BOSS SY-300 Guitar Synth Demo Guitarist Magazine

[CoreyT]

New demo up from Guitarist Magazine.

 

[Bob Sherwood]

IMHO this thing is useless in the real world. I tried one out a a local store. Find a decent organ sound and strings and I"ll buy it.

 

[Huggy Love]

That was very unimpressive.
I had to check it out because I actually have been thinking about guitar synth possibilities for me, but that thing had patches that sounded like a synth from the late 70's early 80's, I didn't hear one modern sounding patch or any authentic sounding instrument replications. I'll have to do some research on this subject to find if any reasonably priced units are worth a $#it.

 

[John Beef]

I want an animated gif of :15-:19 or so. That would be hilarious!

Edit: made one. Wish you could see their faces a little better, that's what makes it great. The bored look on the older dude's face as he sits motionless, the fake guitar-douche face on the guy who's pretending to rock out.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

:spitcoffee:

Dork machine.

 

[CoreyT]

Sorry, did not know the peedal was that bad

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Nah, buddy. It's not that I don't appreciate you posting this stuff, you give me cool selections from sites I don't normally check out so I'm glad you start threads on these kinds of things.

I shouldn't be so negative... It's more like a Goober Machine.

 

[CoreyT]

No problem Sergio.
I kind of think the pedal is more for tinkerers at home wanting to get some synth sounds instead of ponying up for a real synth.

I do like the other reviewer better though for Guitarist Magazine, he was not in this video.
They usually do very thorough reviews.

 

[CVS]

Corey,

Please keep posting these types of videos. I for one did not know this device existed and you never know when you see something you might like. Your posts have been helpful.
I agree with the opinions noted above re the SY 300, but please don't let that stop you from posting more videos of this nature.

 

[László]

That was very unimpressive.
I had to check it out because I actually have been thinking about guitar synth possibilities for me, but that thing had patches that sounded like a synth from the late 70's early 80's, I didn't hear one modern sounding patch or any authentic sounding instrument replications. I'll have to do some research on this subject to find if any reasonably priced units are worth a $#it.

Synth sounds from that era have returned in a big way, both in electronic music and in lots of styles of pop/rock. Lots of young musicians weren't around for 70s - 80s music (example, my son), and have gotten into old synths big time. I think Jamie has a half dozen of them, though his current band is guitar based, he uses them producing other artists from time to time, and they were used on the 30 Seconds to Mars stuff he worked on.

There's a huge movement of musicians building modular monosynths again from eurorack modules. And of course dance music is big all over the world. Moog just re-released its early flagship monosynth, the big modular one that Keith Emerson and Wendy Carlos used, with a $30,000 price tag, because there is demand for these sounds.

What's impressive about this little box in the video is that it tracks well without a MIDI interface pickup. That's a first.

since you were around for the first wave, it sounds old hat, but that is what lots of folks want, an old school synth sound!

I've gotten into analog style synthesis again myself - I started with it back in the day - and it's wonderfully creative to work with. In fact, my next studio investment will not be a guitar, I have my eye on the new Prophet 6, an analog synth that takes the early 80s Prophet 5 to the next level. It'll go with my Prophet 12, which is a hybrid.

Don't knock what came before out of hand; so much potential with these early synths remains untapped and is waiting to be explored! Any one of them is capable of an infinite number of sounds, in the right hands.

It's kind of a shame (in my eyes) that people tend to pigeonhole gear into eras and genres, and want instant gratification, when in fact a guitar player will spend years and years developing a few tones that have been around forever, and pooh-pooh tools reminiscent of much more recent times!

It ain't the gear. It's what you do with it. That's the potential that most folks will only scratch the surface of. If all someone hears with this little box is "80s", well OK. What I hear is potential for creativity.

And as a keyboard player, I don't need a guitar synth and therefore don't own this, so I'm not trying to be defensive. I just wish guitar players whose sounds are very much stuck in various pasts would open their minds a little bit to the possibilities of potentially interesting tools.

The funny thing to me is that I know I could create a track around this thing and make money with it.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Hmmm...

Didn't hear enough to make me want to rush out and buy one. A lot did sound horrible but there was a couple of interesting tones in that box. I'm definitely not the target market for that kind of thing though.

Appreciate you posting these vids Corey.

