Fishman TriplePlay Bridge Wireless MIDI Pickup Reviews

It's still not perfect but it's better than anything else I've ever tried. It works really well in Logic Pro X, I recorded Cello with it and it was so much easier than using a midi keyboard because guitar is my first instrument. I use it in Mainstage and in Ableton Live with the Triple Play Software as a plug-in and it works great. Easy install and the fact that it is wireless just puts the icing on the cake. I like it for Flute, strings and Moog lead.

I've recorded, written and performed extensively with midi guitar, starting in the old Photon Midi Controller days and have used this product for years. It's great. The creativity this type of tool opens up in fantastic. I raise the velocity levels on the virtual instruments with many of the samples and sounds I use and this reduces rogue notes. Add the foot controller, attach an expression pedal and it's magic. Mix sounds behind your guitar sound and away you go. This is an approach I use a lot and it works great with classical guitar technique or any other style of playing. Great product. White Eisenstein Honolulu Hale Concert video on Youtube showcases one of the ways I use this technology. This is just one of the incredible things you can do easily with this product.

This might be the coolest gear purchase I have ever made. The fishman plugin that comes with the pickup is not that great in my opinion as I have had horrible latency issues with it. The magic comes from being able to use it as a midi controller in my daw with all my synth and piano plugins. I have no latency problems with any plugin I have used in FL studios. My only complaint is they haven't released a bass guitar version yet.

DELIGHTFUL product! SO amazing to just be sitting on my couch - while skillfully playing a piano [or ANY instrument] with my guitar! SAMPLETANK is the company I ordered from in order to complete my "sounds library" -with: SAMPLETANK- 4 ----- as for the free "EAST-WEST" so called "teaser" pack, was just THAT for me - nothing but a "tease" - because I could NEVER get it operational and stop trying when TWO of the E/W tech people, each gave me two DIFFERENT sets of instructions on how to fix it - good grief =( and if you read other reviews regarding the E/W teaser pack, you will find that I am only confirming how difficult their software is to navigate by my comments here. Back to the 3xPlay - I went ahead and later bought the TRIPLE PLAY "FC-1 Foot Controller", and I am so glad I did - it is REALLY useful! The HUGE display is awesome! The Triple Play ITSELF, will need to be "dialed in", even though its pickup mounting gets REALLY close to being a perfect setup distance to the strings, just read the mounting instructions GUYS!... like I said though, there are a few subtle electronic "sensitivity level" adjustments needed in order for each of the strings to make up for the small differences in the string height and proximity to the 3xplay pickup. This will "equal out" the volume output levels of each string to your DAW - kinda like a "compressor" adjustment for each string. I used my FC-1 pedal to do so because it is so easy to SEE and adjust UP/DOWN with the foot switches! One last thing regarding "set up", you will need to play with the "buffer" rates in order to get rid of any "warbles" or "note dropouts" while you are playing. The buffer rates which work best for my Macbook Pro with a solid state hardrive are set at 128 or 190. The Grand Piano in SAMPLETANK XT sampler, then becomes an amazing "instrument" to hear and play VIA your guitar! It tracks and picks up string pulls and hammers, giving the piano amazing nuances of keyboard "rolls", and sounds that you don't even notice when you play the same thing with just your guitar strings sound. As part of the free software and In the sample sounds in SAMPLETANK XT, you can do your own EDITs - I added more reverb and other alterations and then renamed and saved it with my OWN mix to recall next time I boot up. LASTY, As of TODAY, I have now almost completely sold off ALL of my "analog" effect pedals, everything I could want or need is in my laptop - easier and much lighter to carry - great for air flights too - no effects rack to transport! I use a the Fucusrite 2i2 3rd gen for my computer interface and it sounds pristine! LOVE the Fishman Triple Play and the SAMPLETANK software for instrument sounds - tons of other digital amp modeling software with IK multimedia too- The PROGRESSION software makes it so you can write sheet music or tabs recorded as you play, for printing out for other musicians, or for ease in doing a copyrighting your songs. FIVE STARS on the Triple Play in spite of some software issues with EAST/WEST - I LOVE the TRIPLE PLAY!! But please be sure to check your applications - your computer memory - speed and ram so you will be happy with the results!

Best wireless guitar product on the market. I have tested several in Live performance and this one delivers. The basic sound set covers a large range and sounds sensational.

Very happy with this purchase. I've owned many guitar synths over the years & the tracking was always the major stumbling block. This is the first time that I feel a company has gotten it right. The included software allows much more than sequencing/recording guitar controlled synth patches. Special thanks to Skyler, who has always offered excellent advice & goes the extra mile. Highly recommended.

this midi midi pickup device is really really good.. there is no latency and works perfectly well...to install on my guitar was really easy and fast, the registration quick and easy..i got no complaints at all..great job Fishman...

Loved it so much that I bought another one
Sadly so because no battery replacement is available anywhere online
None the less an awesome product

I've read about this pickup for a while, but it wasn't until East West made some libraries specifically for it that I decided to take the plunge. The first one I got was faulty, as in the 6th string didn't work. They replaced that no problem and now everything works great. It works with all the stuff in the triple play software as well as just any midi plugin I happen to choose.

Tight,lean,and mean.

I will start by saying.. this product is not perfect... but nonetheless it is no less than AMAZING. .. For me this is a game changer.. I bought it to beef up my solo act performances and to use it as a composing and learning tool.. I just have it 2 days now.. and have just started to work it into my solo act.. I do a mix of music with voice and guitar from Pop, Rock, Country, .. classical.. bossa .. lets say I like to vary.. I even perform a set of acoustic lap steel (ala David Lindley). I have worked hard to get my guitar accompinaments to not be boring and switch from electric, to classical to acoustic guitars.. my electrics have piezos and one has a sustainer.. which use believe it or not just to add a bit more of sustain to chording.. .. all to have variation and fullness.. this thing just turned my whole world upside down. I can double my acoustic nylon and steel string things.. for my classical pieces I can include a string quartette.. for many songs I can use a real piano sound .. and for others mix piano and brass and strings.. it just sounds amazing.. and I find myself playing more creatively.. with a bit more punch .. .. OK so now here is the not so good stuff.. although fishman has tried to at least some extend to make it easy to set up.. its not.. and documentation (as is normally these days) scarce and not very comprehensive at least to me.. and no I am not a computer novice.. I am a professional computer programmer and architect.. and I have dealt with music software in the past.. and some of the same struggles apply here. You will get it to work.. but do NOT expect to set it up in 10 minutes. Some key Tips 1. use the memory stick to set up the software initially.. it is the fastest way.. it will take about an hour or more to get it going...the authentication stuff for the software is a bit painful and annoying.. pay very special attention to every step.. and be patient. 2.You may need to "Sync up" your wireless plug in device with your controller.. you can find a video on fishman that explains it it is pretty simple.. one my fist try I tried to install the software downloads took hours.. and the computer would not recognize the wireless stick.. not sure why.. installed on another computer using the memory stick and things went fine.. if you do want to use that software you download you will have to know how to mount an ISO drive. they recommend a program if you don't have one.. trying to create physical disks from these ISO files is not the way to go 3. Latency - Although the claim is it is non-existent.. it is not true.. its there.. using the Microsft drivers on your computer will not cut it.. You HAVE to install the ASIO driver.. it is a free download.. and is the only driver that I have found that will give you a latency that is acceptable.. you will notice this by playing your guitar together with they midi sounds.. with ASIO at make settings you can get 1.3 millisecond delay.. which is still not perfection.. but it does not through off your playing and ends up being sort of very slight reverberation that seems to enrich the music.. so it works out. With the microsoft divers.. the delay makes performance with your guitar close to impossible.. it will through off your timing.. with ASIO you are really ok. That is it.. again not perfect.. but it is still amazing and I have not explored to composing and learning capabilities that this tool offers..

After having worked for years with the Roland GR-33 driven by a Godin, my beloved GR "passed away"
last month. That's when I decided it was time to try the FTP.
1-It is very easy to adapt to your favourite axe with the hardware provided.
2-Very easy to install all of the software with the flash drive included.
3-Very, very easy to play with the incredible tracking!!
Now waiting for my Fishman FC-1 foot controller, just ordered!!!
Thanks a lot to Jorge Padilla(lots of kudos), my sales engineer for never, never loosing his patience,
and thanks to Justin Dunbar, the Customer Service Team and the guys in tech support for their never ending help......!!!

This little thing is AWESOME. Tracking is superb, installation and setup was pretty straight forward (even for a non-techie guy like myself) and reasonably well documented (with manuals and video tutorials available), comes with lots of sounds and software that gives you anything you might need to get your music out there (from scoring to tracking). It really does what it promises: open up your tonal possibilities to virtually anything you might think of. I would highly recommend that you check other VSTi's (virtual instruments) then the provided though. You'll be surprised!

This is a great item, and Sweetwater, and Fishman are the best I've ever dealt with for customer service, and support. I would highly reccomend both. as for the Fishman Triple Play, It's about time!!! they really stepped up with this one, awesome for guitar synth, and scoring software. a great idea, and a great pruduct!!

I purchased this unit for re-insperation in play'n and found I had a full recording studio at my finger tips.
That was a plus for me. I have been look'n and listen'n for years for something that did not require a sound engineer on-board to play. This is the first unit I have found that works the way it should, and is simple to use. you can add tracks without worrying about sync to the rest of it. I should be busy for some time just exploring the combination of sounds.
The only negative I found is the length of cord from the controler to the pickup; it's about two in. short for my guitar I need a little more slack.

