MXR Bass Synth: 8 Classic Synth Bass Tones
The MXR Bass Synth was inspired by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Parliament Funkadelic, and Nine Inch Nails
The MXR Bass Synth is going to put a big smile on many musicians’ faces, as it offers funky, synth textures for your low end.
MXR Bass Synth
The new MXR Bass Synth pedal comes loaded with eight classic presets. These, according to MXR, have been inspired by artists as diverse as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Parliament Funkadelic, and Nine Inch Nails, which means it should cover a lot of ground!
Users can toggle between 8 onboard presets of these artist-inspired synth bass sounds.
Creating Synth Tones
MXR has attempted to make this pedal as simple to use as possible, and it follows some basic synth controls and the ability to blend in your dry bass signal.
On the top left is the Voice button, and this is used to achieve more intricate tones by incorporating additional harmonically tuned oscillators. The Shape button toggles between triangle, sawtooth, and square waves.
Start by using the Shape button to select your fundamental waveform. From there, dial in the amount of modulation with the Mod knob and fine-tune the filter’s response using the Envelope knob.
For even more control, use the Mix controls to blend your dry and wet signals, adjust the cutoff frequency with the Cutoff knob, and add an extra punch to your tone with the Resonance control. Sub Mix adds in the real low-end when you need a bit more.
Extra Features
The pedal also includes both a tap/expression control and a stereo output mode. This opens up the versatility of this pedal, and for such a compact unit, I’m glad MXR chose to cram all this into the Bass Synth, as it makes it a lot more desirable for more complex setups.
Price & Availability
This new pedal is going to be popular and is due out any day soon, with pre-orders open now. I think it offers some really good features, and if you need some synth bass tones in your rig, this could be a great way to achieve them, both live and in the studio.
Official MSRP – USD 269.99

