YES, an electric guitar WILL drive an arranger synth!

[Lefty7]

Yes, it works.

I'm using a Carvin SH65 guitar equipped with GraphTech 'synth ready' components, (bridge, preamp, etc.). The 13-pin cable out from the guitar, into a Roland GI-20 MIDI interface for pitch-to MIDI conversion. MIDI OUT of the GI-20 to MIDI IN on the PA2XPro.

I've been working on this idea for almost a year and a half, ever since I got the 2X and realized the arranger's capabilities. Now, the instant backup band is available to accompany guitarists as well as keyboardists. It actually works, and works well! I'm quite excited.

Having finally gotten to this point, I'm a little bogged down mentally. So maybe an interested party with more knowledge and experience in the MIDI arena could help. And understand that this project is my first venture into MIDI on the 2X.

My main problem right now is controlling the incoming guitar signal. (It's chords are being scanned and recognized, and they drive the arranger just fine.) I have yet to be able to assign a particular sound to the incoming signal, and to be able to control its volume.

I see listed MIDI Control Change messages for CC00 (and also CC32) for the former (sound bank selection), and CC07 for the master volume. But I can't find them to get my hands on them and implement these control changes.

Some brief observations: When I first hooked it all up, the guitar had a piano sound. This is probably because I had Chord 1 MIDI channel set to 1, and (MIDI IN Ch. 1) was already set at Ply.1 Tr 01. When I change (MIDI IN Ch. 1) to either Global or Control, I lose the piano sound (and all sound relative to the guitar signal), but the guitar continues to work implementing notes and chords to be recognized.

By the time a musical production is finished after using this arranger-driven-by-guitar method, the original 'chord teacher' guitar part will likely be long gone, having done its job to initiate the whole rhythm track, served its purpose, and was replaced with 'real' guitar parts. However, I need to know how to get control of it in the now, and in the various developmental production steps yet to come. Also, it would be nice if the guitar sounded like a guitar - if that's what I want at the time.