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Owner’s Manual

 

Thank you, and congratulations on your choice of the Roland GI-20 GK-MIDI Interface.

Before using this unit, carefully read the sections entitled: 

 

“USING THE UNIT SAFELY”

 

 (page 2–3) and 

 

“IMPORTANT NOTES”

 

 (page 4). 

These sections provide important information concerning the proper operation of the unit. 
Additionally, in order to feel assured that you have gained a good grasp of every feature 
provided by your new unit, owner’s manual should be read in its entirety. The manual should 
be saved and kept on hand as a convenient reference.

 

Main Features

 

The GI-20 is a multifunction GK-MIDI interface.

It takes the signals from the individual strings of the guitar or bass equipped with a divided 
pickup, analyzes each string’s pitch and volume, and outputs the information as MIDI data.

You can combine the GI-20 with a MIDI sound module and use the setup as a guitar synthesizer, 
or connect it to a computer and use it as an input tool for sequencers or similar applications.

 

 

Compatible with guitars and basses.

 

 

Features internal patch memory, allowing you to store a variety of different settings.

 

 

You can connect an expression pedal (the optional EV-5) or foot switch to (the optional 

FS-5U) adjust volume and pitch, hold notes, and control other aspects of performances.

 

 

The GI-20 comes equipped with a USB connector. Using a single cable, you can connect 

the unit to a computer to easily input data and play performances.

 

*

USB, short for Universal Serial Bus, is a type of interface for connecting computers to a wide variety of peripheral 
devices.

 

 

The GI-20 also features a built-in chromatic tuner for fast, accurate tuning.

 

 

The unit supports the use of a variety of playing techniques, including finger picking 

and tapping. And it gives you the most natural expression, matching your playing 

technique.

 

Copyright © 2003 ROLAND CORPORATION

 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written
permission of ROLAND CORPORATION. 

Summary of Contents for GI-20

Page 1: ...or connect it to a computer and use it as an input tool for sequencers or similar applications Compatible with guitars and basses Features internal patch memory allowing you to store a variety of dif...

Page 2: ...utlet and request servicing by your retailer the nearest Roland Service Center or an authorized Roland distributor as listed on the Information page when The AC adaptor or the power supply cord has be...

Page 3: ...er The resulting sound may be of a level that could cause permanent hearing loss Damage to speakers or other system components may result 101b The unit and the AC adaptor should be located so their lo...

Page 4: ...horoughly with a soft dry cloth 402 Never use benzine thinners alcohol or solvents of any kind to avoid the possibility of discoloration and or deformation Additional Precautions 553 Use a reasonable...

Page 5: ...itch of the Sound TRANSPOSE 23 Setting the Range in Which Pitches Are Changed BEND RANGE 23 Switching Sounds on External Devices PRG CHANGE 25 Muting Specific Strings STRING MUTE 26 Storing the Settin...

Page 6: ...ng the sensitivity this indicates the level 4 WRITE button Use this for writing patches Write procedure p 26 This is also used as the button to execute Factory Reset p 34 and Bulk Dump p 29 5 SELECT E...

Page 7: ...you are using Switch to GUITAR if you are using a guitar if using a bass switch this to BASS Note that the GI 20 may not operate properly if this setting is not correct 13 FOOT SW jack Connect an opt...

Page 8: ...8 Panel Descriptions Signal Flow fig 00 04 Guitar Bass Foot Switch Expression Pedal...

Page 9: ...rd that enables electronic instruments and peripherals to share information about performances sound switching and other functions MIDI is a standard that is shared by a wide range of instruments from...

Page 10: ...status of the GUITAR BASS switch This does not appear in the display when the GUITAR BASS switch setting is changed at a later point fig 00 12 With the factory settings all of the GI 20 s patch settin...

Page 11: ...on the MIDI sound module and monitor speakers or other device 2 Turn off the power to the power amp or other device 3 Turn off the power to the MIDI sound module and the GI 20 Adjusting the Input Sen...

Page 12: ...s values for the parameters described below and switching these patches allows you to reproduce their settings instantly fig 01 06 System Parameters and Patch Parameters In contrast to the patch param...

