Al Krow

^^ this 100% Have to 'fess I'm actually really enjoying the octave up and bringing it in with an expression pedal (same one as Neepheid is using above, as it happens). Having it set 40:60 wet / dry for octave up and 60:40 for octave down, to make allowance for the higher frequencies cutting through more easily, seems to be a decent mix. Obviously when de-tuning you'll want it 100% wet. Making me think I probably don't actually need my OC-5 anymore! The issue I've now got, is that I'm seriously thinking about upgrading the XS-1 to the XS-100, as I want to be able to quickly switch between songs from: 100% wet, detuned to -2semis or -3semis (depending on the song) 40% wet for octave up 60% wet for octave down And as the XS-100 has it's own expression pedal, possibly either taking the expression pedal off board to free up space or use the dual output with a couple of other pedals. So @Woodinblack if someone wants to sell me their XS-100 used, you may well (finally!) actually end up getting first dibs on mine, haha! But I'll be holding onto my XS-1 until then, for sure - great little pedal and as @neepheid has said, best pitch shift performance either of us have had from a pedal.

3 semis down/up is passable (and a lot better than on any multifx I've used)

Yes but they are. Check online - you'll be pushed to get the original version new from many retailers.

Looks like the 'old' BB has now been discontinued i.e. Singular Sound is going to clear it's old stock at $379 for both the BB and the 10th anniversary edition - could only find the latter being sold elsewhere. Managed to pick one up in good nick on fleabay for £175 - and see how I get on with it. Didn't fancy forking out £400+ for the BB2 - not sure the upgrade makes it worth double? Many thanks for your tips on how to get the most out of it!

We've just sacked SM58s from our band! Had a couple of gigs recently where we struggled with taming feedback during the first set but switching over from SM58s to the more directional AKG D7 eliminated the issue and we had a much better band performance in the second set when we and the audience weren't on edge because of feedback creeping in. A fellow bass-player & BL I know well has said he's recently done the same thing in getting rid of SM58s in favour of sE V7s in his band, which while not quite matching the D7 for overall quality, come in at half the price at £75 and also provide a big improvement over the SM58 in terms of feedback performance. I did a quick test of the difference the mics made at the break and the AKG D7 gave us an additional +6dB headroom before feedback kicked in! The two singers in our line-up with SM58s are swapping over to either the AKG D7 or sE V7 depending on their budget.

Thanks - if this identical to the Joyo adaptor, then may as well get the cheaper one? PS...she's gone for it! Thanks all!

Thanks @BigRedX. So many good points there! Agree in particular that: - we want bass synth pedal performance that is suitably glitch free, which for me is as important live where you only get one take, not the multiple you get on YT! It was actually the main driver for me opting for the polyphonic 'tracking' of the Boss SY-1 and now the SY-200 with its preset options, and choosing to sacrifice not having the richer synth sounds available on the FI. Delighted to hear that FIv4 has substantially improved tracking and it's definitely back on my radar as a consequence. The MXR is also getting a lot of plaudits and being enjoyed by basschat mates who are gigging with it regularly. - there's a set up difference between adding keys vs adding a pedal to a pedal board. I've updated my note, I did for John, to reflect the mono vs poly tracking on the various pedals: Synth pedal review (25-10).pdf

That's very helpful, also, thanks. I'm guessing the Joyo is the original and Lekato the clone? But they are the exact same product?

Brilliant, thanks Woody! Think I'll recommend she puts that one on her Xmas list then!

I'm not denying that any of us who can ride a push bike could learn to ride a motor bike, if we wanted to? Just like we could take up keys, or any other instrument for that matter, if we wanted to. And I suspect most musos already know that synth keys are the premium product in the synth-tone space? No debate from me on that, and respect to you for doing both. But it's why when bass players ask about bass synth pedals on a bass forum I don't immediately jump in and suggest they take up keys! And very much also vice versa if I was ever on a keyschat forum or thread.

