I love how you really learn the stuff before you do your demos. It's so obvious that you know well what you are demoing in all your videos I've watched. It's refreshing watching someone who feels at hoe either programming a synth, an fx rack, or playing different styles at guitar. Congrats.
Excellent explanatory demo. Not only did they play some sounds but went in depth into the features, exactly what I need it to make me plug the trigger and getting one ☝️
the midi connectivity isn't so you can send midi notes to another synth, it's so you can switch patches and control parameters from another midi device etc. to everyone saying the sounds suck and there are no piano and flute sounds, this device is made for sythesised sounds, not sampled sounds, as it pretty clearly doesn't do pitch to midi conversion. hopefully soon it will be possible to do through a standard pickup and 1/4" jack, but if that's what you're looking for, this isn't it. but if you want some brash 80s and 90s synth sounds with polyphony and without the need for a midi pickup (and potentially dealing with glitches) then this device is pretty rad.
Finally someone gets tasteful sounds out of this thing. All I've heard in other videos are 80s versions of elevator jazz and I couldn't eat for hours. How many of these sounds are stock presets?
Thanks for a really great presentation, Mitch! Very straight forward and very informative. I had seen a lot of other vids on this machine, but you really summed it all up very well. Don't think I'll be able to live another day without it... :-O
Nice demo Mitch! You talked a mile a minute and it STILL took over 14 minutes to show what this thing does! LOL!! Seriously, that was a great quick-look. You can see that you could spend about a month experimenting with all the controls and capabilities of this thing. Truly amazing through stock pickups!
Thanks so much for this demo. It seems like the SY-300 is actually a digital emulation of an analog synthesizer, i.e. you would buy this if you want to actually create synth sounds that sound like a synthesizer rather than like a flute or god knows what else. I've been reviewing videos of other pedals like the GR-55 and GP-10, and these just really seem more like patch players where someone wants to sound like some other instrument rather than sounding like a synth. Seems like the SY-300 is more like what I'm looking for.
Hey Mitch... at 6:20 you mention 3 preset settings for different guitars, etc., but I see nothing about that in my manual or in the sy-300 that I just received from - you guessed it, Sweetwater. Nice demo. I'll be putting one out myself. I like the pedal a lot, but I was around in the old(er) school early analogue synth days. There are some caveats: some patches are monophonic, some are only 2, 3 or 4 note polyphonic and your technique seems to determine a bit of this. The oscillators can be set for ranges of pitch which has an effect as well. It is much more forgiving to player's style than a MIDI guitar controller (GK) but it still begs for clean technique. And your input volume can effect the level of spurious noises, which can appear at times... but it's not like you can't get a handle on it. I immediately downloaded the additional patches available from Tone Central, and probably have about a dozen or more sounds that I like before customization. The arpeggiated patches are a bit obtuse but I believe I'll find a use with experimentation. My demo will cover usage with an acoustic guitar and ways to make that work better. Yes... it's very cool on acoustic.
Gary Phillips OK... I found the sensitivity settings. Found it in the parameter guide. I think I was looking at an earlier PDF of the manual as well. Now I'll be able to tailor it to my acoustic even better.
Great review…!! I have two questions: does the Boss SY-300 have sounds like strings, brass, woodwinds etc. that one can use to record more "down to earth" music ? Besides the connectors, what is the main difference between the GR-55 and this unit ? Thanks.
Mus Ele It's not a sample playback synth or even a traditional subtractive synth, but there are definitely some softer brass, woodwind and string-like sounds available. There are a few existing patches that are more complementary when blended with the regular guitar voice than overwhelming. The GR-55 requires the GK hex pickup and is more of a modeling synth which creates a huge variety of over driven and clean guitar sounds emulating amps and multi-effect chains. And it is a MIDI controller that will play internal and external sample collections of instruments. The GP-10 is similar minus the MIDI. If one is trying to decide which tool would benefit their style, they need to listen to many demos and read a lot of reviews - and play one too, if you can - before deciding. The GP-10, SY-300, Strymon Mobius, Fractal Axe FX, and the pedal boards by Boss, Line 6 etc are all capable tools. The SY-300 is going to be less useful for someone who wants to play a variety of contemporary music and who doesn't want to futz around under the hood. But it does.... pretty.. to hard.. to eccentric... to old school.. and with an organic feel that uses your existing pickup... and that's pretty cool.
If you're old enough to remember Roland's first attempt to Guitar Synthesis (GR500/1977) this unit might be its ideal follower. GR500 had no presets and you had to tweak around and make some effort to get some decent result. SY300 has tons of presets available but the concept is the same. No sampled sounds to get started with, just raw material to experiment with. To me, this is what a Guitar Synthesizer should be, not a rompler ;-) Listen to some old songs or watch some old clip from early Steve Hackett (1978/80) just to know what I mean. ruclips.net/video/ozga4oRO6rE/видео.html
I think this is way better than getting a Triple Play and software. I love the fact that the original sound of your guitar can be brought back in. I've been wanting something like this ever since I learned that Amir Derakh used three Roland synths in his rig with Orgy in 2000. (as shown on guitargeek.com.) Regardless of the presets, I love actually being able to take anything with a 1/4" cable connected to it and instantly get new sounds. This thing is far more revolutionary than its name implies. Plus, it states on Boss's website (correct me if I am wrong) that you can use the actual input as if it was an oscillator itself - and still use the other types of oscillators as well. Just cuz it says it's a guitar synth in its name does not mean its limited to guitar or bass.
