Al Krow

1 hour ago, kiat said:

Like others, have considered a bass synth keyboard but my regular bands don't think we need one yet.

Do you think you might end up going down the synth keys route at some point then? What were the pros & cons that made you all decide to stick with a bass pedal instead?

Well it's somehow already the start of November and following on from the same topic we've successfully run since 2017 - a chance for some useful hints and tips with Xmas goodies still ahead, and, of course, nothing to stop us changing our minds between now and year end! 

As with previous years, the only "house rules" are that it's bass gear and something you bought (or at least arrived) in 2025. 

Here's the last thread in the series from 2024 as a reminder of some of the goodies we bought then.

Obligatory GAS inducing pics please!

35 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Thought you were going to send it back? that would be a better deal

Nah, Andertons slap on a £25 "courier charge" for the privelege of doing an exchange.

On 05/10/2025 at 19:38, Woodinblack said:

Excellent - can I have first dibs when you move it on?

I'm going to put a wanted ad up for an XS-100, so Woody may end up getting my XS-1 after all 😅

PS, yes please do change the thread title for us to "XS-1 & XS-100" 

@Serginhobass - excellent demo, thanks! 

46 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

I was in an originals band (now in hiatus) where the drummer was also a sound engineer, and he went with the sE V7. I decided to indulge myself a few months ago and went for an sE V7 myself. Very happy with it.

Very tempted to get a sE V7 and Lekato 5.8GHz wireless combo, as a back up.

SM58s are now officially banned from our gigs: I'm done with needing to sort out unwanted feedback from non-directional mics!

20 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Apart from the presets does it actually do more than the XS1 then? Its a shame that they didn't do it like the SY1 and SY200, really my big problem with it is the size - I don't want a foot pedal, so it is a pain having to make enough room to have one - if I could get something the XS1 size with midi, it would be about as perfect as it could be. Maybe they will make an XS50 at some point for people like me!

XS-100: 30 presets - of which I'll likely need no more than 5 or 6, but be very handy for quick changes to keep songflow going mid-set. The ability to combine with an expression pedal to e.g. glide in octave up is a very nice to have. Midi could be useful

XS-1: You get to choose 3 presets OR expression pedal from what I understand. But XS-1 plus expression pedal ain't too far off the pedal board acreage of the XS-100 (although I may just wait a while and see if one comes up used once the first movers have decided they don't need theirs!) 

Presets do make all the difference for me where you have more than one setting on a pedal you want to use live - the exact same reason for switching from the SY-1 -> SY-200, although the SY-200 does have 50 more built-in sound options than its smaller sibling. I was originally thinking this would be just a (finally!) decent detuning pedal, but already finding I'm wanting to use it in different ways to what I had originally intended. 

14 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Does it have an Midi capability to allow it to do that?

<looks>

Oh how irritating is that. No it doesn't have midi to change that, but the XS-100 does!

 

I think the XS-100 is out of my range, currently too expensive but probably more significantly too big to put on a board!

 

I'm leaning towards the getting the XS-100 for its ease of use, presets and built-in expression pedal and have just realised I'm still within the 30 day exchange period at Andertons. It is pricey, but the octave up is an unexpected boon on the pedal and in a 4 piece outfit with just one guitar as the other instrument, I can see this getting quite a lot of use to fill out the sound when the guitarist is soloing.

8 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

That was the most practical thing I could think of, but I got the feeling I'd need to find an exp pedal I like and stick with it then take a lot of practice to get used to its feel and travel to be able to do those slides, exactly how and when I want.  I was just using a borrowed exp pedal I'd never used in my life before, so maybe there's that.

Did you not like the Boss EV30 (which is also my one as it happens)? I've not really had reason to use it much before, but am liking it so far - well built and very cool that it has dual output!

