Midi system for pedal steel

Alan Cook · Post by **Alan Cook** » 2 Aug 2004 4:49 am

Does anyone know how I can get a midi system fitted to my 12 string pedal steel? are there any manufacturers who do off the shelf units?

Alan Kroeger · Post by **Alan Kroeger** » 2 Aug 2004 5:50 am

I would think twice (or more) before going down this road. I have owned several MIDI guitar systems for regular electric guitar and in the end I dumped all of it in favor of DSP effects (much better). I also tried to find ways to use portions of this equiptment with electric violin including building some custom pickups for these system and find they don't work. I find there is a parallel between Steel Guitar and Elec. Violin and this is where I see the main deficiency. Both of these instruments have an unstable (relative to an instrument with frets) intonation that make trigering difficult to render in a predictable and stable way. They will function if you play very slowly and in a very deliberate manner but, they will limited in there capabilities. I would suggest that you analyse your needs and intended usage of MIDI and see if there is a Analog/DSP system that will provide you what you need or that give you as much as any MIDI system would. I recomend Adrenalinn II (reasonable), TC Electronics FireworX (expensive but managable) or maybe an Eventide Orville (Scary expensive) instead you might be surprised and find that one of these or others might give you the effects you are looking for? So, maybe you should examine what you intend to do before jumping into this. What a number of manufacturers do for instruments for instruments with more then 6 strings is to add a second (six string pickup) and leave some of the unused elements as dead. You could look at Stick systems http://www.stick.com I think what happens is that you have to buy two MIDI convertor modules (like 2 Roland GI-20's) to give you MIDI notes on the extra six strings. Another option for pickups is piezo saddle systems naturally you still end up having to buy two of everything or leave some strings as not MIDI enabled? I tried out the Axxon systems convertor module and found these are not as good as they like to claim they are so, don't listen to that snakeoil rhetoric. I still thnk you might be able to get what you want without going MIDI through playing technique and DSP effects.

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Six String Lap Steel,Boss VF-1,TC Electronics FireworX, Echoplex Digital Pro, Sundries & SWR Strawberry Blonde, bunch of Fiddles too ;D

[This message was edited by Alan Kroeger on 02 August 2004 at 07:02 AM.]

Post by **Joey Ace** » 2 Aug 2004 10:09 am

I researched the "MIDI for PSG" options quite a bit and decided against it.

I thought about what I wanted to do, add a bit of piano, organ, and strings to my band's sound.

The Steel options involve modifing a guitar MIDI pickup to match your string spacing. Some have done it but it, but it is costly and complex.

Keyboard controlers are so inexpensive and reliable that I opted for a small keyboard and synth module. I've been gigging with it and am quite happy. When I have a straight steel job it stays home, since nothing is permantly mounted.

There's more info and pictures of my setup at http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum12/HTML/001891.html

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 2 Aug 2004 10:55 am

I would think about it twice to, midi tracking just isnt that great then again you would have to find someone that would make you a ten string midi pickup or use two units.. al Petty was doing it a few years ago see if you can run him down, the trick is if your tring to imitae what a real instrument does like piano or lead or something and that be hard to do with the steel, the ticket will be when someone like variax comes out with modeling for the steel

Alan Kroeger · Post by **Alan Kroeger** » 2 Aug 2004 10:59 am

I like that rig for the keyboard very good Idea my 61 key would hide the lap steel though

You are right MIDI is great for keyboards or at least better then it is for guitars or steel guitars. It seems to work well enough for tapped guitars like the Stick but, they have frets.[This message was edited by Alan Kroeger on 02 August 2004 at 12:02 PM.]

Alan Kroeger · Post by **Alan Kroeger** » 2 Aug 2004 11:13 am

Here's a link to the failed MIDI Violin pickup project http://www.fiddleforum.com/fiddleforum/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=1176;start=0

There I think to reasons for the failure 1) Magnetic pickups don't work on Violins (the motion of a fiddle string is rotational compared to a pluck string which is more back and forth) and 2) Violins don't have preset pitch (frets or keys)

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 2 Aug 2004 11:35 am

Al Petty was doing it a few years ago; see if you can run him down

He shouldn't be too hard to find...
 (Sorry; I couldn't resist)

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 2 Aug 2004 8:46 pm

. . jimbeaux . . tsk . tsk . .

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 2 Aug 2004 9:26 pm

Russ- I'm glad to see that you're still up to a grin~~

Matt Hutchinson · Post by **Matt Hutchinson** » 5 Aug 2004 6:54 am

John Birch in the UK used to do MIDI for pedal steels, not sure if they still do though. May be worth contacting them.
http://www.johnbirchguitars.com/

Matt

Wayne Franco · Post by **Wayne Franco** » 5 Aug 2004 11:16 am

Yes Jim...I got that one also. Isn't he confined to a fairly small part of real estate? Does anyone have his phone number?[This message was edited by W Franco on 05 August 2004 at 12:17 PM.]

Brad Higgins · Post by **Brad Higgins** » 3 Jun 2017 3:50 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOkbuXsHz7Y

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 3 Jun 2017 7:12 am

The new ones work with regular pick ups.
Buy it at a big box store and try it for a couple weeks.
Take it back if you don't like it.
Here is one.

https://www.boss.info/us/products/sy-300/

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 3 Jun 2017 10:20 am

BJ Cole is the man to talk to. He has been using a MIDI equipped steel for a few years now.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 5 Jun 2017 7:05 am

I've been using midi for +/- 30 years on and off. I have a number of units at the shop as well- most are the IVL units but also have a Photon that I got from Reece.

Brad Higgins · Post by **Brad Higgins** » 5 Jun 2017 8:31 am

Today I noticed that Electro-Harmonix just came with some new guitar synth pedals for synth,organ, and piano using a standard guitar pickup, and they're only a couple of hundred bucks each. Electro-Harmonix EHX KEY9 Electric Piano Machine B9 C9 Keyboard Guitar Pedal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av4X84lChEE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98u-MDTKAWU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZKVPzRyn50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qebnkmvjiw

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 5 Jun 2017 9:05 am

and they are very good

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 6 Jun 2017 5:39 am

Back in the late 80's when I was with Moe Bandy we played a club in Colorado Springs. I walked in for sound check and there sat Slim Yamaguchi playing midi steel using an IVL Steelrider. I was floored! Slim was kind enough to walk me through some things, and he gave me the name of a gentleman to contact at IVL.

I ended up getting a Steelrider and using it with a Roland MKS-50 module on Moe's shows, mostly for string lines and organ parts. Given, it had some limitations, but it worked great for me. I used it on "Nashville Now" once and I recall Larry Sasser and Fred Newell being quite intrigued with it. I believe Tommy Hannum used one quite a bit when he was with Ricky Van Shelton.