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Synth Decision


stewblack
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  • 4 weeks later...

Has anyone tried the SY-300 ?   Its rather fiddly, in depth and large, but can have programs saved, but..

I wonder how it stacks up against the SY-1, which seems to be none of the above

 

I suppose what the Force giveth, the Force taketh away.

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29 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Has anyone tried the SY-300 ?   Its rather fiddly, in depth and large, but can have programs saved, but..

I wonder how it stacks up against the SY-1, which seems to be none of the above

 

Not me but I got the SY200 as I was using the Sy-1 a lot and decided I wanted to be able to save programs

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9 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Having had an SY 300,  i found it too overwhelming, so maybe the 200 is a much better bet.  I like saving user presets, so the 1 is out for me

The SY-200 does look like a really good "compromise". I'm definitely thinking of trading up my SY-1 for a used SY-200 as and when one comes along to get the benefits of presets, quality display, ability to tweak resonance and the three additional modes as compared to the SY-1. The SY-1 is a huge amount of fun, though, particularly if you can pick one up for the bargain price just sold in the FS!

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As an aside, I bought a Behringer Model D; the MiniMoog's layout & ergonomics are almost perfect for learning what a synth does.

I didn't bond with the Future Impact and sold mine on; I have a C4, but haven't yet got into programming it (I'm hoping that I'll get real life's more pressing needs to give me some respite after this month).

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15 hours ago, prowla said:

As an aside, I bought a Behringer Model D; the MiniMoog's layout & ergonomics are almost perfect for learning what a synth does.

I didn't bond with the Future Impact and sold mine on; I have a C4, but haven't yet got into programming it (I'm hoping that I'll get real life's more pressing needs to give me some respite after this month).

They do sound good. Tuning drifts quite a bit though. Wondering if they’ve addressed the mod depth issue that I had: use a single saw with a fully open filter, amp eg sustain on full. Set the mod source to be “filter EG” on the switch, and turn the mod source dial to fully filter EG. Then turn the osc mod switch on. Dial all the filter eg knobs to zero and hold a note. While doing so, turn the modulation depth dial up. If there’s no fault, you should hear jo change in pitch. If there’s a fault, the pitch will go up maybe a semitone. 

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15 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Is that not authentic though? Joys of analogue!

It drifts way more than a proper Minimoog Model D (but is £220 as opposed to £3.5-5k so no too bad). Calibration is a pain in the árse too - it requires opening the innards and the trim pots are explicitly excluded from the warranty. Have heard of a few people reaching the end of their travel and not being able to get the thing in tune. 

Edited by Quatschmacher
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On 10/01/2022 at 16:08, Al Krow said:

The SY-200 does look like a really good "compromise". I'm definitely thinking of trading up my SY-1 for a used SY-200 as and when one comes along to get the benefits of presets, quality display, ability to tweak resonance and the three additional modes as compared to the SY-1. The SY-1 is a huge amount of fun, though, particularly if you can pick one up for the bargain price just sold in the FS!

 

Bargain it maybe, but its a one trick pony live, unless you tweak  between tracks to find your next sound.   That's a PITA for me, maybe not for others.  The 200 seems like a nice fit between the 1 and the 300.   User presets, easier fumbling, half the size.  Mmmmmm...  my wallet is starting to wince

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1 hour ago, fleabag said:

 

Bargain it maybe, but its a one trick pony live, unless you tweak  between tracks to find your next sound.   That's a PITA for me, maybe not for others.  The 200 seems like a nice fit between the 1 and the 300.   User presets, easier fumbling, half the size.  Mmmmmm...  my wallet is starting to wince

It's interesting how some things are a pain to some and not others. To me, spending hours programming presets which then can't be altered to suit the room or band is the pain. 

Once the pedal is learned, changing on the fly isn't so difficult, and in fact quite fun.

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2 hours ago, fleabag said:

PS  @Al Krow

 

What is resonance , that you like the ability to tweak ?

I'll let @Quatschmacherexplain that one, as he will do a far better job of it than me!

 

Btw how many different synth settings are you likely to need when playing live? Will you be be using the synth pedal for covers or original material? 

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Resonance is a combination of the width and depth of a filter, so the more resonant something is the more you can hear it as a specific note rather than a range of notes. Like a mid control, covers a range from bass to treble - the narrower you make the range, the more you can hear a specific tone.