'blown away is right. Never imagined I could make my guitar produce the sound of 142 instruments, I love it

I bought this to supplement my guitar work in a live covers band.I had researched both this and rolands gr55 system,ultimatly I went with fishman for one major reason ...wireless! I use with G30 wireless and line 6 dream rig,so I didn't need another cable coming off guitar,and roland is double in price,for me it works great for what I do.software was easy to install and use,pick up it self was also easy to attach to guitar.Many useable factory presets plus ability to create your own.I highly recomend it.

Installation takes roughly 10 minutes. Once you adjust the height of the pickup (made easy with a baby-screwdriver), sync the usb dongle with the pickup and fire up your daw/synth of choice. Just like that. From there say goodbye to the next few weeks of your life. Tracking is superb. Whether youre hybrid picking, sweeping, noodling or simply strumming chords while patched to your sound bank of choice, this device will catch nuances and accents accurately and convert them to midi. Im not sure how this thing does what it does but it does it well enough for me to post a review. The ability to cross platforms and not be restricted to particular pre-existing sounds (..roland comes to mind) makes this the most versatile and affordable pickup out there. Anything short of 5 stars would be an injustice to the beauty and magic that is this technology.

I was pretty stunned. Setup was easy, ran samples and sounds off of Ableton with minimal latency. I also use it to trigger video clips in VDMX.

I've been looking at guitar MIDI interfaces for years (ok, decades). Fishman has dialed into the functionality I want, and at great price. I watched a few of the videos (they're legit--no smoke and mirrors), an I felt like it was time to pull the trigger.

Couldn't be happier. It installed in minutes. The pickup has a sticky-backing mount, so no drilling or anything scary. It sync'd easily. Works great with my Mac, and also my iPad (using the camera connection kit). It tracks accurately, and fast enough that I can't hear any latency. It even comes with licenses for SampleTank and some NI instruments. It's wireless, with batteries that charge over USB. I really can't imagine it being any better.

You have to play cleanly, and mute notes -- but that's true of every MIDI system I've ever tried. It works really really well. Exactly what I've been wanting for a long long time.

I was expecting a lot from this unit and it delivered big time. Tracking is amazing and it really allows you to sound like an organ player, horn section, or funky cat on a Fender Rhoades. It does make you play differently depending on the instrument as your ear guides your fingers "play" more like that instrument would sound natively. It's amazing how close you can get on some of these instruments to the real thing...it kinda freaks the audience out...other musicians think you are using a sequencer ;)

Works so wel!!! It's great for recording midi into your DAW. If you cant play keyboad as good as guitar this is amazing. Feels and sounds great to play a Hammond and/or Rhodes on your guitar. The software it comes with is great. I upgraded to Komplete 9 Ultimate.

This thing is awesome, what can I say. I am using it on Acoustic Guitar and it works really well. There is a little learning curve to get some instruments to play accurately but overall very nice!

awesome. Tracks very well.

This is by far the best guitar to midi converter I have used and I have tried the lot over the last 25 years!

Lightyears ahead of the competition.

I have had to contact Fishman support with a couple of small issues and they have been superb as well.

Very highly recommended.

I am absolutely blown away!!! I have not even tweaked it yet and am getting hands down the best performance of anything I have ever tried. Nothing else on the market I have seen or tried even compares in actual use. There are almost no dropouts or phantom notes and the tracking is better than I have ever witnessed. The latency is very good, but still a little noticable, but much better than others I have used. Finally someone got the hardware right.

I think they could do a little better with the software, but as I am just using it to drive Sonar and East West I only need it for adjustments to sensitivity.

It should also be mentioned that compared to the next "industry leader" (you know who I am talking about), the setup and configuration is painless. It only took me 15 minutes to get up and running and the results are IMMENSELY better than the other guys in far less time.

This is easily my most satisfying purchase in many years.

If you are a guitar player looking to control your virtual instruments, you will not be disappointed. I can only imagine what the future holds for this device as newer versions come out.

I love this thing so much, It is LIGHTYEARS ahead of anything similar. I sat on the waitlist for this forever and it was worth the wait. If you are interested in triggering sounds or other instruments, and you have a decent computer to run it on, you would be a FOOL to buy anything else, period. It works flawlessly.

I just received the Triple Play today. This think is amazing. I have been using it with Reason 6.5 and Ableton Live 8. tracking is great.

I am so happy with this product. It was worth the wait.

I was able to play with the TriplePlay at MacWorld in February and was amazed by how beautifully this tracked. I'm a classical player and the Fishman rep said that the pickup perfoms really well the cleaner you play. It captured my trills and hammer-ones nicely. Capturing a polyphonic performance was no problem, complex arpeggios were also captured perfectly.

The included software (The Fishman software and a customized copy of Kontakt) works well and has some really stellar patches that show off the control capabilities. One that comes to mind is a beautiful violin patch that smoothly glissandos when you slide up or down the neck.

Definitely the best controller setup I've ever played, and the wireless connection is very nice with little latency and very playable.

I have only had it for a couple of days now, so I have not explored everything. I also bought the footswitch, and I am glad I did. I can control my Korg Triton Rack, and the footswitch will scroll presets. One negative thing I found is the mounting hardware is not lefty friendly. I wish they had of made it more universal. The tuneomatic bridge types are a harder install to adjust as well, and even worse in my case being a lefty. On the plus side, I was playing orchestral strings via a 20 year old Korg Triton, and the latency was basically 0. Truly a awesome product.

True - installation/configuration is requires patience and care. Follow directions closely and pay attention to what you are doing, it should be fine. Results are nothing short of astonishing.

Great overall! Has some issues when it comes to picking up some sounds but other than that it's amazing!
I am not much of a piano player but I've been playing guitar for a decade. This thing makes me sound like a virtuoso on piano. Great addition to my gear!

I love my new Fishman Midi Pickup.
Very easy to install doesn't mess up the guitar with screws.
The software is great with some very good sounds. The Cello and strings are amazing.
great horns too.
Very happy with my purchase !

I have had an enormous investment in Guitar Synths. All but one of my 6 guitars are Midi'ed. I've had several Rolands, GK's, GR's, GI's. and an Axon AX100 and AX50 and 2 Ghost Systems. All this stuff works well but nothing tracks better and is more convenient or versatile as the TriplePlay. I primarily use the synth for slow attack pads and sound that double song "heads" to make them thicker. I don't usually play strait instrument imitations unless I'm sequencing.
The software has a good set features but the sounds are not the best. I also can't get Guitar Rig working.
I don't care for the stupid "crazy" synth sounds. I like rich pads and rich full bodied sounds not the weird ones unless I'm just messing around.
I bought Omnisphere use with the TriplePlay and there's some good stuff that comes with the Logic sound library. The sound that come with the TP are light-weight and don't take much CPU Power so the work better and load faster. The biggest downside and frustration I've had with G-synth is getting (non-packaged) hardware and software to work in Mono Mode. I would love to not to have to jump though hoops to have to both understand the setup and deal with the hassles implementing Mono Mode in a sequencer or without TP software. The packaged Roland GR's and Axon seems to be the only simple near-flawless systems for Mono Mode. I have to have the TP software to run in the background hosting sounds in my Logic Pro X setup to enable pitch bend too.
I love wireless! and the smaller footprint. The Roland GK's have the burden of holding the heavy cable with eventually can damage the pickup. I also like the magnetized mount although I had to make a paper cut-out template to install the unit 'cuz it wouldn't stick to my Strat and stay there when I lifted the unit up. I just pulled the magnet up too.
A couple of things on my wish list for the TP would include. Ez Mono mode and pitch bend config for 3rd party hosts (like Logic Pro X) without TP software. Smoother toggle switch (it can eventually unstick your taped mount).

Does what it says on the box.Very easy to set up and use although there was some initial confusion when using with Studio 1 and notation as I did not realize that you called TP in from those programs. Maybe a note on the instructions would help.I have been using midi for a number of years but guitar is my first instrument so now I have the best of both worlds.Latency is very good and even playing at speed there is no discernible lag.I would recommend this product to any home recording enthusiast and anyone who wants to add another dimension to their live playing.The one negative is the time it takes to download the software which is the only reason the product got a 4.5 and not a 5

This product got many well deserved reviews. The sounds of some of the included synths are amazing. For example the Minimoog in Sampletank sounds crazy good. The Brass section (second patch) in the Fishman app sounds incredibly lush and dynamic over a strummed chord. Playing drums using Cakewalk's Dimension Pro absolutely was a blast. Much better than Fishman's patch as it worked on almost all of the strings.

After the initial installation of the pickup, it worked right away as a MIDI instrument using existing soft synths installed on my DAW. It is really nice not to have to install a custom driver and have it work right out of the box like that. I played through Dimension Pro and Zeta for quite a while even before fine tuning the setup. Without some fine tuning it may not work 100% perfectly. False triggers and double notes could occur, as well as played notes not sounding.

It's not immediately obvious how to sync the device but the instructions are easy to follow in the included documentation. Basically hold down the button on the USB receiver until it starts flashing. Turn on the transmitter on the guitar. The flashing LED is actually a button that you hold down until the USB light no longer flashes and it's synced.

