Boss SY-1

[Woodinblack]

The latter. Pressing freeze just holds the synth where it is so it doesn’t trigger where you are playing or fade away

[Quatschmacher]

55 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

The latter. Pressing freeze just holds the synth where it is so it doesn’t trigger where you are playing or fade away

So it allows dry bass to be played on top?

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, Quatschmacher said:

So it allows dry bass to be played on top?

Yep 

[Quatschmacher]

52 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Yep 

Thanks. Sorry, I overlooked the phrase “the latter” as I only glanced briefly. Obviously you answered my question the first time. 

[Quatschmacher]

My plan to check it out today was thwarted by the music shop being shut for two days to reconfigure their systems. 

[fretmeister]

New vid up

 

 

 

[Al Krow]

The first good bass focused review! Thanks for sharing that. 

The two significant points they've not picked up are the additional filters provided by depth and rate dials, and that this is fully polyphonic. 

But totally agree with their comments that:

• This is a game changer compared to predecessor SYB-3 and SYB-5 pedals;
• No need for an app / midi / pc editing;
• Flawless tracking;
• Inspires creativity and is entertainment gold. 

Edited September 13, 2019 by Al Krow

[fretmeister]

This one is making me want to spend money more than the C4.

I cannot abide mucking about with an app.

Hopefully they'll get in the shops soon enough.

[Al Krow]

They're already out! Both Woody and I have one on our boards and it's a seriously creative fun pedal. 

@Kev is having the same doubts about his C4 as you've touched on about needing an app etc and it's exactly the reason I went for the SY-1 over the C4. 

[Woodinblack]

Yep, it is hugely fun, and one of the most fun things of it is its immediacy, you turn a knob it makes a new noise, you work with that noise.

Its not something that would work that well with an editor I don't think. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to have presets, but the balance they have managed is pretty good.

[Al Krow]

36 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I must admit I'm intrigued by the Boss SY-1, especially having dug up Theme 1 recently, and Kashmir, and Gimme Some Loving, Perfect Strangers and... I think I need one...

🙂

Don't even think of getting one, unless you're prepared to have a lot of very easy to access fun, and your creative juices pumped! 😀

If you've not seen it already, worth checking the video out that fretmeister posted above.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Al Krow

[fretmeister]

Nobody has any stock! 

[Al Krow]

9 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Nobody has any stock! 

That's frustrating! But must admit I'm not massively surprised - this thing is clearly shifting off the shelves. And of my entire pedal board, this would probably be the one I would be most reluctant to let go of (followed by my HX Stomp).

Boss have been really canny with their price point on this. It's selling for $199 in the US so you'd expect it to be around £199 or little more over here. But despite the weakening £ they've held the price at £175. Whereas the C4 is $239 in the US and £249 over here, which is getting that little bit further into the pain zone for many of us.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Al Krow

[Woodinblack]

25 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I have to say, that video makes me want to buy one. Is this a Future Impact killer?

The thing about that video, you see these videos for effects pedals (especially synth stuff) and you try it and you can't get the same effects at all, but with the SY1 it isn't like that - I could just make all those effects from the video without any issues.

[Al Krow]

On 14/09/2019 at 01:09, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I have to say, that video makes me want to buy one. Is this a Future Impact killer?

It's a less sophisticated unit than the FI that lets a bassist, who doesn't want to have to spend hours and days deep diving into PC editing, get some very usable sounds quickly. 

Where the FI wins:

• overall more capable and more tweak-able synth engine 
• midi enabled
• ability to provide 99 presets 

Where the SY-1 wins:

• flawless tracking all the way down to a low B (and not requiring a staccato / muted style to avoid glitching)
• immediacy of dials (no need for an app/midi/PC) to access some great synth sounds 
• £175 vs £329 (new) 
• arpeggiator 
• polyphonic 
• straightforward parallel loop capability
• ability to use an expression pedal
• smaller footprint 

So for me it was a no-brainer in going for the SY-1, which I'm loving, and I'm not missing my FI at all. For others, the pros / cons may push them to getting an FI. 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Al Krow
Updated for further features!

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Even on a 5? 

Yup! I pretty much only play 5ers these days.

