Gigging with the MXR Bass Synth

[Fleece3]

I was hoping to see an example of someone actually gigging with the new MXR pedal. Ted Gould, creator of of bassnotemaster (bassnotemaster.com), just posted a gig video using it.



While there, check out the other posts he has on this pedal. He really breaks it down beyond the other "isn't this cool" stuff others are posting, he makes it WORKABLE!


FLEECE

 

[JonathanPDX]

I tried it on a gig and had all sorts of issues with it. Mostly notes would either not articulate on attack or choke off and die way too early. I don't know what it's problem was, but my EHX micro-POG had no such issues with tracking or glitches.

 

[Lava]

No live examples but I got one when the first batch was released and have used it live since then. It's been a game changer for me. I had some hiccups at the beginning but have really tuned it in and have no issues using it live at all. I use the MXR along with an HX Stomp.

 

[klattman]

I find it hard to get level matches dry vs wet and also between different sounds. You pretty much have to dial it in for all your presets within the context of a mix.
Or have some level control after it (putting level control before it changes the filter response, which is even harder to fix under pressure).

None of this is any worse than several other synth pedals I’ve used.

 

[mikeswals]

I find it hard to get level matches dry vs wet and also between different sounds. You pretty much have to dial it in for all your presets within the context of a mix.
Or have some level control after it (putting level control before it changes the filter response, which is even harder to fix under pressure).

None of this is any worse than several other synth pedals I’ve used.

The FI synth has level knobs for both in & out. And you can edit each patch volume with the edit knob also on the face of the pedal.

 

[john_g]

I tried it on a gig and had all sorts of issues with it. Mostly notes would either not articulate on attack or choke off and die way too early. I don't know what it's problem was, but my EHX micro-POG had no such issues with tracking or glitches.

I just got it a couple weeks ago and im having these issues. Im guessing that it has to do with the envelope settings but so far my Digitech Bass Synth Wah works way better (but doesnt have presets).

 

[Bassdirty]

I tried it on a gig and had all sorts of issues with it. Mostly notes would either not articulate on attack or choke off and die way too early. I don't know what it's problem was, but my EHX micro-POG had no such issues with tracking or glitches.

I wondered about this. So hard to tell in videos that just demo sounds, and not 'real life' situations.

 

[dlb1001]

Bought the MXR Synth pedal to replicate the "Love Alive" synth sound for a defunct cover band. None of the existing presets had the right sound so I spent a few hours of tweaking to get something close. During gigs, the pedal tracked fine but, as another poster mentioned, it would choke off notes and lose the sustain. So, I would pluck a little harder then the notes got really loud.
The rest of the band didn't mind but it did affect how I played the song. May sell it since the band folded and I have been playing at blues jams.

 

[mpdd]

i'm using the mxr poly octave blue with the fuzz engaged in monophonic for my sub synth tones, this contracts with my eqd industrial attack filter sub-ish tone, and pushes my ibanez mini flanger into the woosh

i was interested in the micro synth, however it seemed like it would be most useful for me as a way to generate tones for a sampler leading to pre recorded parts, like my old wmd geiger counter

 

[sunbeast]

The FI synth has level knobs for both in & out. And you can edit each patch volume with the edit knob also on the face of the pedal.

MXR has Gate and Level knobs, also on the face of the pedal. Not saying there aren’t benefits to each, but matching volumes between synth tones and clean tones will always require “in the mix” tweaking

 

[Bob_Ross]

I've been gigging with the MXR Synth Bass as my only pedal with the 9-piece rock/pop/jazz cover band I'm in for about 3 months now. I use it for "Sledgehammer", "Hella Good", "Runaway Baby" and "Dance To The Music". Never had any problems with tracking, glitching, notus interruptus, or any of the other issues mentioned in this thread. I am using it with a passive 4-string bass, and I do have the MXR set to 4-string mode.
:shrugs:

 

[sunbeast]

I tried it on a gig and had all sorts of issues with it. Mostly notes would either not articulate on attack or choke off and die way too early. I don't know what it's problem was, but my EHX micro-POG had no such issues with tracking or glitches.

