MXR Bass Synth Review

Synth-bass pedals have been around for a long time. They’ve come in a wide variety of flavors and achieved various degrees of success as far as tones and designs go. But, in my experience, they are a class of pedals that are tough to get right. Tracking and latency are always challenges. And they don’t always do a great job of approximating vintage synth-bass patches from classic recordings—specializing in sounds better suited for a sci-fi movie or avant/experimental projects than a Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson context. MXR’s new Bass Synth, however, delivers where so many other bass synths fall short.Source MaterialIn developing the Bass Synth, MXR called on Ian Martin Allison for an artist’s perspective. Allison is a Minneapolis-based bass player with a prominent session resume, a regular on the very popular Scott’s Bass Lessons, and maintains a steady gig with singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson. He also maintains his own strong online following by creating and sharing synth-bass-style tones made with traditional pedal combinations and his programmable multi-effects unit. Allison’s faithful reproductions of classic synth sounds created with electric bass made him the ideal sounding board for the MXR team.Can’t Judge a Book by Looking at the CoverAt a glance, the MXR Bass Synth looks pretty conventional. There are just six rotary controls and a few buttons. But looks, in this case, are deceiving. The MXR is feature-packed, and I couldn’t possibly cover all of them here. But the in-depth, 30-minute video instruction manual Jim Dunlop put up on YouTube hints at the expansiveness of its potential.For the convenience-minded player—or synth beginner—the heart, soul, and saving grace of this pedal might be the presets. Many bass players have limited experience with the process of real creative synthesis via waveforms and filters, and MXR’s factory presets help fast-track the leap to bass-synth sound design. There are many useful departure points and they make the pedal instantly usable. Allison had a hand in developing the presets, and most are easy to incorporate into your playing style. They include sounds inspired by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Stevie Wonder’s TONTO synth, the Minimoog sound on Funkadelic’s “Flashlight,” as well as modern patches inspired by specific songs and artists as diverse as Björk, Nine Inch Nails, and Deadmau5—and that’s a short list of what’s here. There are user-programmable presets, too, of course, and expression-pedal compatibility enables filter sweeping and other effects. Like an Old, Funky FriendThe first thing I did when I plugged the Bass Synth in was engage the preset for “Thriller.” I tweaked the sub-mix control ever so slightly to add a little more bottom to the sound and was knocked out by the accuracy of the tracking. Even when I added lots of vibrato and dramatic slides—moves that would confound a lesser bass synth—the sound was punchy and clear, and with a tweak of the mix control I could let just a tiny amount of the original tone of my bass in to lend extra clarity. Best of all, though, I did not have to alter my playing to make these sounds work. The Bass Synth is both familiar and forgiving.To get a handle on the breadth of the possible synth textures, check out the sound clip for the edgy “Flashlight” Minimoog-style patch (clip 2). This patch is an assault on the senses—intense, aggressive and conducive to overflowing sustain. This patch takes up space in the best way and makes me play much more economically, which is always a wonderful feeling. I was most excited about the “moneymaker” patch, though, which takes a cue from the Herbie Hancock classic, “Chameleon.” With its quick filter sweep and short, funky attack, it lends itself beautifully to staccato-style playing, and mixed in with a bit of my bass’ original sound, it’s a great alternative to an envelope filter.The VerdictGamechanger. It’s an overused word, but MXR earns the title here. This unit gets us closer than ever to not needing to bring a keyboard to the gig. It is usable right out of the box yet contains endless opportunities for deep dives and creativity way beyond what the relative simplicity of the pedal suggests. Whether you have no experience with synth bass or you are a daily key bass player, you should get this pedal. The Bass Synth might not be for every bassist, but if you’re expected to cover a lot of tonal ground or are just a restless bass explorer, it is potentially a staple with a strong chance of staying on your board forever.