My triple play is installed on a Schecter C-1+ which has a Tune-O-Matic bridge. That makes for a really simple install with the included mounting plate, as you're not permanently attaching the pickup or transmitter to any part of the guitar. I did spend some time tweaking the physical setup. It was necessary to make a couple of minor neck adjustments and fine tune the action to elminate any buzzing frets or dampening of notes. There are 4 shims included that will get the pickup as close to the strings as possible without touching them. And lastly for fine adjustment the hex pickup height can be adjusted using the included spacer tool, and the tiny screwdriver. Once it is configured properly it is really playable! If you watch some of the online demos you'll see that it tracks in real time with very fast playing. There is minimal false triggering, double-notes, and notes not playing rarely occurs.

Overall the software and included sounds are great. I really like being able to visualize the notes as they are played in the Fishman app. And it's great having the level meters for each individual string as positive feedback things are configured and working properly.

The software was not without some issues that need to be worked around or at least understood though.

- Sample Tank samples are not available in the 64 bit version of the fishman app. This is mentioned in the FAQ at Fishman, however the appearance in the app would lead you to believe something is not installed properly as the unavailable patches are shown in red. The workaround is to use the 32 bit to practice. If you're trying to record in a 64 bit DAW it could be an issue unless you use a plugin that allows bridging in of 32 bit VST's.

- Native Instruments Guitar Rig LE runs with full version amps and effects in a demo-mode by default. I don't mind being offered an upgrade the first time running an application, but having an annoying "demo mode only" pop-up on by default is quite confusing. This can be disabled in preferences for the app so you no longer get the annoying "Demo mode stops working in 30 minute" pop-ups.

- Some of the patches in the Fishman app are mixed with Guitar Rig 5 audio which is a great idea: mixing guitar audio with MIDI. In order to configure the audio input it is really confusing though because it basically requires settings in 2 places. And one of those places isn't persistent unless you save every single patch that uses Guitar Rig. In the Fishman app you are only given the option of selecting a stereo pair. Which is utterly confusing because most of us will be using a single audio I/O for an electric guitar, right? So why isn't the mono input listed in the properties? Well if you double click on the Guitar Rig 5 icon in the patch you are playing in the Fishman app, then at the very top of Guitar Rig plugin where there is an input meter, there is also a selector which allows you to select L/R or both. The problem is if you set it here it will not be persisted, or you would have to go to every single patch that includes Guitar Rig and set it, then save it to overwrite the preset. Really a confusing design. So in other words if you want to use input number 2, of a 1/2 stereo pair as your guitar input because you have mic or something else in input number 1, don't it's not worth the hassle. Select 1/2 in the Fishman app, and plug the guitar into input 1.

Amazing tool for guitarist. It is a giant leap forward in guitar synths. Although the triple play setup is quick and relatively painless the other samples will take some time to load, authorize, etc... be prepared to spend time with this. It will reframe your outlook on guitar and composition. That said it is a gas to play and the bluetooth instead of a cable is pure genius. Bravo Fishman

If you've been waiting to jump into MIDI guitar, this is the time. I love this thing, and I say that as someone who goes all the way back to the GR-1, and have owned GR-30's, GR-33's, GR-55's, and GI-20's. This device blows them all away in speed and accuracy. Couple that with the fact that it's a tiny pickup with a tiny dongle, and you've got a winner. Works equally well on Mac and PC, and (with the Camera Connection Kit) is simply awesome on the iPad. It's easy to mount, and their design for taking it on and off the guitar is fantastic.
I'm knocking off half a star for not having an iPad app for programming sensitivity and such, but otherwise, this is a fantastic device.

Amazing device. Works great. Software is awesome, maybe too much. 9-10 gigs of download and then have to burn 4 DVD.s
My only concern is dynamic range etc. Fits nicely on my electric and acoustic and easy to change over. A great step forward for midi sounds.

Great midi device. Tracking is great . Was curious if it would work on my Samsung galaxy note, so I bought a OTG usb cable and plugged the Fishman triple play into it. Was impressed that I was able to trigger the sounds witin Caustic music software for android and Keybords sound pro, virtual midi keyboard with my FTP device.

I suppose the only thing this didn't do that I needed was accurately track the bends and send the appropriate midi pitch bend signals, but I suppose that would be too much to ask. But being able to play live any instrument in my synth library from my guitar is just spectacular. In songwriting, I love being able to improvise a guitar solo live and then being able to tweak it without having to record it again. Midi guitars are expensive, and this isn't cheap, but if you've ever been looking for a sound compromise this is it.

Very good unit. I have used Axon ax100 and Roland Gr33 with RMC piezo 13 pin pickup. This is far better and less expensive. Installed on a home built Strat, had to shim the neck to get clearance for the mounting that allows one to remove the unit and put it o another guitar. (Fenders may be different) Used my Mac Book Pro with 10.6.8 and software works well. (had some problems installing but Frank at Fishman gave GREAT tech support and helped me) You can use the usb receiver stand alone and just plug it in to any usb midi input, such as iPad or keyboards. It is then 6 mid channels, one per string. Used with Triple Play software, there is a lot of vst sound programs that one can use with it. (just look at NI Komplete.
Was well worth waiting for!!

First things first: Having owned and played a Yamaha G10, Roland GI-20, and Axon AX-100, I can say with certainty that the tracking of the Fishman Triple Play is better than all of them. It's the best tracking MIDI guitar converter available to date. The gold standard for me is being able to play "bass guitar riffs" on the open low E and A strings without any sense of latency. The FTP's fast and accurate tracking is extremely gratifying!!! It also has a reasonably wide dynamic range (soft to loud notes) for a MIDI guitar converter.

Hardware installation instructions were clearly written and easy to follow. Unlike the large number of spacers provided with a GK-3, the FTP came with just 4 pickup mounting pads of different sizes. I used the Tuno-o-matic vintage bridge bracket and the thinnest pick up mounting pad to set up the FTP on my SG. This placed the 3rd and 4th strings at the recommended 1mm gap. Adjusting the two height-adjustment screws at both ends of the pick up brought the low and high E strings close to the 1mm gap.

A nice assortment of downloadable software instruments come with the FTP but I opted to only download the TriplePlay app which includes a tuner, sensitivity settings, poly vs mono mode and transposition parameters. For whatever reason, the stand alone application did not work in OSX 10.8.3. However, I was able to load the plug-in version on instrument tracks in Logic 9.18. Cubase 7, and DP 8.01. The really cool thing is that, a preset created and saved in one DAW is readily available in another. No need to recreate presets per DAW. In my case, the first presets were: no transposition, octave down, and octave up for ease of changing octaves when selected by the D-Pad control on the converter.

Issues: Unlike the fit of a GK-3, the end pin bracket for the converter does not rest on the body of my SG. It seems very stable but there is some wobble when clicking on the D-Pad control. Also the volume knob at the right (rear) edge is prone to being changed by extraneous arm or leg movements when playing in a sitting position.

Bottom Line: This is currently the best available MIDI guitar converter for playing external hardware sound modules and virtual instruments.

Unfortunately the sofware made by Fishman never worked (!), but as a controller the unit is great. No problem accessing/controlling 3rd party software instruments. Could have been 5 Stars if they got their sofware act together. Limits the fine control of the unit, but players will not be disuaded. We get the job done.

I ordered it through another retailer. Product is a breeze to install. The MIDI function on it is good; but, for Sibelius or Logic, the accuracy it gives is about a 4 stars. Volume is often really low and getting it to synchronize with your program often requires you to unplug the USB and press the button on the side of the unit. For Sibelius, I get weird MIDI messages with it. Overall, good for DAWs; but, not so good for Sibelius.

Pros:
Hardware is quality, install is a breeze, but lucky I have multiple guitars to choose from. My first choice was a homemade but you really need a flat surface in front of the bridge. My second choice, a Tele, while you can mount the pickup holder on the bridge, it will overhang, so didn't like that, I decided to put it in my Schecter CR6. While they give you two brackets for a curved or flat guitar, they only give you one magnetic holder which tapes permanently to the hardware. If I can buy another one, I'd setup my Ibanez slimline with another bracket so I can swap the setup easily between guitars.

Cons:
I have worked in It for 30+ years as a developer of everything from web, mobile, data warehouses, full stack, etc. This was two days of multiple installs of the different software that comes with it to actually make sounds, I tested the hardware in GarageBand just to test, and iPad app works well, but I usually have the Mac onstage and wanted it there. I also run Reaper and an X-Air Edit for the mixer. I have Native Instruments and other things already installed, but the Triple Play app is very dated. I did see a video on how to bring it up in a DAW to give you access to the string sensitivity and splits, which was helpful and probably will be my final approach. If you aren't technical and have an iPad, just get the camera kit dongle for that and use the iPad for it.

I'll start by saying this is my first guitar synth so I can not compare it to anything else. After installing and downloading the software and charging and pairing everything, I was able to start playing (maybe 2 hours all told - initial charge time is 90 minutes). I loaded up the "Jump" preset and began playing the Van Halen keyboard part - aside from strange tuning issues on some of the notes - the sound was spot on - no delay - I was just walking around the house with my laptop and the guitar - totally wireless. As I played around, the tuning kept jumping in and out - some really bizarre issues - and some strange looks from my wife - I am sure she was wondering why I purchased something that completely ruined what should have been very nice chord progressions. As I have used it and started tweaking the sounds, adjusting string heights and touch - those "artifacts" have mostly disappeared. It really can't keep up with really fast playing, especially legato playing. It is better to cleanly pick every note. I find slides and bends to be funky as well. My plan is to use it as a MIDI controller for VST sounds in my DAW when it would be easier to play it on the guitar than the keyboard and it seems to do that fairly well - I use Studio One Pro. I will also add it to my live rig as a "blended" sound with my straight electric tone. Not sure how much I will just use the Synth by itself. I suppose we will see. Over-all I like it and it will give me much more to play with as far as "sounds" are concerned than a stompbox.

