Boss GM-800 and GK-5

[Digital Igloo]

What else could it be?

You know a bunch of people will be calling Roland US support wondering why their off-the-shelf guitar cable (or even high-quality TRS cable) isn't working with the GK-5 and GM-800.

I suppose it's not that big a deal since GK users are accustomed to proprietary-ish cables anyway.

 

[hippietim]

4 wires could do I think, they could've made it TRRS or XLR4. But then again the GK-5 dongle would have to be twice as big, so tradeoffs.

I don’t think you’d want to share ground wires.

 

[hippietim]

You know a bunch of people will be calling Roland US support wondering why their off-the-shelf guitar cable (or even high-quality TRS cable) isn't working with the GK-5 and GM-800.

I suppose it's not that big a deal since GK users are accustomed to proprietary-ish cables anyway.

hopefully a third party will jump in with alternative cables. For starters, they need to make some much shorter cables to use with the converters - 15 feet is a bit long for a pedalboard.

 

[mbenigni]

i was kidding

But I think Roland is serious.

 

[yeky83]

hopefully a third party will jump in with alternative cables. For starters, they need to make some much shorter cables to use with the converters - 15 feet is a bit long for a pedalboard.

If it is the 110 ohm AES/EBU stuff, looks like there's already patch cables and the usual places like Redco, BTPA, etc. already make them to length.

 

[TJontheRoad]

hopefully a third party will jump in with alternative cables. For starters, they need to make some much shorter cables to use with the converters - 15 feet is a bit long for a pedalboard.

Exactly. You'd think Boss/Roland would have thought of that given they're selling converter boxes. But then again, they'd probably charge $15 a foot for a single patch cable.

 

[TJontheRoad]

If it is the 110 ohm AES/EBU stuff, looks like there's already patch cables and the usual places like Redco, BTPA, etc. already make them to length.

In custom lengths;

TT1-XX

Digital TT (Bantam) Cable using Ulta Low Capacitance Gepco 5526 Thin profile, 110 ohm AES/EBU Digital Audio CableHand Soldered with Neutrik NP3TT-P TT Connectors**THESE ARE TT CONNECTORS, NOT 1/4" CONNECTORS**

btpa.com

 

[hippietim]

How is the GK-5 powered?

 

[TJontheRoad]

How is the GK-5 powered?

It's passive I'd think.

 

[mbenigni]

It's passive I'd think.

That would surprise me since it’s got to compress 6 magnetic signals into a (presumably digital) serial transmission. I’d imagine there are components in there that will want either battery power or DC over one of the wires in that TRS cable. Probably the latter.

 

[aerial7]

I have an old Roland JV-80 that I keep around for exactly one factory preset that I can't live without; does anyone know whether there's a way I can get that sound on the GM-800 via the Roland zen cloud stuff? (I haven't kept up with Roland; have mostly gone Korg....)

 

[hippietim]

It's passive I'd think.

It can’t be. It’s got to power the converters and the audio bus. And you need a steady voltage.

 

[BROCKSTAR]

Haha so I just got another SY-1000 (this makes me having it 4 times I think now since launch lol). With all this talk of the new GM-800 which I also have coming along with the gk-5 pickup and converter box and 2 new cables, I started drooling for the sy-1000 again to pair with it so I did some trading with my local store and got a brand new sy-1000 today. However I can only play with it in normal input mode for now as I have no gk-2 or gk-3 anymore. Hopefully the GM-800 and new pickup and stuff comes soon...

 

[gumtown]

How is the GK-5 powered?

From the BM-800, the GK-5 uses A2B digital protocol, as used in the automotive industry, for support of up to 32 digital channels of audio (TDM32, only 6 used here).
Power and data on the same 110 ohm cable pair.

 

[Piing]

It's passive I'd think.

Powered through A2B bus

"A2B® is a high bandwidth, bidirectional, digital audio bus capable of distributing 32 channels of audio and MIDI control data together with clock and power over a single, unshielded twisted-pair wire"

Source: Elantric from V-Guitar Forum
Message #7 on this thread: https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=35961.0

I suspect that it will not take long until we can have the PCB's and specs for DIY converters, both 13-Pin to A2B, and A2B to 13-pin. These Boss boxes are too expensive.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Seriously though, whenever I looked at the guitar synth stuff it always looked like such a clusterduck that I've avoided it like I avoid IK's mystery packages.

You buy a hex pickup from Roland, get a synth pedal from Boss... but which one? Some of them do this, some of them do that, PCM this, guitar modeling that... oh there's one with a regular guitar input, is that good? Oh, there's one from Roland too...

Now would be a perfect jumping off point. New pickups, new flagship, it all finally makes sense... sorta, but it's the best one can expect from Roland/Boss.

But no more physical expansion boards. How moderne!

 

[TJontheRoad]

Powered through A2B bus

"A2B® is a high bandwidth, bidirectional, digital audio bus capable of distributing 32 channels of audio and MIDI control data together with clock and power over a single, unshielded twisted-pair wire"

View attachment 9146

Source: Elantric from V-Guitar Forum
Message #7 on this thread: https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=35961.0

I suspect that it will not take long until we can have the PCB's and specs for DIY converters, both 13-Pin to A2B, and A2B to 13-pin. These Boss boxes are too expensive.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Just get a nice Synth Workstation and play some actual Keys already!



Why do guitarists have to make everything so complicated and
convoluted all the time.

Well because with this one it’s slightly too loud in the low mids, and with the other one the bartender keeps telling me to turn down.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Just get a nice Synth Workstation and play some actual Keys already!

Why do guitarists have to make everything so complicated and

Because which one looks like a rock icon, and which one looks like a UPS delivery guy having fun on the weekend?

 

[aerial7]

A2B sounds awesome.

Perfectly suited for the next Variax. Thing is, I think the next Variax belongs in a pedal or breakout box -- now that A2B means you can pull all the audio (and MIDI) off the guitar separately.

In fact, 32 channels is enough to separately carry the audio for each string for each "pickup". You can route all that to a box at your feet, used across all your guitars. Knobs and switches can also be carried on the same 1/4" cable and processed in that same box. You'll never need to rewire your guitar again, just reconfigure things in the box.

I've been day-dreaming about just such a rig for way too long. I'm ready for it to arrive.