GR-33 question

10 Dec 2006, 13:45

Hi - I'm new to this site and I'm here because I can't figure this one out. I have a GR-33 with GK-2 pickup. I change patches with it via MIDI THRU from another device. It all works great with the following exception: When I change the patch on the GR-33 via external MIDI controll, the patch selected is immediately active even though on the GK-2 I have the synth selected out and only he guitar signal in.

The question is, is there anything I can do to make this not happen? I want the patch selected but not active, overriding my pickup selection.

Hope somebody has an idea. It in reality is just a small annoyance to have to flip the select on and then off to get the synth patch out of the mix but I would rather not have to given there are other things to do all the time. Like singing or comping a chord progression with a busy right hand.

Cheers!
--G

Re: GR-33 question

12 Dec 2006, 10:57

Hi gaffigle

Welcome to the Clan

I really didn't understand the way you MIDI connected you GR but the answer to your question seems pretty obvious:
Since the GR receives a MIDI Patch Change, the patch ... changes. As far as I know, there is no way for a MIDI device, including your GR, to "hold" a "MIDI comand" and, also, that would not make a lot of sense to me

.

Re: GR-33 question

12 Dec 2006, 17:46

Let's see if I understand this right. On the GK pickup, there is an output selector switch. The three settings allow one to select output from just the "Guitar," the "Synth," or a "Mix" of both.

From the question, it seems that despite having the pickup set to Guitar, when a patch change is sent externally to the GR-33, this setting is overridden, and thus the Synth is also heard, causing gaffigle to have to flip the selector switch to another position, and then back to Guitar to mute it.

I'm not exactly sure how the GK-pickups work internally, but it's possible that instead of actually muting the GK-pickup's output when you've selected Guitar, the pickup might be sending a CC7:0 to mute the synth output. If your external device is sending CC7 messages along with the program change, it could inadvertantly be turning the synth volume back up, thus requiring you to have to manually toggle between selections.

gaffigle, you might want to place a call to Roland US (assuming you're in the US), as this could also either be some sort of bug, or an actual problem with the hardware.

Re: GR-33 question

12 Sep 2007, 02:57

I have experienced problems in the past using 13 pin Roland gear where you get a "ghost" of the program change in your mix even when on guitar only switch on the pickup. The problem is most likely your cable. Check your cable and its connection, that is usually the case. The cables are very finicky as you probably know by now, and they (and the connection at both ends) are susceptible to damage from use. Check the cable with an ohmmeter or replace it with a known good one. If that does not fix your problem, it is most likely that your hex pickup switch is broken. Might be time to upgrade to the also obsolete GK-2A

If you have a friend with a GK equipped guitar, check using his guitar on your rig.

Only other thing I can think of is that your trigger midi is sending a cc7 message as described by Cloudschatze. I have never experienced this problem personally and have used a gaggle of 13 pin Roland midi guitar setups over the years. The problem is almost always the cable. Check it and let us know.

I currently run a brian moore iGuitar, a modded parker fly and a LP with a gk2a into a GR-50 and out into the planets and stars.