The GK3 still preforms better, even though the GK5 has improved. This update helps all pickups

@@marcuscurtismusic is the gk3 faster as well or is it mostly the same in that regards

@@Rqmod I remember reading from Roland long ago that the tracking is performed by the unit itself and not the pickup. The primary job of the pickup is to send 6 independent signals to the synth. The synth then translates that into midi and then it plays that midi in the patch or scene that is selected. This means that the pickup has a small role in the tracking and the synth plays a larger role. The pickup still needs to be setup properly in the synth, but the tracking is mainly done by the synth. I don't know if any of that changed with the GK5, but one thing seems true. The pickup is sending less data to the synth because it is not sending any information from the guitar's internal pickups. I believe this is the reason why Boss no longer needs to use a 13 pin cable. I tested the GM800 with a standard TRS cable and it seemed to work fine. In fact, in some cases, the TRS cable actually worked better. Boss recommends that you only use their synth cable with the GM800 and they seem to discourage the use of a standard TRS cable even though I got better results from a standard TRS cable. But to answer your question, I would say yes. The tracking is better using the GK3 on the GM800 than it is when you use the GK3 on the SY-1000 or the GR-55. At least I notice a difference when I conduct comparison experiments. As the computing power of each synth improved over the years, the tracking has also improved.

@@marcuscurtismusic so the speed of the translation is more the gm800 vs a vg 99 or another example

@@Rqmod Yes according to what I read.

Let us know how your GK5-kit-G7 works. Roland/Boss seems to have tracking issues when lower notes are played. i really don't like how the Bass pickups respond. Does the 7th string have tracking issues?

The SY-1000 is still my favorite synth, but it's not for everyone. So let me start with the disadvantages so you know up front. The SY-1000 is not a PCM synth. It is not sampled based. This means that you won't get sounds like sax, horns, pianos, or anything else that is typically sampled in a keyboard. This is a dealbreaker for some people. The SY-1000 is strictly an analog synth. Think of Moog or other types of analog synths. So the sounds are limited to those types of sounds. Some people are disappointed that they can't get the instrument sounds that typically come with sampled keyboards. That being said, the analog synth is great, and you can come up with some great patches for guitar, but don't expect authentic strings or anything like that. It does have some good Pad sounds, which is sort of a replacement for strings. Now let's talk about the supper powers of the SY-1000. First, it has amp modeling. The amp models are based on Bosses new A-I-R-D technology and not their old COSM technology. These amp models are similar to the ones you find in the GT-1000, and they sound excellent. I chose these models over the Line 6 Helix models and yes I have line 6 gear and I played through and tested the helix stuff extensively. It is important to note that this is really a matter of personal preference. In addition to that, the effects you find on this unit also can be found on the gT-1000. So the effects and the amp models are fantastic. It also has a normal quarter inch jack that you can use to plug your guitar into. This means you can use the amp models and effects with any bass, electric guitar, or acoustic guitar. I have made patches for all three instrument types when plugged into the quarter inch jack. No other synth does this. If you are going through the quarter inch jack, you can also use the dynamic synth with your regular pickups. There is more than one synth built into this unit, but they are all analog. If you decide to get the GK3 pickup, then you really unlock the potential of this unit. Now you have access to all the guitar models and there are a bunch of guitar models. You have a collection of acoustic guitars, Bass guitars, and electric guitars, and you can use these with the amp models. Anything from Mesa Boogie to Fender amps can be found in the amp models. You can also make any guitar a 12 string. In addition to that, you can control the way the guitar model is tuned. This means you can use a control function and enter a dropped D tuning on any patch you make with a guitar model. You can also program open and tunings and alternate tunings into your patches. The things that I mention are often overlooked, but to me, they are some of the greatest selling points of the SY-1000. And finally, if you use the Gk3 pickup, you unlock the other synths. You can layer up to 3 guitar synths or guitar models in one patch, or you can blend together any combination you choose. This is the most underrated and overlooked guitar synth out there. I call it Bosses best kept secret. You can use it with any guitar you own, and the analog synth sounds are great. Just don't expect to be able to play a grand piano with it. There are features in it that allow you to use it as a midi controller so you can use it with a software synth, but I am still working through this. Latency issues kind of make this hard. I hope this answers all your questions, but if not I did a video exclusively for the SY-1000, and it is a quick overview of the unit. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZq8dZmcdrCFgK8

