Help Me Choose a Synth Pedal! (C4 vs G5)

[FugaziBomb]

I am looking at adding a synth pedal to my board. I've seen a lot of love around here for both the Source Audio C4 and the old Korg G5, and I think those are going to be the contenders.

I'm new to the world of bass synths and my only input on these so far is that the C4 is so much more compact than the G5. Help me make a choice!

 

[DosiYanarchy]

I had the G5 for a bit, it was pretty good but not only is it massive, its made out of plastic. Although clearly mine had survived a long time without issue, i was a bit worried that it would just crap out on me eventually. It had alot of cool sounds on it but it was the size of a small pedalboard!

 

[4Mal]

Your choice should be more like C4 vs Future Impact. (or C4 and Future Impact in my case.)

 

[Ben Janusch]

I bought a C4 and my only frustration with it so far is I really need a midi pedal like the Soleman and a Neuro hub to really get the most out of it. It's almost too powerful.

 

[FugaziBomb]

So far, you guys are making this an easy choice!

 

[Bob_Ross]

Can you even find a Korg G5 nowadays? They've been disco'd for ages. I'm inclined to agree with @4Mal unless you already have a line on a used G5 that's available: You should be looking at C4 and Future Impact.

That being said, I've had a G5 on my pedalboard for 20-something years, and I love it. Yes it's huge, and yes it's plastic --- my solution to those issues are, I have it strapped down tightly (with heavy-duty tie wraps) to an even huger all-metal pedalboard that lives in a super heavy-duty flight case. It's pretty secure, so I'm not worried about it being damaged, and it only takes up ~30% of my total pedalboard's real estate.

But the sound, OMG, freakin' awesome. It does the 80s Minimoog synth-bass sounds like nothing else I've ever heard in a pedal.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Can you even find a Korg G5 nowadays? They've been disco'd for ages. I'm inclined to agree with @4Mal unless you already have a line on a used G5 that's available: You should be looking at C4 and Future Impact.

That being said, I've had a G5 on my pedalboard for 20-something years, and I love it. Yes it's huge, and yes it's plastic --- my solution to those issues are, I have it strapped down tightly (with heavy-duty tie wraps) to an even huger all-metal pedalboard that lives in a super heavy-duty flight case. It's pretty secure, so I'm not worried about it being damaged, and it only takes up ~30% of my total pedalboard's real estate.

But the sound, OMG, freakin' awesome. It does the 80s Minimoog synth-bass sounds like nothing else I've ever heard in a pedal.

Reverb has a few listed. I almost never see negative stuff about them, so I figured it would be a contender, but the C4 seems tough to beat. Looks like it's tracking is almost flawless (minus octaves, but that's something most synths struggle with from what I read)

 

[bassbrad]

If you are a collector or a purist then the Korg G5 or Akai Deep Impact are your holy grail. If you are a player looking for a tool for today and the future then you want either a Source Audio C4 Synth or the Panda Audio Future Impact. There are other interesting offerings but these are the ones that off the most potential IMHO. Both of these can be controlled by MIDI foot pedals of which there are a growing number from simple to very complex. I'm looking at the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Boss SY-1 and Electro Harmonix offer synth pedals with preset classic sounds including hard to recreate sounds, some polyphony, pads, strings and 'real' instrument sounds and may be more what you are looking for.

Thing HUGE things Source Audio has going for it is the Neuro App, the free cloud library where users share sound creations, the on-line network of dedicated knowledgeable users AND the direct involvement of the company with the consumer. It is totally unique and PRICELESS!

 

[fivestringgecko]

Your choice should be more like C4 vs Future Impact. (or C4 and Future Impact in my case.)

This is pretty much the short answer. Both have pros and cons, but these are the two current heavyweights for synth pedals right now... and for a reason. They're both really great synth pedals with loads of programmability.

I bought a C4 and my only frustration with it so far is I really need a midi pedal like the Soleman and a Neuro hub to really get the most out of it. It's almost too powerful.

This would be another point I'd add a +1 to... The C4 is good out of the box and has access to all the Neuro Community patches, but there are only 6 patches available without the addition of a MIDI controller. Then you've got 128 presets of synth goodness.

MIDI definitely helps the Impact as well, but the FI doesn't need MIDI to access all 99 presets... you can scroll through them. (But it IS a bit tedious)

If you are a collector or a purist then the Korg G5 or Akai Deep Impact are your holy grail.

The Future Impact is designed by some of the same people that did the original Deep Impact, just FYI. The FI even includes the original 9 patches from the DI. It's also much less expensive and doesn't have the fragile PCB that the Akai had.