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

 

I was going to mention that - wasn't sure how clever the settings store/recall thing was, but hopefully you can make it work for your needs.  Me, I don't mind reaching down to sort out the settings between songs - I use it in maybe 6-8 songs in the entire gig so it's not too bad, and the controls are big, chunky and clearly labelled, so I'm good.  Plus no room on my pedalboard for footswitches.  I had a shottie of an exp pedal and while it was fun making stupid noises for half an hour, I couldn't see it being particularly useful for the music I play.

Gotcha. What I'm feeling is a really neat live effect (just from home use so far) is sliding in the octave up rather than punching it in so it's simply off/on. Bringing a smile to my face which kinda would be sufficient, but I suspect my bandmates will have a grin on too!

46 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

That's a good point, I made the mistake of going 50:50 blend on an octave up and it was a bit to piercing for my liking.  It's seasoning, not the main flavour.  My previous pitch shifter (TC Electronic Brainwaves) had two voices, so for the "fake guitar" thing I did +7 and +12 combined 50:50 wet dry which worked well, as I guess the combination of the two higher pitches perhaps mellowed each other out?  With the octave alone, it's a bit too shrill at 50:50.  Lesson learned.

Oh I've done worse and had it set to 100% wet for octave up, as I was too distracted by other things to remember mid set to also change the wet/dry!

However, someome on TB has pointed out I can access 3 different settings on the XS-1 using an external footswitch so I may not need to upgrade to the XS-100 after all!

2 hours ago, neepheid said:

I used my XS-1 live in anger for the first time at the weekend, I used -3 semitones and it was very passable - best pitch shifting performance I've had.  I still wouldn't record with it, but live it's eminently doable.

^^ 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.

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I am kind of interested in this now, its probably more than I wanted to spend on a pedal but I do have a specific issue at the moment - I have joined a metal group and where the main group can all be played with a standard tuned 5 string, quite a few of the metal ones require a variety of drop tunes, so I have to use more than one bass (because it is a pain constantly tuning your E on a 5 string!). However, then there are a few songs that are other wierd tunings like drop B. Most you can just rework out for a 5 string, but some would be easier of I could use a drop D b string tuned down to B - so if you dropped a low D down 3 semitones to a B, does it sound reasonably natural, or at least workable?

 

I am currently just using my Boss ME90B but the drop tuning on that is pretty poor.

 

 

 

Sorry, I had missed that, I certainly can if the OP doesn't want to / cant.

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

52 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

They explicitly said they weren’t discontinuing the original.

 

I definitely want the upgraded version (when it comes down in price a chunk) for the bigger headphone port and full-size MIDI ports. The automated fils will be useful too. 

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

On 25/09/2025 at 23:41, garyt said:

I’ve gigged with the original Beat Buddy and people were genuinely asking where our drummer was.  It’s an excellent bit of kit. 

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!

On 17/01/2025 at 14:37, Chienmortbb said:

 

Mr Stub, I would fire anyone that used a SM58* except...the bandleader has one and is convinced has some magic inside.

 

*There are some great mics out there that are not SM58s and are less money.

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.

15 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

Lekato also do them - that's the Lekato whose instrument wireless systems many of us are using very happily. Of course, they're not no-name, they're Lekato (I suspect that M-Vave's offerings will be identical).

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009288556260.html

Thanks - if this identical to the Joyo adaptor, then may as well get the cheaper one? 

PS...she's gone for it! 

Thanks all!

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

I've also found that for all the good guitar and bass synth demos that are on YouTube, if you couldn't see that a guitar or bass is being used to trigger the sounds you wouldn't know that they weren't being produced by a keyboard player. Notwithstanding the fact that most of these demos require a huge number of takes in order to get a performance that is suitably glitch-free for public consumption. That for me completely negates the point of using a guitar or bass to control a synth or produce synth-like sounds. It's not easy/good enough to be repeatable, and for me the things that make plucked stringed instruments so expressive are all the things that simply don't translate when trying to do pitch to synth and instead produce unwanted glitches in the sound or pitch instability.

