• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

EHX Bass Mono Synth

I dunno....seems really limited in it's sounds....
Huh. I was thinking the exact opposite. Aside from the 2 biggies - SY300 and Future Impact - this seems to me to be the most versatile synth pedal out there, or close to it at least. And it's hundreds of dollars cheaper than those.

Based on the demo, each of the 11 types seems to be pretty distinct. And that's without too much knob twiddling. And there's the expression pedal to play with.

I mean...it is a Bass mono synth, so there's definitely a skew toward bassy sounds. But still. It seems pretty varied to me.
 
Huh. I was thinking the exact opposite. Aside from the 2 biggies - SY300 and Future Impact - this seems to me to be the most versatile synth pedal out there, or close to it at least. And it's hundreds of dollars cheaper than those.

Based on the demo, each of the 11 types seems to be pretty distinct. And that's without too much knob twiddling. And there's the expression pedal to play with.

I mean...it is a Bass mono synth, so there's definitely a skew toward bassy sounds. But still. It seems pretty varied to me.
Let's agree to disagree.

:)
 
That's fine with me. As long as you don't mind being wrong. ;)

(PS: winky face is intended to indicate that this is a joke. Different opinions are perfectly fine!)
ItsI just that I've been down the rabbit hole with trying to make a bass sound like a synth and imo it "can" work....but nothing even comes close to the real thing. Easiest way.....synth software and a midi keyboard. I really like samplers for that also. Nothing beats an 808 earth splitting low note
 
ItsI just that I've been down the rabbit hole with trying to make a bass sound like a synth and imo it "can" work....but nothing even comes close to the real thing. Easiest way.....synth software and a midi keyboard. I really like samplers for that also. Nothing beats an 808 earth splitting low note
Right, sure. You weren't saying quite what I thought you were saying. Or you weren't comparing it to the same thing I was. Or my standards are just lower. :)

I totally get it. If you're used to synths, this is going to feel limited by comparison. It takes 11 synths, or core sounds, and gives you limited control over a few parameters within that core synth sound. Compared to an actual synth, that's very limited tweakability. Like, the Minitaur (a small synth) has over 15 knobs, plus some CV inputs? And that's on the low end for knob-count on a synth. And you've got other modules where you can do all that patching to control stuff.

Compared to that, yes, this is limited. No argument here. And, as is usually the case with synth pedals, there's certainly a chance that this pedal will not be able to do "that one sound" from your favorite song.

For me, comparing the 11 options within this pedal to each other, or comparing this pedal to other similarly priced synth pedals, I think there's plenty of variety in the sound.

I have a synth. I don't like to take it with me when I play. I like to substitute a synth pedal for the odd cases where I want a synth sound. "Close enough" is fine for my uses, and the extra accuracy of an actual synth isn't enough to offset the extra headache of dealing with a 2nd physical instrument...for me, personally, in my use cases. So I love synth pedals, and I've used most of the big name choices through the years.

YMMV, TETO. Happy bassing!
 
Right, sure. You weren't saying quite what I thought you were saying. Or you weren't comparing it to the same thing I was. Or my standards are just lower. :)

I totally get it. If you're used to synths, this is going to feel limited by comparison. It takes 11 synths, or core sounds, and gives you limited control over a few parameters within that core synth sound. Compared to an actual synth, that's very limited tweakability. Like, the Minitaur (a small synth) has over 15 knobs, plus some CV inputs? And that's on the low end for knob-count on a synth. And you've got other modules where you can do all that patching to control stuff.

Compared to that, yes, this is limited. No argument here. And, as is usually the case with synth pedals, there's certainly a chance that this pedal will not be able to do "that one sound" from your favorite song.

For me, comparing the 11 options within this pedal to each other, or comparing this pedal to other similarly priced synth pedals, I think there's plenty of variety in the sound.

I have a synth. I don't like to take it with me when I play. I like to substitute a synth pedal for the odd cases where I want a synth sound. "Close enough" is fine for my uses, and the extra accuracy of an actual synth isn't enough to offset the extra headache of dealing with a 2nd physical instrument...for me, personally, in my use cases. So I love synth pedals, and I've used most of the big name choices through the years.

YMMV, TETO. Happy bassing!
For me the only synth that has ever stayed in pedal form is oc2 with fuzz or filters ....
 
  • Like
Reactions: bassproduction
Electro Harmonix also makes this bass micro synth:

Invalid Link Removed

which offers more range and tweakability but comes at a higher price and is less stage friendly (imagine having to redial a tone if the cursors get messed up - not impossible but you have to know this pedal like the back of your hand).

