Mxr bass synth sb301

[Nephilymbass]

Curious to hear what other source audio c4 owners have to say about how this compares I like my c4 more than any synth pedal I’ve tried so far but I would prefer a pedal that doesn’t require a phone or pc.didnthey improve the footswitch on the mxr? My bass octave deluxe pops often when I kick it on if I don’t use it regularly

 

[jplunara]

Curious to hear what other source audio c4 owners have to say about how this compares I like my c4 more than any synth pedal I’ve tried so far but I would prefer a pedal that doesn’t require a phone or pc.didnthey improve the footswitch on the mxr? My bass octave deluxe pops often when I kick it on if I don’t use it regularly

I can get back to you on that one when I get mine Tuesday (UPS is seriously moved by snails... DC Metro always takes 6 days... Even from 4 states over).

I am really hoping that it will replace my C4, and banking on it so hard that I have that listed now. The thing is so finicky and touchy, I feel like the volume levels are just never right and 5% makes a big difference, and it's a nightmare to control with an active bass even with a compressor between the bass and the C4. I've been trying for about 7 months and ready to give up on the thing. Sometimes I feel like I never know what's going to come out of it, and the primary reason I keep it around is for an 808 copy (it's nice to have envelope filter, gated fuzz, etc on the same pedal). Sometimes I hit that thing and it really sends with a nice wall of air behind/in front of me, and sometimes I feel like I screwed it up and it's soft. The sensitivity of the filters are never right, a touch on the active controls and it's out again.

I got an expression pedal, so at least I can make volume adjustments on the fly with the new board setup

 

[Will Birckhead]

I’ve had this pedal for a few months now through beta testing, and I can honestly say—there’s nothing like it on the market.





That said, it’s not a lazy man’s pedal. You’ll want to understand some basic synthesis to get the most out of it. Learning the secondary controls is key, especially for dialing in tracking settings that feel locked in.

But trust me—this thing is a game-changer.

I played with Jennifer Lopez for 9 years, and I wish I had this pedal back then. It would’ve saved me a ton of choreography bouncing from rig to rig. With this, I can dial in almost any analog synth tone straight from my board.

I’m still a lover of pure synth bass, but this is a perfect gateway for bassists who may not have chops on keys. I’ve tried everything out there, and nothing tracks like this.

Pro tip: use a Nordy mute for those tight, closed-envelope sounds—it makes a big difference in tracking accuracy.

The presets are great starting points, but like any preset, they’re not one-size-fits-all. You’ve still got to tweak it to sit right in the track. When you do? Magic.

This is what bass players have dreamed of for years—finally realized.

Here’s a sample of Preset 2—straight Greg Phillinganes vibes.

Check out my page to hear more clips and see just how fast and musical this thing really is.

 

[Quatschmacher]

I’ve tried everything out there, and nothing tracks like this.

Including the latest Future Impact V4? That’s the benchmark in tracking response so I’m very curious to see first-hand how the MXR compares.

Here’s a question I’d be keen to hear the answer to: how does the MXR deal with tuning when the string energy decays? Does the pitch drop as the note rings out when held for a long time? This is something that makes a huge difference. In the C4, you can hear the pitch drop off noticeably. The Future Impact handles this far better. The earlier version would cut off the note dead as soon as the unit detected pitch drop. The v4 is even better as there’s now a rolling buffer which stores the pitch value, so when the unit detects a small pitch drop in the string it takes the previous correct value from the buffer and holds that pitch for as long as the string continues to ring out. It’s an awesome feature, and allows the full release time of the ADSR to be used with rock-solid pitch throughout.

 

[Dbss]

Also interested to know how it compares to the C4. I ordered one and let´s see which one I keep....Easy of use, sounds and practicality

 

[Will Birckhead]

Including the latest Future Impact V4? That’s the benchmark in tracking response so I’m very curious to see first-hand how the MXR compares.

Here’s a question I’d be keen to hear the answer to: how does the MXR deal with tuning when the string energy decays? Does the pitch drop as the note rings out when held for a long time? This is something that makes a huge difference. In the C4, you can hear the pitch drop off noticeably. The Future Impact handles this far better. The earlier version would cut off the note dead as soon as the unit detected pitch drop. The v4 is even better as there’s now a rolling buffer which stores the pitch value, so when the unit detects a small pitch drop in the string it takes the previous correct value from the buffer and holds that pitch for as long as the string continues to ring out. It’s an awesome feature, and allows the full release time of the ADSR to be used with rock-solid pitch throughout.

