This is arguably the most awesome thing I've seen in quite some time.

[soliloquy]

okie, found one of the videos i was talking about. here... and it doens't matter what amp its plugged into, it will always sound synthetic and computerized...

other than the screen, i really see no difference between this and a keytar:



and muse had this technology in their songs for some time now. heres a video of them two years ago...but its attached to a real guitar:

 

[CONTEMPT]

okie, found one of the videos i was talking about. here... and it doens't matter what amp its plugged into, it will always sound synthetic and computerized...

That, at least to me, is the idea. If I want guitar sounds I'll play a guitar. I think the concept here is to allow guitarists access to those types of synthetic sounds (hence why it's called a 'synth') without having to learn traditional keyboard, which is the interface used by 99% of MIDI-based gear.

other than the screen, i really see no difference between this and a keytar

Well, aside from having more than a octave and a half range and not having a traditional keyboard interface at all, I can see what you mean. /sarcasm

 

[SavM]

Hah! this totally looks like it's inspired by Tron. Loved the music in Legacy!!

 

[Explorer]

From the point of view of someone who's used guitar synthesis and guitar synth controllers for a few decades:

Most guitar synth controllers use conversion of a vibrating string's pitch to create a MIDI Note-On message. Roland/Yamaha/Ibanez went this route. It takes a small chunk of time to do that conversion, and it takes half a frequency cycle at minimum. So, the lower the note, the longer the delay.

The Axon converters do something a little different: the converter is trained to look for the unique partials/inharmonics of each fretted position of each string, and to use its catalog of those unique sonic fingerprints (built by training it) to trigger MIDI note pitches.

The second system used by guitaristic synth controllers is to know which pitch is required by detecting what fret (or fret-like device) is being touched. Some "frets" are just buttons, like on the Ztar. On the older Beetle Quantar and the Yamaha G10, the controller sends ultrasound through a physical string, and can determine where that string is being fretted in the same way a plumber or a telephone/cable repairman can use ultrasound/electronic echoes to determine how far away a break in the line is. The pitch is held in memory, and then a Note-On message of that pitch is sent when the trigger is activated (either the string or a string section which detects a pluck, like on the Beetle/Yamaha/Ztar or the older Casio DG line, or a raised ridge like on the Yamaha EZ line).

----

The big drawback of this new controller? There's no way to know where your hand is on the "trigger" without looking. There is no tactile feedback of where you are.

Imagine a blind person trying to use an iPhone/iPad, or any other touch device. Now imagine trying to play six strings while needing to look at your picking hand to do anything of precision.

My thought? Fail.

I can afford to be picky. Nothing in the years since I got it has managed to match the zero-latency of my Yamaha G10. If I wanted, I could mount a Kaos Pad on it and get the X-Y control of this device, along with using pressure (Z) to effect sound.

But still, I don't have to look down to use it, or watch my fingers.

 

[Hallic]

The main question remains: Will it Djent?

 

[davidb1986]

I so want one!!! I'm adding to my future guitar list!

 

[AcousticMinja]

must have.