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Boss SY-1 Synth

#182
Arpeggiators. I now realise it was something I was very much missing on my FI!

Having so much fun on this pedal!

Here's a setting for you to have some fun with: Seq10.11.4.4 i.e. Sequencer 10, Variation 11, rate 4/10, depth 4/10 with clean blend max'd.

Seq(10).11.4.4.jpg
 
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#183
So, without going overboard and keeping my pedals on a Nano....

Effects Loop Send into Mesa Stow-Away Buffer to EBS MultiDrive to (Boss SY-1)/ Loop send to Keeley Dark Side and programmable TC Hall Of Fame Reverb Mini to Loop return/ out to TC Ditto LOOPER sitting on top of the Buffer to Effects Loop Return.

With that hold function on the SY-1 you can set a synth rthym pattern in the LOOPER hold a good key pad + effect and have a dry Bass part on top of that...Im sure there is a context for this in my music situation!

Patiently waiting...and listening to all available samples...will not use all, but, there are more than a few colors in this box to work with!
 
#186
The first good bass focused review!

The two significant points they've not picked up are the additional filters provided by depth and rate dials, and that this is fully polyphonic.

But totally agree with their comments that:
  • This is a game changer compared to predecessor SYB-3 and SYB-5 pedals;
  • No need for an app / midi / pc editing;
  • Flawless tracking;
  • Inspires creativity and is entertainment gold.
 
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#187
Al Krow said:
The first good bass focused review!

The two significant points they've not picked up are the additional filters provided by depth and rate dials, and that this is fully polyphonic.

But totally agree with their comments that:
  • This is a game changer compared to predecessor SYB-3 and SYB-5 pedals;
  • No need for an app / midi / pc editing;
  • Flawless tracking;
  • Inspires creativity and is entertainment gold.
Click to expand...

Impressive. Tracking sounds good too.
 
#189
I've been asked how the SY-1 compares to a Future Impact. My thoughts are as follows:

They SY-1 is a less sophisticated unit than the FI that lets a bassist, who doesn't want to have to spend hours and days deep diving into PC editing, get some very usable sounds quickly.

Where the FI wins:
  • overall more capable and more tweak-able synth engine
  • ability to provide 99 presets
Where the SY-1 wins:
  • flawless tracking all the way down to a low B
  • immediacy of dials (no need for an app/midi/PC) to access some great synth sounds
  • $$
  • arpeggiator
  • polyphonic
  • smaller footprint
So for me it was a no-brainer in going for the SY-1, which I'm loving, and I'm not missing my FI at all. For others, the pros / cons may push them to getting an FI.
 
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#190
Al Krow said:
I've been asked how the SY-1 compares to a Future Impact. My thoughts are as follows:

They SY-1 is a less sophisticated unit than the FI that lets a bassist, who doesn't want to have to spend hours and days deep diving into PC editing, get some very usable sounds quickly.

Where the FI wins:
  • overall more capable and more tweak-able synth engine
  • ability to provide 99 presets
Where the SY-1 wins:
  • flawless tracking
  • immediacy of dials (no need for an app/midi/PC) to access some great synth sounds
  • $$
  • arpeggiator
  • polyphonic
  • smaller footprint
So for me it was a no-brainer in going for the SY-1, which I'm loving, and I'm not missing my FI at all. For others, the pros / cons may push them to getting an FI.
Click to expand...
Or a C4?
 
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#191
I went for the SY-1 instead of the C4, but from comments I've had so far from fellow bassists who have taken the plunge with a C4, I don't think I'd be a million miles out if my pro/con list above was headed up:

"FI or C4"

i.e. the C4 is closer in operation and capability to the FI than it is to the SY-1. The C4 has 128 presets rather than 99 but these IMO are not as easy to access in real time as the FI's. And the view of folk who have both the C4 and FI is that FI has a more capable synth engine that can deliver better sounds than the C4.

The benefits of the SY-1 apply equally as advantages over the C4 other than they have similar footprints and the C4 also has an arpeggiator.
 
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#192
For those that have had a hardware synth... is it worth it spins wise over the sy1 for someone that doesn’t like / have time for programming? Thinking about either the Korg monologue or Arturia microfreak quite a bit but the plug and play versus having to learn keys and then finding a way to do a line selector for my rig seems to outweigh the hardware style... (I’ve already tried out a few software synths but thinking that’s too much of a hassle to play live...)
 
