I recently purchased a Jamstik Studio MIDI guitar, and it is excellent. I like the body's travel-size weight and shape, and the dedicated MIDI pickup is more responsive than a Jammy JG-001. Unfortunately, there is one major issue. While tracking in MIDI-mode, the instrument's output velocity –which is the audio equivalent of volume– is too low.

Here is the evidence:

Example #1 - Jamstik Creator

When I contacted Jamstik customer support, they referred me to their documentation on adjusting the sensitivity and adjusting the MIDI pickup height. Neither one of these solutions helped me significantly boost the Velocity.

Example #2 - MIDI Editor within Logic

In this example, I connect the Jamstik Studio directly into my laptop, create a new Instrument track and start recording. Once the take is complete, I then visit the MIDI editor to see the Velocity.

Example #3 - Third-Party MIDI Editor

In this example, I use a third-party tool called MIDIView to capture the Jamstik Studio's Velocity. Please note how I set the Sensitivity setting to 10 yet still achieve a low-velocity output.

Why Does This Matter?

When I'm tracking on guitar, it's frustrating to record a take then immediately go to MIDI Edit-mode to boost the Velocity parameter manually.

How can Jamstik fix this?

As mitigation, all Jamstik need's to do is add a new global parameter called "Velocity Output" from within Jamstik Creator.

Current Solutions

Apple Logic

Within Apple Logic, you can adjust the MIDI Velocity at the track input level. The screenshots below show where to do that.

Avid Pro Tools

There is no simple way to do this without third-party software. I use Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork to boost my MIDI velocity before triggering my virtual instrument.

The photos below show you how to install a virtual instrument within Blue Cat Audio's PatchWork to manipulate the MIDI Velocity from an external controller.

Resources

• Plug'n Script Tutorial from Letimix