It continues to sustain till the note decays below a certain volume. I keep tell people to get out of their heads synth pedals of the past because Thisbis not that. It doesn't re-articulate.

 

[Quatschmacher]

It continues to sustain till the note decays below a certain volume. I keep tell people to get out of their heads synth pedals of the past because Thisbis not that. It doesn't re-articulate.

Neither does the FI unless the envelope mode is set to retrigger mode.

And have you tried the FI4 to make the comparison? It’s not “old” per se as it was only launched last year. The pitch tracking coding is new for the v4.0 release.

My question was about whether the pitch drops as the string decays (while the synth note is sustaining) because decaying strings do drop in pitch as the energy dissipates; the C4 continues to track the string pitch so the oscillator starts to go flat, whereas the FI oscillators lock at the last stable pitch as the string pitch begins to drop so the oscillators always play in tune.

 

[Matt Dean]

Matt Dean stating for the record… I’ll be getting one.

 

[instrumentlevel]

Double posting what I noted on another thread about the pedal:

Got mine yesterday but didn't have a chance to play with it until today. Wow--it's great. Excellent tracking, very usable octaver sounds (I played with pretty traditional sounds and more distinctive ones). But that Thrillenganes sound is a blast. Been looking for a pedal to get something like that sound for the bands I'm in that do 80s stuff, and it kills it. Honestly, that sound is worth the price of admission for me. Will be using it next week in a band that covers Madonna (La Isla Bonita)--the preset is pretty much perfect. It sounds almost sacrilegious, but for the moment it's going where my Octabvre now sits on my pedalboard.

 

[Quatschmacher]

But that Thrillenganes sound is a blast. Been looking for a pedal to get something like that sound for the bands I'm in that do 80s stuff

Like this?
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[mickebas]

Just got mine and tried the presets at home. I'm kind o f disappointed but was prepared for that due to all the hype I've watched last couple of days.
Nothing wrong with the sounds but there is an obvious latency that makes it feel slow and un-precise to start with. I know I probably need to finetune it to my basses output but I'm now comparing it to the initial impression with the same instruments on my Future Impact version 3.6 and my favorite sound on the old Zoom B3. I know the B3 isn't maybe the hippest thing and it's basically one sound only but playability with that sound is outstanding. I can practically play anything I'd like and it feels natural and musical... but one sound.
So I will keep on trying to test the MXR synthbass to see if the latency (and with that a bit of tracking issues) is something I can just fix by more in depth adjustment. My basses though, a 61 jazz and a 60 P-bass are among the best basses I've ever tried as far as getting good, decent dynamic signal into effect units, so there's no problem there and I still haven't really tried to play anything complicated for the MXR to detect.

Well, anyhow. Just thought I'd share my super initial impression and I will spend a couple of days with it to see where it will all end up.
I guess it's very much up to what your expectations are and your previous impressions on synth bass pedals.
There are so many parameters to consider so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions yet. But to me, it at least wasn't the 'right out of the box success ' that I might have expected.

 

[jplunara]

Just got mine and tried the presets at home. I'm kind o f disappointed but was prepared for that due to all the hype I've watched last couple of days.
Nothing wrong with the sounds but there is an obvious latency that makes it feel slow and un-precise to start with. I know I probably need to finetune it to my basses output but I'm now comparing it to the initial impression with the same instruments on my Future Impact version 3.6 and my favorite sound on the old Zoom B3. I know the B3 isn't maybe the hippest thing and it's basically one sound only but playability with that sound is outstanding. I can practically play anything I'd like and it feels natural and musical... but one sound.
So I will keep on trying to test the MXR synthbass to see if the latency (and with that a bit of tracking issues) is something I can just fix by more in depth adjustment. My basses though, a 61 jazz and a 60 P-bass are among the best basses I've ever tried as far as getting good, decent dynamic signal into effect units, so there's no problem there and I still haven't really tried to play anything complicated for the MXR to detect.