#193
I think I've managed to get my head around why polyphonic capability can result in better tracking.

It seems the best tracking results on the FI are achieved when using a staccato / muting playing technique for the more rapid notes you might find in a typical bass line e.g. when playing octaves, by making sure your thumb mutes the lower string at the instant (or just before) you pluck the higher one.

A polyphonic pedal will certainly be more flexible in accommodating different playing techniques.

For me, not having to modify my playing technique to get the best out of a pedal is a significant plus point - I like that the pedal is working with and for me and not the other way around.

So it's definitely looking like the SY-1 is hitting the mark, beautifully, for what I need it to be doing: a quality synth pedal that is both very straightforward and a pleasure to use; small footprint with great tracking and a varied soundscape.
 
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#195
gumtown said:
With Polyphonic tracking, you can also play chords (or use guitar if you are that way inclined),
and the SY-1 will track all played notes with a synth Oscillator for each note.
Click to expand...
That last point about a synth oscillator for each note is a really interesting one. The SY-1 manual is very light on detail about the synth engine - where did you come across such a useful piece of information?
 
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#197
gumtown said:
I have the SY-300, so I am 'assuming' that the SY-1 will operate in much the same manor.
If you listen to the guitar based SY-1 demos, with strummed chords, there are multiple oscillators playing the synth tone (one for each string tone).
Click to expand...

Yeah that was my thought too... I was going to even be lazy, use mine with my bass whammy to get fifths and octaves without worrying about technique too much... after listening to more demos this is definitely my next purchase.
 
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#198
Agreed that Boss have pretty much said that the SY-1 is a cut down version of the SY-300. The following extract from a Sound on Sound 2015 review of the SY-300 is quite informative on what's going on under the bonnet and how Boss have managed to eliminate latency on the tracking.

"The engineers at Roland/Boss are understandably a little secretive about what’s going on inside the SY‑300 but, given the way other devices work and some knowledge of recent advances in polyphonic real–time pitch extraction, I have a good idea of the essentials.

As you’d expect, some form of polyphonic pitch–extraction is used to control the sound processing but, unlike with most such systems, there’s no latency between plucking/strumming the strings and hearing the sound. This is because the sound you hear actually starts life not as a sample, but as the waveform that comes directly from your guitar’s pickup, just as with any conventional effect. You might not recognise it as such because its harmonic makeup is augmented and re–arranged to produce the familiar square, pulse, triangle, sine, sawtooth, and noise waves used in basic analogue synthesis, but that’s what it is — the processed sound from your guitar. This approach overcomes the problem of latency, of course, but it also means what you hear is directly affected by the way you play or the guitar’s pickup; the SY‑300 restores that organic connection between player and instrument that previous guitar synths sacrificed.

Some form of digital pitch–shifting is then used to detune or retune the individual oscillators by up to 24 semitones (in either direction), and synth–style envelopes, filters and modulations can be applied."
 
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#199
theunknowndude said:
Yeah that was my thought too... I was going to even be lazy, use mine with my bass whammy to get fifths and octaves without worrying about technique too much... after listening to more demos this is definitely my next purchase.
Click to expand...

You could upgrade to the SY-300, which is like 3 x SY-1, and setup your own pitch harmony tones.
Each OSC (SY-300 has 3) can have a output pitch to input pitch ratio of +/- 24 semitones (i.e. pitch shift up to 2 octaves).
So with the SY-300 you can create chords/triads from playing a single note.
 
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#200
gumtown said:
You could upgrade to the SY-300, which is like 3 x SY-1, and setup your own pitch harmony tones.
Each OSC (SY-300 has 3) can have a output pitch to input pitch ratio of +/- 24 semitones (i.e. pitch shift up to 2 octaves).
So with the SY-300 you can create chords/triads from playing a single note.
Click to expand...
Yeah can’t afford sy300... if I’m going to pay that much I may as well get a proper synth and be done with it... not sure what US pricing is but it’s around 900aud here!
May as well use the bass whammy I have with the sy1 if I plan on using it that way though
Cheers
 

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