Page 13: ...in Play mode When switching patches turn the PARAMETER knob to return to Play mode GM General MIDI is a set of recommended standards covering the way sounds are played by MIDI sound module the arrange...

Page 14: ...se function normally when you play notes individually 1 Turn the PARAMETER knob to MIDI CHANNEL fig 01 10 2 Press SELECT to select MONO POLY When MONO POLY is selected only the leftmost indicator ligh...

Page 15: ...o the same number MIDI messages transmitted over other channels are disregarded However when the control channel is set to OMNI mode Omni MIDI messages are received regardless of the channel With the...

Page 16: ...l number If you want to set the omni mode select oM fig 01 17 4 When you have finished making the settings turn the PARAMETER knob to return to PLAY MODE The Control channel is a system parameter It i...

Page 17: ...he GI 20 from your computer Input here is performance data from guitars and basses equipped with GK connectors Roland GI 20 MIDI OUT This is the port used for outputting performance data to your compu...

Page 18: ...ilar instruments the vibrating strings are touched directly giving the player the ability to exert subtle control over the dynamics To realize most faithfully this aspect of the guitar you need to set...

Page 19: ...hus the standard set ting for play Fi Finger picking The setting for when you want to per form with the feeling finger picking provides Sensitivity is a little higher than Normal Hd Hard picking This...

Page 20: ...erefore if the same assign settings are used for both of the patches prior to and following the switch the status of the controllers is carried over However if the assign settings are different for th...

Page 21: ...nds from the same string simultaneously H2 GR Hold 2 The sound being played is held the moment you press the foot switch and continues to be held while you hold the pedal down The synth sound is not p...

Page 22: ...5 u8 Glide Up 5 8 d5 d8 Glide Down 5 8 When the foot switch is pressed the pitch changes continuously up down to one octave Release the pedal to re turn to the original pitch The higher the numeral se...

Page 23: ...tinuous pitch changes obtained with techniques such as bending finger vibrato tremolo bar usage and sliding to an external device This is done using MIDI Pitch Bend Change messages Setting Bend Range...

Page 24: ...nge When the Chromatics C1 C3 are selected if you use string bending or other techniques that bend the guitar or bass pitch the changes in pitch transmitted in the MIDI mes sages are made in semitone...

Page 25: ...44 3 If you want to change the string settings press TUNER STRING SEL to select the string numbers The string number changes each time you press TUNER STRING cycling through ALL 1 2 3 4 5 6 ALL fig 0...

Page 26: ...Write procedure to save the settings to a patch Switching patches p 13 or turning off the power without first carrying out the Write procedure will cause the created settings to be deleted System par...

Page 27: ...o PLAY MODE 2 Select the copy source patch refer to How to Switch Patches on p 13 3 Press WRITE The display flashes fig 02 50 4 Press PATCH VALUE to select the copy destination patch To cancel the Cop...

Page 28: ...factory The reference pitch is a system parameter It is saved automatically when the TUNER is turned off even without the Write procedure being carried out and the settings values are applied to all...

Page 29: ...nsferred in and out of the GI 20 using MIDI or USB You can also save patches externally to equipment that can record MIDI data For this kind of operation the GI 20 uses MIDI messages called System Exc...

Page 30: ...will result in the loss of the data stored up to that time 1 Connect the external device s MIDI OUT to the MIDI IN on the GI 20 2 Turn the PARAMETER knob to BULK fig 03 06 3 Press SELECT to select LM...

Page 31: ...ing the Size of a MIDI Pitch Bend Message BEND DATA THIN The Bend Data Thin Function With the guitar the finger vibrato technique can be used to produce organic vibratos with amplitude and speed that...

Page 32: ...urn the power off Limiting the Extent of the Bend Range BEND RANGE MAX Although the GI 20 has a maximum bend range setting of 24 unless the GI 20 and your sound module feature the same bend range sett...

Page 33: ...to the GI 20 2 Hold down WRITE and turn on the power 3 Press SELECT causing only the leftmost indicator of the display to light up Only the leftmost indicator light when you select USB DRIVER TYPE fig...