First off, the promo videos are a bit deceiving as ease of set up and sounds you should be able to dial up out of the box are not as simple as they show.

The hardware installs and works decent after some extended time setting it up and tweaking. It tracks well and the wireless responds with consistency, no drops or lost connections, the notes get flaky from patch to patch but I may need to tweak the sesativity some more.

I was able to easily use my Arturia plug ins and add presets in the Triple Play mixer and also recall patches on my Mac with the controller.

Where it goes bad is installing and trying to use any of the provided software/ plugins. Non of it worked past the clunky demos. I had to run many updates, visit the IK Media service center numorous times for authorizations only to find out that I would have to buy the additional software to actually use it!

I didn"t buy this product for the provided plugins, as I have my own plugins and have tailored sounds set up for my performances, But I wanted to share the issues I had with the provided plugins for anyone wanting to use them. I installied on a MacBook Pro and even tried on a PC, which was painfully worse.

I plan to use the triple play at live performances and not bring a keyboard to gigs anymore, I suck at keys so this is a great option for me, playing the keyboard patches on guitar.

I've been using the TriplePlay (TP) for awhile now, I have it so that it is tracking superbly and is working well with other software. That was not the case initially. Read on, I'll tell you my experience and how to get the best results especially if you are using the device as a hardware controller.

My goal in purchasing the TP was to have a way to add non-guitar backing sounds (I'm a guitarist) to tracks that I was working on. I wanted the notation software for myself and my students, and to be able to help notate all the arrangements and all the little bits that they can contain. Having a nice keyboard sound or two doesn't hurt either :-)

My TP came with an 8GB USB drive which I used for the installation. It was a good idea for Fishman to do this, but unfortunately, most of the software on the drive was out of date and had to be replaced by later versions downloaded online. I think that the drive provided a guided installation, but at the cost of multiple downloads; if your paying for bandwidth, this is annoying and wastes time, but you will get a working installation. When you do get all of the downloads complete, you will find that all of the bundled software have PDF instruction manuals that can be found in the installation folders, and some of these manuals are quite detailed. Don't rush the installation, it will take some time.

I found the Eastwest software teaser pack provides the best sounding voices, and is worth installing. The rest of the downloads consist of more voices (SampleTank) and lots of guitar effects processing and other bits. The TP is bundled with Presonus Studio One Artist DAW software, I like this software, but you should be aware that if you want to use anything other than the VST's provided by the TP bundle, you will have to buy (about $80) an "add-on" for Studio One Artist to allow you to use other 3rd party VST's within Studio One Artist. Also, some programs won't allow using the MIDI port at the same time, you will have to close one or the other program before you can use the port. You should be aware of this.

The quality and build of the TP is very good, and I like the built-in tuner and battery status indicator. Setting the string height of the sensor properly is important for excellent results. I LOVE the ability to tune each string separately allowing for tunings other than standard. Most of the positive points already listed in these reviews, I agree with. A lot of the negatives, I think are due to impatience and failure to read and understand the instructions, as well as unrealistic expectations. Wireless is awesome, and it's weird to not have your guitar plugged in and bolt about untethered while making noises. Now I need a wireless system for the guitars pickups!

Initially, my Windows 7 Pro (64 bit) computer system did not have an audio interface, only the on-board audio. The latency from my computer's motherboard audio made any audio device including the TP absolutely unusable. You MUST have a suitable AUDIO INTERFACE. I chose the wonderful Presonus Studio 1810. The Studio 1810 allowed my system to be able to run the TP properly.

The next hurdle was the absolutely horrible tracking of notes in the Progression Notation software.

==> Here is my TIP to set up the TP for better tracking accuracy with the notation software:

The TP runs in three modes: using the stand-alone TP software, as a VST plug-in, and as a stand-alone controller (Hardware Mode). Tracking in "Hardware Mode" is not as good as it is in the first and second mode. Fortunately, you can set up the TP with Fishman provided presets optimized for "Hardware Mode", and that will vastly improve tracking in "Hardware Mode".

It is not possible to use the Triple Play Stand Alone Software (TPSAS) and the Progression Notation software at the same time. In order to use the TP with the Progression Notation software you have to put the TP in that special "Hardware Mode". In order to do that, you first have to setup the TPSAS.

In the TPSAS, use the browser to locate the Factory Preset Patches (Window|Patches). In the Library Category expand the "Factory Patches" list. At the end of that long list of presets, you will see "140. Hardware Synth" and "141. Notation". Click on and drag (one at a time) each item to the "Hardware Patches" column. I use slot 1 for "Hardware Synth", and slot 2 for "Notation". If you click on one or the other, that Hardware Patch will be selected, and sent to the device. You will not hear anything if you pluck a string, but the settings you made will make it possible to use the TP without the TPSAS running.

Exit the TPSAS, and turn the TP controller on your guitar OFF. Start the Notation program, or DAW or anything else you plan on sending MIDI signals to. Make sure that the MIDI input of the device your controlling is set to see the TriplePlay.

Now, put the TP Guitar Controller in "Hardware Mode" (booting into hardware mode); while turning ON the TP Guitar Controller, momentarily press and hold the "UP" D-Pad button on the controller. Release the key. You should now be in "Hardware Mode". It would be nice if there was some confirmation of this (blinking light or something) but you should notice a remarkable improvement in tracking in non-TP modified applications. Each time you press the D-Pad up or down key, you change the external hardware patches memorized and programmed by you for the device. By default, patch 1 is selected when the "Hardware Mode" is initiated, in my case, patch 1 is the Hardware Synth, and patch 2 is for the Notation Program. For notation, I press the up key to select patch 2 for the Notation Program. If you are not sure that the patch has been sent to the controller, go back to the TPSAS and find the option in the "Patches" dialog box to "Resend Hardware Patches to Controller".

It is truly liberating and exciting for a guitarist to be able to play non-guitar instruments. The TP is fun, inspiring, and educational. Guitarists do think differently from keyboardists and vice versa, those differences can be inspiring. While the sounds vary from good to excellent, my approach and needs keep the sound generated in supporting instrument recording roles. I'm not sure that I would use these sounds as up-front featured solos, but the sound quality and selection is very good and usable. Certainly, a very worthwhile and usable tool.

Yeah this thing is sensitive and demands that you play clean. But on the other hand, if you're recording, you can go into piano roll and easily edit out errant notes, lengthen, change notes, etc.

It would take me hours to pick out parts on a keyboard. With this, boom, I've got synth parts tracked quick and easy.

I use Omnisphere and it's an incredible combination

This device is not for the impatient. It took me 4 attempts to get it to track accurately. It all comes down to how precise you are when you install the hardware. I use a ESP LTD with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. I had to quite a lot of work to get it to sit correctly. Fishman really should include some washers and some thin double sided tape with this. Once I finally got it working, I was so glad I didn't give up and return it. You will be to. But believe me. Take your time with this one!

I primarily use this as my main input device for composing in Ableton.
I have a keyboard, but the fact is guitar is my first instrument and the one I play best.
It's really great to be able to play a piano part (or a cello, bass, flute, etc) into Ableton with my guitar.
Installing the pickup was pretty easy, though you'll want to get it right (I was just barely able to fit it between my bridge and the humbucker beside it on my Ibanez- but it did fit!).
Installing all the included software was a bit of a pain in the butt, though it was nice they included a USB drive with most of that on there (a few updates were needed).
Some instruments seem to track better than other for some reason.
While some are rock solid, others are a bit mushy and less reliable.
(I find it can help to use a patch that tracks well to record, then just change the voice after the fact)
It also works with all of my other VST instruments, though again, some better than others.

Overall it's pretty impressive to be able to play bass, acoustic guitar(s) or whatever else through my electric guitar, and WIRELESSLY no less!
I have hardly plugged in the regular guitar cord since installing the Fishman- It's just too fun on it's own.
When I play into Ableton I get a much more human feel than I did writing in piano roll with my mouse.
Usually I'll personally still have to go back and make small corrections to my performance, but the overall result is much more fluid and human, which was my goal with this tool.

If the above sounds good to you, I recommend it.

This is the product I've been wanting for years to add to my live sound. I tried the EH B9 pedal, and it's not even close to the Triple Play. If you're serious about adding some cool sounds to your live gigs this is it.
HOWEVER, it is the most difficult software program I've eve tried to install and use, and I've been using computers since '92. Fortunately, I have a local friend that was able to show me some things, but he & I both had to call TP support for them to do a remote login to complete the software install. They were very friendly and accommodating and saved the day.
I've used it twice in live situations and pleased with the result. At this point I see myself using it for some of our softer tunes where strings, keys add another layer.
Buy it. You'll be glad you did.

I previously wrote a review saying how the Fishman didn't play well with Pro Tools, and while that's at least true at first...I eventually was able to contact Fishman for support and resolved the issue. And though I wish that info was more readily available (or easier to find,) once I got everything playing nicely together, it's a pretty brilliant piece of equipment. I've used Roland guitar synths for years, and this is not only at least on par tracking-wise (or maybe better,) but being wireless, it's fantastic.

