Mxr bass synth sb301

[Pep]

MXR did a great video manual on youtube, its about 30 min long. It really helped understand it much faster

I just called my Sweetwater rep and he said while an isolated power supply is more ideal, there shouldn't be any reason I would need one for my smaller pedalboard. I just ordered one of the few new ones still available (SW said they have 1500 backorders!) and it should arrive by tomorrow. I'll report back with any glitches or noise issues using my One Spot daisy chain setup.

I only had two other pedals on my board and my new I-Spot didn’t do the trick. I ran into glitches while performing which is unacceptable for me.
I called MXR and they said with that pedal either use the original power supply or an isolated one. They said there’s too much fluctuation in the I-Spot.

 

[rcmbass]

I only had two other pedals on my board and my new I-Spot didn’t do the trick. I ran into glitches while performing which is unacceptable for me.
I called MXR and they said with that pedal either use the original power supply or an isolated one. They said there’s too much fluctuation in the I-Spot.

Isolated is a must.

 

[PolkaHero]

I only had two other pedals on my board and my new I-Spot didn’t do the trick. I ran into glitches while performing which is unacceptable for me.
I called MXR and they said with that pedal either use the original power supply or an isolated one. They said there’s too much fluctuation in the I-Spot.

What is the draw for the other two pedals? Are they also digital? I really don't want to spend another couple hundred bucks on a power supply when I just spent 300 bucks on a single pedal, lol.

 

[Pep]

What is the draw for the other two pedals? Are they also digital? I really don't want to spend another couple hundred bucks on a power supply when I just spent 300 bucks on a single pedal, lol.

All I can add is try it and see. I look at it like, it’s a one-time purchase that i will use all the time.
I was feeling much the same way about the $$$, but now everything on my pedalboard is powered up to spec and they all work flawlessly. I also have the flexibility of adding pedals and such that require 9v, 12v, 15v, 18v, and either negative or positive center contact, so I’m good for anything that is available or becomes available.

 

[Pep]

I’m not trying be a pain, just trying to help you avoid the mistakes I made. I’m truly trying to help.

One other thing to consider. Is your Sweetwater rep a bassist? Few have experience with this pedal, so whatever info they provide is the same info that’s available to you, or perhaps they’re guessing.
My rep is a guitar player and whenever I ask a question about bass equipment he runs it past a bassist who has tried or used the product.

 

[PolkaHero]

I’m not trying be a pain, just trying help you avoid the mistakes I made.

One other thing to consider. Is your Sweetwater rep a bassist? Realize that most their reps aren’t and even fewer have experience with this pedal, so whatever info they provide is the same info that’s available to you, or they’re just guessing.
My rep is a guitar player and whenever I ask a question about bass equipment he runs it past a bassist.

I think he's a sound guy. He said they haven't been able to keep these in stock long enough to even try one out.

No worries. If I run into an issue, there's cheaper isolated power supply options out there. I don't need more than 5 outlets.

 

[SLO Surfer]

What is the draw for the other two pedals? Are they also digital? I really don't want to spend another couple hundred bucks on a power supply when I just spent 300 bucks on a single pedal, lol.

You can always use the power supply that comes with the pedal and is guaranteed to work. Otherwise, there’s lots of people who have found that they need a truly isolated power supply for the MXR Bass Synth (and many other digital pedals).

To commiserate, I bought the MXR Bass Synth not realizing I’d also need to buy an external tap pedal and volume/expression pedal for it to do what I want. But I’m happy I did!

 

[rcmbass]

My Guitar Center rep is a former longtime Sweetwater rep. He is a bassist and bass gear nerd/collector . He is well informed on these matters. He and Gemini AI have really helped me on my pedalboard build. Send me a direct message (DM) if you need a “guy”.

 

[PolkaHero]

Okay, received the pedal this morning and have been playing through it with my pedalboard for the last hour. Here's my take:

• Using my One Spot daisy chain vs. the included power supply makes no difference in tracking, sound, noise, etc. I'm only powering my Shure GLXD16+ wireless unit (400mA draw) with the Bass Synth (330mA draw). I won't be using my other three pedals (Chorus, Octave, and Fuzz) with this pedal anyway.
• Sunbeast's Post #210 is dead on about using it as an octave or chorus pedal. However, there is a noticeable volume drop when engaging the pedal and trying to use it strictly for octave or volume with little of the synth waveform mixed in. I compared the Dunlop power supply and my One Spot and it made no difference.
• Pedal definitely rewards a clean playing technique. I can see where if someone doesn't have their muting technique really solid this thing will glitch. Fortunately I have no issue in that department. Sound guys don't even have to use much compression on me and I'm selling my compressor pedal.

