I'm using a tube combo amp and this is how my current setup looks like with the SY-1 in my signal chain: guitar > SY-1 (with a Ram's Head Big Muff in the SY-1 effects loop) > Wah pedal > Amp [FX loop send] > Big Sky reverb > Timeline delay > Amp [FX loop return] I've had this for about 2 months now and haven't even scratched the surface of all the sounds and effects it is capable of. 11 settings with 11 options on each one, then changes even more by adjusting the other knobs to enhance or change the settings. I have gone down the rabbit hole several times playing with all the sounds for hours at a time. It seems to have endless possibilities. I originally got this because I wanted a new toy that would expand the enjoyment of playing guitar. It has some crazy sounds ( like any synth device does ) , but also has plenty of beautiful and colorful effects as well. Configurable Control: By default, the SY-1000's eight footswitches select patches, banks, and two control assignments. But you can easily reassign them to nearly any function you want. There's also a Manual mode for fast on/off access to the three instruments and normal input. Up to four external footswitches or two expression pedals are supported, and MIDI I/O is provided as well. The Main and Sub outputs are normally used for mixed stereo signals, but can also be configured as four discrete outputs, complete with dedicated EQ on each. And with the moveable effects loop, you can smoothly integrate all your external gear.

Each of these voices can be adjusted on the fly via the Tone/Rate and Depth knobs, letting you fine tune your sound to taste, or even change the pitch on some sounds. BOSS SY-1 Guitar Synthesizer Pedal Specs Nominal Input Level INPUT, RETURN: -20 dBu Input Impedance INPUT, RETURN: 2.2 M ohms Nominal Output Level OUTPUT, SEND: -20 dBu Output Impedance OUTPUT, SEND: 1 k ohms Recommended Load Impedance 10 k ohms or greater Bypass Buffered bypass Controls Pedal switch

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With a massive 121 ultra-responsive sounds at your disposal, the BOSS SY-1 is an amazingly expressive tool that will slide easily into any pedalboard setup. BOSS SY-1 Guitar Synthesizer Pedal Highlights AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately) Current Draw 115 mA Expected battery life under continuous use Alkaline: Approx. 2 hours I play in a cover band with no keyboard player. There are few songs we do that do which have synth solos or riffs for which I use this pedal. I insert it in the FX loop of my Line 6 Helix. I have found that it works best with electric standard guitars as opposed to the Line 6 Variax which also use occasionally.

Its other sounds are pretty much useless in my 70's cover band, except for maybe some of the "lead" patches. a) You may only use the SOFTWARE on a specific single computer at one time. Use of the SOFTWARE shall include loading the SOFTWARE into temporary memory (i.e., RAM) or installing the SOFTWARE into storage media (i.e., hard disk) of the computer on which you will use the SOFTWARE. Guitar synths have come a long way in recent years, to the point that there are now some seriously playable sounds available in small boxes. This latest Boss offering is one of the smallest; it manages to cram 121 synth presets into a standard Boss compact pedal format. To avoid frightening guitar players with too much synth jargon, the sounds are simply selected using the permutations offered by two rotary switches, and then modified using just a couple of controls. OverviewLike the SYB-5 before it, the BOSS SY-1 features a whole host of voices for you to fine tune. With 11 different categories, and 121 total sounds to choose from, this pedal puts an enormous array of synth options at your fingertips. Choose from analogue synth leads, warm pads, ambient textures, modelled electric and acoustic tones and more individually or three at a time. You can even apply alternate tunings no matteryour guitar's current setup. Pitch, level, layering and panning options are available for each instrument, on top ofspecific controls applied to effects. Even better still are two distinct modes for both bass and electric guitar, which adapts sounds appropriately to eachinstrument. Sequencers As with the SY-300, some of the sounds stand up to detailed scrutiny better than others, with the more straight-ahead analogue synth sounds coming off best, but once layered with guitar or played in the context of a live band most are very believable — and even where they don't quite manage that they are at the very least as musically valid.

Advanced Guitar/Bass Modeling and Poly FX: The SY-1000 doesn't stop at synthesis—it also features refreshed instrument modeling derived from historic BOSS and Roland GK gear. A large selection of electric, acoustic, and bass guitar types are available, each with independent tuning, EQ, virtual amp settings, and more. There's also a highly expressive VIO Guitar instrument, which alters the input signal's envelope and harmonic characteristics to create tones reminiscent of bowed instruments. Finally, the cool Poly FX instrument delivers richly textured voices with high-res definition only possible with GK processing.This pedal sounds great by itself but once you start running it along side other pedals is where you'll see it really start to shine. For example, if you run the SY-1 with some good reverb sounds, it turns it into an entirely different beast. Without adding reverb to the SY-1, it still sounds good, but quality reverb adds so much to the SY-1's potential that I never play it without some form of reverb behind it. Also, the SY-1 having its on onboard effects loop is super handy. I had seen videos of people putting overdrive pedals into the SY-1 effects loop, and while I don't have any OD pedals, I did have a Ram's Head Big Muff so I threw that into the SY-1 FX loop... Super cool! When I have the SY-1 disengaged, I can still turn on the Ram's Head and it do what it does, but when the SY-1 is engaged with the Ram's Head it brings in that fuzz sound where your dry signal would normally be. And the direct knob on the SY-1 acts as a volume pedal for whatever is in the SY-1's FX loop, so you can subdue what's in your FX loop or bring it out in force. And all of this adds color and variety to the quality of sounds you're able to get. I think of it as having more "colors to paint with." And depending on how I have the volume and direct knobs set up, sometimes it feels like the SY-1 is coloring the fuzz, and sometimes it can feel like the fuzz is coloring the SY-1... And this is only with me using a Ram's Head in the SY-1 FX loop, let alone if I were to put anything else in that loop which would only expand my tonal options. In no event shall Roland be liable to end-users for any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to financial damages for any loss of profits or information arising from the use of, or inability to use this product. The foregoing provision is effective even if Roland has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Even if the SOFTWARE has any material, verifiable, and reproducible program errors, Roland shall have no liability to modify such errors. Roland makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, with respect to any of the software, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Roland reserves the right to terminate this License Agreement if you fail to comply with any of the terms of this License Agreement. Upon such termination, you shall immediately stop using the SOFTWARE. a) The SOFTWARE may use open source software and other third party software (herein referred to as "OSS, etc.").