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Markbass Super Synth

#561
So I'm having someone looking into possibly putting an expression control into this circuit. Hopefully this is possible. I feel that's one of the huge flaws of this thing. Any other mods or suggestions on how to improve the circuit that are realistic? If I'm going to have the thing modded, I might as well have it properly modded.
 
#562
I haven't really messed with octaver too much- it's be sweet if you could put 3 synth patches in that mini bank- so you had the ability to go back and forth between 2 synth patches. Are you using the octaver live?

From what I've read here- the Copilot Cubic can sound as full as the oc2 with more tonal controls- my hope is it does the same for me.
 
#563
No live use for me at this point. I really like the Octave sounds I get from the Markbass and almost would keep it just for that. I feel some of the synth sounds are just plain unusable though. Especially the whale like sounds. If there was a way to sweep them, then I feel they would be better used.

I'd love to try the Copilot Cubic. Haven't had much luck with Copilot, but that one sound pretty badass.

Not sure if adding those synth patches is possible or not.
 
#564
that would be sweet to be able to go back and forth between 2 synth patches via the mini-bank.

i haven't gone live with the octaver, so more investigation is needed.

im pretty excited about the copilot cubic too.

as for the super synth in general, for whats easily available, its pretty unique. when i first got it i think i was going overboard on tweaking things. (also once i got over all that i wished it would do, and just stuck with what it did do well, i became satisfied with a few sounds that im excited to be able to produce)

i think the less is more approach really lends its self to a greater palate of sounds.
 
#566
JWR I’m glad you are looking into this… I wanted to but never did anything about it.

I’d like the ability to scroll both up and down through patches or be able to fill the octave side with synth patches too. Theres probably a few different ways that this could be achieved with the 3 footswitches. OR add another jack that a fs5u could bank down.

I’ve also contemplated finding someone that can hack & modify the software - allowing for a proper downward filter sweeps and the option of changing the waveform oscillator. I am 100% ignorant on coding and have zero idea if this is possible.
 
#567
Here is an example maintaining quality tracking with a quick action style. I got carried away and it is a bit hard to here what I meant to be a quick lead.

ALL tracks except the drums were recorded: Bass>SS>DI>Audiobox USB>Studio One

 
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#568
I can hear where the envelope isn't retriggering consistently. However, I'm not sure if you're attempting to play it identically and repeatedly the same throughout the clip and the synth simply isn't retriggering the envelope, or if you're attempting to play it exactly as we're hearing. For example, the first two runs of the bass line has good retrigger. Third you can hear the filter stay open (all high cutoff) at the end of the run instead of retriggering (sweeping open from low to high cutoff). Not that it sounds bad. Just that it's not consistent regarding the envelope detection for the filter.

Check out my Super Synth page Mark Bass Super Synth Sound Samples and Patches and listen to the clip "Fat, quick downswept synth bass" That's the pinnacle of filter retriggering I was able to achieve. But it was extremely challenging to accomplish, at least for me.

Now bop to my BOSS VF-1 page BOSS VF-1 sound samples and patches - cgraham.com and listen to the clip "Ad-hoc synth" It has trouble tracking octave jumps, and only works in the very upper registers of a bass. But listen to the filter retrigger and overall performance. Then ponder that the thing was manufactured in the 90's.

I'm not saying the Super Synth is a worthless POS. Far from it. Nor am I suggesting using a VF-1 instead of a Super Synth, I wouldn't use the VF-1 as a synth as it's too limited in range for a regularly tuned 4 string bass. I'm just trying to illustrate the envelope retriggering challenge with the Super Synth.
 
#569
The bass line wasn't meant to re-trigger and had the "note on" and "note off" levels set low to keep the trigger open. The slap/leadish line had the "not on & off" levels set much higher and were played with much quicker action to re-trigger on each or most notes. If you set the trigger on lower than the trigger off you can make the envelopes re-trigger for slap technique but stay open for something like a hammer off chromatic walk down (not in demo).

I'm not much of a reviewer I guess. I'll split the tracks and lay them in a mono sequence tonight to show a much higher quality gastric style example.

