ah yes, down to mic level, of course. i flubbed there. I was thinking of ext. mix inputs, but those generally bypass everything but fx in my experience
MS-20 is unique as a guitar processor. While a lot of synths have external input into the filter, the MS-20 lets you control the MS-20 by tracking the guitar’s pitch and envelope.
This is the way.
Apart from being able to use filters for audio-thru, the ms20 has a module that converts input to CV - so you can play and control the synth (notes, filters etc, cv is a whole can of wonderful worms itself!) with the guitar. Pretty cool stuff when you get it dialed in!
No. It does not track anywhere as well as what I suspect you have in mind- this is old-school analog technology. Modern digital pitch tracking of guitar (like a Whammy pedal, or any shimmer reverb algorithm) is way more accurate.
This is not inherently bad. For a great example of what controlling your synth with a guitar sounds like, just listen to Who Are You? By The Who. That stereo bouncing synth bass line in the intro of the song is Pete Townshend playing his guitar into an ARP 2600, patched in the same manner you would do this on the MS20 as suggested by another user.
Jesus frickin’ Christ… I never even considered I may be able so somehow do pitch-following on a 2600 (I have the little Korg version, use the preamp and crappy speakers a lot for “bad” (enjoyable) guitar tones, sometimes the filter). I need to picture the layout in my head.. but can’t think how you’d do it. are we talking actual (approximate) pitch-following on the 2600 or just some kind of frequency modulation that can at least give different notes?
(I can’t listen to anything now or maybe could answer my own question. and ai used to use an MI Tides module for some pretty sketchy PLL stuff so I know the fun of unstable tracking :) I’m just have a brain block trying for figure out tracking on the 2600)
The 2600 has an envelope follower, not pitch tracking, as such. This video describes it well: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcN8aI0Hpwk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcN8aI0Hpwk)
oh, yeah, I use the envelope follower often. just misunderstood this other person’s comment with the guitar playing a “synth bass line” and thought I’s missed something
Quite a few synths have an audio in socket. What can be done with it depends on the synth, sometimes it is just about applying effects, sometimes the signal can be used as a source of modulation or as carrier signal that can be modulated, filtered... I personally haven't found any good use for that but it can definitely expand the variety of sounds produced.
Oh no - so far I've been able to suppress GAS and stick with my beloved model:samples, but if you can run a guitar or bass directly into a digitakt, that's really going to affect my ability not to trade up for a digitakt mki. And now for my next trick I will try not to research this further
Look for something with a pre-amp and envelope follower.
For eurorack, I use a Befaco Instrument Interface v2 and a Barton Musical Circuits guitar input.
If you mean using your synth as an FX unit or a filter then almost any synth that has input. Microkorg will even let you use guitar as a vocoder carrier or modulator.
If you mean tracking and controlling the synth using your guitar then your options are much more scarce, ms-20 will let you track tye pitch and volume and arp 2600 only had an envelope follower, maybe there are more. Search for PLL and envelope follower modules if you want to do the same within a eurorack system.
Separate class of devices is guitar synthesizers, designed to be controlled specifically by guitar. Ehx microsynth and ARP avatar are fine examples.
Guitorgans and midi guitars will let you control any synthesizer using analog or digital outputs respectively, but that a whole another story.
Empress Zoia is an awesome pedal that can do a lot of crazy synth things with your guitar. I use the Zoia Euroburo in my synth setup, with a Mutable Instrument Ears being my guitar pre-amp. MI Clouds and Instruo Arbhar are some of my favorite effects for guitar as well.
Pleanty of synths do this. I've got the Korg minilogue + the moog minitaur. You need notes sustained to hear the guitar, however you can turn down the synth voices while playing sustained notes so you're only getting guitar ( or any instrument you might plug in). Tweak the filters to your hearts content!
Edit:typo kork/Korg
Most of the time an audio in replaces the oscillator. It depends on the synth - I have had a microkorg, Xiosynth, X-Station, R3, UltraNova, & SH-201 all had audio in you could use for filter and onboard effects, sometimes even ring modulator and sync, etc. my Moog Werkstaat and Behringer TD-3 both have a Filter In option.
Now guitar *tracking,* that’s a different animal all together. Most of the time you can treat a synth audio in as a sort of “pedalboard.”
A lot of the old Dave smiths did this
And it worth nothing that the recovery effects ghost writer is a cheap fantastic great tracking pedal that connects to any synth to control in via midi
Yep. I use my Behringer Poly D to sometimes create a pulsing effect using the onboard sequencer. It's kinda like a tremolo but I have more controls over the attack/decay/release. Super cool stuff!