The Bass Synth is one of my favorite pedals because its possibilities are limitless. The square wave is also particularly epic and will send most fuzz pedals packing!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: The Rage and hintz
Electro Harmonix also makes this bass micro synth:

Invalid Link Removed

which offers more range and tweakability but comes at a higher price and is less stage friendly (imagine having to redial a tone if the cursors get messed up - not impossible but you have to know this pedal like the back of your hand).

The Bass Synth is one of my favorite pedals because it's possibilities are limitless. The square wave is also particularly epic and will send most fuzz pedals packing!

Also just a note, the Micro Synth is fully analog and this new Mono Synth is digital.
 
ItsI just that I've been down the rabbit hole with trying to make a bass sound like a synth and imo it "can" work....but nothing even comes close to the real thing. Easiest way.....synth software and a midi keyboard. I really like samplers for that also. Nothing beats an 808 earth splitting low note
If that's your standard I hardly need any effects at all if I'm playing with a keyboard player. Most of the stuff I would normally cover with my effects is just his normal wheelhouse.

I think this pedal sounds cool for what I would use it for; adding some funk into some hollow parts of songs. That said, it's possible that all those sounds fit right into the 'eaten by guitar' category that so many synth pedals I've used falls into.
 
Electro Harmonix also makes this bass micro synth:

Invalid Link Removed

which offers more range and tweakability but comes at a higher price and is less stage friendly (imagine having to redial a tone if the cursors get messed up - not impossible but you have to know this pedal like the back of your hand).

The Bass Synth is one of my favorite pedals because it's possibilities are limitless. The square wave is also particularly epic and will send most fuzz pedals packing!
Huh. I haven't owned one for 10 years or more, but I always felt like it was too limited. I know there's a ton of tweakability with that pedal, but it's all tweaking the same core sound, IMO. That pedal to me felt more like an octave pedal into a fuzz pedal into a filter pedal...kind of a pseudo-synth, more than a real synth. (I have no clue what's actually going on inside it.)
 
Huh. I was thinking the exact opposite. Aside from the 2 biggies - SY300 and Future Impact - this seems to me to be the most versatile synth pedal out there, or close to it at least. And it's hundreds of dollars cheaper than those.

Based on the demo, each of the 11 types seems to be pretty distinct. And that's without too much knob twiddling. And there's the expression pedal to play with.

I mean...it is a Bass mono synth, so there's definitely a skew toward bassy sounds. But still. It seems pretty varied to me.

To me this Mono Synth sounds like a Micro Bass Synth in a smaller pkg. I think it sounds like it has a ton sounds in it too. Pretty exciting. I've always wanted a cool, convincing, all in one synth box that didn't take up half my board. And it seems like this may be it. I rarely use synth anyway. Then again, that could be because I never met one I really gelled with very much. At that price, I'm def willing to jump on one when they drop. EXITE! :hyper:


I’m a little more interested in the Source Audio C4 Synth that’s coming

That was the other one I'm getting really excited about. Because it seems like SA is going to do this one right as they really understand where bassists are at and how much of an impact the Deep Impact had on the bass world. I think SA is going to really nail it. So if I'm honest with myself, I'd probably grab the SA first too. If the price is doable for me. I can only imagine all the Bluetooth and high tech cap[ability it's going to have. But man what a price on the EHX!!!

I will add this too, there are a couple other synth pedals that dropped in 2018 that I REALLY want(ed). One of them being the Meris Enzo and the other the Banana one. But either the price and or scarcity or both for both those pedals has prevented me from getting either. I'm hoping that either the SA or the EHX will fill that void for me. Sure sounds like the EHX very well may do that.
 
Can’t find a street price for it yet. But if it runs true to form for EHX pricing I’m figuring it’ll be in the neighborhood of $250 - which seems a little steep to me for such a limited tone pallet. Especially when you can score the real deal, like a Novation Bass Station II, for around $399 new.

You don’t need much in the way of keyboard skills to handle a single note bassline on a mono synth. A few weeks of practice is all it’ll take to be able to handle something as simple as that. It’s not like you’ll be playing up to ten simultaneous notes, or using both hands like an actual keyboard player would.

Or so I think anyway. YMMV. :)
Per Bass Gear Magazine:
The Bass Mono Synth comes equipped with an EHX 9.6DC-200mA power supply and is available early February at a U.S.A. street price of $123.50.