GIBSON'S
DIGITAL GUITAR
The electric guitar, which has used the same electronic technology
for over seventy years, has finally plugged into the digital world,
using NetworkSound real time digital solutions over standard Ethernet.
Driven by the Ethernet-based technological advances made by NetworkSound
in San Jose, CA, in collaboration with Gibson Labs, the Gibson Digital
Guitar opens a new era for stringed instrument amplification. The new
technology, which Gibson plans to install on all its electric guitars,
features Gibson's MaGIC connectivity protocol and a sophisticated new
pickup capable of isolating the vibrations of each individual string. In
order to prevent loose Ethernet jacks and disconnections, Barani
Subbiah, Founder and CEO of NetworkSound, knew he needed to outfit the
guitar with Neutrik's ultra-reliable EtherCon RJ-45 connector.
Utilizing the MaGIC protocol developed by Gibson Labs, the guitar
company's technology division, NetworkSound was able to send 32 mono
channels or 16 stereo channels in each direction over a single CAT-5
cable. "What you could conceivably do with this guitar is quite
incredible," states Subbiah. "After running out of the Ethernet port and
into the 8-output Breakout Box, you can then use split mode to assign
each of the six strings to a different amplifier. However, this
technology just wouldn't be practical if you had frequent drops in your
connections and cables, so we had to go with the tight-locking and
rock-solid Neutrik EtherCon RJ-45. You could jump around on stage all
day and not lose your connection."
A genuine Gibson guitar that is 100% compatible with all existing
equipment, the world's first digital guitar employs Gibson's patented
HEX pickup, which senses up-and-down motions and side-to-side motions,
and can detect and isolate the vibrations of each individual string. By
combining this revolutionary pickup with the MaGIC protocol and Breakout
Box, NetworkSound was able attain a 32-channel throughput without having
numerous extra connections and cables on the guitar itself.
The EtherCon Series' rugged RJ-45 style connectors were designed with
audio and video stage technology, DMX systems and harsh environments in
mind. The EtherCon Series offers both male cable carriers and assembled
female receptacles. The cable end offers a robust die-cast shell as a
carrier for pre-assembled RJ-45 plugs.
NetworkSound, which produced the electronics, real-time digital audio
transport and control solutions for the Gibson Digital Guitar, provides
a very cost-effective, high-quality, Ethernet-based audio distribution
solution for the pro-audio market. Given the company's advanced
technology and the broad range of applications, NetworkSound also uses
the EtherCon connectors in mixers, amplifiers, high-end speakers, home
theater systems, and stage boxes. "We are also currently working on a
mixer with a similar philosophy using the Neutrik EtherCon connectors,"
continues Subbiah. "It has two ports: Audio-In and Audio-Out. This way
we can replace the bulky, cumbersome analog snakes with a single CAT-5
cable. It is amazing to see the back panel of a mixer with no cables
attached."