Alex Hutchings. Genuinely a nice guy and a fantastic musician, trust me!

But... He does pull some OTT faces!

 

[CoreyT]

Corey,

Please keep posting these types of videos. I for one did not know this device existed and you never know when you see something you might like. Your posts have been helpful.
I agree with the opinions noted above re the SY 300, but please don't let that stop you from posting more videos of this nature.

Thanks, will do.
Glad they are helpful.

Hmmm...
Didn't hear enough to make me want to rush out and buy one. A lot did sound horrible but there was a couple of interesting tones in that box. I'm definitely not the target market for that kind of thing though.

Appreciate you posting these vids Corey.

Alex Hutchings. Genuinely a nice guy and a fantastic musician, trust me!

But... He does pull some OTT faces!

Thanks Mike.
I get into work early enough and eat breakfast at my PC, and I bring up my subs from YouTube and watch stuff I find interesting, and then sometimes post it to the forum here.

I remember when I was getting back into guitars May of 2012 after a thirty year break my mind was blown by the amount of new pedals and equipment reviews/demos on YouTube.
It is a great way to listen to something if you do not have the time to visit a store, and sometimes you see stuff that you do not find in a store.

 

[CoreyT]

PS, Les, I was pretty impressed too with how well it tracked what he was playing.

 

[Huggy Love]

Synth sounds from that era have returned in a big way, both in electronic music and in lots of styles of pop/rock. Lots of young musicians weren't around for 70s - 80s music (example, my son), and have gotten into old synths big time. I think Jamie has a half dozen of them, though his current band is guitar based, he uses them producing other artists from time to time, and they were used on the 30 Seconds to Mars stuff he worked on.

There's a huge movement of musicians building modular monosynths again from eurorack modules. And of course dance music is big all over the world. Moog just re-released its early flagship monosynth, the big modular one that Keith Emerson and Wendy Carlos used, with a $30,000 price tag, because there is demand for these sounds.

What's impressive about this little box in the video is that it tracks well without a MIDI interface pickup. That's a first.

since you were around for the first wave, it sounds old hat, but that is what lots of folks want, an old school synth sound!

I've gotten into analog style synthesis again myself - I started with it back in the day - and it's wonderfully creative to work with. In fact, my next studio investment will not be a guitar, I have my eye on the new Prophet 6, an analog synth that takes the early 80s Prophet 5 to the next level. It'll go with my Prophet 12, which is a hybrid.

Don't knock what came before out of hand; so much potential with these early synths remains untapped and is waiting to be explored! Any one of them is capable of an infinite number of sounds, in the right hands.

It's kind of a shame (in my eyes) that people tend to pigeonhole gear into eras and genres, and want instant gratification, when in fact a guitar player will spend years and years developing a few tones that have been around forever, and pooh-pooh tools reminiscent of much more recent times!

It ain't the gear. It's what you do with it. That's the potential that most folks will only scratch the surface of. If all someone hears with this little box is "80s", well OK. What I hear is potential for creativity.

And as a keyboard player, I don't need a guitar synth and therefore don't own this, so I'm not trying to be defensive. I just wish guitar players whose sounds are very much stuck in various pasts would open their minds a little bit to the possibilities of potentially interesting tools.

The funny thing to me is that I know I could create a track around this thing and make money with it.

Yeah I've got a friend who built his own monosynth, to me it just makes a bunch of farty sounds that may be good for novelty type stuff. I have heard some old skool synth sounds in recent recordings but very few of them, and I know about the analog revival thing but to me that's a bit like spending big bucks for a beat up old strat, I'd buy a PRS in a second over something like that unless I was buying the strat for resale.

As for digital vs analog, because of my pinched nerve & bad disk I can't play keys anymore so I would be looking for something to lay down authentic sounding instrument patches (like piano, organ, horns,etc) and the lo-fi synth sounds that digital can reproduce easily. Although I can tell the difference between a tube vs solid state overdrive, I cannot tell an analog patch from a digital recreation of it. I still have to do some research on guitar synths to see at what price level I would find a unit that would fit my needs and whether it would be a worthwhile endeavor.

You mentioned that it looked like it tracked nicely, maybe the youtube vid threw me off, but to me it didn't seem like it tracked very well (though a first hand tryout on one would clear that up) . Then again I may be comparing it to the type of gear that Pat Metheny uses, and that's probably high dollar stuff.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

No problem Sergio.
I kind of think the pedal is more for tinkerers at home wanting to get some synth sounds instead of ponying up for a real synth.

