I’m looking to get a new bass synth pedal. I’ve gotta SYB-3 right now, and while it sounds kinda neat it’s tracking and the controls make it little bit challenging to use. I was watching a video of the SYB-5 and that sounds a little more up my alley. I’m shooting for Mike Gordon, Stevie Wonder funky tones for soloing. Is the SYB-5 a little easier to operate? And does it do OK without a compressor in the signal? Also how does the EHX micro bass synth compare? The videos I’ve seen of it just show people holding notes and not playing funky stuff.
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Boss SYB-5 bass synth pedal
- Thread starter Mo Boogs
- Start date
Adamixoye
A PT Pro is cool for worship, right?
- Apr 9, 2012
- 18,158
- 69,338
- Disclosures
- Occasional Beta Tester for Confusion Studios, Singular Sound, and Source Audio
A short list of pedals I would consider over the SYB-3 or SYB-5 (never owned either but I have played through them):
- Behringer BSY-600 (discontinued; I used to own it)
- Digitech Bass Synth Wah (discontinued; I used to own it)
- Boss SY-1 (new; I own the larger SY-300)
- Panda Audio Future Impact (I own)
- Source Audio C4 Synth (I'm planning to buy)
- EHX Micro Bass (never owned but have played through)
No but it sounds like I gotta check that out!
Tracking was rotten on the syb-3. Whatever I get I want it good outta the box. No being tied to a computer because currently I don’t have one up and running.
Tracking and functionality was terrible on the SYB-3 I had and I don't suppose the SYB-5 was much better either!
For a Boss compact synth pedal look no further than the new SY-1 -it's light years ahead!
For a Boss compact synth pedal look no further than the new SY-1 -it's light years ahead!
I use the Syb5 mostly in hip hop and electronic pop kind of music. That's what it can do best. Sounds like you need something funkier and more reactive, like a Moog in a stompbox. Check the EHX 9 series pedals.
Mike Gordon uses the Deep Impact, Future Impact, Markbass SuperSynth, a Moog Taurus III, and probably now a Source Audio C4. I've got the Markbass and the C4 and love both. With the C4, you also have the world's best envelope filter. And access to however many user presets get published, including Meatball and Moog LPF patches. I know you asked about the Boss pedal, but as many nice sounds as it may contain, there's not as many possibilities as with the FI or the C4, which has an incredible number of possibilities within.
The Boss Sy-1 is polyphonic. That’s huge. Sets it apart from the others. It is plug and play so you won’t have thousands of programing options, but I paid $200 for an ehx mel9 which I ended up using only only one track I recorded, so I think the Boss is a steal at the price.
Hopefully they will borrow from ehx’s playbook and release an Sys-2, 3 etc with completely different sounds.
Hopefully they will borrow from ehx’s playbook and release an Sys-2, 3 etc with completely different sounds.
Doubt they will... sy1 has 121 varieties and they have the sy300 on offer if you need more...