I love this. Really like the waveform control, since I'm a tweak freak and like creating individualized patches. As for this vs Fishman Triple Play, I think it kind of depends on your gig. I plan to get the Fishman because I play in a pop/R&B cover band, in which pretty much every sound in some song is some kind of synth, usually by two or three keyboard players. In that situation, I prefer the Fishman, because I can just zero into the exact sound (Korg Poly 6, Clav, DX7, Minimoog), which kind of increases my market value relative to synth players. Plus it's cheaper, and lets me use my axe as a controller for tres cool shit like Massive. It also lets me compose in Reason or Ableton without having to struggle with the keyboard. The downside is that I have to lug either my laptop or iPad out to the gig, which I don't like to do. The SY-300 costs more, but seems to have the capability to create the sounds you want (you just have to sweat more), and seems a lot more intuitive and suited to live playing....Makes me wanna trade in my GT-100.
I just tried one of these in at the local guitar store. I was extremely impressed with the "tracking". I am extremely disappointed though that the midi-out is just for switching functions and not converting the audio to midi. That would open up amazing new avenues to use with other software synths. If that function could be developed in a way that isn't super glitchy like many midi pickups, then that would be a dream for all guitar players. Oh well, maybe that is still many years away from reality.
Great demo I actually understood everything he said. Would love to have this. Great guitar player's really have no use for pedal's like this (if your not in a band) that's why I need one.
I have to agree with David, I haven't heard a decent sound in all that. What about strings simulation? Sitars, violins and stuff at least that would be useable.
Good review. Thanks for going in-depth with it. I love the concept, and I can't wait to try one for myself. The youtube demos of this thing are intensely sad and discouraging. But that's how I feel about pretty much every guitar or effect demo out there. Off with your hair, youtube guitar demo makers!!!
Thanks for your message, good question. Since there’s no Hex pickup with the SY300, there’s no pitch to voltage information converted inside the device. The MIDI out is only for patch and control change messages. Please contact us direct with other questions as you have them! Robert Williams, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 2371, robert_williams@sweetwater.com
I love to play the piano with my guitar with the Axon guitar to midi converter - unfortunately - this will not work with this thing. The pads sounds not bad - this is the first good demo about this synth.
Nice demo Mitch! Question for anybody: Mitch says I can run any audio into this thing as well as a guitar. How about my electric keyboard? Can I run a preamplified voice into it?
Great question! You can run a keyboard or voice into the pedal, although your mileage may vary depending on the patch. The latter will likely require something like this interface to work properly: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MixingLink--eventide-mixing-link-preamp-and-fx-loop There are dedicated vocal effect pedals for vocals and/or keys, so feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss those. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Hi Sandy, thanks for your inquiry, and congratulations on the SY300! If you're connecting in series and plan to use the synths more than effects, then place it first in the chain. If you're using it more for effects, then place your drives and compression first. There's a loop in the unit if you want to use your current pedals separately rather than in line. Way more possibilities than we have space for here. Please contact me direct if I didn't answer your question completely. Robert Williams, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 2371, robert_williams@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwater Thanks! I ended up putting it in the effects loop, second, in the chain, after the EHX Super Ego +, It seems to work well, there, at least for now. I need to move some things around, so I can connect the Expression pedal. Thanks for the valuable input. I appreciate it!
Ask yourself: is the sound quality important? Why people is still buying things like Korg MS series? Why people looks for vintage instrumentation? Does an amp simulation pedal gives you the same feeling as an old Marshall or Fender amp? Are you happy with a digital distortion on your guitar? I read in the comments that "it's not important the sound, it's important the versatility". What is the versatility of a bad sounding instrument? I'm not interested in having a lot of bad sounds out of my guitar. If it was an economical pedal maybe... but this is not our case.
Hi Rafael, the SY-300 reacts to any frequency within the guitar's range. It doesn't matter if the notes are from the Western tuning scale or if they're part of a micro tuning. Thanks for watching!
Thanx Sweetwater a million you r the only one that explaines the inside...not even Boss does that..I think Boss is has a big latency if it comes to marketing or customerservice...Learn from Sweetwater Yeahhhh!!
I was hoping it would get Pat Metheny's tone from the song "Third Wind" ...oh well. Actually on another demo from Boss itself I found two settings that had the Metheny vibe which is great for live playing.
+Jason Mercieca Remember, GR-55 is 2 different things, the synth itself and the cosm-modelled guitars and gear. In SY-300 there is no modelled guitars so no need to tune down...
Anybody out there that can replace my broken CASIO PG 380? I miss the totally usable sounds. This BOSS SY 300 wouldn't do as good on my regular gigs where legit instrument sounds pay the bills! Gimme trumpets saxes, accordions, strings and Hammond organ!