The name of the video is Tracking Comparison. I showed that the GK5 pickup sucks. No one was saying that when I made this video. Every video I saw showed the GM800 working fine with the GK5 pickup. They were all saying the new GM800 was great!! I demonstrated ghost notes and poor tracking. The GM800 does a better job tracking with the GK3 pickup, and the tracking is better with the GM800 using the GK3 than it is with the GR-55 when using the GK3 pickup. The piano patches alone demonstrate this. Anyone who used the GR55 knows how bad the piano patches and the electric piano patches are. Yes, you need to buy the gray box in order to use the GM800 with a 13 pin GK3. I don't like that either. It should have been built into the GM800, but the fact is it was not built into the gm800. I am still able to play my Godin with the GM800 and I actually purchased my Godin after I bought the GM800. It still sounds better than the GR-55. When I say you are going to see why I bought this thing in the next video, it is because I am covering a new set of topics. I am not talking about tracking in that video. I show how to add sounds and how to use the GM800 as a midi controller, which is why I purchased the unit. If I added that to this video, then the video would be over an hour and 30 minutes long. This video is part of a series that puts everything to the test and finds the weaknesses. It seems to me that Boss could have done a little better in their product development. For example, it's great that you can actually add tones. Tones are what you use to make scenes or patches. No other guitar synth has ever been able to do that. However, you are limited to just 4 expansion packs. Boss sells about 20 of them. They don't disclose this when you purchase the additional tones. I purchased about 12 expansion packs at 20 bucks each. I can only use 4 at a time. Had I known this information, I would have only bought 4 packs. The GM800 has the capabilities to uninstall and reinstall these packs, but that will mess up all the scenes you made using the expansion packs. This is detailed and that is why there is another video explaining this Yes, tracking is substantially improved as long as you are using the GK3 pickup. No, the GM800 is not a replacement for the GR-55. It does not have any of the amp modeling or guitar modeling capabilities, and it does not have the built-in music player. You cannot blend guitar models with synth tones. The GM800 and the GR55 are two different animals, even though they are both synths. This is why I still have my GR55. You are right. 15 years is too long to go without a successor. They attempted this with the SY-1000, but they changed the type of synth. I understand some of the reasons why Boss did what they did, but other things just make me scratch my head and wonder. By dropping the guitar modeling and moving away from blending the guitar pickups with synth sounds, they are able to move away from the 13 pin connections. Their new cable looks like a TRS cable because it is a TRS cable. I tested the synth with a regular TRS cable and in some cases it tracked better. Boss makes the claim that the 13 pin cable is still being supported, but we will see if that is true.

@@marcuscurtismusic Marcus: I apologize. I deserved the slap-down; you didn't deserve having me get snarky. You are absolutely justified in your response. You did indeed deliver in the video what's promised in the description. And I shouldn't have grumped that some of what I'd been looking for wasn't directly addressed in the vid: it's your vid & you DID stay on-topic, and tracking comparison is a really significant issue. You do a good job on these - your video is well produced, and that's not easy. And the Roland/BOSS synth series is especially confusing: newer models don't really replace the GR-55 despite the desperate need for that. There are even things about the GR-33 that keep people using them as they've been lost in the GR-55, & that's approaching 14 yrs. old now. I'll try to be less irritable - esp. try not to post when I've reason to feel irritable (my issues, not yours). I will in fact subscribe & will try to be more constructive if I post again. Meanwhile I AM glad you're covering this stuff 'cause you're right: it's a poorly-covered part of the market.

@@jamesthompson7282 It's ok James. Just know that I am here to help you and here to help the guitar synth community. I will directly answer any question you have or help you in any way I can. One thing I know, these companies can be frustrating, especially when it seems they are not addressing the needs of the customer. If you need anything, just let me know and I will edit my response as well.

I actually did another video that shows how to set up the GM800 as a midi controller. That video also shows you how to download more tones from the Roland cloud. Currently, I have over 2,000 tones on my GM800 which are used to make patches. Selecting the GM800 as the default midi device is not enough to use in Reaper. In every DAW you must make something called a "control surface." I am not sure how to do it just yet in Reaper. You can make a control surface do a number of things, but in this case you want the control surface to use the GM800 as a midi controller. On this channel, I have made videos only about the hardware I like and use in my music production. Now that the majority of these videos are made, I am going to switch gears a little and start making videos showing people how to use this gear in the recording process. I use Cakewalk and Sonar, but I also downloaded more free DAW applications. I downloaded Waveform Free, Luna, and Reaper. Currently, I am learning how to use these DAWs, and I am taking notes and writing scripts. My plan is to show how to use all this hardware with those DAW applications. Those are my future plans for this channel. This is a lot to sort through, so it will take me a little time to come up with the series. I hope to start filming soon. In the meantime, you should watch the other video I made so you will know how to set up the GM800 to work inside Reaper as a midi controller, and you should look for a video that will show you how to make a control surface inside Reaper. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX3LZ3SHj56nms0

Thank you so much Marcus for responding so quickly and in such detail. This is so helpful and I appreciate it very much indeed. I look forward to your intended video series and meanwhile I will check out the other videos you have suggested. Many many thanks again. Cheers👍👍👍

This is from their website, "The Multiac Grand Concert SA features pristine-sounding electronics by LR Baggs" The Piezo L setting on the GR-55 is designed for the L.R. Braggs pickup. If you have a Piezo hex pickup guitar with the RMC OPT-01 Subsonic Input Filter Board, then you would use the Piezo R setting. This is a circut board that people add because of noise. The L.R. Braggs does not have the noise issue that other Piezo hex pickups have.