I don't normally play guitar synthesizer, but when I do...

...I use my TriplePlay. I can't speak to well of the software, as I've had issues like others have had. I didn't buy this from Sweetwater (mistake), so I can't call and complain, LOL. I can tell you, however, that it's plugs and plays just fine with Alchemy and other programs that I've got running through Logic X. Tracking is very good, but not as advertised when doing things like bends. Trying to program drums? Don't bother. Unless you're a mad genius, you're better off using a good program like EZ Drummer for that. But if you're looking to create some quality sounds to give your tracks depth in studio, this thing is worth the money. I can't speak to playing live with it...haven't done that yet.

I've owned Roland's midi guitar stuff and have dabbled in midi guitar in the past only to find that tracking just wasn't reliable enough for live use. In fact, always been a little afraid of poor tracking (especially string slides, pitch bends, etc) introducing clams in a live performance. You can't hardly say, "Hey, I didn't really play that note!" in the middle of a performance/gig.

The Fishman TriplePlay is the first system I've considered using live. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because it has taken some time to get everything set up for optimum tracking. Still have some tweaking to do but I think it's gonna be worth it in the end. It already tracks better than any other system I've tried. One positive - this will force you to play clean and even. So, if your playing is sloppy, you'll not be happy with the results unless you clean up your technique.

Also purchased Trilian and Omnisphere 2. They're both awesome!

Took my guitar in for a proper setup and the pickup worked better than it originally did out the box. It's about 90% accurate so you would have to midi edit a lil but even the hiccups sometimes end up sounding cool. For some reason I still have issues with bending notes but maybe it's something I haven't cracked yet. Nonetheless it's a great addition to your production tools if you're way better on guitar rather than the keys

The Fishman TriplePlay is an awesome product that works exactly as advertised. I bought it for live performances and have used it at 5 gigs now. The TriplePlay software works well but when setting up a new patch you'll need to go the bottom of the plug list and select "no sound" to build the new patch from scratch. The interface could use a little work but overall it works quite well. If you buy the TriplePlay I highly recommend that the PC you use is at least an Intel i5 processor (or equivalent AMD processor) with at least 6 gigs of ram. My laptop is an i3 with 4 gigs of ram and on occasion the TriplePlay software freezes up and mostly with Kontakt patches which technically require 6 gigs of ram. With my minimum spec's laptop there is some lag time switching between patches (500ms to 8 full seconds). In addition I am using the M-Audio Fast Track Pro and really can't get the latency below 10.7ms with the occasional "pop". Setting up external plugins is easy. By the way, the supplied Presonus Studio One Artist DAW allows you to upgrade to version 3.0 for free! Overall I am pleased with the TriplePlay and can't wait to order the foot controller when it becomes available.

The soft synths that came with it didn't function well.It kept trying to re wire around my audio device, to send the sound out of the computer.Not my studio.However the guitar will now play the synths in the studio,that came with my studio.That's better.. works for me. less latency.Editing tools right there.

As the owner of a mid-80's Zeta System MIDI guitar I thoroughly appreciate the advances made in this field of technology. The hardware is well designed. The tracking is accurate and fast enough to enable the player to perform without the distraction of latency and an inordinate amount of glitches. The only reason it loses 1 star is because of the fact that the Triple Play software is incomplete. There is currently no way to route the MIDI info out to your hardware synthesizers. Get on it guys!

excellent engineering! works much better sans the included software! Runs extremely well on a quad or six core but latent on a laptop. I use it on both Mac and PC. Perfect for ipad too but pick up a good usb adaptor for your ipad. t

As a longtime user of Roland guitar synth technology, I was anxious to install and play with Triple Play when it arrived from Sweetwater having heard great things about it - too anxious as it turns out. I proceeded directly to the website to download and install the software in the order on Fishman's website. That was a BIG mistake! As Fishman clearly notes, all the third party software should be installed BEFORE the Triple Play software. Perhaps Fishman should reorder the downloads on the website to avoid any future confusion.

Having installed the software (incorrectly as it turned out), I tried -unsuccessfully- to authorize Triple Play for use. It turned out the font used on the product card makes it difficult to discern between numbers and letters. In my case, the letter "I" looked like the number 1. Hopefully Fishman addresses this issue in the future to avoid any confusion. They do note this issue in the Support section of the Triple Play website. After contacting Fishman technical support and doing a couple of remote sessions over the course of few days, I was finally able to get all the software working properly.

As for the hardware install, it was relatively painless on my Line 6 Variax electric guitar, which would be similar to an install on a Fender Strat. It took only a few minutes. I had wanted to try to mount the pickup on my 2012 Les Paul Tribute, but that required more work than I wanted to do (including have to readjust the action on the guitar which was perfect the way it was - thanks to Sweetwater).

As for the performance of the Triple Play , the tracking is excellent - better than anything I've experienced to date. The software that comes with the product is sufficient to produce a wide-array of useful sounds and patches. I will be using the product mainly in the studio as a compositional tool. Players wanting to use Triple Play during performances will want to have a decent audio interface (I use a Scarlett 2i2 along with a Macbook Pro, which does the trick nicely).

If you are going to purchase a Triple Play, I would encourage you to study up as much as you can before jumping in - especially if you are new to the guitar synth world. There is a tendency to want to jump in and run before walking - the excitement of using the product is certainly understandable. You will save lots of time and headaches by doing your homework and proceeding carefully as instructed by Fishman. The company provides support material and tutorial videos but does not, as of yet, host a Forum for Triple Play users. To interact with other Triple Play users, you can sign up to V-Forum on Roland's website. I have found the V-Forum to be very helpful and a great source of information and troubleshooting support. There are also other user videos on YouTube which are helpful.

In summary, Fishman has a terrific product with Triple Play. The hardware is excellent and the software and available plug-ins do a fine job. I imagine the product will only get better in the future as R&D work continues on the technology. That said, I will not be getting rid of my Roland GR-55/GK-3 gear anytime soon. The GR-55 does some things better than the Triple Play today, including altered tunings (which I use frequently) and ease of use in a live setting (no computer, audio interface or external MIDI controller required). So for now, I am a dedicated Fishman and Roland guitar synth user with a Line 6 Variax guitar thrown into the mix for added capabilities.

first things first: this thing is poorly made/designed. its disappointing how flimsy everything feels - this is not made to last for ever and it certainly isn't fun to engage with. it felt like it cheapened my guitar almost. that said - when it works, it works and the possibilities are truly endless that my brain still hasn't gotten quite around it. this thing synced up w/ ableton instantly and i was playing whatever i wanted in the world. i ran it through max4live and insane stuff happened. i've instantly become pretty decent at every instrument there is and can express myself via a rhodes piano or a whale tone. the wireless capabilities are phenomenal - its been coming in and out about 20 ft away, but holy cow, chillin across the room, playing samples on one string and organ on another, 808s on another and a pretty convincing violin on another is charlie in the chocolate factory stuff. its worth the 400, but i'd love to get one made specifically for left handed people and for them to invest another $30-50 in the actual quality of the product. anyway, huge game changer. i had to stack two of the applicators for the pickup to be close enough to the strings for it to have a steady signal

As a MIDI device, this is an incredible device. Just like the other reviewers, I found the tracking to be incredible. The bundled software is also perfect allowing you everything that you need to Perform, Score, and Record your music.

I give this 4 stars due to the difficulty that I had mounting this to my guitar. For starters, unless you have a Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul, you may have issues mounting this to your guitar.

The first 4 guitars that I tried did not have enough clearance between the bridge and the bridge pickup to place the FTP pickup. There are also several Telecaster models where this will not be possible either.

People have also had to adjust the neck angle on the guitar by adding shims in order to place the pickup properly.

I highly recommend that you measure the clearance between your bridge pickup and bridge before.

Other than that, I LOVE this and use it regularly to add depth to my recordings. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

over the past 25 yrs i've owned and/or tested just about every guitar synth out there. i currently use the roland gr-30 w a GK3 on a parker fly or a godin SA with an integrated pickup .....regardless, the tracking is still glitchy and the latency is significant. when recording i always have to go back and edit the notes and often slide them forward in time. the fishman is a very noticeable improvement in tracking.....there is still a delay but it is probably down to 5-10ms or so.... irecording with the fishman, using patches w an aggressive attack envelope and playing slightly ahead of the beat i can manage to record in time.........not so easy w the roland.......the software integrates seamlessly with ableton live and the various software instruments that i have........the wireless feature is pretty cool.........my only gripe is that everything is made of thin molded plastic.....it is a really flimsy device.......if you are going to perform with it you will need a back up because a moderate to the unit and it's gonna break. the same is true of the usb receiver.......it hangs off the side of the computer and it will eventually get bumped

You cannot mount this in front of your bridge pickup. It must be mounted close to the bridge. I tried it in front of the bridge pickup on my 2017 Strandberg OS6T because it has a trem and there isn't enough space between the bridge and the pickup. In front of the bridge pickup there's apparently too much string movement to track well and the magnets on the hex pickups can grab strings when you use the trem.

Now, the adhesive. It's a 3M double-sided adhesive that's pretty powerful and after a while it's really bonded on to whatever it's stuck to. This is how I found out that the finish on my Korea-made Boden OS6T is just a thin paper-like film because I just tried to remove the pickup holder and it peeled away the finish in front of the bridge pickup in the shape of the holder. Underneath is some sad wood-like substance. Disappointment on many levels.