@@larryh.3173 I replaced 37 upgraded caps in the Casio! It's almost as good as the Casio PG 300, having self contained 64 onboard sounds. Gotta love the B3 patch! So easy with 6 AA batteries and only two cords to two amps. No need for a laptop and extra wires etc. at gigs. I'm old skool, it's workin for me. Thanks for replying!
Hi absinha6209, the MIDI Out is for sending Program Changes as well as Continuous Controller information from the buttons and externally connected switch and expression pedals. It does not, however, send any Note On information via MIDI. Thanks for watching!
thers very little new here. this tech has been out since the vg99 in 2007 except its for regular guitar output. its not bad if you're ok with oldish sounds and REFUSE to go 13pin/midi guitar.
Man I want one :-) if I can take my new line 6 spider IV 150 watt guitar amp with the short board mk2 that I got from Sweetwater a couple years ago and trade it in for the sy300 I would! :-) I don't even use the amp is too big for my apartment hehe :-)
A moment I want to buy it, then I look at the price (in my country) and then I think maybe it is 80% crap with just a couple of interesting patches. It should cost like gt10 and I would buy it right now. At this moment, I am thinking maybe it is better to buy a gt100, it is a bit cheaper, and has some synth stuff and step sequence as well (gt10 also does but it is a bit inferior in quality, and synth is not so well achieved).
Great review. These things always amuse me, though - why make a guitar sound like a synth? Keyboardists jumping hoops to sound like strings. Can everyone just pick an instrument? ;)
Gary D All musicians/Producers/songwriters want to come up with a new sound, in reality 99% is just a progression based on what's there before. Imagine blending guitar sounds with synth sounds for a totally new sound... Guitars are much more fun to play than synths (I know, I play both) If you are making a demo or a finished master you can add sounds to give a greater depth sonically... Working with other musicians can be difficult, they can be hard work, always wanting their own way, having a multitude of sounds can eliminate the need for others... Not everyone can play keyboards... Not every song needs guitar parts... Frankly your unimaginative point of view would never produce acts like Kraftwerk, Portishead, Laurie Anderson... Try to unleash the creative process, stop being so one dimensional !!! (That's not meant as an insult)
I get that, but we need to also understand that a “synthesizer” is different from the keyboard that physically controls it. Yes, that keyboard is DEFINITELY a useful interface of adjustment knobs, sliders, keys, etc., but in the end, that set of keys is “merely” a triggering mechanism that’s employed to turn each voice ON, etc. Using a guitar as a CONTROLLER is pretty much the same thing, LOL, except that keyboards got there first…. so now it just seems “wrong” whenever a guitar can work in the same capacity. This also applies to using percussion pads, “electronic drums” etc. in order to also accomplish triggering whichever synth module, sampler, etc. happens to be attached to it. Personally, I totally understand the way folks generally tend to think that a keyboardist has “first claim” to using synth sounds, etc. but really, as common as that happens, that would basically be a false assumption. Cheers!
It's its own thing, not every synth out there has to mimic a Moog... I mean, I'd love it if it would but in the end it's a Roland product. As for the price, I guess it has no competitors so it's not that bad...
the review is cool....knowledgeable n' to the point but the product doesn't go where e'one wanted it to go and that is play the sounds from instruments on a computer via midi conversion.....in this respect it's ultimately an efx unit that one can blend some sounds with guitar..but not really play and compose inside one's DAW.....the price seems ways high...
Wow, perfect for all those Twilight Zone sound tracks we're all working on!! But how about a great sounding synth-sax? Not so much. The SY300 seems to be little more than sound effects. One of the patches is called "Eat My Noise." Not far from the truth, Boss. In this case, synth only means "synthetic," unfortunately, not "synthesizer." Yours for only $700 plus tax.
Thanks for pointing that out, and I don't doubt it, but that is a small achievement, considering the hefty price, and what's more, I can do that now. I was hoping for MUCH more musicality, and much less novelty. Hope it continues to work for you.
True, and I'm glad it's working out for you. I think Boss could have made us both happy but I suspect they limited the SY300's capabilities so it wouldn't hurt sales of other products, like the GR55.
I think it's got more to do with the way it works. It works by the oscillators reacting to sound input(it works with vocals and keys as well) and it doesn't actually convert signal, so a realistic saxophone is impossible. You can probably get close, though. It's just like the really old-school patch-cable synths of yesteryear. Tweak, tweak, tweak.
Try to sell this to someone with Les Paul - tube amp fixation in the search of THE sound, wondering why they don't sound like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck.
i was going to get one but so far i've watched 3 vids and so far it sound's like a cheap horror movie.it seems like it track but on every sound you would not want to use,bummer.maybe later they will ad better tone's.
wiziek shouldn't it be something that is not a guitar and wants to 'synth' guitar sounds? like keyboards or a PC software which can synth real guitar sounds.... if it just adds wabbling effects on a real guitar, I would name it a "guitar effect box"....the name synthesizer did confuse me ..
imkow But this isn't a guitar, just seperate bos with synth. You can get synths withoout keyboards that you have to hook up through midi to control. It works just like synth, you have oscilators etc, read up on that.