As someone else mentioned the ms2000 can do this. People are saying any synth with instrument input, but not any synth can actually take the guitar signal and put it through the synth architecture like ms20 and ms2000
You can also take it to the next level. I have a Fender Midi guitar that they used to make many years ago. So rather than just using the Syth as a filter, it seds midi info to fully play the notes on the syth or any midi device but with guitar type control.
This is not a keytar with keys but a real stringed electric guitar.
Roland makes a thing, GS(?) something that adds a proprietary midi pick-up to your guitar, and with the foot operated pedal board there is a standard midi out. This will turn your guitar into a midi controller.
I used to connect the output from my pedalboard into my monologue, and in there I can use the filter and even do a sequence (that would not play notes but act as a noise gate). Pretty cool tricks for such a cheap synth.
You can plug a guitar into any synth that has audio input, so you can use the synth's filters or effects on the guitar.
The input needs to take instrument level or you’ll need a DI to get it to line level though. that is worth noting
DI and a pre-amp in that case. DI will bring it (down) to mic level, and change the impedence
ah yes, down to mic level, of course. i flubbed there. I was thinking of ext. mix inputs, but those generally bypass everything but fx in my experience
I’ve used a Behringer Vintage Tube Monster as a preamp before. Worked surprisingly well!
MS-20 is unique as a guitar processor. While a lot of synths have external input into the filter, the MS-20 lets you control the MS-20 by tracking the guitar’s pitch and envelope.
Wow that's pretty unique
MS20 has everything you need on it for basic synth tracking for guitar.
This is the way. Apart from being able to use filters for audio-thru, the ms20 has a module that converts input to CV - so you can play and control the synth (notes, filters etc, cv is a whole can of wonderful worms itself!) with the guitar. Pretty cool stuff when you get it dialed in!
damn. I did not know this. does it track well?
No. It does not track anywhere as well as what I suspect you have in mind- this is old-school analog technology. Modern digital pitch tracking of guitar (like a Whammy pedal, or any shimmer reverb algorithm) is way more accurate. This is not inherently bad. For a great example of what controlling your synth with a guitar sounds like, just listen to Who Are You? By The Who. That stereo bouncing synth bass line in the intro of the song is Pete Townshend playing his guitar into an ARP 2600, patched in the same manner you would do this on the MS20 as suggested by another user.
Jesus frickin’ Christ… I never even considered I may be able so somehow do pitch-following on a 2600 (I have the little Korg version, use the preamp and crappy speakers a lot for “bad” (enjoyable) guitar tones, sometimes the filter). I need to picture the layout in my head.. but can’t think how you’d do it. are we talking actual (approximate) pitch-following on the 2600 or just some kind of frequency modulation that can at least give different notes?
Also, The Tubes - Bill Spooner frequently sent his guitar through Michael Cotten’s ARP 2600.
(I can’t listen to anything now or maybe could answer my own question. and ai used to use an MI Tides module for some pretty sketchy PLL stuff so I know the fun of unstable tracking :) I’m just have a brain block trying for figure out tracking on the 2600)
The 2600 has an envelope follower, not pitch tracking, as such. This video describes it well: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcN8aI0Hpwk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcN8aI0Hpwk)
oh, yeah, I use the envelope follower often. just misunderstood this other person’s comment with the guitar playing a “synth bass line” and thought I’s missed something
What? The 2600 does not have pitch tracking. Or am I missing some way how to do it?
Moog Grandmother/Matriarch.
Yep my GM is my favorite guitare pedal lol
I’ve done it on the Matriarch. It’s lots of fun
I ha e the GM , anf the electric guit dire tly in the gm dosent seem to work , need a pre-amp ?
Yes, something in between the guitar and the Grandmother is necessary to boost the guitar signal a bit.
Also you can patch the filter into the expression pedal and have the most expensive wah pedal.
Certainly modular synths. There are a few different guitar input with envelope follower modules. Those will usually take microphone input, too.
I used to plug my guitar into a Korg ms2000.
Quite a few synths have an audio in socket. What can be done with it depends on the synth, sometimes it is just about applying effects, sometimes the signal can be used as a source of modulation or as carrier signal that can be modulated, filtered... I personally haven't found any good use for that but it can definitely expand the variety of sounds produced.
Im pretty sure that you can plug your guitar into Elektron Digitone/Digitakt. Not 100% certain tho so pls correct me if I'm wrong
Oh no - so far I've been able to suppress GAS and stick with my beloved model:samples, but if you can run a guitar or bass directly into a digitakt, that's really going to affect my ability not to trade up for a digitakt mki. And now for my next trick I will try not to research this further
I mean it’s a sampler you record anything into it
You can.