Well, anyhow. Just thought I'd share my super initial impression and I will spend a couple of days with it to see where it will all end up.
I guess it's very much up to what your expectations are and your previous impressions on synth bass pedals.
There are so many parameters to consider so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions yet. But to me, it at least wasn't the 'right out of the box success ' that I might have expected.

Aren't vintage basses generally not known for their output signal strength? Seems counterintuitive to me. Hopeful, as my Bass Mods is the hottest signal bass I've ever played. The latency thing I feel like I haven't seen before on anecdotal reports, will be curious to try it tomorrow.

 

[Will Birckhead]

I mentioned earlier that this isn’t a “Lazy Man’s” pedal — and I still stand by that, but let me clarify. I didn’t mean that to sound harsh. What I’m really saying is: this isn’t a plug-and-pray situation.

In the right hands — someone who understands synthesis and is intentional about their technique — this pedal is a game changer.

Just like any preset, whether it’s an audio plugin or keyboard patch, it’s just to get you in the ballpark. The real magic happens when you customize those patches to fit your bass, your playing style, and your sonic goals.

This pedal, like any proper synth pedal, doesn’t reward sloppy technique. But it will shine with intentional ghost notes, precise articulation, and a dialed-in understanding of tone shaping. With three oscillators and powerful secondary controls, this is a real-deal synth in a box.

If you’re serious, I challenge you to sit down with some classics — Parliament, Zapp & Roger, Jamiroquai — and work on emulating those tones. As you tweak and play, you’ll start to hear how the parameters shape the sound.

Just like the HX Stomp, there’s a learning curve. But once you lock in?

The sky’s the limit.

 

[AngelCrusher]

I mentioned earlier that this isn’t a “Lazy Man’s” pedal — and I still stand by that, but let me clarify. I didn’t mean that to sound harsh. What I’m really saying is: this isn’t a plug-and-pray situation.

In the right hands — someone who understands synthesis and is intentional about their technique — this pedal is a game changer.

Just like any preset, whether it’s an audio plugin or keyboard patch, it’s just to get you in the ballpark. The real magic happens when you customize those patches to fit your bass, your playing style, and your sonic goals.

This pedal, like any proper synth pedal, doesn’t reward sloppy technique. But it will shine with intentional ghost notes, precise articulation, and a dialed-in understanding of tone shaping. With three oscillators and powerful secondary controls, this is a real-deal synth in a box.

If you’re serious, I challenge you to sit down with some classics — Parliament, Zapp & Roger, Jamiroquai — and work on emulating those tones. As you tweak and play, you’ll start to hear how the parameters shape the sound.

Just like the HX Stomp, there’s a learning curve. But once you lock in?

The sky’s the limit.

Yeah that sounds accurate. Technique is key with these pedals. You have to be real clean with muting.

I patch my synths by sending a sequence in and then patching while it plays. I may get a reamp box at some point to patch this one up. Not sure if you use that or just play a few notes and move knobs.

The nordy mute sounds like a good call for pluck sounds. Those are my go to sounds so I’ll be digging into patching those types of sounds once mine shows up.

 

[rockear]

It's kind of a bummer that some of the tertiary parameters can't be controlled with an expression pedal. Particularly "Dry Thru FX" and output gain I can see being really useful. Particularly if you're trying to use the pedal to effectively double your presets. I wonder if that's something that could be added in a firmware update.

 

[scottfeldstein]

I have owned the C4 for a few years, but I've never been able to tame it enough to use it in a performance or a recording. Every now and then sit down with the manual, plug it in, fire up the software and have another go at it. Last time I did this was just a month or two ago. I liked the software improvements where you can how hear the sounds before downloading. I did grab three sounds that I liked. But even so, they are kind of glitchy and produce loud artifacts. I love Source Audio products. I have three on my board right now. But the C4 has never clicked for me.

I just got the MXR SB301 on Saturday and wow. Every preset was completely usable right away. I literally have not turned a single knob yet. And it tracks really well on my ESP fretless fiver. I'll try it on my Sire j-bass next. My Ibanez EHB is in the shop. But so far I'm very pleased with it and I anticipate that it will become part of my set.