Azael VI Actually it is. Don't go by how much you care for the patches you are hearing in the demo.. but listen to the variety and the tracking and the polyphony... and it is using your regular guitar pickup... any guitar. Works great on acoustic as well. I've had it for 2 days and I was really expecting to be let down... it's in my nature. But I'll be using it at my regular acoustic solo gig this week. Several of the patches - particularly the ones I downloaded from Tone Central, are particularly nice on acoustic, and I haven't even tweaked them yet. It doesn't turn your guitar into the equivalent of a popular keyboard synth... maybe the next version will. But it is a powerful sound creation tool and that's all I was hoping for.
That's encouraging. I like the flexibility of not having to mod my guitars. However I do like the vast sample selection avalible in interfaces like Omnisphere when using the Fisman Triple Play. Hopefully Roland is on the right track.
Yuk ! Sounds very robotic, has a midrange honk that loses its warmth. I have heard the same sounds on Boss Gt Series pedalboards. LOL !! You rarely see anyone using these gadgets, most guitar players just play guitar and do not use toys to play for them, let your keyboardist or a tech perform gimmicks and save your cash. Great Ad though, very informative and Mitch tells it like it is.
and that's the reason why the electric guitar is out of today's mainstream music, in 80's the synth technology tried to combinate with the piano and the guitar for popular music, piano players said "yeah, why not" and today their technology is a monster, guitar players said "bullshit! don't touch my pedals, my tube amp and my vintage sound" Renew or die, and i'm a guitar player
All in all, they are selling old technology for a price of new stuff that is faaaar from this one with crappy sounds. These cheap sounds I had in early 90es in cheap guitar multieffect from Boss I don't remember the model. I had it and it was regular guitar multiefx with dosen of synt sounds. Also cheap Korg Pandora has synth sounds for guitar, bass or even vocal. This Boss guitar "synthesizer" is five times overpriced
I love how you really learn the stuff before you do your demos.
It's so obvious that you know well what you are demoing in all your videos I've watched.
It's refreshing watching someone who feels at hoe either programming a synth, an fx rack, or playing different styles at guitar.
Congrats.
So much more informative than Boss's 80's looking promo videos :)
Excellent explanatory demo. Not only did they play some sounds but went in depth into the features, exactly what I need it to make me plug the trigger and getting one ☝️
Excellent review of this review. Not only did you explain what he did but you also used a military metaphor to signal your intention. 👍🏼
Mine is still on my board and not going anywhere... The creativity is endless with it...
the midi connectivity isn't so you can send midi notes to another synth, it's so you can switch patches and control parameters from another midi device etc. to everyone saying the sounds suck and there are no piano and flute sounds, this device is made for sythesised sounds, not sampled sounds, as it pretty clearly doesn't do pitch to midi conversion. hopefully soon it will be possible to do through a standard pickup and 1/4" jack, but if that's what you're looking for, this isn't it. but if you want some brash 80s and 90s synth sounds with polyphony and without the need for a midi pickup (and potentially dealing with glitches) then this device is pretty rad.
Finally someone gets tasteful sounds out of this thing. All I've heard in other videos are 80s versions of elevator jazz and I couldn't eat for hours. How many of these sounds are stock presets?
Thank you for putting into words what I was feeling from the other vids on the SY-300. 80s versions of elevator jazz, my God.
Man that was some gorgeous playing Mitch. Wonderful.
Thanks for a really great presentation, Mitch! Very straight forward and very informative. I had seen a lot of other vids on this machine, but you really summed it all up very well. Don't think I'll be able to live another day without it... :-O
Mitch Gallagher's product presentations are the best!
... it sounds like a true Vangelis tone, I already love this pedal so much, I want one !...
Great to see the technology now able to do this and great video Mitch's-thx
Great review. Every other video is 80s looking dudes playing solos to every preset.
This is a prog rock dream machine lol can't wait to get one.
Great job as always, Mitch!!
If only Frank Zappa were here for this stuff!
and AH
Nice demo Mitch! You talked a mile a minute and it STILL took over 14 minutes to show what this thing does! LOL!! Seriously, that was a great quick-look. You can see that you could spend about a month experimenting with all the controls and capabilities of this thing. Truly amazing through stock pickups!
Thanks so much for this demo. It seems like the SY-300 is actually a digital emulation of an analog synthesizer, i.e. you would buy this if you want to actually create synth sounds that sound like a synthesizer rather than like a flute or god knows what else. I've been reviewing videos of other pedals like the GR-55 and GP-10, and these just really seem more like patch players where someone wants to sound like some other instrument rather than sounding like a synth. Seems like the SY-300 is more like what I'm looking for.
Would this also work with, say, the output from a Taylor nylon-string guitar?
Absolutely not a deal breaker, but still, it would be very, very cool!
How did you shed all that weight, man? You look awesome!
Great review, good job.
If Randy Roads was still alive he would probably buy this in a heart beat. This thing seams to be awesome and im planing on buying one myself.