My advice is to use a weak adhesive like Scotch Removable Clear Mounting Squares, and trim the squares to just what you need to place the holder where you want at the ends and no more. The adhesive is weak (just strong enough to keep the holder on without fusing to the finish of your guitar.

Good hardware and tracking. Works decent with a DAW of just GarageBand. However, to split the fretboard and other things you need their software. The Mac software crashes from time to time meaning you are terrified to use it on stage. The iPad software also crashes a lot and very finicky. It worked fine for two weeks and suddenly I had to drop the octave -1cent on every preset I've been using because it "electronically" went out of tune! Again, good hardware, horrendous software. I made the enclosed video before I started having additional issues with the software.

This was my 3rd try with the FTP and I was on a mission to make it work this time, to really put the time into it. The good stuff: Yes it tracks well, better than the Roland GR gear, but it was not leaps and bounds better, just better. Pretty easy to use with an iPad. The less than good stuff, the pickup and it's various modes grossly complicates things and does not make it very user friendly for live use. Studio use - no sweat. The software installation continues to be a royal pain and has some good presets but to really get the most out of the FTP you need the full versions of ST/Kontakt etc. I wanted to go the iPad route and use the FC-1 but ran into problems preset switching with the Korg Module and other synth apps. After more and more failed experimentation, Internet, Facebook, and other problem solving efforts, the bottom line for me was that for live gig use you need a laptop set-up to exploit the power of the FTP, loaded with the software of your choice. For me taking a set-up like that into a bar is asking for trouble, not to mention the possibility of computer gremlins that show up at the worst times. Considered the Kenton/Iconnectivty solution, but after getting all the hardware the cost was more than the FTP computer set-up. While the GR-55 has its flaws and is bordering on antiquated since Roland has done zilch to improve it in 8+ years (not even a significant software update), for live playing, once you get the pickup set-up correctly, it gets the job done just fine. Sidebar: Had high hopes about the upcoming SY-1000, but the lack of PCM sounds, killed it for me. Now if the midi out latency has been improved over the GR-55, then it might be something to consider.

So, if you want to use this thing live, you need to bring your..ehemm. ..laptop, ipad, or whatever. The product would be a 100% winner IF it was designed to work with the Roland GR55/VG99 synth processors in addition to software. If Fishman, Graphtech, or Roland came out with an identical unit, but also had the capacity to work with guitar synth processors, they would corner the market..Good product, but could be better.

As someone who has always been interested in the promise of MIDI guitar, I was excited to get this pickup which boasts low latency and wireless. The stellar reviews on here and other sites, not to mention the youtube videos I've never taken the plunge on a MIDI pickup before because the fatal flaw has always been latency, which this pickup really does improve on. I bought the pickup primarily to transcribe parts for my band on the fly (using included Progression software) and enhance my home recordings.

After getting the pickup, having it set up, etc, I have mixed emotions. First of all, it doesn't work at all with floyd rose tremolos. I had it installed on a tune-o-matic bridge, but to do that I had to take it in to a repair shop--you have to remove the bridge to install it, which is fine, but I just don't feel comfortable doing that and it's always hard for me to get the action just right after that. Also, I'm a left handed player, and while the instructions/FAQ's clearly say that the pickup can be used by lefties, I think the fact that the encoder is reversed may be part of the issues I'm experiencing (which I discuss below).

Another issue I have is that for PC use the instructions say the device is only compatible with Windows 7 or later. My Sweetwater Creation Station (which I use for my DAW) was purchased in spring 2009, and shipped with Vista. So far I have gotten the pickup to work as a MIDI input device in Cubase, but I can't even install the Fishman software because I don't have Windows 7. I honestly didn't even read that part of the instructions (I figured most everything is at least still compatible with Vista) so it's worthwhile to read everything closely before buying and installing this thing on your guitar.

I did get the Progression software to install, but so far it doesn't work well at all in transcribing what I'm playing. So far I am just doing single note stuff and it isn't getting the right frets (on the tablature it says I am playing in a lower position than I'm actually playing), and it doesn't even pick up the higher or lower notes I am playing. Notion (the company that makes the software) had an FAQ answering a customer complaint that Progression doesn't work well with the Tripleplay, and Notion responded that the latest version of Progression (which I assume I have because I just downloaded it a few days ago) has fixed the issue--but it didn't fix it, at least not on my machine. Upgrading to Windows 7 may be the answer, but I'm not sure of that.

I can see this being a great tool for me and saving me a lot of time, or even possibly one day being something I incorporate into live performances. If I upgrade to 7 and all the other issues go away, I will come back and revise this review. I don't know if the left-handed installation is having an impact as well, but I figure a C note is a C note, and the pickup should be able to encode the tone properly.

Bottom line: Definitely do your research before spending the money for this. As easy as they say it is (and maybe it is easy for most people), it has been really complicated and time consuming for me to get going with the Tripleplay, and I'm still not there yet. The installation can be tricky, especially for lefities.

Great product!
Fishman should have installed a connection plug on the controller so it could be used on other guitars. Also I had to pay a computer geek to get it to work.

I'm writing this as a person who is trying a guitar midi converter for the first time and I'm not a techie! The first unit I got was defective (that happens) and Fishman mailed out the replacement component pretty quick. Do not expect to set it up and instantly work like it does on the youtube sales videos. The hardware set up isn't to bad, BUT I rigged mine up to a guitar I don't use - adjusted string height to the bridge. Setting up the sensitivities has proven to be a challenge. Some instruments are easier than others. IT would be great if Fishman would put some 101 videos together and suggest settings or have a forum. It SEEMS like once I get this set up, it could be very cool, just don't expect it to be plug and play. For that, they lose a couple points. (I plugged in my M-Audio keyboard to my MAC with no software loaded and it works perfectly.)

This is a very cool tool, and has tons of potential, BUT, there are problems with the software, evening getting the basic factory patches up and working took quite a bit of time, and they have plenty of work-arounds---which is good, but I prefer software just works, I don't really like having to search web sites and forums downloading various things and tweaking to get FACTORY stuff functioning properly.
For example, the software runs on a "legacy" version of Kontakt 5---meaning your updated version will not work, so you have to forego Kontakt's newer 5.6, which includes many new features, and run the old version. By doing so, many patches are no longer functional in Kontakt.
After spending several hours tweaking, reading, searching, email tech support, etc., just a product that needs some work on the software side.

The tracking is very good, and the potential of this unit is impressive, especially at the price, so it's frustrating.

Overall, I will probably spend a little more time seeing if I can figure out a good working solution for using the unit with PT's mainly, which was the primary intent, but do think Fishman needs to get all this stuff worked out PRIOR to shipping.

***if you are just looking to noodle around and have your guitar sound like a Sitar or a flock of birds, this thing works pretty much right out of the box, so if you aren't really planning on using it any time soon for live work or recording, go for it, just wanted to share the other things (the things that are rarely advertised:) I found when working with the Tripleplay.

TriplePlay Wireless MIDI Guitar Pickup System

There are several points of interest for this product bundle.
1. Hardware
The equipment that is part of the overall kit seems to be well designed, constructed and fit properly for its purpose. All components work well for their placement on instruments with the exception of one condition and that is hollow or semi-hollow body instruments with Bigsby tail pieces. With this configuration the controller must be affixed to the body of the instrument which is in most instances, not desirable.

2. Hardware Installation
With the exception of instruments requiring neck angle adjustments and those with Bigsby tail pieces the designed components are relatively easy to install. In addition, a minor amount of internet searching will provide ample assistance and instruction and helpful hints for installation of all components.

3. Software
There is some serious room for improvement with respect to the software. It is fragmented in such a way that all purchased pieces are not part of a single installation management process. Not only is this confusing but support assistance is almost an absolute requirement for even partial successful installation.

4. Software Installation
Since the provided bundle of software is from multiple providers, one authentication code does not work for all installation processes. This is not only confusing; it is also not an easily understandable. In addition, it is necessary that one perform lengthy downloads of the bundled components to complete the installation. This means if your target computer does not have internet access you CAN NOT get the complete package that you paid for. If your computer does not have the proper configuration and other third party add-ons like ASIO drivers, then even more internet interaction is necessary to complete an installation that will support the operation of what you have purchased.

5. Software Operation
If you are successful in getting the desired software components properly installed then your education has just begun. A normal learning process will depend on how much experience you have with software music applications. Sometimes the more you know might work against you. Be prepared to study and undertake a lot of trial and error learning.
Since the components are from different suppliers there is no common look and feel for their operation. This can be quite frustrating and operational support will be required.

In certain situations the Triple Play software will lock-up for no apparent reason and may require termination of the program or even rebooting of the computer. This will inevitably be blamed on the inequities of your computer.

6. Support
It would be best if you purchase this bundled product from a supplier that will support you after you in the install / trial and error phase of ownership. Fishman does not do this well. The internet is only partially helpful because these demonstrations are all done using high end computers that have been setup by technicians that are intimately familiar with these products.

I had quite a few problems with their software. Guitar rig 6.0 wont even run and you have to jump thru hoops to record it in Studio one.

Addendum to a previous review. Terrible time installing software. We Fishman support help, figured out downloads were incomplete so they provided direct download from their servers and that solved the problem. So, it took me two days to get the software working right. It does a pretty good job, but I'm not overly blown away with the tracking. Slightly better than the built in Roland MIDI on my Godin.