 

[sunbeast]

Just got mine and tried the presets at home. I'm kind o f disappointed but was prepared for that due to all the hype I've watched last couple of days.
Nothing wrong with the sounds but there is an obvious latency that makes it feel slow and un-precise to start with. I know I probably need to finetune it to my basses output but I'm now comparing it to the initial impression with the same instruments on my Future Impact version 3.6 and my favorite sound on the old Zoom B3. I know the B3 isn't maybe the hippest thing and it's basically one sound only but playability with that sound is outstanding. I can practically play anything I'd like and it feels natural and musical... but one sound.
So I will keep on trying to test the MXR synthbass to see if the latency (and with that a bit of tracking issues) is something I can just fix by more in depth adjustment. My basses though, a 61 jazz and a 60 P-bass are among the best basses I've ever tried as far as getting good, decent dynamic signal into effect units, so there's no problem there and I still haven't really tried to play anything complicated for the MXR to detect.

Well, anyhow. Just thought I'd share my super initial impression and I will spend a couple of days with it to see where it will all end up.
I guess it's very much up to what your expectations are and your previous impressions on synth bass pedals.
There are so many parameters to consider so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions yet. But to me, it at least wasn't the 'right out of the box success ' that I might have expected.

I haven’t noticed excessive latency with mine, and I also have a Future Impact v4, C4, Boss SY1000 and a number of other options. To me it’s right up there tracking wise with the FI, with a bit of edge to the FI because of its little tracking trick (it triggers an immediate attack at the last played note then corrects the note when it is calculated).
I agree that no synth pedal is plug and play except maybe the Boss SY pedals since they aren’t triggering actual synth waveforms and so you don’t need to dial in tracking. In the MXR dialing in the Gate and Comp parameters are key

 

[Barticus]

Got a smokin' deal and ordered mine today, waiting on the ship date.

 

[mickebas]

Aren't vintage basses generally not known for their output signal strength? Seems counterintuitive to me. Hopeful, as my Bass Mods is the hottest signal bass I've ever played. The latency thing I feel like I haven't seen before on anecdotal reports, will be curious to try it tomorrow.

My experience is active basses is more problematic as far as output level into effect pedals. But of course it’s very different depending on bass and how you tweak your sound.
Anyway my point was my two favorite basses have medium output volume but they generally works great with other effects.

I haven’t noticed excessive latency with mine, and I also have a Future Impact v4, C4, Boss SY1000 and a number of other options. To me it’s right up there tracking wise with the FI, with a bit of edge to the FI because of its little tracking trick (it triggers an immediate attack at the last played note then corrects the note when it is calculated).
I agree that no synth pedal is plug and play except maybe the Boss SY pedals since they aren’t triggering actual synth waveforms and so you don’t need to dial in tracking. In the MXR dialing in the Gate and Comp parameters are key

Well I just thought I would share my initial opinion. Bare in mind I only did the fast drive through of the presets and they are good I guess, depending on what you’re after.
I’m not lazy in any way and have 40 years of professional playing experience and since the early 80s when I got my first OC2 I’ve tried to find a good synth bass option playing the parts on bass.
What I experienced right out of the box was a feeling of latency that’s more coming from the notes being a little slow just like it used to be when you started recording digital in the 80s. So it’s all about the feel and of course that’s personal preference.
I’ll check in for another update in a couple of days when I’ve tried to adjust more parameters because I’d really like it to be perfect.

 

[rockear]

My experience is active basses is more problematic as far as output level into effect pedals. But of course it’s very different depending on bass and how you tweak your sound.
Anyway my point was my two favorite basses have medium output volume but they generally works great with other effects.

Well I just thought I would share my initial opinion. Bare in mind I only did the fast drive through of the presets and they are good I guess, depending on what you’re after.
I’m not lazy in any way and have 40 years of professional playing experience and since the early 80s when I got my first OC2 I’ve tried to find a good synth bass option playing the parts on bass.
What I experienced right out of the box was a feeling of latency that’s more coming from the notes being a little slow just like it used to be when you started recording digital in the 80s. So it’s all about the feel and of course that’s personal preference.
I’ll check in for another update in a couple of days when I’ve tried to adjust more parameters because I’d really like it to be perfect.

You might be aware of this already, but the tracking mode is set to 5-string out of the box, which is slower than the 4-string mode. You may be happier with the tracking if you adjust that, assuming you don't need that extended range down low.