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Markbass Super Synth
- Thread starter Gonzo476
- Start date
+1 in a big way.
I finally had a chance to play on the Markbass Super Synth and compare it against a Boss SYB-5 and my old Korg G-5 on the same day. I have to echo that the Korg G-5's tracking is far superior to others.
While I am glad to have a Korg G-5, I always want new toys and REALLY was gassing over one of these Markbass Super Synths. I really like that the Markbass Super Synth has true bypass and a smaller footprint than I'm used to. Also, I like some of chord sounds and the +1 octave on the unit. However, I was turned off by the tracking, the inability to get a completely "wet" signal, the lack of control on the fly, the lack of "vocal" sounds, having to scroll through presets, and the lack of an expression pedal input.
Relative to the other "Bass Synth" effects that are currently manufactured, I think the Markbass Super Synth is certainly a valid option. However, being a G-5 owner, I would never use the Markbass, simply because I cannot play fast passages with it that are achievable on the Korg.
The Korg G-5 also works as a straight envelope filter, and I use an expression pedal with it.
I get mine in a about a week!!! Soo excited. I might be using this with my Taurus 3...we'll see how that experiment goes.
I got one recently. But I just got so confused with the panel after I installed the pedal controller. Two questions:
1.How to combine synth and octave effects together by using the software?
2.Can anyone please show me a preset which sounds like an auto-wah?(like Gary Willis' smells like a party in )
mucho gusto !
1.How to combine synth and octave effects together by using the software?
2.Can anyone please show me a preset which sounds like an auto-wah?(like Gary Willis' smells like a party in )
mucho gusto !
I ALMOST bought one of these last night. The guys at GC seemed to be pushing pretty hard to sell these. Not sure if it's practical for the type of playing I'm into, but we'll see (eventually I'm sure). I ended buying a MXR Carbon Copy.
You can't combine the two - the SS is either in Synth mode or in Octave mode. You can use the Synth mode, turn off the envelope and set the oscillators to be an octave above/below and blend with your dry bass sound for an octaver-like effect.
Another tough question
Unfortunately, the SS doesn't let you apply the filter envelope to your dry bass sound. Shame, that would have made the pedal doubly useful.If I remember the track right, you could approximate it with a short envelope and with the cutoff fairly low. Blend it so there's no dry bass sound and that might work. Or use an envelope filter pedal!
No one seems to have addressed the amount of sustain available with this pedal, suprisingly enough even in conversation about achieving Moog Taurus tones.
I understand this probably is subjective to individual physical bass configuration ala setups, dead spots on the kneck, etc, but how long the Super Synth sustain notes on most of the Synth and Octave settings?
I'm most interested in this pedal for uses unlike most users on here who seem to be really into articulate fast fingering. I'm mainly looking to use this for pulsating synth drones, can anyone help answer this?
I understand this probably is subjective to individual physical bass configuration ala setups, dead spots on the kneck, etc, but how long the Super Synth sustain notes on most of the Synth and Octave settings?
I'm most interested in this pedal for uses unlike most users on here who seem to be really into articulate fast fingering. I'm mainly looking to use this for pulsating synth drones, can anyone help answer this?
This needs a big 'IMHO' underneath it. I have had no tracking issues with the Markbass, I find it holds up to the G5 just fine in that regard. I owned a G5 for years and do not regret letting it go for the much more versatile SS. Of course if you want vowel sounds it wont do that, but IMHO they were a rather absurd part of the G5.
Yeah, obviously depends on the sustain of the actual instrument and how hard you're hitting the note, but in my experience, the SS is pretty good at sustaining a note before it starts to break up. While I haven't timed it, I've held notes for a few bars without issue.
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c
With!?!? The Taurus isn't enough on its own? Are you trying to throw the earth off axis? 
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c
This needs a big 'IMHO' underneath it. I have had no tracking issues with the Markbass, I find it holds up to the G5 just fine in that regard. I owned a G5 for years and do not regret letting it go for the much more versatile SS. Of course if you want vowel sounds it wont do that, but IMHO they were a rather absurd part of the G5.
You can add vowel sounds with a formant filter later anyway (or with a sample rate reducer as I discovered the other day).
The thing that puts me off the Markbass is that it only does a sawtooth and I tend to use squares. Oh and I didn't know you can't solo the synth voice, that's a shame. I hope they fix that.
Having said that, the G5 didn't stay with me for very long, I only liked one of the sounds and I thought the filter was stupid. But yes the tracking (in as much as you can call it tracking, it's not strictly tracking anything) is impressive.
Got mine today. Whoah. This thing is superior to my BMS in every way (well except maybe the bowed "whales humping" sound). I haven't explored the software and filters yet but if the latter proves lacking, I still have a Robot Factory Photron and an AF9 sitting downstream of it.
Just got one used last week.
I really like it, I'd rather use it than the G5 that I owned in the past.
The G5 is a really nice pedal, but it is not TBP and it sucks the tone when bypassed, and all the usable sounds I need are packed into the Super Synth.
I'll keep it a while!
I really like it, I'd rather use it than the G5 that I owned in the past.
The G5 is a really nice pedal, but it is not TBP and it sucks the tone when bypassed, and all the usable sounds I need are packed into the Super Synth.
I'll keep it a while!
I have both. If I keep the G5 I am going to get it modded for true bypass. It is really nice to be able to adjust the G5 on the fly.
Also I get some great unique sounds when I stack both pedals!
I was feeding the output to my Photron last night and it was more fun than a tub of pudding covered midgets playing with frozen trouts and Vaseline.
Man I love this pedal but I am WAY too stupid to program it. I just spent like 20 minutes trying to and just did not know what I was doing. Oh well...
so.... i had a MB SS (unfortunate nazi-esque abbreviation there). their support was good... i had a question that they answered intelligently through email within about a day.
but i ended up returning it. it did some very neat noises. some of them were actually pretty useful. lol... which is an oddity with the more "fun" efx boxes. and the tracking seemed decent if i wasn't chording.
my problem was that it had a weird threshold for whether it would effect the signal coming in or pass it through uneffected. if i turned up the bass knob past where i wanted it on my bass then it would catch most of the notes coming in and do it's stuff to them. but if i kept the knobs where i wanted them on my bass maybe half or a little less of whatever i played would just come through clean.
not something i've heard/read about other people having. i use passive basses.... but it did the same thing even with my Conklin which has a pretty hot output for passive.
made it useless for me. anyone else deal with this?
but i ended up returning it. it did some very neat noises. some of them were actually pretty useful. lol... which is an oddity with the more "fun" efx boxes. and the tracking seemed decent if i wasn't chording.
my problem was that it had a weird threshold for whether it would effect the signal coming in or pass it through uneffected. if i turned up the bass knob past where i wanted it on my bass then it would catch most of the notes coming in and do it's stuff to them. but if i kept the knobs where i wanted them on my bass maybe half or a little less of whatever i played would just come through clean.
not something i've heard/read about other people having. i use passive basses.... but it did the same thing even with my Conklin which has a pretty hot output for passive.
made it useless for me. anyone else deal with this?