Page 34: ...mp operation p 29 to save them before performing the Factory Reset operation 1 Turn off the power to the GI 20 2 Set GUITAR BASS to match the instrument you are using guitar or bass 3 Hold down TUNER...

Page 35: ...ND RANGE p 23 set to anything other than 24 With BEND RANGE MAX set to anything other than 24 if Glide Up Down 5 8 or Pitch Bend 3 or 6 is used in Assign p 19 then changing the pitch by an octave caus...

Page 36: ...ontrol Change value transmitted with the previous patch Therefore if the same assign settings are used for both of the patches prior to and following the switch the status of the controllers is carrie...

Page 37: ...ed processing due to an attempt to transmit numerous MIDI messages from the GI 20 at one time The GI 20 s MIDI IN OUT connectors may be connected with a single MIDI cable Action 1 Check the connection...

Page 38: ...way transfer and handshake transfer One way transfer procedure See Section 3 for details This procedure is suited to the transfer of a small amount of data It sends out an Exclusive message completely...

Page 39: ...mpatibility with such devices Roland has limited the DT1 to 256 bytes so that an excessively long message is sent out in separate segments A DT1 message is capable of providing only the valid data amo...

Page 40: ...the GI 20 Does not convert to basic channel for transmission General Purpose Controller 5 Status 2nd byte 3rd byte BnH 50H vvH n MIDI channel number 0H FH 0 15 0 ch 1 15 ch 16 vv Control value 00H 7FH...

Page 41: ...1 15 ch 16 mm Upper byte of the parameter data designated by RPN ll Lower byte of the parameter data designated by RPN RPN Control change includes RPN registered parameter number function which are d...

Page 42: ...and their hexadecimal counterparts 10 16 10 16 10 16 10 16 0 00H 32 20H 64 40H 96 60H 1 01H 33 21H 65 41H 97 61H 2 02H 34 22H 66 42H 98 62H 3 03H 35 23H 67 43H 99 63H 4 04H 36 24H 68 44H 100 64H 5 05...

Page 43: ...fter powering off 2 O X is selectable 3 Can be assigned the Expression Pedal Foot Switch 1 2 and GK Volume 4 Can be received when Bulk Load is standby Model GI 20 Date Dec 26 2002 Version 1 00 MIDI Im...

Page 44: ...H inches Weight 1 3 kg 2 lbs 14 oz excluding AC adaptor Accessories AC Adaptor 120 230 V ACI series 230 UK 240 V ACB series GK Cable 3 m MIDI Cable 1 m Owner s Manual CD ROM USB driver Rubber Foot x...

Page 45: ...that is running on the USB connected computer The GI 20 Driver sends data from the application to the GI 20 and passes data from the GI 20 to the application The explanation about installing and setu...

Page 46: ...note of the current setting Warn or Block Then change the setting to Ignore and click OK The installation procedure will differ depending on your system Please proceed to one of the following section...

Page 47: ...the GI 20 to your computer 1 With the power switch turned OFF connect the AC adaptor to the GI 20 2 Connect the AC adaptor to an electrical outlet 3 Use the USB cable to connect the GI 20 to your com...

Page 48: ...he Model field indicates Roland GI 20 and click Next Driver installation will begin If the What action do you want Windows to take setting was not set to Ignore a Hardware Installation dialog box will...

Page 49: ...rent for your system Specify the drive name of your CD ROM drive The Found New Hardware Wizard will appear fig d11 17 Make sure that the display indicates Roland GI 20 and click Finish Wait until Foun...

Page 50: ...m the menu select Control Panel 3 In Pick a category click Performance and Maintenance 4 In or pick a Control Panel icon click the System icon The System Properties dialog box will appear Depending on...

Page 51: ...ure that File signature verification is set to Ignore If it is set to Ignore simply click OK If it is not set to Ignore make a note of the current setting Warn or Block Then change the setting to Igno...

Page 52: ...ower switch turned OFF connect the AC adaptor to the GI 20 2 Connect the AC adaptor to an electrical outlet 3 Use the USB cable to connect the GI 20 to your computer fig d99 12 Switch ON the GI 20 s p...