 

I would definitely be using a keyboard synth for some songs in my current band were it not for the fact that at the moment we are concentrating on keeping the equipment we use at gigs as simple and easy/quick to set up as possible. Until we regularly get more than 30 minutes for setup and sound check those songs that will have to wait and the songs we play live will be those that we can do with the existing instrumentation.

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

6 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Now I look its actually the Lekato set, but looking at them they are identical apart from the logo, so I assume they are the same thing

 

https://lekatodeal.com/en-uk/products/wireless-5-8ghz-microphone-system-plug-on-xlr-transmitter-receiver

 

They are available cheaper than that.

 

Also found out that if you leave them on so they run out (they don't auto switch off) and forget to plug them in before a gig, 25 minutes being plugged in (they have one of those 2 way charging leads so you can do both together) onto a USB power bank is enough to get you through 1hr and 20 minutes of the first set, without them getting to the flashing stage (not sure how much longer, we plugged them in during the 20 minute break and lasted the next hour and a bit).

 

I would say that the only downside that we have noticed is that they are slightly wider than most microphones, so if you want to take them out of a microphone stand while you are singing, you need to pull the mic out, rather than slide the mic up.

 

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? 

43 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

The singer in my band uses my Joyo 5.8GHz wireless adapters and has for the last 40 or so gigs indoor / outdoor in a variety of environments - he walks around, dances on tables and goes outside of pubs still singing and hasn't had any issues, we did work out how far he could get at a big outdoor gig once though, but when they did cut out it was clean and came back as soon as he was in range, we also have a lot of other wireless stuff (at the outdoor thing, wireless guitar / bass / IEM / Mixer).

Also hasn't gone low on batteries on 3 hour gig

Bought once, haven't cried at all.

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

12 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

@Al Krow I think what you want out of "synth bass" and what I want are two very different things which is why I wouldn't have bothered with anything synthy for the example you posted in another thread and why I am not satisfied with any of the synth bass pedals because none of them will give the control, evenness and consistency of sound that I can get from using a keyboard synth, or even better by programming it in my DAW.

 

And I am a bass player. I just haven't limited myself to solely the bass guitar for producing bass sounds. I'm "lucky" in that I have enough technical ability to be able to choose the most appropriate tool for the job, and from experience a plucked stringed instrument is not always the best choice. And having said that my technical ability on all the instruments I play is pretty limited, so IMO if I can do it anyone can!

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.

(See below)

27 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

You have to consider the system as a whole, with today's digital equipment there are delays, latency, propagation delay caused by both ADDA conversion and the finite time that the signal passes through the digital stages, each gate that the signal passes through causes a delay by any other name as transistors, the basic building blocks, cannot switch instantly.  These delays happen in digital pedals, mixers, digital wireless systems for instruments and IEMs. The amount of latency that you can hear varies between people, and some chain to be able to hear 2mS. The is ballcocks, it is equivalent to one cycle at 5Hz. 

 

So latency adds any one component does not usually add an excessive amount. Analogue, as @Phil Starr says, has a compander, really a compressor, at the input and an expander at the output. This compresses the signal as it goes in to enable more channels to be used, and expends it as exactly as it can at the other end to rebuild the original system. Most analogue systems use UHF bands and frequency modulation FM.

 

In most cases, the better the design, the better the end result. There are really two rules of thumb before you buy anything wireless. Do not buy anything on the UHF 863-865MHz band, and do not buy anything in the 2.4GHz band. 

 

Finally, do not listen to Scott Uhl on YouTube. The rules in the USA are very different, and most of the UHF systems he recommends are illegal in the UK.

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. 

56 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

AKG, Sennheiser, Shure and others offer wireless adaptors. Not the cheapest, but you can be certain they will do the job - see Phil's comments above. Avoid 50 quid Chinese no-name jobbies. Buy once, cry once.

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?