@@marcuscurtismusic Thank you so much for your detailed answer 🙏 I realized something a few days ago. I set sensitivity for each string but it only controled pcm tones (not normal pick up) For example if I use some modeling like legato or piano etc. it works. But when I play nylon string tone with normal pickup its same. Is it normal or do my piezos have problem? 🤔

Thank you! Cheers!

This thing sounds great with my acoustic. You gonna love the TMP

@@marcuscurtismusic is there a way to run the guitar out and mic out to the same FRFR? I have the fender Fr12

I love the new fender blonde amp they added.

yes, that is a very handy feature

Thanks for sharing!

Typically you have to turn off any amp/cab presets if you plan on using an external amp. Then you are basically just using this for stomp boxes/effects. Then you’d either go directly into the amp’s input, its effects loop, or the 4 cable method depending on what you are trying to do. Don’t try to send an amp model into the front of another amp. Won’t sound good.

Check out Pete Thorn on that.

you can get everything from here. www.behringer.com/downloads.html You just need to click through the proper menus until you find what you need

it's actually pretty simple. Unfortunately, it requires spending more money. The GKC-DA box that allows you to do this costs about $200.00 dollars

I don't have any issues as long as I am using a GK3 pickup. Everything works fine. I run into some issues if I use the GK5 pickup. If you purchase the GM800 you will also need to get a converter box called GKC-AD. The good news is the cost of the box is cheaper than the new GK5 pickup. The box allows you to use any guitar that has a Gk3 pickup installed. In addition to this, Boss just released a brand-new update a few weeks ago that addresses many of the tracking issues. If you have a GK-2A, GK-3 you should not have any tracking issues at all. The new update also improves the GK5 but that pickup still needs improvement. Just be sure to do a firmware update if your GM800 does not have the latest firmware.

The new firmware update from Boss that was released a few weeks back addressed many issues and it made the GK3 pickups track even better. If you have the GR-55 then you should also have a guitar with a GK3 pickup. What I would do in your case is avoid the GK5 pickup. Instead, buy a silver Box that is called Boss GKC-AD. This is an adaptor box that will allow you to use your GK3 or GK2A pickups with the GM800. This means you will not need to purchase the GK5 pickup. The silver box is cheaper than the pickup anyway, and the older GK pickups track better. There is a black box called Boss GKC-DA. This is another converter box that allows you to plug into a GM800 and another Roland synth at the same time. You will find that the GM800 is the best sounding synth out of the ones you mentioned. The sounds are incredible.

Yes it is a bummer , but the update took care of many issues. Now I can at least use the pickup. In addition, the update dramatically improved the GK3 pickups, which were already good. So I am grateful for this update. I get the best performance from the GK3 pickup while using the GKC -AD converter box. Which one I would recommend all depends on your needs. The GM800 is a better synth than the GR-55, but it has no guitar modeling or amp modeling. If you want the modeling, you will need the GR-55. The pianos and other types of sounds track better on the GM800 and they also sound better. Now with the new update you don't get the ghost notes.

Yes, that is frustrating to say the least. This means in order to figure out total cost, you must figure out what everything costs separately. So if you were going to buy a GM800 that would be 750.00. But you would also need a pickup so add another 250.00. You will also need an expression pedal with TRS cable, so add another 150.00. Next you will need to add a remote foot switch (FS7) which is another 65 bucks plus a TRS cable to go with that. So you will be into everything for over $1200.00. So ask yourself this question. What else could you buy for $1200.00? The thing to know about the GM800 is that there is no guitar amp modeling or guitar modeling capabilities built into the unit. It is a much better synth than the GR-55, but it does not have all the features of the GR-55. If I had to get rid of everything and just use one guitar synth then the synth I would keep is the SY1000. It does not have the sax or string sounds. It is an analog synth. But it is the best overall synth in terms of guitar models, amp models, and actual synth sounds.

All Roland/Boss synths have their strength and weaknesses. But for single mono lines, I like the SY-1000 the best. In addition to the analoge synth it also has the flagship guitar amp models that can be found on GT-1000 devices. It also has guitar models that sound better than the line 6 Variax guitars. If I only had one synth that would be the one I would own. That being said the GM800 has a feature that lets you choose between poly or mono playing for each patch. The poly allows you to play notes from all the strings at once. The mono only allows one note to play at a time from one string. The mono eliminates ghost notes, but you are not able to play as fast, so if you are a shredder certain patches may not function as you would like.