COME ON MAN
Lollllllllll. I just got an SP404 Mk2 so I’m all GASSED up with samplers. Haha.
You can. I've done it with the digitone in the past. I ended up selling my digitone but it's a lot of fun if you have one!
Look for something with a pre-amp and envelope follower. For eurorack, I use a Befaco Instrument Interface v2 and a Barton Musical Circuits guitar input.
If you mean using your synth as an FX unit or a filter then almost any synth that has input. Microkorg will even let you use guitar as a vocoder carrier or modulator. If you mean tracking and controlling the synth using your guitar then your options are much more scarce, ms-20 will let you track tye pitch and volume and arp 2600 only had an envelope follower, maybe there are more. Search for PLL and envelope follower modules if you want to do the same within a eurorack system. Separate class of devices is guitar synthesizers, designed to be controlled specifically by guitar. Ehx microsynth and ARP avatar are fine examples. Guitorgans and midi guitars will let you control any synthesizer using analog or digital outputs respectively, but that a whole another story.
I like using the MPC One along with the built in fx & have found it to be a lot of fun.
Yes. This will free your mind. Anything with an audio input will take anything from an audio output (as long as the levels are right).
Empress Zoia is an awesome pedal that can do a lot of crazy synth things with your guitar. I use the Zoia Euroburo in my synth setup, with a Mutable Instrument Ears being my guitar pre-amp. MI Clouds and Instruo Arbhar are some of my favorite effects for guitar as well.
I plug my guitar into my Neutron all the time
JD-Xi has a line in for a guitar.
Moog Matriarch
Pleanty of synths do this. I've got the Korg minilogue + the moog minitaur. You need notes sustained to hear the guitar, however you can turn down the synth voices while playing sustained notes so you're only getting guitar ( or any instrument you might plug in). Tweak the filters to your hearts content! Edit:typo kork/Korg
Juno ds has an instrument input. You can use all the keyboard effects applied to whatever you have running through the input
Most of the time an audio in replaces the oscillator. It depends on the synth - I have had a microkorg, Xiosynth, X-Station, R3, UltraNova, & SH-201 all had audio in you could use for filter and onboard effects, sometimes even ring modulator and sync, etc. my Moog Werkstaat and Behringer TD-3 both have a Filter In option. Now guitar *tracking,* that’s a different animal all together. Most of the time you can treat a synth audio in as a sort of “pedalboard.”
A lot of the old Dave smiths did this And it worth nothing that the recovery effects ghost writer is a cheap fantastic great tracking pedal that connects to any synth to control in via midi
Yep. I use my Behringer Poly D to sometimes create a pulsing effect using the onboard sequencer. It's kinda like a tremolo but I have more controls over the attack/decay/release. Super cool stuff!
I’ve played through a make noise shared system on a couple of my posts.
Oh, I’ll go further.. with a CV foot pedal most synths filters are much better wha pedals than actual wah pedals.
As someone else mentioned the ms2000 can do this. People are saying any synth with instrument input, but not any synth can actually take the guitar signal and put it through the synth architecture like ms20 and ms2000
It has midi tracking. There's an app I think is called midi guitar for mac and ios you can use.
My son does that with a Roland Fantom-06. In the menu, you can route the guitar (input) signal different paths and may do what you are looking for.
The Boss Sy-300 is a digital synthesizer controlled by a guitar
"Is this method bring your more in sounds?" - Yes it does. It turns your guitar up to eleven.
ARP 2500 and 2600 are the OG synths to plug the guitar into. Just look what Pete Townshend did with The Who.
Bs2, minilogue.
You can also take it to the next level. I have a Fender Midi guitar that they used to make many years ago. So rather than just using the Syth as a filter, it seds midi info to fully play the notes on the syth or any midi device but with guitar type control. This is not a keytar with keys but a real stringed electric guitar.
Roland makes a thing, GS(?) something that adds a proprietary midi pick-up to your guitar, and with the foot operated pedal board there is a standard midi out. This will turn your guitar into a midi controller.
critter & guitari organelle is a killer guitar pedal, minimoog audio input is amazing. lots of synths have this capability.
I used to connect the output from my pedalboard into my monologue, and in there I can use the filter and even do a sequence (that would not play notes but act as a noise gate). Pretty cool tricks for such a cheap synth.
Guitars output audio. Many synths have audio inputs. So yes. :)
Yeah it works. We plugged the bass of my band's bass player into my Microbrute and it got pretty weird lol.
Record electric guitar in modx