I wanted this so I could play my baselines in real time and then have midi notation to help me program my DR-880 drum line, and although it does exactly that, the nature of the device is such that it tends to pick up unwanted notes with just the slightest variation of playing: what wouldn't be noticed to the ear while playing the base line come out with all sort of extra notes that the midi device was detecting, but only a single note was played; still it gives me some help in notating my base line. It could be better and maybe the more I work with it I might get better results..... The software can be a little tricky and if you don't have a superfast download speed it will take time....

I got the Fishman Triple Play and installed on my Desk Top although I really wanted it on My Laptop
After I got it installed it says it cannot find my Library.
This is not an easy install and go system it should be explained more in detail just what to do step by step instead of assuming everyone knows all about it! I also purchased the Control Pedal Sure would be nice to use this the way it was
intended for

The sounds are amazing, the tracking is amazing, the support from fishman and ik multimedia are poor at best. This is not the plug and play wonder advertised. I am currently 12 days in and cannot get the software to work properly. I have currently uninstalled and reinstalled several components at least six times with the same results. The synth sounds from native instruments and east west are phenominal however, the guitar rigs from both native instruments and ik multimedia do not work within the triple play software at all yet. Sampletank 2.5 has been uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times with the same failure. I will be fair to say I assumed the plug and play aspect would work but this system is more complicated than I realized. I'm currently looking on the internet for every available article or video on setup for this device. Don't get me wrong, the potential is huge for this product but it definately has issues. I will return to this if I can get the bugs worked out.

The hardware installs easily on about any guitar and tracks really well. The problem is with the software, way too involved if you can even get them to work. Mine is on Craigslist for sale for half price. I love my Fishman Performer amp but they really fell short on this piece 'o crap Tripleplay.

I've done all that I can do to make this device track well. I've made all the necessary latency and intonation adjustments. Bottom line. This item is not worth the price. I will be returning it. My advice to anyone thinking about buying a Triple Play, ask yourself this question. "Am I not proficient enough on the keys to really need this thing?" If your answer is yes, I might still suggest that you just practice on your keyboard playing instead. Only half of the software it comes with actually works. And no matter what you do, you'll never get rid of the minimal and yet noticeable latency issues. I'm just gonna stick to tracking MIDI with my keyboards, and use my Guitar as it was intended.

The good:
Sounds are good. Nice for effects for smooth slow music. Good for fun playing.

The not so good:
Latency on my Windows 7 laptop is not good for live performance or recording fast leaks. Installation on Windows is very, very difficult. The installation instructions are misleading and out of sequence. My package included an installation Jump Drive that is not even alluded in the installation manuals or the installation materials and demos on line. It took me 3 days to download and activate the free included software. There is no good installation guides or manuals and you need to be very intuitive and research a lot over the internet. Installing the hardware in a Gibson guitar is as difficult because the kit includes all possible parts you could need for any guitar but it doesn't provide any reference as of how to use them or for what. In summary: Is a guessing and trial and error process that took me over a week to figure it out, lots of calls and lots of internet research. However, the tech support and the people at the Sweetwater are incredibly and OUTSTANDING GREAT!!!

its Cost too much and you have to purchase a I pad or Laptop to handle this little penny and then it could sound some of synth but its not that you can really play Synthesizer on Guitar it sound creepy and alway sound like guitar You are only fooling people that's it You are trying to put Truck engine in a Small car

Works with a little delay. Having an issue with getting it to work with Digital Performer. Each note from the guitar through the TriplePlay device is duplicated in a digitalPerformer. Not found a solution yet.

I've used many Guitar Synth's for the past 25yrs and the best I could say about the Fishman Triple Play, is that it's a "OK to Good" for what it is! The tracking is good but not great. I have the Pickup Module connected to a standard Fender Strat, just at 1mm which I used the Fishman tool, although I do very a bit to get the best response as I can and I use the "supplied" Screw Driver, and adjustments is very easy. The Software is another matter, it is about the longest & slowest that I've experienced, I work with software every day for a living, so I'm very at home with various code (C++ etc), I have deleted all of the Fishman software other than the Triple Play transmitter, I have many more superior VST's that sounds wonderful, although the supplied sounds is good if it's your first experience. Now regarding the tracking it's Not as accurate as Fishman wants you to believe! It's decent but not great if you have any experience with great systems they do tend to be more expensive and absolutely more responsive and accurate. Fishman tries "Very Hard" to justify there product and they will defend that it's the greatest and it's always the Customers fault for not knowing how to setup the TP? It's not hard at all, very easy and that is one good thing about it. But everything else is "Sub-Standard" there customer service (Frank) is the Worst to work with! Hopefully if you believe the "Fishman Hype" you won't deal with there customer service. Please don't just believe me, do the research first!!!! Don't get sold on the advertisements, there to "Sucker-You" in, Fishman doesn't want you to truly see "There Inferior Product" try to ask them a question and you'll hear Excuse. The Fishman Triple Play is a disappointment for me, and if you look for the "Honist Reviewing" forums you'll see the reality. It's an OK device & USB receiver, there are better systems out there.

I bought the triple play about a month ago. After the software instillation failed a few times I was finally able to get it installed. Next the pickup would not fit on my Parker Nitefly so I had to raise the action and glue the bracket to my pick guard. That makes the already nasty looking pickup look even worse. I never understood they they can’t make a pickup that sits off to the side of the guitar. Instead they made it look like the Roland GK 3 which nobody wants to have on their guitar. One that entire weekend of problems was over with I started to play with the sounds. I took the triple play to a gig and it worked OK. I had to lug my laptop and a laptop stand. The patched don’t change quickly so I needed to accommodate for that. The sounds were good but some were not as good as Roland’s. The price is $400 but if you are going to use this device properly you need to pick up an I-Rig as well as a midi foot controller. Those two devices are gonna set you back at least another $300 to $400 bucks for the cheapest options. Also that cost does not include the laptop. I will keep playing with this thing but quite honestly I was hugely disappointed with the problems with instillation and the device usability on stage. It’s fragile and cheep feeling as well. I’m gonna go back to gigging with my Roland GR-55 until I can assemble the gear and the software to get this thing working optimally on stage.

Such a mixed review - the tracking on this thing is great, this is much better than anything else you're going to find - that said. this thing is junk - its all china made and for something thats future proof (computer/midi controller) it WON"T last. the usb is flimsy, the pick up is flimsy and the hub is awkward and cheap-feeling as it gets. and there's zero excuse for it. they should have invested another $30 in the build quality - but this thing will not stand up to gigging, or even just normal wear and tear over the years. its really sad to have put this much power into such shoddy casing and it speaks volume about this company. not to mention there's no left handed support - you can still set it up, but its not optimum. really disappointed

I've had this for a while now. I'd hoped it would let my Variax also be a MIDI controller, and it kind of does, but not in a particularly useful way. The lag is impossible to play with anywhere close to real time. The iPad app is inconsistent. The Mac app receives MIDI signals, but won't make any sound. Ableton Live receives MIDI signals, and makes sounds, but with unusable lag. Synthmaster One is a hot mess: the Mac app can't find it, Ableton recognizes the plugin but doesn't see its instruments, and if you press the wrong button with Synthmaster One, Ableton stops responding and has to be force-quit.

No wonder I still reject computers in my hobbies—if I tried to pile this kind of nonsense on top of my day job in software, I'd spend the day screaming in frustration.

If you plan on using this with cubase as a plugin you have settings that are only found in the questions section of the online pdf. Also, just no way to get around stuck midi notes, the sounds are incredible but a lot of good this does when spending hours trying to get the tracking setup. I called and spend over one hour with Sweetwater tech support and sti had to file a trouble ticket with Fishman.. I am afraid I am going to have to send it back, sucks I was really wanting this thing to work as advertised.

This unit is extremely frustrating and included documentation is nil. Software for sounds are a nightmare to download, creating accounts, entering long codes, jumping thru hoops,and installation isn't any better. The foot controller is about the same, no decent instruction. It tracks OK, but you really need to adjust sensitivity for each patch to avoid glitching. Great idea, lousy execution in my book. I've spent way more time trying to make it work than playing it. Works best layered in under the guitar (covers the glitching)

When it makes sounds, they're great sounds. But the software and interface were written for teens and millennials who have a lot of time on their hands and live for video games. I don't know what's worse, the IK plug in process or the Fishman process. Let me start with Fishman.

After several hours of error messages and an internet search, I found an obscure FAQ incorrectly titled that happened to mention that if you are using a 64 bit machine you need to go into the Mac application icon "get Info" wind to turn off a switch. I should be glad I didn't have to open ResEdit to rewrite the code. Now none of the IK plugins work at all. Fishman breaks up the installation manuals and then directs you to IK or NI to figure out their installation. Of course, when you go to IK the process requires serial numbers on the back of a box that does not exist. I'll get back to them.

As far as the physical setup goes, it gives you plenty of diagrams showing how you might set up for recording. I mean these are really rudimentary but I appreciate the clarity. So why not show how one connects to a live amplifier if you're going to show simple diagrams? I think it's because the target user lives in the basement, I want to use this live and not have ProTools running just to hear the synth. This device was theoretically designed for newcomers to the Midi world.

And then the hardware. The brackets to attach to the strap plug were a great idea, but they don't rest properly on either a Strat or Les Paul. So the device wiggles and if you're not careful you can knock it off while you're playing as the device connects to the brackets with a weak magnet. The bracket that holds the pickup under the strings it secured by cheap doublestick tape and I don't expect that to hang on very long.