Some cool sounds in here but I was hoping I could eliminate both my chorus and octave pedals with this pedal and then add back in my phase shifter. The chorus sound is comparable to my Bass Clone but the volume drop is a deal killer. The octave just isn't as big sounding as my Bass Octave Deluxe. Guess I got some time to return this or sell it for a profit because of the high demand, lol.

 

[rcmbass]

Okay, received the pedal this morning and have been playing through it with my pedalboard for the last hour. Here's my take:

• Using my One Spot daisy chain vs. the included power supply makes no difference in tracking, sound, noise, etc. I'm only powering my Shure GLXD16+ wireless unit (400mA draw) with the Bass Synth (330mA draw). I won't be using my other three pedals (Chorus, Octave, and Fuzz) with this pedal anyway.
• Sunbeast's Post #210 is dead on about using it as an octave or chorus pedal. However, there is a noticeable volume drop when engaging the pedal and trying to use it strictly for octave or volume with little of the synth waveform mixed in. I compared the Dunlop power supply and my One Spot and it made no difference.
• Pedal definitely rewards a clean playing technique. I can see where if someone doesn't have their muting technique really solid this thing will glitch. Fortunately I have no issue in that department. Sound guys don't even have to use much compression on me and I'm selling my compressor pedal.

Some cool sounds in here but I was hoping I could eliminate both my chorus and octave pedals with this pedal and then add back in my phase shifter. The chorus sound is comparable to my Bass Clone but the volume drop is a deal killer. The octave just isn't as big sounding as my Bass Octave Deluxe. Guess I got some time to return this or sell it for a profit because of the high demand, lol.

There is a way to adjust the volume inside the pedal. Look into that before you cross this off your list.

 

[projectapollo]

Okay, received the pedal this morning and have been playing through it with my pedalboard for the last hour. Here's my take:

• Using my One Spot daisy chain vs. the included power supply makes no difference in tracking, sound, noise, etc. I'm only powering my Shure GLXD16+ wireless unit (400mA draw) with the Bass Synth (330mA draw). I won't be using my other three pedals (Chorus, Octave, and Fuzz) with this pedal anyway.
• Sunbeast's Post #210 is dead on about using it as an octave or chorus pedal. However, there is a noticeable volume drop when engaging the pedal and trying to use it strictly for octave or volume with little of the synth waveform mixed in. I compared the Dunlop power supply and my One Spot and it made no difference.
• Pedal definitely rewards a clean playing technique. I can see where if someone doesn't have their muting technique really solid this thing will glitch. Fortunately I have no issue in that department. Sound guys don't even have to use much compression on me and I'm selling my compressor pedal.

Some cool sounds in here but I was hoping I could eliminate both my chorus and octave pedals with this pedal and then add back in my phase shifter. The chorus sound is comparable to my Bass Clone but the volume drop is a deal killer. The octave just isn't as big sounding as my Bass Octave Deluxe. Guess I got some time to return this or sell it for a profit because of the high demand, lol.

Shape button + Sub Mix knob adjusts the pedal gain +/- 18 with unity at noon.

The sub octave should be huge sounding compared to the BOD since it's digital with loads of low frequency content as compared to an analog device. I found the Tony Levin octaver preset to be room shaking and need to turn down the sub mix.

 

[PolkaHero]

There is a way to adjust the volume inside the pedal. Look into that before you cross this off your list.

Got it adjusted, thanks. Way better now, using it as just a chorus pedal sounds really good. Still not sold on just the octaver, I like a "purer" tone without all of the waveform harmonics present.

 

[projectapollo]

Got it adjusted, thanks. Way better now, using it as just a chorus pedal sounds really good. Still not sold on just the octaver, I like a "purer" tone without all of the waveform harmonics present.

I think it's a good octaver to sneak in a just bit of sub tones for solid reinforcement on big choruses, etc. An OC-2, it is not.

 

[projectapollo]

The 1st Red preset is an octaver-ish tone with chorus and compression added, but you can turn both of those off if you want just an octave. The MXR can’t do a typical analog octaver tone because you only get synth waveforms to do it with, but if you put the Sub Mix control all the way up then you have an octave-down synth voice that blends with your clean tone using the Mix control. Depending on waveform and filter settings it can go from super subby to gnarly. Choose waveforms and filter settings to taste (you’ll probably want some static filter to shape the tone depending on the waveform you use, but you can also essentially turn off the filter by setting the Cutoff all the way up. Turning Envelope all the way down turns off the envelope).

