One of the limitations of the guitar as opposed to a keyboard is that the notes can’t sustain indefinitely, but it is possible to use the foot control to ‘hold’ the sample-based synth sounds so you can create a sustaining synth pad and then play guitar over the top.
You also get a pedal with the GR-55 that can be assigned to different functions for each patch, controlling such things as volume, wah, modulation effects and so on.
Then there are Roland compatible guitars from a number of top name guitar builders as well as the Fender® models mentioned, the latest being the GC-1 GK-Ready Strat®.įor my own studio and live work, I have a Roland GR-33 synthesizer and a VG-99 COSM guitar processor, and though each offers more features in its own specialised area than the GR-55, the advantages of combining both technologies in an easy-to-manage package are obvious, not least being simplicity of setup. Fitting to Strats and similar guitars is easy - in fact few guitars pose real problems though I have to concede that a Telecaster with a traditional ‘ashtray’ bridge makes a less than ideal candidate. Alternate tunings and 12-string emulations also need separate string signals as different amounts of pitch shift have to be applied to each string.įortunately, the slim GK pickup system is easy to fix to most guitars providing there’s space close to the bridge. Once again separate string signals are needed to accurately model the effect of the pickup position on the guitar, especially if it is set at angle, as a Strat bridge pickup is. When it comes to COSM modelling the reason may be slightly less obvious as there are competing products that emulate different amplifiers and effects using a standard guitar with a single output, but with Roland’s COSM modelling, the process extends to modelling the guitar itself in addition to amps, effects, speakers and so on. If you want to fire sampled synth sounds from a guitar, the electronics need to be able to track the pitch of each string quickly and reliably, and the only way to achieve this is to send it a separate signal from each string. One is the fast-tracking, sample-based sound synthesizer section, the other is COSM guitar/amp/effects modelling.Ĭritics of ‘guitar synths’ often cite the need for an additional hex pickup, or the use of a guitar already fitted with one (such as the new GC-1 GK -Ready Fender Stratocaster®) as being an unwelcome inconvenience, but in reality neither of these highly sophisticated processes would be possible without it. The GR-55 combines two of my favourite Roland guitar technologies in a pedal format specifically designed not to intimidate the musician and I got plenty of time to play with one when I reviewed it for Sound On Sound. Paul White, editor-in-chief of the esteemed Sound on Sound magazine looks at some practical applications of guitar synthesis (hint: it’s not about playing drums on your guitar)