I do like the other reviewer better though for Guitarist Magazine, he was not in this video.
They usually do very thorough reviews.

It's actually the most informative video about this box I've seen so far. There was a thread about this earlier this summer that didn't show much more than a few factory presets and filter sweeps, so dude totally shows off some of the "cooler" features available.

It's pricey though.. $700 could buy a Roland Juno Di, so I don't see it being for anybody but a guitar player who doesn't wanna learn how to play keys.

Alex Hutchings. Genuinely a nice guy and a fantastic musician, trust me!

But... He does pull some OTT faces!

I'm sure he is a real nice guy. He comes across as a genuinely intelligent person and explains some of the finer details of his patches in a way that's easy to understand. He's a good reviewer for sure!


Here's the thing though... Guitar synth is lame. There's nothing even vaguely Bangin'! about looking at a dude playing a guitar and hearing a sawtooth wave trumpet solo coming out of the speakers while they make guitar faces. Striking a power chord with your legs spread apart and hearing a fookin' electric piano is why you don't see many Keytar players anymore, unless you're a novelty act or a punchline for a joke in an Adam Sandler film.

I'm here to warn you guys not to do it! I've been there and I want to let you know that it's the wrong path that eventually leads to even worse choices in your life.

Everybody starts off thinking they're gonna use it to make some cool textures, then you bust out a sexophone part as a goof at band practice and nobody immediately smashes your guitar like they should ('cause they're not your real friends, they're just gonna talk smack about you later because they resent you for playing guitar solos too long and too loudly), then the next thing you know you think you're gonna be the first dude to break the code and make guitar synth cool.

Well, you're not! Instead you'll start making dubious choices in other aspects of your life, like being the only guy who likes your girlfriend who all of your friends can't stand. How getting your eyebrow pierced is a good idea, how JNCO camo cargo pants and Krishna beads is a good look, and how Rap Metal is gonna be like, the best invention EVER!

Then you wind up lookin' like this:



Yup. That's me in 1995 with a synth pickup on my guitar playing the grimiest punk club in Chicago. :flute: For God's sake, don't do it man!!! Google guitar synth players and look for anybody sexy before you buy one. I swear it's way easier to learn how to play keys than it is to pick up chicks with a guitar synth in your rig... Hell, if you learn how to play keys you can even get a dork-knob ponytail, be fat, get to sit down while playing, and you'll do better in life.

Stark contrast if we fast forward 15 years:

I'm the tubby goon on keys there. Sold Out show at the Metro, got paid, got a gig with dudes 15 years younger, girlfriend with the same age difference that everybody likes, in front of an audience of 20 year olds, and I did it all with mustard on my shirt like a real synth player does it. :big grin:

I know everybody has to choose their own path in life, but it's because I love you guys that I'm willing to embarrass myself if it'll help you make sound choices in life. Don't do hard drugs or guitar synth.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

It's actually the most informative video about this box I've seen so far. There was a thread about this earlier this summer that didn't show much more than a few factory presets and filter sweeps, so dude totally shows off some of the "cooler" features available.

It's pricey though.. $700 could buy a Roland Juno Di, so I don't see it being for anybody but a guitar player who doesn't wanna learn how to play keys.




I'm sure he is a real nice guy. He comes across as a genuinely intelligent person and explains some of the finer details of his patches in a way that's easy to understand. He's a good reviewer for sure!


Here's the thing though... Guitar synth is lame. There's nothing even vaguely Bangin'! about looking at a dude playing a guitar and hearing a sawtooth wave trumpet solo coming out of the speakers while they make guitar faces. Striking a power chord with your legs spread apart and hearing a fookin' electric piano is why you don't see many Keytar players anymore, unless you're a novelty act or a punchline for a joke in an Adam Sandler film.

I'm here to warn you guys not to do it! I've been there and I want to let you know that it's the wrong path that eventually leads to even worse choices in your life.

Everybody starts off thinking they're gonna use it to make some cool textures, then you bust out a sexophone part as a goof at band practice and nobody immediately smashes your guitar like they should ('cause they're not your real friends, they're just gonna talk smack about you later because they resent you for playing guitar solos too long and too loudly), then the next thing you know you think you're gonna be the first dude to break the code and make guitar synth cool.

