Sonuus Midi Products G2M V2 Universal Guitar to Midi Signal Converter

I bought this device so I could do special effects on the Guitar with my virtual sound libraries and do some solo instrument passages. I gave the device 4 stars cause it can only play monophonic(single note). Also I wanted to see how well an Analog guitar would work converting audio tones to midi information.I knew right from the start that MIDI device could only play monophonic voicing. I have an older G10 Yamaha midi guitar if I want to do chords which cost around $2000 dollars when I bought it back in the 1990s.This G2M MIDI device is very compact, it takes 1 nine volt battery, you need a USB to MIDI cable on the computer side, and a standard audio guitar cable on the guitar side of the converter box. Once you plug in the guitar cable to the G2M box it turns the converter on. It is meant to play virtual instruments on the computer, will not connect to a MIDI keyboard direct. As you play the guitar into the box there is a MIDI info light that tells me that the device is sending data to the computer. Only use the Neck pickup on the guitar, that is what the manual recommends also. Then after that adjust the tone and volume controls of the guitar to get the best midi recognition to the computer. There is a volume clipping light on the converter box to tell me if i am overdriving the input signals to the box.On the computer side, once all setup, playing the guitar should work like any other MIDI to USB device and the software programs should work as normal with the guitar playing on MIDI channel 1. Start your music software, setup the sound patch you want, and start playing. No other software for the device is needed, at least on Windows 7 for me.The tracking on this device is pretty good, but you have to play very cleanly and somewhat precise when playing a note. I find some software libraries play better than others with the device. If you can turn down the pitch bend on the software, it helps on some of the correct pitches for the instrument sounds also. Some sounds I didnt have to touch the pitch bend at all and plays very well. I put new strings on my guitar and also helped play a little better far as tuning and giving me correct pitches.Also playing lower on the neck of the guitar I find I sometimes dont get the right pitches, the further up the neck the better it seems to track what I am playing. Again it is based on the particular sound patch.All in all it is a nifty little device and wanted to try some newer technology for MIDI. It is a small learning curve to get used to playing non guitar sound libraraies.One thing I havent tried with it yet is use the guitar in conjunction with my midi controller keyboard, Set them both up on the same MIDI channel and see if the sustain pedal can give me a hold feature on notes as I play with the guitar, that way I can get multiple notes to play at one time. Without someway to sustain the guitar notes played, all you will hear is one note playing at a time with the guitar, unless the sound has a long release time.This device may not perfect and dont expect to play super fast licks with it(maybe if you are a pro guitarist), but it is another avenue to be able to play non guitar sounds for your composing songs, etc.Hope this helps and take care,ClassicTViewer

I ordered a You Rock Guitar so I could record/control the midi/VST instruments in Garageband. Since they are backordered and I am trying to finish my CD I thought I would pick one of these up and see if it would work in the meantime. First impressions...I wish it was polyphonic. Yes, I knew it wasn't when I bought it but thought I could use it for violin, cello etc. and just play notes. Well, it does do that but it would be SO much nicer if you could play chords. And you have to play really carefully...it picks up the slightest wrong note or even touching another string. I'm going to keep playing with it and working on my technique to see if I can make it work. Right off it's just difficult.Maybe a better guitarist wouldn't have the same challenges. I can tell you on a good note, that it does a GREAT job of replicating the sounds of the VST instruments. It sounds exactly like a cello, violin or trumpet. I read somewhere that a violin for example has to be played in 5ths (whatever that means)...so just playing normal scales doesn't sound right. I think I also have to find what notes in the scale go together for it to sound right.Maybe I'll work on my playing giving it some more time and write another review. I don't want to say it's bad...it just takes more practice to make it sound right than I thought. It's half the price of the closest polyphonic so it's worth a try

If you're an instrumentalist who wants to convert your sound into midi(enabling you to trigger electronic sounds) this might be your ticket to ride. I purchased this unit to trigger sounds from my electric guitars. I have old unit by roland(VP-10) which was designed to track vocals. It did not work well on vocals, but was good on guitars. Well this unit is cheaper and tracks better too. The Roland does double duty of processing, but it is no longer made. All one has to do to get it working is put in a battery, plug a guitar cord in, plug a midi out cable in, plug midi cable into midi input, and run an out cable from unit into you guitar effects/amp / mixer channel/recording channel. This is a device created by a company with affiliates in guitar tuner technology. So tracking was their priority. It is mono, so playing power chords is out.I like playing solo lead lines on one string. If you change from one string to the next,remember to mute the note before hitting the next, otherwise it goes gonzo. If you have midi gear and want a device that will accept any guitar you own without having to install a pickup on it, then this could be for you. If you need to play chords, buy a roland system. Like the VP 70 ,this unit gives one the freedom to just plug in and play. I recently connected the sonuus to a MOPHO synth. That unit is monophonic, so the marraige seemed fruitful. Not all of the sounds of the MOPHO were guitar friendly. Tweaking patches/sounds on your slave unit will be essential to get good interplay between your instrument and the unit you choose to trigger. While I use it on guitar,any instrument can trigger this. If you have a violin, acoustic guitar,sax, mandolin, harp, ect. and If it has small mic output or a contact pickup on it, it can interface with the Sonuus. Just make sure that you have an adaptor to bring your connection to a 1/4 input. I would think wind instruments with a small bell mike could work well with this, as they are monophonic. For those craving a wider palette of sound, check it out. AMEN