 

As the owner of a SY200, I haven't spent hours programming the preset - frankly there isn't much to program. You just play with the knobs like the SY1 (very much like, almost the same exept a few more options) and when you get a sound you like you store it in a memory. When you are playing it live you can play with the knobs as much as you like on the SY1 (its not like a helix or something where you have to program it, it really has the same knobs). However, if you are (as I do) playing a song where you want a whirly organ preset, then you finish and the guitarist decides that instead of doing the song you thought you were doing, you are doing one that you like using a sweep synth preset, instead of thinking 'ah yes, that was synth 2. variation 11, with the mix lower and the range much higher, you press the button to change to that patch and you are there.

 

So @stewblack I am not really with you on your programming problem - the SY200 has exactly the same controls that the SY1 has (in fact 1 more), it just as presets and the ability to change them from midi if you wanted so there is literally nothing it takes away from the SY1. Most of the time playing with it I just move the knobs to suit the room, but I have a get to the right place when the next song that I wasn't expecting had already started!

 

IMG_2740.jpeg

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14 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I'll let @Quatschmacherexplain that one, as he will do a far better job of it than me!

 

Btw how many different synth settings are you likely to need when playing live? Will you be be using the synth pedal for covers or original material? 

Resonance is a gain boost centred around the frequency of the filter cutoff, the higher it is, the more of a peak there is. On some equipment, when resonance is high enough, the filter self-oscillates so that you get an additional sine wave pitched at the cutoff frequency. In gear where the filter cutoff can track the input at 100% then you can play this as an extra oscillator. 

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2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Nice post, thanks Woody. Does the addition of control over resonance make a noticeable difference on the SY200? 

 

The three knobs at the top aren't always the same, so the resonance is only available on some voices. I think it just clears up what each bit does, like the range on some patches.

There is more variation I think, although the basic voices are pretty similar. The only time you really use the menu is if you want to put a label for a patch.

I loved the SY-1. I love the SY-200, I think it is a logical progression for an SY-1 for a cover band where you have some pre-determined ideas of what you want.

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As an addition to what programming actually means, the way you generally use it is like this.

 

Fiddle with the knobs, when you like the sound you get, press menu and exit at the same time. It then asks you what patch number you want to write it to (I can't remember how many there are but certainly at least 128) then you turn the knob next to the display to get to the number you want, then press the knob in and it writes it (or exit and it doesn't).

If you press menu you can change the display type or name the patches.

 

Once you have a patch you can obviously just change the knobs to change the sound and it shows you on the display that you are not currently aligned with that patch any more.

 

Pressing the right button cycles through the patches, pressing the left turns the effect on and off. Holding the button locks the sound like the SY1 main button.

Its a bit wider than the SY1, but the sockets are at the top, so it doesn't take more sideways space. Its a bit cramped at the top though.

 

Strangely it takes 2 AA batteries, but still a 9v adapter as usual.

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27 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Resonance is a combination of the width and depth of a filter, so the more resonant something is the more you can hear it as a specific note rather than a range of notes. Like a mid control, covers a range from bass to treble - the narrower you make the range, the more you can hear a specific tone.

 

As the owner of a SY200, I haven't spent hours programming the preset - frankly there isn't much to program. You just play with the knobs like the SY1 (very much like, almost the same exept a few more options) and when you get a sound you like you store it in a memory. When you are playing it live you can play with the knobs as much as you like on the SY1 (its not like a helix or something where you have to program it, it really has the same knobs). However, if you are (as I do) playing a song where you want a whirly organ preset, then you finish and the guitarist decides that instead of doing the song you thought you were doing, you are doing one that you like using a sweep synth preset, instead of thinking 'ah yes, that was synth 2. variation 11, with the mix lower and the range much higher, you press the button to change to that patch and you are there.

 

So @stewblack I am not really with you on your programming problem - the SY200 has exactly the same controls that the SY1 has (in fact 1 more), it just as presets and the ability to change them from midi if you wanted so there is literally nothing it takes away from the SY1. Most of the time playing with it I just move the knobs to suit the room, but I have a get to the right place when the next song that I wasn't expecting had already started!

 

IMG_2740.jpeg

 

The 200 series are surprisingly not much greedier on space than the normal Boss sized pedals, particularly when you take into account of the top rather than side connection jacks, as you pointed out.

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2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I'll let @Quatschmacherexplain that one, as he will do a far better job of it than me!

 

Btw how many different synth settings are you likely to need when playing live? Will you be be using the synth pedal for covers or original material? 

 

Covers with a duo, so extra sounds needed much more than with a 4 or 5  person band

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