@@marcuscurtismusic do you recommend the midi pickup

I have owned a lot of them. some I don't have anymore because I passed them on to other people. My all time favorite is the SY-1000. It is truly different from anything Boss has ever put out.

There are features in the Fender Tone Master that the Helix does not have. The HX is a good pedal and a cheaper option no doubt, but the Fender has more processing power under the hood and some features I really like. I like the amp models in the Fender better than the HX, but that is a matter of personal preference. I just like the way the fender pedal is laid out and after playing through both units I chose to go with the Fender. Again, it is more a matter of personal preference, not because I think one is better than the other.

I think you might be referencing Poly Capo, which is For simply transposing your guitar. I am aware of it, but I have not used it. My line 6 collection contains older gear. Essentially, it is a pitch shifter. There are pedal effects on the Fender that are also pitch shifters, though none were demonstrated in this basic video. The pitch shifters on the Tone Master can be tied to the wah pedal, and you can use it to change pitches. Fender just released an update for the Tone Master. The update has more pedals and more amps. i don't have a list of everything that is new. It also allows you to back up patches to the built-in micro SD card slot. I have not downloaded it yet, but I am getting ready to install the upgrade soon.

Since we are talking full disclosure, I will say I have been testing the GK-3B pickup with my bass guitars. What a waste of money that has been. First, I tried to put the GK3B pickup on my 5-string bass, but the design of the GK3B was so awful that it would not fit on that Bass. Then I mounted it on my 4-string Bass and started running tests. I tested the pickup with my GR-55 and My SY1000. Both synths have bass mode and after switching to bass mode I did not notice any significant improvement in the latency. It did not seem to make a big difference. You are right. The GR-55 Bass patches are cheesy. The bass guitar models worked well, but there were only 3 standard bass guitars to choose from. Nothing great. The latency was terrible in the lower register for the synth patches. The low notes had horrific latency. The SY-1000 was not much better. I tested with the GM800 and got a little better results. but there was still latency. I was going to do a video on it, but the tests I ran did not support any recommendation for a GK bass pickup. A few weeks ago Boss put out a firmware update for the GM800 and this is supposed to improve the latency. I installed the update and tested it with my all my guitar GK pickups and notice big improvements. I have not yet tested it with my GK Bass pickup. Even though the GK5 pickup has improved for the GM800, it is not 100 percent there. I still get ghost notes on certain patches. Some patches that were problematic have improved. Because of the issues I had with the GK5, I was reluctant to buy a GK5B for my bass guitar. That is a lot of money to spend for something that may not even work. Right now, my advice would be to wait and don't jump into anything yet. I need to test my GK3B with the GM800 to see if the latency has improved.

Actually, you may already have everything you need. You don't need a mixer. I was just telling everyone what my setup was. You can plug into your MacBook Pro and use it as an audio interface for garage band. The outputs can be plugged into many different things. The outputs can go to a guitar amp, mixer, studio monitors, or PA speakers. You can just use the headphone output on the Fender Tone Master if that is all you want to use. The Fender Tone Master is quickly becoming my favorite guitar pedal. I hope you enjoy yours. Congratulations on your new investment.

It did not wipe out any saved patches, but I did a restore anyway for safe measure. My advice would be this. Get a thumb drive and format it using the GM800, then back up all your saved patches. You can also use Tone studio to back up your saved patches. Once you back them up in tone studio, export them and put them somewhere safe. Then do your firmware update.

The Boss FV5H will not work with a GM800. FV stands for foot volume. This is a straight up volume pedal. What you need is an expression pedal. You will also need a TRS cable for it to work right. A TRS cable is a quarter inch cable that has two rubber rings instead of one. This kind of pedal transmits midi data and it can also work as a volume pedal. Here is an example of an expression pedal. www.boss.info/us/products/ev-5/ Here is the top one that Boss makes. This is what I use for a volume pedal. If you get this one, remember to get a TRS cable to go along with it. www.boss.info/us/products/ev-30/

One of the limitations of the GM800 is the fact that it is only a synth. No guitar mods or amp mods are included. Even though it is a better synth than the GR-55 you lose the guitar function all together. The GK pickup allows me to plug into the synth and use a guitar amp at the same time. The only problem is that you have two cables coming from your guitar, and that is just asking for trouble. The workaround for me has been to use a wireless connection for the guitar jack. If you are using a looper, hopefully it is a stereo looper. Plug the wireless fob into one of the stereo inputs and plug the synth cable into the other. If your looper is mono, then you could use the same approach, but you will need a Y cable for your mono input. You can get wireless systems from Amazon and they range anywhere from 30 dollars to 200 dollars in price.