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G2M™ (Version 2)
Universal Guitar-to-MIDI Converter
Owner’s Manual
G2M™ G2M™ G2M™ G2M™
Congratulations on your purchase of the
G2M™. Please take the time to read
through this manual to ensure you get
the best from your G2M™.
What is the
G2M™
?
The G2M™ is a simple to use, but highly
effective, Guitar-to-
MIDI
converter. It is
“Universal” because it doesn’t need a
special pick-up mounted on your guitar,
but instead simply connects to your
guitar like any other effects pedal or
tuner. However, this does mean that it
can only work “monophonically”, so
chords are not supported.
Designed to give accurate triggering,
with very low latency, it is a true plug-andplay solution for monophonic
MIDI
guitar.
It can be used to sequence bass lines
and guitar solos, add an edge to your live
performances and to open up many
creative possibilities.
Power
Yo ur G2M™ is powered by a single 9V
PP3 battery (supplied). Simply connect
the battery observing the correct
polarity. If you connect it the wrong way
round it won’t cause any damage, but
the unit won’t operate until this is
connected correctly.
Because of its low power consumption,
the unit will run for many hours (typically
for more than 50) on a single battery.
When the battery is close to needing to
be replaced, the
LOW BATTERY LED
will
light. It is not necessary to replace the
battery immediately since the G2M™ will
continue to function normally. When the
battery is nearly exhausted, the
LOW
BATTERY
LED
will flash and the battery
must be replaced. If you need the G2M™
to work reliably for several hours (
e.g.,
a
recording session, or when playing live)
the battery should be replaced if the
LOW
BATTERY
LED
is lit.
The G2M™ is switched on when a lead is
plugged into the
GUITAR
jack. So, to
maximise battery life, this jack must be
disconnected when you are not using
the unit.
After 30minutes of inactivity the G2M™
will enter a low-power (but not fully off)
state to preserve the battery. To restart
the unit, simply unplug and re-insert the
lead into the
GUITAR
jack.
Operation
Using your G2M™ couldn’t be simpler:
• Plug your instrument (electric guitar)
into the
GUITAR
jack socket. The
POWER LED
will light.
• Connect your
MIDI
device (or
computer,
etc.
) to the
MIDI OUT
socket.
• Adjust your guitar’s volume control
so that the
CLIP LED
lights only
occasionally while playing normally.
• Optionally, check your guitar is in
tune using the built-in tuner (if you
want to tune to the standard
EADGBE
tuning).
• Play your guitar to send
MIDI
to your
MIDI
device (or sequencer,
etc.
).
Chromatic Mode
The G2M™ accurately tracks the pitch of
notes and outputs pitch-bend
MIDI
messages but sometimes it is preferable
to send notes without pitch-bend
information (
e.g.,
when playing piano
sounds). This can be done by enabling
the
CHROMATIC
switch next to the
GUITAR
jack socket.
Tuner
For your convenience, the G2M™
includes a built-in tuner. This uses our
PULSAR™ tuning technology where the
POWER LED
doubles as a tuning indicator.
This innovative tuner gives you a fast
and accurate way to tune your guitar.
If there is no input signal, the
LED
will
remain lit and indicates that the unit is
powered. When there is an input signal,
the
LED
will pulse smoothly to indicate
tuning.
When the note is out of tune, the
LED
will
pulse quickly. As you get closer to the
correct pitch, this pulsing will slow.
Eventually when you are perfectly in
tune, the pulsing will stop. Normally, as
long as the
LED
pulses slower than once
per second, the tuning is close enough
for most purposes.
It is always best to start at a lower pitch
and tune upwards to the correct pitch. As
you get closer to the correct pitch and
the pulsing slows down, turn your tuning
head more slowly to avoid overshooting
the correct pitch. Because the tuner is
very accurate you will find that very small
movements may be all that is required to
move from slightly out-of-tune to in-tune
(or indeed, to go from in-tune to slightly
out-of-tune). With only a little practice
you will find you can tune very quickly
and accurately using the PULSAR™
tuner.
Instrument Thru
If you want to connect your instrument to
another device, or to your guitar
amplifier, simply connect a lead to the
THRU
jack. The G2M™ has a highimpedance input and it will not affect the
sound of your instrument while it is
connected.
MIDI
To make connecting to
MIDI
equipment
as simple as possible, the G2M™ has a
standard 5-pin
MIDI
connector (
i.e.,
no
adapter cables are required). It also
provides standard 5V power and is able
to power self-powered
MIDI
devices such
as
MIDI
mergers and message filters.
For pitch-bend, the commonest setting
for most
MIDI
devices is for full-scale
pitch-bend to represent ±2 semitones,
and the G2M™ is also set to this range.
