Miniature 6 channel USB Interface for Hex Pickups

Started by stublito, June 05, 2018, 03:08:52 PM

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stublito

I visualize a bus powered module that could be installed inside a guitar, so there is just a USB out jack. It would just need trim pots to adjust input levels.

With a high quality hex pickup, one could use a computer and a DAW to process the audio (six instances of Guitar Rig?) and/or convert it to MIDI with say JamOrigin.

I've looked everywhere. The only thing I have found that can do this is a GP 10, but that means a big box, a big cable and a power supply to deal with. Of course the GP-10 does a lot more, but imagine not having to deal with that hardware.

And I guess it could have a "single channel" switch option for straight high quality guitar to USB.

It seems like a no brainer, but I do understand USB audio interface design is not trivial.

Comments?

Stublito

Elantric

#1
Quote from: stublito on June 05, 2018, 03:08:52 PM
I visualize a bus powered module that could be installed inside a guitar, so there is just a USB out jack. It would just need trim pots to adjust input levels.

With a high quality hex pickup, one could use a computer and a DAW to process the audio (six instances of Guitar Rig?) and/or convert it to MIDI with say JamOrigin.

I've looked everywhere. The only thing I have found that can do this is a GP 10, but that means a big box, a big cable and a power supply to deal with. Of course the GP-10 does a lot more, but imagine not having to deal with that hardware.

And I guess it could have a "single channel" switch option for straight high quality guitar to USB.

It seems like a no brainer, but I do understand USB audio interface design is not trivial.

Comments?

Stublito
http://www.xmos.com/products/audio





https://www.archwave.net/new-products-1-1/





http://www.ti.com/product/PCM3168A
https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-79060/l/multi-channel-analog-and-digital-usb-multi-channel-audio-l16-platform

Elantric

#2
AudioInjector -  8ch Audio I/O for Raspberry Pi
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=20678.0







GuitarBuilder

Quote from: stublito on June 05, 2018, 03:08:52 PM
I visualize a bus powered module that could be installed inside a guitar, so there is just a USB out jack. It would just need trim pots to adjust input levels.

With a high quality hex pickup, one could use a computer and a DAW to process the audio (six instances of Guitar Rig?) and/or convert it to MIDI with say JamOrigin.

I've looked everywhere. The only thing I have found that can do this is a GP 10, but that means a big box, a big cable and a power supply to deal with. Of course the GP-10 does a lot more, but imagine not having to deal with that hardware.

And I guess it could have a "single channel" switch option for straight high quality guitar to USB.

It seems like a no brainer, but I do understand USB audio interface design is not trivial.

Comments?

Stublito

Definitely NOT a no brainer!
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

Elantric

#5
10 years ago Rolf Spuler and Mathias Grob co-designed the Paradis Guitar with Internal Firewire 8 channel Audio interface - and showed it at 2008 NAMM Show. 
QuoteAES: Finally, a guitar you can plug directly into your computer — no strings attached.


You may never have heard of BridgeCo, but if you've got a FireWire audio interface, odds are their guts are inside. (They make the firmware / hardware platform.) Now they've gone and crossed your FireWire interface with a boutique electric guitar. What does that give you? A FireWire electric guitar, that's what.


Companies have been promising guitars you could plug and play with a computer, but there's always a catch, like a breakout box — or the thing simply doesn't ship. Heck, we even got a prototype USB-powered ukelele. But this is real, it's at AES here in NYC, and thanks to FireWire, each string can be a separate audio channel.


So is the guitar any good? Probably — it's the product of designer Rolf Spuler, who builds instruments for the likes of Al DiMeola and Bela Fleck. I'll get to hear it in action this weekend and will report back. And it sure looks cool. (More CDM photos after the jump; thanks, Spencer!)



Alternative to a FireWire guitar: use a computer-based stompbox and plug into that for software effects; see the recent IK / Native Instruments stompbox smackdown.
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2005/10/the-firewire-electric-guitar/
https://www.paradis-guitars.com/woodi.htm




QuoteFireWire guitar
Fender Squire FireWire by Paradis Rolf Spulerdiguit electronics axon paradis midiParadis Diguit display

in colaboration with BridgeCo and Axon, the electronics for the Diguit and the version for the Paradis were created and worked reasonably well.

a huge effort with an amazing result:

the guitar only needed a FireWire cable directly to a Macintosh
power supply from the computer
polyphonic guitar effects plugins in the computer
stereo return and heaphone output on the guitar
Axon guitar2midi conversion in the guitar, output through FireWire MIDI
several instruments could be combined into one driver
Fender tested a FireSquire but rejected it due to Gibson patent
NO ONE showed ANY interest at NAMM 2008 !!

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=11656.msg25981#msg25981

Last Update on Rolf Spulers "Paradise" Firewire Guitars - I spoke with Mr Spuler back in 2011, and he indicated that production has stopped on his Firewire MIDI guitars.
http://www.rolfspuler.com/gb/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=120&limit=1&limitstart=0

Elantric

#6
Today this industry is focused on multi-channel playback

you can find USB 7.1 channel DAC Output boxes for $40 on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Adapter-External-Digital-ICUSBAUDIO7D/dp/B002LM0U2S/ref=sr_1_3



but going the other way - thats  8 channels of Analog Digital > USB - thats rare and requires a custom solution

the RaspBerry Pi based AudioInjector - 8ch Audio I/O for Raspberry Pi is among the smallest  / cheapest I know 
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=20678.0