Well, you're not! Instead you'll start making dubious choices in other aspects of your life, like being the only guy who likes your girlfriend who all of your friends can't stand. How getting your eyebrow pierced is a good idea, how JNCO camo cargo pants and Krishna beads is a good look, and how Rap Metal is gonna be like, the best invention EVER!

Then you wind up lookin' like this:



Yup. That's me in 1995 with a synth pickup on my guitar playing the grimiest punk club in Chicago. :flute: For God's sake, don't do it man!!! Google guitar synth players and look for anybody sexy before you buy one. I swear it's way easier to learn how to play keys than it is to pick up chicks with a guitar synth in your rig... Hell, if you learn how to play keys you can even get a dork-knob ponytail, be fat, get to sit down while playing, and you'll do better in life.

Stark contrast if we fast forward 15 years:

I'm the tubby goon on keys there. Sold Out show at the Metro, got paid, got a gig with dudes 15 years younger, girlfriend with the same age difference that everybody likes, in front of an audience of 20 year olds, and I did it all with mustard on my shirt like a real synth player does it. :big grin:

I know everybody has to choose their own path in life, but it's because I love you guys that I'm willing to embarrass myself if it'll help you make sound choices in life. Don't do hard drugs or guitar synth.

Keytars!!! I have an immediate mental image of keytar players from the 80's... Bad mullets, oversized shoulder pads, and as you said, bad poses!

I've heard people can become very attached to their keytars. This lady is 'very' attached!

 

[G-Man]

How Jeff Beck did not drop kick Jan Hammer off the stage is amazing to me!

 

[justmund]

I heart you Sergio

 

[László]

How Jeff Beck did not drop kick Jan Hammer off the stage is amazing to me!

Probably because Jan Hammer would have kicked his ass at the time? Of course now both are old men and they couldn't drop kick anyone more than an inch.

I know this from the experience of being an old man. Drop kicking people off stages has become a a long-vanished dream.

And Hammer played on 7 of Beck's albums. That's all. And over a 23 year period. Maybe that's why he didn't kick Hammer off the stage?

What kind of person even suggests this of a great musician who played with McLaughlin, Davis, Beck, 8 DiMeola albums, played with Lukather, Joni Mitchell, and so many more?

Then again, Hammer made a fortune on the old Miami Vice TV music, made a lot of dough scoring movies, and is a true A-lister in every sense of the word, to this day. So maybe Jeff Beck played with him out of mutual respect?

I play keyboards so wouldn't be interested in a guitar synth, but I could see someone having fun and being creative with this, despite Sergio's load of bull about guitar synths. Pat Metheney is certainly no drug-hazed idiot because he plays guitar synth at times.

Sometimes I find this board truly offensive.

And yes, I know, the feeling is mutual!

 

[Huggy Love]

Probably because Jan Hammer would have kicked his ass at the time? Of course now both are old men and they couldn't drop kick anyone more than an inch.

I know this from the experience of being an old man. Drop kicking people off stages has become a a long-vanished dream.

And Hammer played on 7 of Beck's albums. That's all. And over a 23 year period. Maybe that's why he didn't kick Hammer off the stage?

What kind of person even suggests this of a great musician who played with McLaughlin, Davis, Beck, 8 DiMeola albums, played with Lukather, Joni Mitchell, and so many more?

Then again, Hammer made a fortune on the old Miami Vice TV music, made a lot of dough scoring movies, and is a true A-lister in every sense of the word, to this day. So maybe Jeff Beck played with him out of mutual respect?

I play keyboards so wouldn't be interested in a guitar synth, but I could see someone having fun and being creative with this, despite Sergio's load of bull about guitar synths. Pat Metheney is certainly no drug-hazed idiot because he plays guitar synth at times.

Sometimes I find this board truly offensive.

And yes, I know, the feeling is mutual!

I'm with Les on this one. You can't diss Jan Hammer, he's one of the founding fathers of fusion, and hey....the keytar guys (Chick Corea too) just wanted to look cool like us guitarists, it's kind of a compliment if you think of it. I can see Serge's view about guitar synths in live situations but I would probably only use it for recording and with a good unit with quality sounds I can see it's potential as a recording tool.