Micro Pog doesn’t really pitch-track, it is analyzing your signal dynamics, sampling your signal, cutting the samples into little bits, changing the pitch of those bits by adjusting the sample rate, then piecing them together again trying to not lose the dynamic parts of the input signal. MXR on the other hand is only using your input signal to derive pitch and amplitude information and using that to trigger a completely separate monophonic synth. The latter will therefore be more likely to glitch out due to what input you feed it (it needs clean fundamental and cleanly monophonic playing to best sense the pitch). Both will have some latency, but for different reasons- EHX for the time it takes to sample, repitch, and weave together the pieces, MXR for the time it takes to track the pitch and trigger the external sounds. The latter is pitch-dependent while the former should be relatively consistent across the fretboard. They are very different devices with very different sounds and capabilities, so not really directly comparable unless the Micro Pog gives you “synth” sounds you are just as happy with.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Micro Pog doesn’t really pitch-track, it is analyzing your signal dynamics, sampling your signal, cutting the samples into little bits, changing the pitch of those bits by adjusting the sample rate, then piecing them together again trying to not lose the dynamic parts of the input signal. MXR on the other hand is only using your input signal to derive pitch and amplitude information and using that to trigger a completely separate monophonic synth. The latter will therefore be more likely to glitch out due to what input you feed it (it needs clean fundamental and cleanly monophonic playing to best sense the pitch). Both will have some latency, but for different reasons- EHX for the time it takes to sample, repitch, and weave together the pieces, MXR for the time it takes to track the pitch and trigger the external sounds. The latter is pitch-dependent while the former should be relatively consistent across the fretboard. They are very different devices with very different sounds and capabilities, so not really directly comparable unless the Micro Pog gives you “synth” sounds you are just as happy with.

Yes, that's exactly my point. I can combine the POG with all sorts of other non-tracking effects to produce synth-like tones without the glitches, tracking issues, and latency.

The EHX can do really interesting stuff on my living room table. I'm just not sure it can do those things reliably on a gig, at least for me.

 

[sunbeast]

I've been gigging with the MXR Synth Bass as my only pedal with the 9-piece rock/pop/jazz cover band I'm in for about 3 months now. I use it for "Sledgehammer", "Hella Good", "Runaway Baby" and "Dance To The Music". Never had any problems with tracking, glitching, notus interruptus, or any of the other issues mentioned in this thread. I am using it with a passive 4-string bass, and do I have the MXR set to 4-string mode.
:shrugs:

My experience is that the MXR can track really well with some basses, and is very tweaky with others- and not just in a general pitch-tracker sense. I think its pitch-tracking algorithm just doesn’t work as well with certain inputs in a way that some other similar pedals (like the Future Impact) are less sensitive to. Passive basses definitely seem to track better in my experience, though it’s really only a couple of my actives that don’t get along with it (regardless of pickup settings or EQ, etc). One if the best-tracking instruments for me with the MXR is actually my fully passive NS Design 5-string upright bass

 

[sunbeast]

Yes, that's exactly my point. I can combine the POG with all sorts of other non-tracking effects to produce synth-like tones without the glitches, tracking issues, and latency.

The EHX can do really interesting stuff on my living room table. I'm just not sure it can do those things reliably on a gig, at least for me.

That’s fair- a pitch-tracker that plays actual synth sounds like the MXR is cool but also a compromise in the sense of tracking. There currently isn’t really any way around it if you want to trigger actual synth waveforms with a bass, though all the current options in that world (like the Future Impact and C4) have pluses and minuses and some might track better for you. Knowing the limitations of the tech and how to best play to them goes a long way. You somewhat compromise playing freedom to get tight actual synth sounds or compromise the sound to get playing freedom in any case.

If you want real-time synth-ish sounds that don’t rely on pitch-tracking you might check out the Boss SY series. Instead of tracking external sounds with your playing the way the MXR Bass Synth does (or C4 or Future Impact), it instead manipulates your input signal into something resembling synth waveforms using compression, distortion, filtering etc. It’s a similar approach to what the Boss OC-2 does, just in the digital domain and using a wider range of manipulations to get there. I’m not certain of it, but I think the Poly Synth engine in the Eventide H90 is doing something similar. Their synth sounds aren’t as pure as an actual synth pedal, but if the Micro Pog is sufficient for you then the Boss stuff might well work too.