If there's a special hotel hell for companies that make their security so incredibly complex that even a Quaker would want to see the beanieheads boiled in oil, I hope there's a suite for the guys at IK. Miraculously I was able to register something after being asked a ton of personal questions that were completely inappropriate. Then I got a flurry of e-mails with "free" stuff including upgrades to the version of SampleTank that I installed with Triple Play. Then realized after a few hours that the upgrade did not work with TP. So I have a ton of "instruments" that don't work, no way to remove them because TP has no options or preferences to find or remove source info.

Bottom line is that they are missing about 20% of what you need to plug and play. For those of you out there who intuitively get how these devices are supposed to work and how the software interacts (I know there's a lot, and my hat's off to every one of you - honest) , you are going to love this. For those of you hoping for something as straightforward as a midi keyboard, gird your loins.

Let me start by saying the tracking on the TriplePlay is better than other Guitar Synths I have played. However, the primary reason I purchased the TriplePlay was to use as a midi controller for recording track into my DAW. The TriplePlay did not meet the grade for me! First, unless you are using Studio One, you will have a lot of problems. I used it with Abelton Live and DP8 and it was a freakin nightmare. The TriplePlay is not polyphonic, so you have to set up 6 individual midi tracks to play the patch. Fortunate for me, I recently switched platforms (PC - Mac) and was shopping for a new DAW. So, Studio One worked out for me; I love it! Studio One! It works great with FTP. However, beware that the sounds included with FTP (i.e. Kontact, Sample Tank and Reaktor) are not all 64bit compatible. So, in order to take full advantage of the TriplePlay software in your DAW (i.e., access all the included sound patches) you have to run your DAW in 32bit mode. Logic users running Maverick O.S., not a good marriage!
Also, creating your own sounds is a nightmare! I have Komplete and so, I have an extensive Kontact Library. When I attempted to design my own patch within the TriplePlay software, the software would crash. When I attempted to design and play patches independent of the TriplePlay software, the tracking was not good. Yes! I am saying that the fast tracking you see demo by many great players cannot be achieved without the TriplePlay software interface.
Conclusion, if you desire to use FTP for (1) live playing (2) have no plans on utilizing 3rd party vst instruments outside of the ones that are included in the package, then FTP is for you. However, if you do extensive recording / sound design and have a massive virtual instrument library, you will face major problems. Finally, don't believe the hype! Set-up is a pain in the neck. You will have to slightly readjust your playing technique.

IMO, the only thing holding this product back is the software interface. Also, if Fishman wants this product to a standard, they need to think about support. For us owners that have the product and are not duplicating the results of the demo, we remain optimistic and open to the chance that maybe wev'e missed a step in the set-up process. We really want this product to work as advertised!

I don't know about those of us who use IPads and IOS and the Fishman product here. I keep getting out of tune notes no matter how I adjust sensitivities and playing style. Fishman has not been very receptive about helping me, either. I'm returning mine

WAIT BEFORE YOU BUY... Fishman stopped doing business with East West, so all of the great sounds you hear.... you do not get. All of the Default Libraries are no longer valid

From Fishman Tech Support:
"It looks like you accidentally installed the Legacy Library (It Installed By Default), and also the EW Guitar teaser library. These Libraries will not work on a new computer, so you can delete them altogether.
Where did you download the EW library from?" (Fishman Site)

I got one this week April /2022, and I sent it back. Basically, all the old libraries have had their plug ins removed so they do not work. All you get is a Synth app and a Few Native Sound Packages. Basically all of the vids from Sam Ash , Sweetwater, and everywhere else are all dated.

Emailed with Fishman's Tech support for hours (They won't answer the phone). Basically the Triple Play software is garbage at this point and I had to reinstall it 4 times to get the basic plug -ins to work because it still tries to install legacy libraries, When it does that it screws up where the plug repository is . Wasted 8 hours of actual Playing time on screwing with software, which I do every day at work. ... very disappointed.

I was hoping I would be able to track parts with this but the latency is so bad you can't play to a click. I spent hours with the software and found it utterly frustrating to use. I am a music pro who literally plays and programs ableton for a living and I can't work with this.

If your looking to be wireless to use all the bundled software, this is not for you. In order to use a lot of the bundled software, you have to use a cable! Of course they dont say that before you spend your money. For my, this is totally useless to go wireless. Dont be fooled.

I bought the fishman triple play and three of the software packages from East West. I"m not computer savvy so I hired a computer tech to install it for me. It took him two days to do the down loads and he called support several times. The down load for the East West software was easier but the software for the triple play somehow made it impossible to access them.
My tech friend called in another guy and neither one of them had any success. Support from Fishman was useless. They were very nice but they didn"t answer any questions they just sent tutorials which I already had. They said it was possible to set up a one on one session on the weekend but they really didn"t like to do it because it takes too much time and effort for their staff to do it. That"s what they said ? So why even tell me about it.
The software from East West is a download so you can"t return it even though so far I haven"t been able to use it and it seems that I can"t return the fishman Triple play either because I"ve already used it. That"very strange because it"s hard ware.it"s a physical unit.
The soft ware from fishman isn"t very good either. There is still latency there enough so that I can"t use it to record with and that"s what I do. I"m a Recording musician in Los Angeles.
I"ve spent over a thousand dollars on things that I can"t use and I"m very very upset about that.
Sweetwaters response was they just sell the stuff and after that it"s your problem. The man who said that to me denied saying it but it"s the kind of thing you don"t forget. "He said it".
I looked at reviews about the unit in a couple of different places and virtually everyone had the same problems that I had. There were a few five star reviews. The kind with very few words. " best equipment I"ve ever owned" that kind of thing. Those aren"t real reviews. The people who actually had experience with the system had quite a lot to say about it and in most cases they absolutely hated it.
The reviews here are mostly great. They must be using different equipment.
I"m really very disappointed. I wanted it to work so bad but it doesn"t at least not for me. I"m also disappointed in Sweetwater for not helping me get some kind of refund but their response was "yeah, it"s really hard to get your money back on this stuff". The EastWest software does say non refundable but even if it doesn"t work ? Oh well, it is a disclaimer. The big problem is this. I was very excited about the product and only part of it works and in my opinion that part isn"t very good. I spent over a thousand dollars and absolutely nobody will help me at all. It looks like I"m stuck with a grands worth of nothing.

After several years Fishman's Tripleplay software setup continues to be the most convoluted and aggravating mess I've ever seen. I'm glad to see so many happy people on this website because I hate to think of so many other angry musicians. Nothing works, nothing sets up right, you get half-directions from the multitude of software companies "bundled" into this thing. There is no real explanation of the messages and, on top of that, Fishman support never answers e-mails. Believe me, I've tried to be polite. I became suspicious after a while when I noticed that NOBODY was showing how this really set up and how you would, say, connect it to perform live. There is simply no excuse. If Fishman would like to see how to set up software that incorporates bundles from other companies, check out Presonus Studio One. Instead, they send you to Sample Tank and Native Instruments' little circles of hell. I just hope I've talked at least someone out of wasting so much money and time.

I've owned this for over a year now. Unfortunately, I had to upgrade from Pro Tools 10 to version 12 and that caused this stupid thing to not work anymore. It's been year since Fishman acknowledged this problem and there is still no resolution. Great support, guys! I suggest going with a different manufacturer who can keep up with the times and not render your product obsolete overnight. This product isn't even that old and it's already useless for me. Very disappointed.

I bought this when it was nearly brand new tech. After a few years, I've still never been able to get it to work properly. The best feature is still that it's wireless but the joy ends there. I'm not one to write negative reviews, but for me, this is purely a novelty item. So much potential, so much disappointment.

I purchased it to track synth guitar into my DAW (Pro Tools) and while I can usually get it to play in real time through most of my virtual instruments and track the midi...it will never play back the midi notes it recorded. They're there, but they never play back. I've even tried contacting Fishman support via their website, but once you put all your info in, their website's "SUBMIT" button doesn't work. Figures. I'm done with it.

I have played guitar for 50 years. I used to work for Roland and I am very familiar with hex pickups and pitch to midi conversion. It does not fit on a lot of guitars, Paul Reed Smith guitars bridge is too high, I went out and bought a stratocaster just to install the pickup. I installed the pickup exactly right, I measured it with the supplied feeler gauge. The 3M sticky tape that mounts the pickup will fall off if you brush against it. The triple play app seems like a beta version. It would begin to scan my VST plugins and hang every time. I already own Komplete so I just installed the triple triple play app. It took me an entire day to set it up.
I tried it with with the stand alone app and as a plugin within Logic Pro. It is unusable. simply playing a single note can cause it to trigger wrong midi notes with the guitar in tune. Maybe mine is defective.
Sweetwater is a great company, I have already contacted them to see what I can do. I had such high hopes. The battery on the transmitter doesn't last long. You should charge it before any session. There is no ability to mounting holes on the pickup or the transmitter or pickup making permanent mounting impossible. I will see if a replacement unit fixes the tracking issue, but the software is in no way ready for prime time. Maybe it works better on windows systems,

This SUCKS I will never buy Fishman product again

The hardware for triple play is conceptually good. They try to make the pickup adjustments workable for different types of guitars. The software, however is sub par, poorly written, and tedious. Triple play software does not work with Pro Tools as it is advertised. The notation software that comes with TP is inaccurate and cannot decipher even the simplest chords. For the price they charge, I should not be made a guinea pig. I am very disappointed.