Both Woody and I were a little blown away (see his initial review immediately after getting the pedal earlier in this thread) by its ability to track tightly down to a low B. My FI didn't come close in terms of tracking ability. 

I'm sure being fully polyphonic really helps give this its edge with tracking. 

[Quatschmacher]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Yup! I pretty much only play 5ers these days.

Both Woody and I were a little blown away (see his initial review immediately after getting the pedal earlier in this thread) by its ability to track tightly down to a low B. My FI didn't come close in terms of tracking ability. 

I'm sure being fully polyphonic really helps give this its edge with tracking. 

Was your FI on the latest firmware? If not then you should probably withhold judgement about the tracking. It has been improved. 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Even on a 5? 

Yep - all the way down.

[Al Krow]

48 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

Was your FI on the latest firmware? If not then you should probably withhold judgement about the tracking. It has been improved. 

Sounds promising. But does it now track flawlessly / tightly all the way down to a low B with the latest firmware, Peter, even when playing short notes quickly? I'd be very (and pleasantly) surprised if it did!

That is however the bar that the SY-1 has set.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Al Krow

[Woodinblack]

One day I will set up for making video!

Until such time:

[Quatschmacher]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Sounds promising. But does it now track flawlessly / tightly all the way down to a low B with the latest firmware, Peter, even when playing short notes quickly? I'd be very (and pleasantly) surprised if it did!

That is however the bar that the SY-1 has set.

I don’t have a five-string so can’t say. 

[Quatschmacher]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

How do I do that? I really am crap at this sort of thing.

Here’s one of the FAQs I’ve written for the new manual covering just that:

• How do I update my pedal’s firmware?

You can update the FI firmware directly in your web browser (Chrome only) by going to https://auraplug.com/fiupdate/start.html and following the on-screen instructions. You will need to connect the FI to your computer with two MIDI cables.

 

Alternatively you can download the latest firmware from http://pandamidi.com/support and install the update using the editor. Power on the FI while holding down both footswitches. Select “update firmware” from the file menu in the editor and follow the instructions. Once the update has successfully installed, power the FI on and off again. See page ?? of the manual for full details of the update process.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

On 31/08/2019 at 00:59, paulbuzz said:

Just watched a YouTube demo of the SY-1 by a bloke from the Sweetwater music shop who had made an elementary but catastrophic clothing error...

LOL! They have another video that's a demo by Thomas McRocklin. Last time I saw a video of him playing he was about six years old!

[Al Krow]

11 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

I don’t have a five-string so can’t say. 

How does it do on a 4 string down to the open E and played at speed - any glitching at all?

I'm guessing by definition it won't be flawless, otherwise @HazBeen wouldn't be able to say that the C4 tracks marginally better! 😉

I suspect the polyphonic capability of the SY-1, which is not shared by either the C4 or FI,  will give it an edge on tracking. For live band use IMO tight tracking is as important, if not more so, than wider sonic variety. It's a real plus for the SY-1.

I think we need you, as our BC synth guru, to get hold of an SY-1 and put it through its paces for yourself and see if you would change any of the A/B points list in my earlier post.

[HazBeen]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

How does it do on a 4 string down to the open E and played at speed - any glitching at all?

I'm guessing by definition it won't be flawless, otherwise @HazBeen wouldn't be able to say that the C4 tracks marginally better! 😉

I suspect the polyphonic capability of the SY-1, which is not shared by either the C4 or FI,  will give it an edge on tracking. For live band use IMO tight tracking is as important, if not more so, than wider sonic variety. It's a real plus for the SY-1.

I think we need you, as our BC synth guru, to get hold of an SY-1 and put it through its paces for yourself and see if you would change any of the A/B points list in my earlier post.

@Al Krow tracking not being flawless is not any issue. It never was an issue on my OC2, the FI nor is it an issue on the C4. It gives the pedals character and you very quickly are able to work with not against their quirks.

Having had experience with the SY-1s bigger brother I can say it is a very different approach to a bass synth pedal than the FI or C4. Very 80s/DX-7-ish and whilst it did track better than any of the above it just didn’t inspire me at all.

I am sure the SY-1 is a really great pedal for some, but not for everyone.