are useful for a bunch of voltage processing techniques. The mixer section has a voltage offset knob which, when turned all the way clockwise, offsets the output's voltage by +5V (modern Moogs work with voltages of +/-5V typically). Then I simply run the positive output from the mixer into the gate jack of the Minitaur and that voltage holds the gate open.

However as Sir Nose said, conveniently, the Minitaur's own other CV input jacks provide the +5V required (despite them being 'inputs'), ruling out the need for other gear. Because this comes from the 'ring' part of these jacks (google "TRS cable"), you either stick that end of the cable half-way in, or wire up a specific cable as Voltor07 suggested..

It makes sense to me now actually - the ring of the Minitaur's CV inputs puts out +5V to power any expression pedals (such as the Moog EP-2) that might be used.

Sorry if this has hijacked the thread a bit from it's original topic..

David.
NZ
Minimoog Voyager XL, Little Phatty Stage II + CV Output Mod, 2x Slim Phatty, Minitaur, MP-201, EP-2, 2x CP-251, MF-102, MF-104M, MF-107

Post Reply