For chorus you turn on the “Dry Thru FX” feature, turn the Mix/Mod Blend/Envelope/Resonance all the way down, Cutoff all the way up, and Mod to taste.

I love your almost encyclopedia knowledge and practical advice.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Isolated is a must.

^^^This.
My understanding is that the issue isn’t the power draw of multiple pedals, it’s that the MXR doesn’t like sharing a common ground.

When I tried using a OneSpot with the MXR daisy-chained to 3 other pedals, the MXR produced a high-pitched whining sound regardless of whether it or any of the other pedals were turned on. Simply having the power supply daisy-chained produced that sound.

So now I use two power supplies: the stock one that came with the MXR powers it and it alone; and the OneSpot is daisy-chained to the other three pedals.

 

[mapleglo]

It's here...

 

[projectapollo]

Hey - on selecting presets:
1. Is there a way to cycle through the presets using the pedal's foot switch without each preset becoming active? I'd like to silently move between presets between songs or song sections.
2. If I use a separate footswitch it will silently cycle the presets. Is there a way to move forward and backward in the presets? I'm using 2 presets and its awkward to have to hit the foot switch 6 times to get back to my first preset.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Hey - on selecting presets:
1. Is there a way to cycle through the presets using the pedal's foot switch without each preset becoming active? I'd like to silently move between presets between songs or song sections.
2. If I use a separate footswitch it will silently cycle the presets. Is there a way to move forward and backward in the presets? I'm using 2 presets and its awkward to have to hit the foot switch 6 times to get back to my first preset.

1. Not that I know of. Every time I tried to hold the built in footswitch to enter preset cycle mode it would also turn the pedal on or off. (Making the function unusable for me) So I bought an external tap pedal from Saturnworks ($25).
2. Yes and yes. An external tap pedal silently cycles through presets when the pedal is off, or you can use it to cycle presets while the pedal is on. You can cycle presets forwards and backwards with the external tap pedal, just hold it down 2 seconds to cycle backwards.

 

[pfschim]

Recommendations:

(1) The MXR Bass Synth works best at the beginning of the signal chain where the signal is strong and uncolored/unaffected by other pedals in the chain.

(2) I’ve already been down this road so you won’t have to. Sharing power on an I-Spot is not ideal for this pedal. The MXR Bass Synth requires full power to perform effectively. Any deviation or drop in power will cause problems. I bought the CIOKS SOL isolated power supply from Sweetwater and it does a great job. It comes with all the cables you need, including one cable to power 2 pedals and another cable to power 3 of them. It also comes with individual cables as well which is what you need for your MXR Bass Synth.

so right now my basic pedal board runs like this: Cali76CB => VT => Noble DI. I add different fx pedals as needed for any given gig (ex. OC-5, MXR Bass Envelope Filter, PhatPhuk B) in between the Cali76 and the VT. So far, so good.

I have been trying out the MXR Synth pedal where I usually add other FX (between the Cali76 and the VT). It's working ok, but I guess as long as I'm rethinking my board, I can give it a try first in the chain (before the Cali76).

I am currently powering the MXR with the non-isolated power from the Noble which does provide some unwanted noise. I did try using the dedicated MXR wall wart power supply, and that worked fine, but ultimately I just don't want to deal with multiple pedal power sources on a gig. I've got too much stuff to deal with already and am trying to simplify my overall carry/set-up situation.

Longer term, what I'd like to do is move away from most of my current pedals and use a DarkGlass Anagram as my primary platform, and given that the Anagram does not have any synth capability (at least not yet), I would add the MXR Synth pedal to the Anagram. This approach would drive me to a new single power source (CIOKS or something like it) so that would probably provide the MXR with sufficient isolated power.
But I have not grabbed the Anagram yet so I am just thinking through this pedal board change.

 

[projectapollo]

The 1st Red preset is an octaver-ish tone with chorus and compression added, but you can turn both of those off if you want just an octave. The MXR can’t do a typical analog octaver tone because you only get synth waveforms to do it with, but if you put the Sub Mix control all the way up then you have an octave-down synth voice that blends with your clean tone using the Mix control. Depending on waveform and filter settings it can go from super subby to gnarly. Choose waveforms and filter settings to taste (you’ll probably want some static filter to shape the tone depending on the waveform you use, but you can also essentially turn off the filter by setting the Cutoff all the way up. Turning Envelope all the way down turns off the envelope).

For chorus you turn on the “Dry Thru FX” feature, turn the Mix/Mod Blend/Envelope/Resonance all the way down, Cutoff all the way up, and Mod to taste.

I never would have figured out this chorus setting, but it really works. Thanks.