Boss should hire this guy. He did an amazing job with this
AWESOME Blue Box:) Sweetwater ROX! May want to add that cute homemade desk stand to the product list:)
Excellent review!
"sorrow lands" 🤗
Hey Mitch... at 6:20 you mention 3 preset settings for different guitars, etc., but I see nothing about that in my manual or in the sy-300 that I just received from - you guessed it, Sweetwater. Nice demo. I'll be putting one out myself. I like the pedal a lot, but I was around in the old(er) school early analogue synth days. There are some caveats: some patches are monophonic, some are only 2, 3 or 4 note polyphonic and your technique seems to determine a bit of this. The oscillators can be set for ranges of pitch which has an effect as well. It is much more forgiving to player's style than a MIDI guitar controller (GK) but it still begs for clean technique. And your input volume can effect the level of spurious noises, which can appear at times... but it's not like you can't get a handle on it. I immediately downloaded the additional patches available from Tone Central, and probably have about a dozen or more sounds that I like before customization. The arpeggiated patches are a bit obtuse but I believe I'll find a use with experimentation. My demo will cover usage with an acoustic guitar and ways to make that work better. Yes... it's very cool on acoustic.
Gary Phillips OK... I found the sensitivity settings. Found it in the parameter guide. I think I was looking at an earlier PDF of the manual as well. Now I'll be able to tailor it to my acoustic even better.
Thinking about this for bass
Great review…!!
I have two questions: does the Boss SY-300 have sounds like strings, brass, woodwinds etc. that one can use to record more "down to earth" music ?
Besides the connectors, what is the main difference between the GR-55 and this unit ?
Thanks.
Mus Ele It's not a sample playback synth or even a traditional subtractive synth, but there are definitely some softer brass, woodwind and string-like sounds available. There are a few existing patches that are more complementary when blended with the regular guitar voice than overwhelming. The GR-55 requires the GK hex pickup and is more of a modeling synth which creates a huge variety of over driven and clean guitar sounds emulating amps and multi-effect chains. And it is a MIDI controller that will play internal and external sample collections of instruments. The GP-10 is similar minus the MIDI. If one is trying to decide which tool would benefit their style, they need to listen to many demos and read a lot of reviews - and play one too, if you can - before deciding. The GP-10, SY-300, Strymon Mobius, Fractal Axe FX, and the pedal boards by Boss, Line 6 etc are all capable tools. The SY-300 is going to be less useful for someone who wants to play a variety of contemporary music and who doesn't want to futz around under the hood. But it does.... pretty.. to hard.. to eccentric... to old school.. and with an organic feel that uses your existing pickup... and that's pretty cool.
If you're old enough to remember Roland's first attempt to Guitar Synthesis (GR500/1977) this unit might be its ideal follower. GR500 had no presets and you had to tweak around and make some effort to get some decent result. SY300 has tons of presets available but the concept is the same. No sampled sounds to get started with, just raw material to experiment with. To me, this is what a Guitar Synthesizer should be, not a rompler ;-) Listen to some old songs or watch some old clip from early Steve Hackett (1978/80) just to know what I mean.
ruclips.net/video/ozga4oRO6rE/видео.html
I think this is way better than getting a Triple Play and software. I love the fact that the original sound of your guitar can be brought back in. I've been wanting something like this ever since I learned that Amir Derakh used three Roland synths in his rig with Orgy in 2000. (as shown on guitargeek.com.) Regardless of the presets, I love actually being able to take anything with a 1/4" cable connected to it and instantly get new sounds. This thing is far more revolutionary than its name implies. Plus, it states on Boss's website (correct me if I am wrong) that you can use the actual input as if it was an oscillator itself - and still use the other types of oscillators as well. Just cuz it says it's a guitar synth in its name does not mean its limited to guitar or bass.
Christopher Taylor you´d presumably turn a cheap casio keyboard into a powerful synth by simply plugging it in.
***** I wasn't thinking that scenario, but technically yes.
I think this looks bad ass lol can't please everyone lol
I love this. Really like the waveform control, since I'm a tweak freak and like creating individualized patches. As for this vs Fishman Triple Play, I think it kind of depends on your gig. I plan to get the Fishman because I play in a pop/R&B cover band, in which pretty much every sound in some song is some kind of synth, usually by two or three keyboard players. In that situation, I prefer the Fishman, because I can just zero into the exact sound (Korg Poly 6, Clav, DX7, Minimoog), which kind of increases my market value relative to synth players. Plus it's cheaper, and lets me use my axe as a controller for tres cool shit like Massive. It also lets me compose in Reason or Ableton without having to struggle with the keyboard. The downside is that I have to lug either my laptop or iPad out to the gig, which I don't like to do. The SY-300 costs more, but seems to have the capability to create the sounds you want (you just have to sweat more), and seems a lot more intuitive and suited to live playing....Makes me wanna trade in my GT-100.
Hi
It's allso ready for bassguitars. I hope you guys will find the time to take it thru it's bass uses too...
I just tried one of these in at the local guitar store. I was extremely impressed with the "tracking".
