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Mxr bass synth sb301

The best option IMO for polyphonic tracking synth with bass right now is the Eventide H90 Polysynth algorithm. It's pretty great but not cheap! I also have basses with GK pickups (individual pickup per string feeding independent processors per string) and a few different Roland/Boss GK pedals and the sounds and options are powerful but the internal engines don't track as fast or cleanly as the Eventide. On the cheap the best poly for bass will be one of the Boss SY pedals that don't require a special pickup (and they tend to not sound all that authentic IMO)
I have been using the meris Enzo and I love it I am selling it to get an Enzo x
….but I just spent the money I was saving on the mxr :/(
 
Just ordered one, looking forward to trying it out. Experienced since many years of trying to find a really good, real playing situation synth bass effect (tried most stuff out there) I’m prepared to find both good and less good things about it. Time will tell but it sure seems promising as far as sounds go.
Did I understand that the only presets locations are the 8 that’s preprogrammed by Ian and if you want to tweak sounds and build your own you have to sacrifice one of the initial presets?
That may be an issue once you start getting into the more hidden parameters of the units and want to save sounds but still have Ian’s presets. Maybe I just didn’t find info about how to store your own sounds separately. Let’s hope so.
Other than that it will be fun getting this unit and hopefully get some great old school Philliganes/Wonder/Hancock sounds playable:)
 
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Just ordered one, looking forward to trying it out. Experienced since many years of trying to find a really good, real playing situation synth bass effect (tried most stuff out there) I’m prepared to find both good and less good things about it. Time will tell but it sure seems promising as far as sounds go.
Did I understand that the only presets locations are the 8 that’s preprogrammed by Ian and if you want to tweak sounds and build your own you have to sacrifice one of the initial presets?
That may be an issue once you start getting into the more hidden parameters of the units and want to save sounds but still have Ian’s presets. Maybe I just didn’t find info about how to store your own sounds separately. Let’s hope so.
Other than that it will be fun getting this unit and hopefully get some great old school Philliganes/Wonder/Hancock sounds playable:)
Yes it only has 8 presets. Can’t imagine ever needing more. But if you need a ninth you can get out of preset mode and use the pedal with whatever the knobs are currently set on
 
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Yes it only has 8 presets. Can’t imagine ever needing more. But if you need a ninth you can get out of preset mode and use the pedal with whatever the knobs are currently set on
Ok. Thanks.
What I see is I may use it making some personal settings that I like to save while still have a possibility to use any of the presets.
Well well, I guess the presets may be worth the cost by themselves and the rest will have to be more spontaneous. Also maybe any of the presets may be possible to live without and I can use that space.
 
Ok. Thanks.
What I see is I may use it making some personal settings that I like to save while still have a possibility to use any of the presets.
Well well, I guess the presets may be worth the cost by themselves and the rest will have to be more spontaneous. Also maybe any of the presets may be possible to live without and I can use that space.
You may be overthinking it a bit. Unless you’re in a pretty unique band where you need more than 8 different synth sounds
 
You may be overthinking it a bit. Unless you’re in a pretty unique band where you need more than 8 different synth sounds
Maybe. I’m just not a fan of multiple pedals (to old and to much of a simple guy) so I figured I might use it for a straight forward octaver sound and a chorus sound while still having some synthsound options, but you’re probably right, my experience is I usually end up with using only a couple of favorites 👍
We’ll see.
 
Yes it only has 8 presets. Can’t imagine ever needing more. But if you need a ninth you can get out of preset mode and use the pedal with whatever the knobs are currently set on
You can easily get effectively 16 presets by using the expression morph function, thus having two distinct sounds on each preset at the extreme ends of the pedal travel. You could also set up the expression’s trimmer such that it immediately jumps between the two states. If using expression as normal, you get all the variations in between along the pedal travel. If you use that in conjunction with something like the old blood noise MIDI-to-expression converter, you could have 256 variations on each preset at the touch of a button, granted, there’d be lots of points along there that sound very close to each other.
 
I’ve been a “just buy a keyboard synth, already” apostle for years, this one might change my mind. Too bad I have no use for it :meh:
Same here. I've held off forever because I grew up on analog synths like SH101s and Odysseys and never wanted to mess with pedals to try and get there. But I just started playing in a soul/funk band that goes there on a few tunes (we do "Boogie on Reggae Woman" for example) and w a modern pop singer who has synth bass on recordings. $269 and not having to lug around a keyboard or multiple pedals for just a few sounds each set looks pretty appealing....
What I haven't really heard from it yet is any sort of very simple soft, round sine-wavey bass for those big low subby legato parts, but I expect it's in there with the sub control, etc.
 
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Mine arrived today. Zzounds had them available on launch day right as Ian & others' demo videos went live. Fun pedal so far but just a heads up: it performs much better through PA and full range speakers just like a traditional synth because this MXR is putting out huge sound waves much beyond what our bass speakers are designed to replicate.

Treat it like you would a normal Moog through a PA or monitors and you'll get great sounds especially if you have a subwoofer. Then its incredible

Screenshot 2025-07-03 at 2.26.56 PM.png
 
What I haven't really heard from it yet is any sort of very simple soft, round sine-wavey bass for those big low subby legato parts, but I expect it's in there with the sub control, etc.

I had a 101 and Oddy myself (though never gigged them) in the early 90s when they were out of favor. Paid $25 for a used 101 and got the Oddy for free. Those were the days :thumbsup:

I think the MXR can probably dial in what you're asking for since you're already familiar with creating patches on subtractive synths. It would be fun to waste a rainy afternoon at GC playing with it for a few hours.
 
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I had a 101 and Oddy myself (though never gigged them) in the early 90s when they were out of favor. Paid $25 for a used 101 and got the Oddy for free. Those were the days :thumbsup:

I think the MXR can probably dial in what you're asking for since you're already familiar with creating patches on subtractive synths. It would be fun to waste a rainy afternoon at GC playing with it for a few hours.
Man, have you seen what people are asking for 101's and Oddys now?! I had those, the original Juno 60 (pre-midi!), 808, MC-202, Taurus pedals---man, I shoulda kept that stuff. I've actually been thinking about grabbing something affordable like a new Novation Bassstation or similar to use for a bass synth rig live, but the thought of lugging the extra gear for just a few tunes here and there....this pedal probably ticks the boxes I need!
 

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