Page 53: ...Roland GI 20 is displayed and click Finish fig d20 If the File signature verification setting was not set to Ignore a Digital Signature Not Found dialog box will appear If File signature verification...

Page 54: ...Windows restarts 1 After Windows restarts log in to Windows as a user with administrative privileges such as Administrator 2 In the Windows desktop right click the My Computer icon and from the menu...

Page 55: ...r computer 4 Click the Windows Start button From the menu that appears select Run fig d22 Open the Run dialog box fig d23 5 In the dialog box that appears input the following into the Open field and c...

Page 56: ...fy the drive name of your CD ROM drive Once the driver has been installed New Hardware Found dialog box will close 9 In the SetupInf dialog box click OK The SETUPINF dialog box will close Next you nee...

Page 57: ...s icon Windows 2000 Me 1 In Control Panel double click the Sounds and Multimedia icon to open the Sounds and Multimedia Properties dialog box 3 Click the Audio tab 4 For MIDI music playback click the...

Page 58: ...pen the Multimedia Properties dialog box In Control Panel double click the Multimedia icon to open the Multimedia Properties dialog box 3 Click the MIDI tab fig d28 4 Set MIDI output Select Single ins...

Page 59: ...e numerous other variables that can affect performance including differences in hardware design system configuration and overall combination of software applications that are used Therefore the actual...

Page 60: ...procedure 1 Connect the GI 20 to your computer 1 With the power switch turned OFF connect the AC adaptor to the GI 20 2 Connect the AC adaptor to an electrical outlet 3 Use the USB cable to connect t...

Page 61: ...box and click OK fig d37 7 After making sure that the Roland GI 20 is listed in the OMS MIDI Device Setup dialog box click check box to check mark and click OK fig d38 8 The Save dialog box will appea...

Page 62: ...d40 13 In the My Studio Setup Window click the keyboard icon When you move the mouse cursor near the keyboard icon the cursor will change to the shape of an eighth note Verify that you can hear sound...

Page 63: ...to FreeMIDI dialog box will appear Click Continue If this is the second or later time select FreeMIDI Preferences from the File menu 4 In the FreeMIDI Preferences dialog box check GI 20 Port which is...

Page 64: ...priate model does not appear in the list select Other Studio Location Select GI 20 7 When settings are complete click Done A setting window like the following will appear fig d47 8 If you selected Oth...

Page 65: ...B audio device driver installed in your computer and then re install the GI 20 driver as described in Installing setting Up the Driver Windows p 46 Also check whether there is any Other devices in Dev...

Page 66: ...hat the computer has detected the GI 20 incorrectly As described in Deleting incorrect device information delete the incorrect device information then re install the driver Installing Setting Up the D...

Page 67: ...log box Did you make Driver Signing Options In order to install re install the driver you must make the settings described in Driver Signing Options Windows XP p 46 Windows 2000 p 51 Deleting the driv...

Page 68: ...k Hide file extensions for known file types and check Show all files in Hidden files Then click the OK button For Windows Me 1 Open the Control Panel and double click Folder Options Then click View ta...

Page 69: ...ITAR SEL 11 13 18 GUITAR BASS 7 10 34 H Hold 21 I Indicator 12 Input Sensitivity 11 18 L LOAD MIDI 30 LOAD USB 31 M MASTER TUNE 12 28 MIDI 7 9 MIDI BASIC CH 12 MIDI CHANNEL 14 MIDI Channel 14 MIDI CTL...

Page 70: ...3 26 STRING SEL 6 System Exclusive 9 System Parameter 12 T Transmission Mode 14 20 22 23 25 32 TRANSPOSE 13 23 Tuner 6 26 28 TUNER STRING SEL 23 25 26 28 34 Tuner Indicator 6 Tuning 28 U USB 7 10 17 3...

Page 71: ...ons However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determin...

Page 72: ...Diagorou Street Nicosia CYPRUS TEL 022 66 9426 DENMARK Roland Scandinavia A S Nordhavnsvej 7 Postbox 880 DK 2100 Copenhagen DENMARK TEL 3916 6200 FRANCE Roland France SA 4 Rue Paul Henri SPAAK Parc de...

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