I am extremely disappointed though that the midi-out is just for switching functions and not converting the audio to midi. That would open up amazing new avenues to use with other software synths.
If that function could be developed in a way that isn't super glitchy like many midi pickups, then that would be a dream for all guitar players. Oh well, maybe that is still many years away from reality.
Great video!! Thanks
Great demo I actually understood everything he said. Would love to have this. Great guitar player's really have no use for pedal's like this (if your not in a band) that's why I need one.
So the MIDI out won't send notes from your guitar?
I think I love this thing.
thnx for the review..
I must confess - it is worth every dime.
How are the String sounds ?? organ sounds?
Great review! I bought it. Lx
He sounds like Brian from Family Guy.
So you mean Seth Macfarlane's actual voice
nahh he sounds like the Captain from The Orville.
I have to agree with David, I haven't heard a decent sound in all that. What about strings simulation? Sitars, violins and stuff at least that would be useable.
Good review. Thanks for going in-depth with it. I love the concept, and I can't wait to try one for myself. The youtube demos of this thing are intensely sad and discouraging. But that's how I feel about pretty much every guitar or effect demo out there. Off with your hair, youtube guitar demo makers!!!
good video !! you play well
Any idea how I can play the effect "pat heritage" or "decelerated" in a pedal zoom g2? or create it somehow?
amazing!
i hope in the future they make a guitar withsomething like that actually in the guitar... that would be badass!!
yes, very nice indeed!
hi there! Can you use an expression pedal with it? thanks!
Yes, I saw one being used with an SY-300 in another video.
have you got the link? thanks
why is it missing important synth features like release for pad sounds. not just delay and reverb?
Can the sounds on the unit be upgraded?
awesome!
Halo, may i ask....Is there any grand piano sound on this pedals? Thank u!
Hi, I know it's late but it is a subtractive synth, PCM for piano is on the GR-55. Hope this helps.
the boss sy 300 is the best guitar related anything I ever owned period ,except my Gibson,fender,hagstrom and epiphone collection...
How is it with a Bass Guitar?
I know this is old, but what does the Midi out transmits? Can you play an external synt through it?
Thanks for your message, good question. Since there’s no Hex pickup with the SY300, there’s no pitch to voltage information converted inside the device. The MIDI out is only for patch and control change messages.
Please contact us direct with other questions as you have them!
Robert Williams, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 2371, robert_williams@sweetwater.com
I love to play the piano with my guitar with the Axon guitar to midi converter - unfortunately - this will not work with this thing. The pads sounds not bad - this is the first good demo about this synth.
Nice demo Mitch! Question for anybody: Mitch says I can run any audio into this thing as well as a guitar. How about my electric keyboard? Can I run a preamplified voice into it?
Great question! You can run a keyboard or voice into the pedal, although your mileage may vary depending on the patch. The latter will likely require something like this interface to work properly:
www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MixingLink--eventide-mixing-link-preamp-and-fx-loop
There are dedicated vocal effect pedals for vocals and/or keys, so feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss those. Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwater Like a mic pre, you mean? Well, we'll find out soon! Eagerly awaiting it's arrival!
Mine is on the way. I'm curious about where to put it in the signal chain. Or, should it go in the effects loop? I have many questions. ✌️
Hi Sandy, thanks for your inquiry, and congratulations on the SY300! If you're connecting in series and plan to use the synths more than effects, then place it first in the chain. If you're using it more for effects, then place your drives and compression first. There's a loop in the unit if you want to use your current pedals separately rather than in line. Way more possibilities than we have space for here.
Please contact me direct if I didn't answer your question completely.
Robert Williams, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 2371, robert_williams@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwater Thanks! I ended up putting it in the effects loop, second, in the chain, after the EHX Super Ego +, It seems to work well, there, at least for now. I need to move some things around, so I can connect the Expression pedal. Thanks for the valuable input. I appreciate it!
Very helpful, professional, enthusiastic. Impressive machine. Weather Report on guitar, hmmmm
Ask yourself: is the sound quality important? Why people is still buying things like Korg MS series? Why people looks for vintage instrumentation? Does an amp simulation pedal gives you the same feeling as an old Marshall or Fender amp? Are you happy with a digital distortion on your guitar? I read in the comments that "it's not important the sound, it's important the versatility". What is the versatility of a bad sounding instrument? I'm not interested in having a lot of bad sounds out of my guitar. If it was an economical pedal maybe... but this is not our case.
Hi, is it possible to play sounds of the roland integra-7 through the boss SY-300? Thanx
does it tracks out of tune notes ? like to use a microtonal guitar would it have microtonal chords synth chords ?
Hi Rafael, the SY-300 reacts to any frequency within the guitar's range. It doesn't matter if the notes are from the Western tuning scale or if they're part of a micro tuning. Thanks for watching!
one listed right now on e-bay starting at 430.00!!
Wow. Considering Roland makes professional synths, this isn't a huge surprise. If it ever discounts to half price I'll get one.
A M A Z I N G
that is cool
Anyone know if it'll do a regular piano?
Does it do the Pat Metheny sound?
Stick Men Yes and I know because I own it.