To e ns u re yo u r
MIDI
sounds are correctly
in tune with your guitar, ensure the
MIDI
patch you use is also set to a pitch-bend
range of ±2 semitones.
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G2M™ G2M™ G2M ™ G2M™
Of course, you may want to experiment
with other pitch-bend ranges for special
effects.
Carry strap
Next to the
GUITAR
jack socket is a hole to
attach a carrying strap. You can use this
to make carrying the G2M™ much
easier: wear it on your wrist to free up
your hands or use it to secure the G2M™
to your guitar strap.
Usage Tips
Ensure your guitar’s level is optimally
matched to the G2M™ by turning down
its volume control to avoid having the
CLIP LED
flashing most of the time.
Occasional (or no) clipping will not cause
any performance problems and a high
signal level ensures that sounding notes
will sustain for as long as possible.
Slightly mute strings with your picking
hand. This helps prevent spurious
MIDI
notes when the wrong string is touched
lightly during playing . It also improves the
detection of rapidly picked notes
because notes can decay slightly faster
to give greater contrast between the
new note and the last note.
The G2M™ is great for sequencing
natural-sounding bass lines but if you try
to perform very fast notes on the lowest
strings, you may have some tracking
issues. To avoid this, play the notes on
higher octaves where tracking is fastest
and latency is the lowest. Then
transpose the recorded notes in your
sequencer to use as a bass line.
If your songs require very fast lead lines
but you are struggling to play them
accurately, record the section at a lower
tempo using the G2M™ then pl ay it b ack
at full tempo. Because the lead line has
been converted to
MIDI
, its timbre won’t
be affected by changing the tempo,
unlike the original guitar sound.
If you find that the wrong note (or
octave) is briefly detected when you
pluck a note, try the following tips for
your guitar:
• Use new strings.
• Ensure there are no fret buzzes, and
don’t play any percussive sounds
such as “slaps”.
• Try using the neck pick-up.
• Turn down the tone control to see if
this makes a difference.
• Slightly adjust your playing style or
playing position. Often moving where
you strike the string by a small
amount can give good results.
Remember the G2M™ accurately
converts the pitch of your instrument to
MIDI
messages. If your instrument is not
in tune, the
MIDI
won’t be in tune either!
Recommendations
Always disconnect the lead from the
GUITAR
jack when you are not actively
using it. This will prolong the life of the
battery.
It is a good idea to use rechargeable
batteries if you use the G2M™ often as
this is better for the environment.
When storing your G2M™ for an
extended period, we recommend that
you remove the battery. Batteries can
leak corrosive materials which could
damage your unit.
Do not expose to G2M™ to rain or
moisture. If this occurs, disconnect the
battery and allow the unit to dry out
completely before using it again.
Warranty
The G2M™ is supported by a limited
warranty for a period of one year from
the date of purchase. During this period,
any faults due to defective materials or
workmanship will be rectified (by repair
or replacement
*
) free of charge. The
warranty excludes damage caused by
deliberate or accidental misuse,
modification, or operation with an
external power supply or an incorrect
battery. It is the user’s responsibility to
ensure fitness for purpose in any
particular application. The warranty is
limited to the original purchase price of
the equipment, is limited to the original
purchaser, and excludes any
consequential damage or loss.
Pro of o f purch ase d ate i s req uire d for any
claim under this warranty.
Warranty claims must be made through
the retailer from whom the original
purchase was made.
Community
To see what other
sonuus
products
are available, please visit:
www.sonuus. com
To share your experiences, tips and tricks
with other G2M™ users, register on our
user forum:
www.sonuus. com/forum
*. A unit replaced under warranty may
be replaced with a reconditioned unit.
Specifications
The above specifications are subject to
change without notice.
sonuus
, G2M™ and PULSAR™ are
trademarks or registered trademarks of
Sonuus Limited.
© Copyright 2010 Sonuus Limited, All
Rights Reserved.
Power 12mA using 9 V PP3 battery
Auto Sleep (0·1 mA) After 30mins of inactivity
Tun er notes E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4
Tu n e r
accuracy
<1cent when pulsing at <1Hz
Note range A1 to B
b
6
MIDI
latency
5ms(E6)
19ms (E2)
Pitch bend
<1cent accuracy
±2 semitones range /
None if
CHROMATIC
mode on
MIDI
power 5V (via 200Ω resistor as per the
MIDI
specification)
Size 83mm
×
58mm×34mm
Weight 80g (without battery)
Inputs 6·35mm mono jack (switches unit
on when jack is inserted)
Outputs 6·35mm mo no jack connected
directly to input jack (
THRU
)
Standard 5-pin
MIDI DIN
socket.
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