 

[sawzalot]

I had one and sold it, mostly bc I need about 12 sounds and it only holds 8. And switching sounds during a gig was too hard, I really need a midi-capable pedal. My approach to playing synth bass pedals is that it’s like learning a new instrument. You’re not just playing the bass notes, you’re playing how the pedal reacts to your attack. So on a gig we usually tend to play a little harder, which makes the envelope react differently, so I have to be really aware of how I’m playing. The lack of midi and limited sounds were the deciding factors for me.

 

[JonathanPDX]

That’s fair- a pitch-tracker that plays actual synth sounds like the MXR is cool but also a compromise in the sense of tracking. There currently isn’t really any way around it if you want to trigger actual synth waveforms with a bass, though all the current options in that world (like the Future Impact and C4) have pluses and minuses and some might track better for you. Knowing the limitations of the tech and how to best play to them goes a long way. You somewhat compromise playing freedom to get tight actual synth sounds or compromise the sound to get okaying freedom in any case.

If you want real-time synth-ish sounds that don’t rely on pitch-tracking you might check out the Boss SY series. Instead of tracking external sounds with your playing the way the MXR Bass Synth (or C4 or Future Impact) does, it instead manipulates your input signal into something resembling synth waveforms using compression, distortion, etc. It’s a similar approach to what the Boss OC-2 does, just in the digital domain and using a wider range of manipulations to get there. I’m not certain of it, but I think the Poly Synth engine in the Eventide H90 is doing something similar. There currently isn’t sounds aren’t as pure as an actual synth pedal, but if the Micro Pog is sufficient for you then the Boss stuff might well work too.

That makes sense. I don't gig much anymore but when I do I'm usually subbing for a key player on a Moog Sub 37, but his bass tone is fairly clean without a lot of the zany warble or big sweeping envelopes a lot of modern synth players like. So I want a huge, fat sub-octave tone with the option to add grit or an envelope to change the shape a bit, but not in ways that are going to pull attention away from the guitar/vocals. In the end it's all about getting people on the dance floor.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Haven’t gigged with mine yet but have rehearsed with it. I REALLY like it, especially the basic octave effect that’s in one of the presets. I don’t enjoy 5 strings so whenever I need a low B I can just kick the pedal on.

 

[sunbeast]

That makes sense. I don't gig much anymore but when I do I'm usually subbing for a key player on a Moog Sub 37, but his bass tone is fairly clean without a lot of the zany warble or big sweeping envelopes a lot of modern synth players like. So I want a huge, fat sub-octave tone with the option to add grit or an envelope to change the shape a bit, but not in ways that are going to pull attention away from the guitar/vocals. In the end it's all about getting people on the dance floor.

Yeah it is all about finding what works best for you!
I own most of the current digital synth pedal options, but in live environments end up using a Boss OC-2 into analog filters most of the time for synthy sounds because for me the feel is something that connects with my playing more clearly than triggered synth sounds or digital pitchshifters. It’s monophonic but completely latency-free (unlike the MicroPog or Bass Synth the OC-2 is creating it’s sounds in real-time) and I’ve had enough experience to know how to play it cleanly without tracking issues (even when it glitches it is relatively forgiving).

 

[4Mal]

I played around with the MXR just to see. I'll be charitabe and say that it won't dislodge my FI. Hopefully the new FM based FI 4.5 library will drop soon... that might be a game changer. DX7 in a can on your stomp board...

The FI's ability to track AND output midi note data is beyond cool I was using it to trigger a MOOG Mintaur, Roland JU-06a and Behringer Cat hardware synths. Now I trigger MOOG Mariana and an 06a clone running on an iPad. The Behringer Cat does one thing for me that I have not yet found in an ios soft synth. That 90's tune, Gonna Make You Sweat - the one with the guy rapping and woman screaming EV'RY BODY SHAKE NOW - the Cat's noise generator nails that... I laid that sound down over a loopy beat and hit my folk rock band with it one day. they about died laughing.