Obviously this isn't what I'm looking for unless we could access an external sound bank for convincing the audience they're hearing other instruments?
Thanx Sweetwater a million you r the only one that explaines the inside...not even Boss does that..I think Boss is has a big latency if it comes to marketing or customerservice...Learn from Sweetwater Yeahhhh!!
I was hoping it would get Pat Metheny's tone from the song "Third Wind" ...oh well. Actually on another demo from Boss itself I found two settings that had the Metheny vibe which is great for live playing.
Ok but its more powerfull than GR55?
No pıano,Guıtar sounds??
but does it down tune like the gr-55???
Jason Mercieca ha, is it so necessary for synth?
And I believe it can`t
+Jason Mercieca Remember, GR-55 is 2 different things, the synth itself and the cosm-modelled guitars and gear. In SY-300 there is no modelled guitars so no need to tune down...
Hmm. It does seem pretty cool.
Anybody out there that can replace my broken CASIO PG 380? I miss the totally usable sounds. This BOSS SY 300 wouldn't do as good on my regular gigs where legit instrument sounds pay the bills! Gimme trumpets saxes, accordions, strings and Hammond organ!
It was never meant to be able to do that. You should be checking out the GR-55.
@@larryh.3173 I replaced 37 upgraded caps in the Casio! It's almost as good as the Casio PG 300, having self contained 64 onboard sounds. Gotta love the B3 patch! So easy with 6 AA batteries and only two cords to two amps. No need for a laptop and extra wires etc. at gigs. I'm old skool, it's workin for me. Thanks for replying!
I'm looking to do keyboard-like sounds on guitar for certain songs so we don't have to hire a keyboardist. not sure of this will do the trick.
Can the MIDI out control a an actual synthesizer?
Hi absinha6209, the MIDI Out is for sending Program Changes as well as Continuous Controller information from the buttons and externally connected switch and expression pedals. It does not, however, send any Note On information via MIDI. Thanks for watching!
thers very little new here. this tech has been out since the vg99 in 2007 except its for regular guitar output. its not bad if you're ok with oldish sounds and REFUSE to go 13pin/midi guitar.
+clearlight808 (or play ANY other instrument that uses a 1/4 inch jack)
Plus, it's blue!
Show !!!!
Man I want one :-) if I can take my new line 6 spider IV 150 watt guitar amp with the short board mk2 that I got from Sweetwater a couple years ago and trade it in for the sy300 I would! :-) I don't even use the amp is too big for my apartment hehe :-)
So it's basically the electro harmonix c/b9
Ryley Schade except I didn't hear this thing make even one good sound.
Ryley Schade This isn't organ emulator, more along line of analog synth just for guitar.
Ryley Schade More like Jam Origin MIDI-Guitar plugin as a hardware pedal.
I really don't like BOSS, but they do great work with guitar synthesizers.
Ryley Schade Uh, I guess you didn't watch the video???
Lemmy Koopa No, not at all. This is an analog synth. If you want to know more, read up on analog vs. sample based or modeled synthesis.
Except in all the numerous ways it is so much more....yea...
A moment I want to buy it, then I look at the price (in my country) and then I think maybe it is 80% crap with just a couple of interesting patches. It should cost like gt10 and I would buy it right now. At this moment, I am thinking maybe it is better to buy a gt100, it is a bit cheaper, and has some synth stuff and step sequence as well (gt10 also does but it is a bit inferior in quality, and synth is not so well achieved).
wow, incredible machine! all the cheesy synth sounds of the world in one box.
Great review. These things always amuse me, though - why make a guitar sound like a synth? Keyboardists jumping hoops to sound like strings. Can everyone just pick an instrument? ;)
Gary D
All musicians/Producers/songwriters want to come up
with a new sound, in reality 99% is just a progression based on what's there
before. Imagine blending guitar sounds with synth sounds for a totally new
sound... Guitars are much more fun to play than synths (I know, I play both) If
you are making a demo or a finished master you can add sounds to give a greater
depth sonically... Working with other musicians can be difficult, they can be
hard work, always wanting their own way, having a multitude of sounds can eliminate
the need for others... Not everyone can play keyboards... Not every song needs guitar parts...
Frankly your unimaginative point of view would never produce acts like
Kraftwerk, Portishead, Laurie Anderson... Try to unleash the creative process,
stop being so one dimensional !!! (That's not meant as an insult)
Lethoscorpia Don't know what happened there - I copied and pasted from word and it's added in all sorts of gobbledygook !!!
I get that, but we need to also understand that a “synthesizer” is different from the keyboard that physically controls it. Yes, that keyboard is DEFINITELY a useful interface of adjustment knobs, sliders, keys, etc., but in the end, that set of keys is “merely” a triggering mechanism that’s employed to turn each voice ON, etc.
Using a guitar as a CONTROLLER is pretty much the same thing, LOL, except that keyboards got there first…. so now it just seems “wrong” whenever a guitar can work in the same capacity. This also applies to using percussion pads, “electronic drums” etc. in order to also accomplish triggering whichever synth module, sampler, etc. happens to be attached to it.