I've actually checked out most of your clips online gastric, especially the BEF Pro, major GAS feed! I and other appreciate them more than you might realize.
 
#570
OhulahanBass said:
I've actually checked out most of your clips online gastric, especially the BEF Pro, major GAS feed! I and other appreciate them more than you might realize.
Click to expand...

+1. I also appreciate your extremely critical nature, some very informative reviews. A lot of people are either very positive and downplay the negative… or are all negative without highlighting the positives of their pedals.
 
#571
OhulahanBass said:
Here is an example maintaining quality tracking with a quick action style. I got carried away and it is a bit hard to here what I meant to be a quick lead.

ALL tracks except the drums were recorded: Bass>SS>DI>Audiobox USB>Studio One

Click to expand...


sounds cool. looking forward to hearing the tracks separated.
 
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#572
wolffman said:
sounds cool. looking forward to hearing the tracks separated.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely split them up tonight. However, now I want to follow one patch with two finger styles and a progressively lower trigger setting. The problem is it is hard to do anything clean and methodical when you have low self control and the worlds funkiest, dirtiest and sexiest filters right in front of you.
 
#573
I've come to love a looper in front so I can literally feed the fx the exact 100% same playing over and over. It's so totally excellent for fx tweaking as you can sit there and play with the parameters with both hands. Great for testing, learning, and eventual setup. Bad for any fx that only works with passive signals (germanium fuzz, for example).
 
#574
gastric said:
I've come to love a looper in front so I can literally feed the fx the exact 100% same playing over and over. It's so totally excellent for fx tweaking as you can sit there and play with the parameters with both hands. Great for testing, learning, and eventual setup. Bad for any fx that only works with passive signals (germanium fuzz, for example).
Click to expand...

Logically I don't see why it wouldn't… but for the same reason a pedal that prefers a passive signal don't like it do other pedals truly react the same way to a looper as they would live playing?
 
#575
wolffman said:
Logically I don't see why it wouldn't… but for the same reason a pedal that prefers a passive signal don't like it do other pedals truly react the same way to a looper as they would live playing?
Click to expand...

Try it and then you can tell me. :) All I know is it sounds the same to me and is a huge time/effort saver for testing gear/signal chains/tweaking effects. Lots of multieffects have loopers built in these days.
 
#576
I’m sure it's great for the majority of stuff- and if I had a looper I would definitely use one most of the time in this application for the ease of use and time saving benefits, but just like in the OC-2 mod clip where you turned the OC-2 off and it glitched out… it will not do that with a live bass signal, so something different has got to be going on… how big of a difference it makes, and why it makes some effects react differently (active unfriendly) is beyond my rudimentary knowledge. Not even challenging you, just wondering if there’s some technical information that can explain.
 
#577
Actually that glitch would happen live. I was turning one OC-2 off and the other on while a signal was passing through. It was the toggling of the effects off/on before the loop was complete that caused the glitch. Would've happened if I were playing live, too. Might be another mod for the OC2... a momentary mode.
 
#578
OhulahanBass said:
Here is an example maintaining quality tracking with a quick action style. I got carried away and it is a bit hard to here what I meant to be a quick lead.

ALL tracks except the drums were recorded: Bass>SS>DI>Audiobox USB>Studio One

Click to expand...


Totally diggin' your track!
 
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#580
So I'm just getting to the party as my SS arrived yesterday. I've not played with the software yet but have a question on the theory of operation of this thing: Are the settings from patch to patch supposed to stick?

Ex: If I dial in say Synth 1 w/ 15 cuttoff and Tone 1 then dial in Synth 2 w/ 50 cutoff and Tone 6 etc etc ect...I go back to Synth 1 and it seems like it's no where near where i left it.

Is that how it's supposed to work or should it be remembering where i left it?
Do you guys just program what you want on each patch and leave it is User Preset Tone 100% of the time...and control it from there.

I like this thing, but at least w/ my poor man's synth (MXR Env-filter and Big Muff) I knew what i was getting every time I punched the pedals.
 

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