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Worship Bass Pedalboards
- Thread starter Cshanks5
- Start date
That new MXR Bass Synth Pedal sounds like it’s worth a look. Great demos abound.
Funny you bring this up... I've been watching a lot demos too lately. My home church music pastor texted me earlier today because he liked my X32 Rack setup at home, and wants to purchase the same setup for the youth ministry... minus the stage box. They also go through the sales rep I go through for my personal gear for discounts. Since it's a larger order, I think they will get more of a discount rate that I usually get... so I asked him to add a MXR Bass Synth pedal to the purchase list. He just responded that he added it to the list, and sent the info to our sales rep.
I've always been good with 25 keys. If there is a key change, I may move the octave up or down, but I rarely do that mid song. Even still, the octave buttons are pretty quick.
The Sub 37 has a lot more features, but I mostly stick with one base tone and tweak from there. An arpeggiator would be nice, but I'm not sure if I would use it enough to justify the bigger size and price.
I've been using the Sub Phatty at church.
The Sub 37 has a lot more features, but I mostly stick with one base tone and tweak from there. An arpeggiator would be nice, but I'm not sure if I would use it enough to justify the bigger size and price.
I've been using the Sub Phatty at church.
I have not played the MXR Bass Synth at church yet, but practicing with it at home using multitracks, I am quite pleased and it is replacing the Bass Micro Synth. I'll use it for the BMS Big Moments and for the Tony Levin octaver preset. So, that's two pedals replaced by one. Maybe more useable sounds as I explore. Much smaller footprint and cheaper. It does help to understand subtractive synthesis concepts to tweak it and the Moog Sub 25 I got earlier this years has helped a lot.
From your experience with the MXR Bass Synth... how is the tracking below "A" on the E string? Usable? Our music pastor texted me again this morning if he should add X-Touch for physical sliders with the X32 rack... I said a cheap iPad does more... but anyway... I asked him to add the MXR Tap pedal to the order since I'll have to fill in space if I replace the BMS pedal... LOL
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I have not tested that yet but in my playing along with Bethel songs its tracks just as good or better than most octave pedals. It has a 4 string and 5 string mode for tracking, so they worked on the lower notes. But the tracking is said to be slower in 5 string mode. I've been using 4 string mode.
On paper the Messenger is better than the Sub 25: it has a wavefolder, an extra LFO, multimode ladder, 256 presets (compared to 16), has a 64-step sequencer, and has CV/gate in case you want to connect it to a modular.
But it's Chinese-made, plasticky, and possibly not even a Moog design (it came out suspiciously quickly after Moog got sold).
The other major competitors, which have been out for maybe a decade or more now, are the Korg Monologue and the Novation Bass Station 2. (I don't include nice but really cheaper-build units like those from Behringer or the Arturia MicroBrute.)
The Messenger is pricey compared to the competition. MusicRadar rarely disses any new hardware (that they're provided for review) but the fact that they even ask if the Moog is worth two Novations is telling... let along when say here that if you want the Moog to wait because the current price is too high.
But it's Chinese-made, plasticky, and possibly not even a Moog design (it came out suspiciously quickly after Moog got sold).
The other major competitors, which have been out for maybe a decade or more now, are the Korg Monologue and the Novation Bass Station 2. (I don't include nice but really cheaper-build units like those from Behringer or the Arturia MicroBrute.)
The Messenger is pricey compared to the competition. MusicRadar rarely disses any new hardware (that they're provided for review) but the fact that they even ask if the Moog is worth two Novations is telling... let along when say here that if you want the Moog to wait because the current price is too high.
Follow-up: Novation Bass Station 2 is currently on 10%-off sale Invalid Link Removed if you log in, total price $522 (still $580 at Sweetwater/Amazon etc). New Moog Messenger and used Sub 25 models are running around $900.
IMHO the right answer here is the used Sub Phatty, which can be had at around $600.
Lol maybe I was lucky or we may have different expectations
I’ve seen it at least locally at $600 fairly consistently. It looks a bit all over the place on Reverb.
Asking $750. Doubtful you'll get it down to $600. New warrantied Bass Station II for $520 is still the way.
The previous conversation you quoted was about the sub Phatty. The one in the classifieds is a Sub25, not a Sub Phatty, which justifies a higher price point.
I’m covered in the synth department, but you and anybody can choose to buy whatever they want.
I started with a Novation, bought B-Stock from the company on Reverb for a great price. After I figured it out, more or less, and used it a few Sundays, I decided to go with the Moog Sub 25. I like the upright control panel, more controls available at your fingertips, and I think the Moog sounds a bit more phat. But the Novation is super portable and can get great church synth sounds.
With all the synth talk... I contacted my sales rep that I buy most of my gear from... He quoted a pretty good deal... so I ordered the "MXR Bass Synth".
He told me that they are out of stock, and the target arrival is early September... but there's a good chance it will arrive this month. I don't mind waiting anyway... since I'm not in any hurry to use it live.
Now that I'm waiting, and watching more demo's... I'm thinking of keeping my EHX BMS on my pedalboard. I haven't seem any demo's where this pedal can replace that big tone the BMS gives you on certain CCM songs. I've only found vids on synth tones that work well with gospel style music... which I wouldn't use a BMS for. Now I'm thinking of replacing one of my other pedals.... Subsonic??? HX Stomp???
Thoughts?
He told me that they are out of stock, and the target arrival is early September... but there's a good chance it will arrive this month. I don't mind waiting anyway... since I'm not in any hurry to use it live.
Now that I'm waiting, and watching more demo's... I'm thinking of keeping my EHX BMS on my pedalboard. I haven't seem any demo's where this pedal can replace that big tone the BMS gives you on certain CCM songs. I've only found vids on synth tones that work well with gospel style music... which I wouldn't use a BMS for. Now I'm thinking of replacing one of my other pedals.... Subsonic??? HX Stomp???
Thoughts?
