Current Boss synth pedals (SY-1, SY-200): do they sound good?

[dswo]

I like Boss amps and pedals. I like synths. But every demo I hear sounds grainy and cheap. Here's a recent example:



Every review I've read or heard says, "This thing tracks great," so why does this thing grate on my ears?

 

[bgmacaw]

But every demo I hear sounds grainy and cheap. Here's a recent example:

The synth sounds are very 80's-ish and there are good and bad settings and it can sound "cheesy" I suppose. Maybe that would give you that impression, especially if you prefer the more modern, VST, synth sounds.

Here's a track I did with 4 different settings.

 

[dswo]

Class of '88 here: I like 80s sounds. It's the sound quality that has kept me from buying one of these so far.

 

[E5RSY]

I have had an SY-1 for about a year, now. The sound quality is very good, IMO. Not to mention it has something like 100+ different sounds in it.

You may need to seek out better demos. Check out the ones by Pete Thorn and Brett Kingman.

 

[codamedia]

Every review I've read or heard says, "This thing tracks great," so why does this thing grate on my ears?

At the start of the video the reviewer plays a few chords... obviously through an amp. Then he turns the pedal on... obviously still through the amp. IMO, that's the problem with that review.

These pedals have multi outs, they should be used. The SYNTH tone should go direct to a console or full range setup just like you would a keyboard, and only the guitar signal should go to the amp. When setup like that - the pedal sounds a lot more like the real synths... but with a lot less options.

 

[blowtorch]

I have this and it's pretty sweet

And yes , the big improvement in these more recent developments is the tracking. Used to be you needed a special pickup/hex connectors, and it still didn't track very great.

Does it actually sound like a Moog or a Juno? nope

 

[c4ntaro_sinf0nico]

I like Boss amps and pedals. I like synths. But every demo I hear sounds grainy and cheap.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think these pedals are based on digital samples —very cheesy-sounding ones, tbh— plus some little processing (pitch shifting, modulation, envelope filtering...) in order to make them sound more "synthy". They're not actually "synthesizers in a box".

At the start of the video the reviewer plays a few chords... obviously through an amp. Then he turns the pedal on... obviously still through the amp. IMO, that's the problem with that review.

AFAIK, Ryan supposedly records his demos "straight to interface", without amps. You can tell that in other of his videos and I think it's the reason behind why most of his demos are quieter and maybe dull-sounding.