Personally, I totally understand the way folks generally tend to think that a keyboardist has “first claim” to using synth sounds, etc. but really, as common as that happens, that would basically be a false assumption. Cheers!
I don't see anywhere if it says....is this digital or analog?
Nice demo . . but its still over priced. And it doesn't get that nice fat Moog sound on any of the demos I've seen online.
just run it to a Moog
It's its own thing, not every synth out there has to mimic a Moog... I mean, I'd love it if it would but in the end it's a Roland product.
As for the price, I guess it has no competitors so it's not that bad...
I am sure you can work out how to get it to sound close.
the review is cool....knowledgeable n' to the point but the product doesn't go where e'one wanted it to go and that is play the sounds from instruments on a computer via midi conversion.....in this respect it's ultimately an efx unit that one can blend some sounds with guitar..but not really play and compose inside one's DAW.....the price seems ways high...
Wow, perfect for all those Twilight Zone sound tracks we're all working on!! But how about a great sounding synth-sax? Not so much. The SY300 seems to be little more than sound effects. One of the patches is called "Eat My Noise." Not far from the truth, Boss. In this case, synth only means "synthetic," unfortunately, not "synthesizer." Yours for only $700 plus tax.
+J Mhr It takes very little to get a great lead saw.
Thanks for pointing that out, and I don't doubt it, but that is a small achievement, considering the hefty price, and what's more, I can do that now. I was hoping for MUCH more musicality, and much less novelty. Hope it continues to work for you.
We probably want different things, musically. I wanted some analog-sounding grit and that's what I got :- ) might not be for everyone, though
True, and I'm glad it's working out for you. I think Boss could have made us both happy but I suspect they limited the SY300's capabilities so it wouldn't hurt sales of other products, like the GR55.
I think it's got more to do with the way it works. It works by the oscillators reacting to sound input(it works with vocals and keys as well) and it doesn't actually convert signal, so a realistic saxophone is impossible. You can probably get close, though. It's just like the really old-school patch-cable synths of yesteryear. Tweak, tweak, tweak.
Try to sell this to someone with Les Paul - tube amp fixation in the search of THE sound, wondering why they don't sound like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck.
i was going to get one but so far i've watched 3 vids and so far it sound's like a cheap horror movie.it seems like it track but on every sound you would not want to use,bummer.maybe later they will ad better tone's.
why Guitar Synthesizer still needs a guitar?
imkow Because it is "guitar" synth? How else are you going to play, with footswitches?
wiziek shouldn't it be something that is not a guitar and wants to 'synth' guitar sounds? like keyboards or a PC software which can synth real guitar sounds.... if it just adds wabbling effects on a real guitar, I would name it a "guitar effect box"....the name synthesizer did confuse me ..
imkow But this isn't a guitar, just seperate bos with synth. You can get synths withoout keyboards that you have to hook up through midi to control. It works just like synth, you have oscilators etc, read up on that.
I thought Boss/Roland would make some radical improvements to their synthesizer products after Fishman came out with the Triple Play. This is not it.
Azael VI Actually it is. Don't go by how much you care for the patches you are hearing in the demo.. but listen to the variety and the tracking and the polyphony... and it is using your regular guitar pickup... any guitar. Works great on acoustic as well. I've had it for 2 days and I was really expecting to be let down... it's in my nature. But I'll be using it at my regular acoustic solo gig this week. Several of the patches - particularly the ones I downloaded from Tone Central, are particularly nice on acoustic, and I haven't even tweaked them yet. It doesn't turn your guitar into the equivalent of a popular keyboard synth... maybe the next version will. But it is a powerful sound creation tool and that's all I was hoping for.
That's encouraging. I like the flexibility of not having to mod my guitars. However I do like the vast sample selection avalible in interfaces like Omnisphere when using the Fisman Triple Play. Hopefully Roland is on the right track.
Mitch has the uncanny ability to get the corniest & cheesiest tones out of pedals
Yuk ! Sounds very robotic, has a midrange honk that loses its warmth. I have heard the same sounds on Boss Gt Series pedalboards. LOL !! You rarely see anyone using these gadgets, most guitar players just play guitar and do not use toys to play for them, let your keyboardist or a tech perform gimmicks and save your cash. Great Ad though, very informative and Mitch tells it like it is.
and that's the reason why the electric guitar is out of today's mainstream music, in 80's the synth technology tried to combinate with the piano and the guitar for popular music, piano players said "yeah, why not" and today their technology is a monster, guitar players said "bullshit! don't touch my pedals, my tube amp and my vintage sound"
Renew or die, and i'm a guitar player
All in all, they are selling old technology for a price of new stuff that is faaaar from this one with crappy sounds. These cheap sounds I had in early 90es in cheap guitar multieffect from Boss I don't remember the model. I had it and it was regular guitar multiefx with dosen of synt sounds. Also cheap Korg Pandora has synth sounds for guitar, bass or even vocal. This Boss guitar "synthesizer" is five times overpriced
Fun for five minutes,then chuck it back in the cupboard.
ill just buy a keybord and get all that sounds