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That is super helpful thank you. Singer started out with the Gear4Music SubZero UHF Wireless XLR (863–865 MHz Ch. 70) - so we will take that off the list! I had already suggested going for 5.8Ghz and avoiding 2.4 GHz. Just as a rule of thumb it would be great to get a wireless bolt-on that comes to no more than 2/3 the price she is investing in the microphone itself, in terms of the incremental benefit of the wireless vs wired to her performance on stage, so that would suggest a budget of around £100. Currently the JOYO 5.8 GHz looks like a decent contender that seems to tick quite a few boxes? If anyone has experience of this or similar, please do share.

Hey Dan - don't be so quick to put down Chinese manufacturing! You do realise that the incredibly good value Behringer Bugera Veyron amps, which you and I both think are fab, are made in China? As well as, of course, some of the world's highest-end products such Apple iPhones?! They have just figured out how to do manufacturing really well. Apple have basically said they won't shift production back to the US because of the lack of skills there and fact that to make something of the same quality it would turn a $1k iphone into a $3k handset for the exact same product. They're very happy to pay the Chinese workforce less and keep the bulk of the profits for themselves in, err well actually, Ireland where they pay little or no tax... Shure IEMs are widely regarded as overpriced (just head over to the IEM thread) and you'll find a LOT of BC'ers, including me, loving their KZ IEMs as being both better kit and considerably better value... and they're also made in China. And don't get me started on battery technology...

Looking for low latency too and analogue UHF adaptors seem to claim very low latencies, despite being very budget. Is that correct?

Our singer has just upgraded her Shure SM58 to an AKG D7S which provides much better directionality and lower feedback. She would like to add a really good wireless adaptor which is hopefully not massively expensive. What would you recommend?

And a motorbike goes faster than a push-bike. But not everyone wants a motorbike? Some of us are very content with "just" being bass players! John - you've got me thinking! I'm going to pull together a pros / cons summary of some of the current "best of the bunch" synth pedals which may be of interest to you and a few others.

+1^^ Not yet come across a multifx that does synth sounds well, despite having owned and gigged quite a few! Dedicated synth pedals definitely seem to do the job better.

Just updating this thread to say that, as many of us will have now figured out, eBay have not slashed fees, just shifted them from seller to buyer as obligatory "buyer protection". Buyers can look on other sites (e.g. Basschat) if they want to buy the same good without the additional costs. Here's a worked example (excludeding P&P) Old system - wait till you get 80% off variable fees before listing, and then the seller fee worked out at about 2.6%, so if you sold something for £500 you got £487 New system - buyer pays 10p plus 4% up to £300 and 2% above £300. So if they are looking to pay £500, then you would need to list it for approx. £484 (or if you list it for £500, the buyer will need to pay approx. £516)

It's a really intetesting question. Are you "a doctor" if your training is limited to giving basic first aid? Are you "a golfer" if you play for fun at weekends? As someone who does decently paid pub gigs most weekends and a fair few functions throughout the year, I guess "working / part-time bassplayer and band leader" are labels that seem to fit. I'm entirely self-taught on bass (online lessons and YT tutorials aside). I would hate for my doctor or car mechanic to be! I can't imagine most classical orchestral players, amateur or pro, being self taught? I would, however, have no issues with any gardener or a pro muso eg Paul McCartney being. He's certainly been a fab artist on bass, as a musician and as a singer / songwriter. One of the very best!

I normally would agree with most of what Phil says! But the "weight" of the bass IMO comes particularly from the 120Hz to 150Hz region so I would, if anything, boost that by +3db or so. I think if you are agressively cutting bass below 160Hz that feels too high a cut off, and you'll risk ending up with quite a thin sound. I'd personally recommend cutting from 80Hz to 100Hz to get rid of low end crud, and leave your mids flat rather than cutting them; and as you've already shared mid scoop can sound sweet solo'd but it's where you're losing yourself in the mix.

I really shouldn't be quite so chuffed with a £10 9V PSU. But this one has decent 2A capacity and, if you're ever gigging with single multi-fx pedal, this has a 2m cable! Bloody marvellous!

And vice versa, haha! Have the prices come down a bit recently, I thought they were closer to £340 inc P&P?

Great review, thanks Luke!

Nailed it!

Great job on all fronts! Catchy 80's vibe and quality production by Haunting the Atom. Nice one!