5sg.

 

[Killing Floor]

C4. Best ever if you spend time learning the app. You don’t need a midi switch but it does make life better. Easy to find a used DMC micro.

Another wicked synth is Hologram’s Microcosm if you can find one.

 

[fivestringgecko]

Also @FugaziBomb, just a quick note on synth pedals in general, since you're new to the bass synth rabbit hole... They can be pretty unforgiving, and you'll need good clean technique to get the best tracking from pretty much any of them. It was a rather humbling experience when I first got my Future Impact, because I found out my technique wasn't as good as it could be. Other tips: turning the tone/treble down can help (bright trebly sounds and fret clank can cause double triggers) and you may even find that raising your action just a bit might help too.

5sg.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Also @FugaziBomb, just a quick note on synth pedals in general, since you're new to the bass synth rabbit hole... They can be pretty unforgiving, and you'll need good clean technique to get the best tracking from pretty much any of them. It was a rather humbling experience when I first got my Future Impact, because I found out my technique wasn't as good as it could be. Other tips: turning the tone/treble down can help (bright trebly sounds and fret clank can cause double triggers) and you may even find that raising your action just a bit might help too.

5sg.

Yeah, also had this rude awakening when I was demoing a Boss SYB a while back. Even when I dialed back my dynamics and my typical "fret bounce" tone, it still fought with me. My hip hop band just added "What's Golden" by J5 to our set list and my Guv'nor is not giving me the saw tooth sound I need for it, tho. Like anything else, I'll keep at it and before long I'll be at my 10,000 hour expert mark.

 

[Standalone]

The great thing about Source Audio is that you don’t need to have a hub to get great use out of it. Load six awesome synths into the C4 and you’re good to go.

 

[jam.majors]

I got the c4 last month and it is awesome and overwhelming and inspiring.
I love testing out the different presets in the cloud and experimenting with my own. I have only a whisper of a clue at what I’m doing, but I can still make some interesting sounds.
If you don’t end up using synth every song, you can still program in some different filter or fuzz that you need for other ones.
I highly doubt you’ll regret the purchase.

 

[N4860]

I went down the midi rabbit hole last year and don't regret it at all. The C4 is definitely amazing at what it can do in such a small enclosure. I don't think I've seen any single pedal that can do all that it can. I know the idea of going to midi can be daunting, but you can also look at it as an investment for the future. Most of my pedal board is now midi compatible and being able to switch like 5 pedals to different settings all at 1 press of a button is very cool. It definitely makes for less tap dancing at a live show.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Can you even find a Korg G5 nowadays? They've been disco'd for ages. I'm inclined to agree with @4Mal unless you already have a line on a used G5 that's available: You should be looking at C4 and Future Impact.

That being said, I've had a G5 on my pedalboard for 20-something years, and I love it. Yes it's huge, and yes it's plastic --- my solution to those issues are, I have it strapped down tightly (with heavy-duty tie wraps) to an even huger all-metal pedalboard that lives in a super heavy-duty flight case. It's pretty secure, so I'm not worried about it being damaged, and it only takes up ~30% of my total pedalboard's real estate.

But the sound, OMG, freakin' awesome. It does the 80s Minimoog synth-bass sounds like nothing else I've ever heard in a pedal.

Send me some of your settings please.

 

[Chickenwheels]

I’ll add that the main bummer with my G5 is the bypass isn’t great.
The G5 has an awesome octaver. The tracking is fantastic.
Put a OC2 in front of all the fuzzed our settings in a G5 and the fun really begins.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Send me some of your settings please.

Done, check your inbox.

I’ll add that the main bummer with my G5 is the bypass isn’t great.

Oh jeez yes, the bypass in the G5 is terrible! Almost unusable, like your signal is still passing through low-rez A/D/A conversion. I keep a BOSS PSM-5 loop selector permanently strapped across the i/o of my G5 to serve as a genuine bypass, takes the entire unit completely out of the signal path.

 

[Ben Janusch]

The great thing about Source Audio is that you don’t need to have a hub to get great use out of it. Load six awesome synths into the C4 and you’re good to go.

How do you only choose 6?!

 

[WMDBASSPLAYER]

I just got a Pigtronix Resotron analog synth pedal. I was originally planning on getting an EHX Bass Micro Synth, but caught a great sale for the Resotron at Guitar Center online. Still figuring everything out, but so far I'm digging most of the craziness I'm running into. Check out Doug Wimbush's demo on YouTube.