Conference napalm::guitar

385.0. "Casio DG-20 Digital Guitar" by FLOWER::JASNIEWSKI () Fri Nov 06 1987 08:05

    
    	I've come to know the Casio DG-20 Digital Guitar a wee bit better
    since I've had it in my hands for a day. I've found that, like the
    "test drive" you might make when buying an automobile, you just
    cant determine the true feel of something while "still in the store".
    This is my evaluation of the DG-20 after owning it for a day...
    
    	To call this instrument a guitar is a farce. It is not a guitar
    at all, rather it is a keyboard in the form of a guitar. The "strings"
    stretch across the fretboard, which is a compliant rubber membrane,
    underwhich switches operate to determine the notes. Guitar players
    I've observed can make it work, but the expressive qualitys of a
    guitar are lost. WJB wouldnt like it either...
    
    	For some reason, which I attribute to having to deal with the
    MIDI implementation thereof, there is *no* facility for any type
    of pitch modulation. This is unacceptable to me; forget bending
    strings or even making string bends by any other means. A likewise
    situation for the dynamics; they are *static* with respect to the
    strumming intensity. Once triggered, you get the sound you get.
    
    	The voicings for guitar could be much better, they're lousy
    at best. The Suzuki instrument makes a better acoustic sound. This
    one has a "distortion" setting, which sounds like an organ with
    some signal clipping; they could have done much better. Many of
    the other sounds have a fixed "LFO" type of modulation - that you
    cannot turn off. Forget about any control over Attack and Decay,
    they're not provided. Sustain at least is determined by the notes
    held on the fretboard, just like an organ. (BTW, the Suzuki instrument
    has dynamic strumming response and a pitch bending facility)
    This instrument has no voicing of anytype for bass Guitar.
                                   
    
    	The rythm box tempo is controlled by a digital switch, which
    means you get this tempo or that, nothing in between it's quanta.
    The box is neat, with a bar for lead in / fill and bars for the
    drums and cymbal (no Bass drum) which stop the rythm whilst you
    bang on these; rythm count resumes when you're through.
    
    	The MIDI output is provided in two modes, MONO and POLY, the
    rythm box is also outputted on it's own channel. Mono mode allows
    seperate channels for each string, so you could feasably have a
    seperate synth responding to each string. This instrument provides
    no velocity or pitch bend information to MIDI.
    
    	Well, you can make it work, get neat noises out of it and have
    a rythm box with fairly good sounds for snare, hihat, low and mid
    toms. Unless you are prepared to consider this an instrument in
    itself - not a guitar - I'd pass it by. When I play, it tricks me
    into thinking it's a guitar and this leads to a big disappointment
    when I'm tempted to "try" a hammer-on or note bend. FOR WHAT THEY'RE
    WORTH, THE STRINGS MIGHT AS WELL STOP BEFORE THE FRETBOARD. I've
    already though of modifying it thusly. As my next impulse is to
    get rid of it as fast as I bought it, I may not show up with this
    instrument this Sunday...Sorry!
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    	Well I'm dissapointed in hearing all of this,I guess I'll keep
    saving for the Roland setup I've played on. It all seemed too good
    to be true anyway.
    
    						:^(
    
    							Rick

    Joe, how does the unit handle open strings?
    
    Did you have it MIDI'd to a slave synth??? 
    
    Does it do pitch to MIDI conversion, or use some other system to
    determine what note is being played???
    
    Is there any delay between plucking a string and the onset of the
    note?
    
    I'd like to MIDI it to my TZ, after setting the TZ to receive on
    6 different MIDI channels...
    
    Edd

    
    	Edd, the unit senses that there is no switch depressed under
    *that* string and assumes it's "open".
    
    	Did you read my base note? I mentioned a compliant membrane
    under which switches sense the finger positions. The pitch of
    the "strings" has nothing at all to do with the outputted sound.
    
    	I never connected it to a MIDI slave...
    
    	Well, it was an interesting experience. Alas, the DG-20 is back
    at Lechmere and the $419 Visa credit is right here in my pocket.
    
    	The "fatals" with this instrument:
    
    	1. No facility to do pitch modulation...
    	2. No dynamic response...
    	3. No envelope control...
    	4. Lousy sounds.
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    Yep, I read .0 about the membrane switches, but I didn't see anything
    about what happened to an 'open' string. Seemed to me there could
    be 2 possibilities; 1) No sound, or 2) default to E-A-D-G-B-E as
    appropriate.
    
    Pardon the thick-headed, but how does it know when to send note-on
    and note-off messages??? Does one strum a set of 'strings', the
    vibration of which is sensed??? ("If the hi-E equivalent string
    is vibrating, play E unless there is a switch closed on the neck.
    If so play, the note generated by closing that switch...).
    
    ...probably can't expect much for the price, but I'm still interested
    in how it works.
    
    Edd

    
    
    Sounds to me like the Casio lacks integrity.