Outboard effects processors for Keys?

[Byrdman]

I've been eyeing the various effects processors that seem to be oriented mostly to guitarists. I am wondering if anyone has experience with any of them, good or bad, used for keys.

 

Leslie/Overdrive would be a key capability of interest but filtering would also be of interest.

[Synthguy]

A lot of people use them, and have for years, everything from stomp box distortion pedals by Electro Harmonix and Boss, all the way up to the rack mount guys like the SansAmp and Line6. Some distortion is good for a gutsy or guitar-like lead, and if you want to mimic a guitar it comes in very handy, and most have great chorus and better than decent reverb. Many have a good leslie sim too. I don't know of anything that doesn't contribute something cool.

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

I use a Sansamp PSA-1 and a Bass POD all the time with synths. Those are kind of expensive but very versatile. They don't radically alter your tone as much as distortion boxes, unless you want them to. They make your synth sound like it's being played through a guitar tube amp or preamp. The SansAmp GT-2 is highly recommended and it costs about $170.

 

I use many guitar pedals (stompboxes) One of my favorites is the Danelectro Chicken Salad Vibrato. It sounds like a Univibe effect, a swirling vibrato, similar to a subtle phase shift effect. It sounds great with electric piano, organ, and pads. Only $30. You need to buy the $10 AC adapter because it will eat up batteries very fast.

 

Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. Stereo effect-two outputs. Lush, interesting, complex chorus. $80 It's my most often used effect pedal because it sounds great with everything.

[RABid]

Gotta have a Pod. Everyone has a Pod. Look at most keyboard setups in the interviews and you will see a Pod somewhere. There is a reason.

 

Korg Kaos (Version 2 is now out) can be a fun and different effect. It is not about quality, but about control. I hate the fact that is uses RCA jacks and was designed more for a DJ but it makes a great companion to my Nord Modular Rack. If you like manipulating sounds as you play this little device has a lot of value.

 

Robert

[Rod S]

I have an MPX100 which I use quite often on my K2000 - I can't stand the built in digitech processor in the Kurz. I think it's a great all around box if you have a synth with no effects. I also borrow my brother's POD whenever I get a chance - always fun.

 

Not really an effects processor, but I've had some interesting results running lead type sounds thru a JoeMeek VC3Q preamp.

 

I have a Electrix filter queen which I don't care about too much. Maybe I haven't experimented with it enough, but I find it kind of lame. Stupid purchase on a whim since I figured I couldn't go wrong with something costing $60.

 

There's quite a few other filter boxes, like the MAM and the Sherman Filter Bank. The MAM looked pretty interesting to check out, the price wasn't bad for what it offered.

[synthetic]

Can't go wrong with TC Electronic or Lexicon multieffects boxes. Most of the effects I use on synths are chorus and reverb. You may want to listen to a leslie or distortion sound if you play a lot of organ or guitar sounds. You could also look for a box with tap-tempo delay, that's handy.

 

If you find a unit with really nice reverb you'll probably be happy, that's all I use for most sounds (piano, drums, etc.) -jl

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Rabid:

Gotta have a Pod. Everyone has a Pod. Look at most keyboard setups in the interviews and you will see a Pod somewhere. There is a reason.

Agreed. Love mine...so does my Minimoog...

 

Speaking of Moog, their 12 stage phaser is a nice toy (I love phase shifters), as is their Low Pass filter, which I use on EP and clav for envelope follower/wah effects.

 

Another invaluable "effect" - tube pre-amp to warm up digital synths and add more balls to analog synths. I use the GT VIPre.

 

dB

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

Leslie/Overdrive would be a key capability of interest but filtering would also be of interest.

The Boss VF-1 multi-effects unit has a good Leslie effect, overdrive and distortion, and guitar amp simulations using modeling technology (COSM). It also has a Hi-Z input on the front so it's easy to patch in a guitar or keyboard without using a mixer. It's a half rack unit and the price has come down to $300 recently. It's a very versatile processor. www.rolandus.com

[Jazzman]

What sort of Pod do you guys suggest, Pod 2.0, Pod Pro Modeler?

 

What sort of stomp box do you guys/gals use a lot....MM-4 Modulation, FM-4 Filter?? I would like to ge a good Leslie effect going. Hum....a B3 with a Leslie.........

 

I would like to pick up one or two for the keys.

 

Thanks for the imput.......

 

jazzman

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Originally posted by Jazzman:

What sort of Pod do you guys suggest, Pod 2.0, Pod Pro Modeler?

 

What sort of stomp box do you guys/gals use a lot....MM-4 Modulation, FM-4 Filter?? I would like to ge a good Leslie effect going. Hum....a B3 with a Leslie.........:

The Modulation Modeler, Filter Modeler, and Echo Modeler, are also available in rackmount versions now for $300, and the floor version is $250. The floor version only holds four of your presets but the rackmount holds I think 100, plus it doesn't use a wall wart power supply. I've played a guitar through one in the store and I liked the rotary speaker/Leslie effect a lot, but some of the chorus and flange programs don't have the warmth of an analog pedal. It has a simple interface compared to most effects processors and that's a big plus in my opinion because I can't stand complicated effects gear.

 

The difference between the PODs is the POD Pro has digital outputs, internal power supply instead of a wall wart, and an effects loop. It's also a lot more expensive. I can't see paying more if you aren't going to use the effects loop....because I play guitars an effects loop is justified but if I was just buying it to use with keyboards I would just buy the bean-shaped POD. Both versions are great, I guess it all comes down to whether you want to put it in a rack or not. I like having my bean-shaped POD right next to me so I can tweak and adjust the sounds while I have my guitar in my hands or I'm playing my keyboards. If it was in my rack it would not be as accessible.

[industriac]

Has anyone tried out the Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb on a synth??

 

Im interested in picking one up and using it for my TX81z and Darkstar, and possibly for vocals too.

[JimmieWannaB]

If money is a concern, you might check out the DigiTech RP 300. It's a nice inexpensive amp moduler/effects box (<$200). Most of the defaults are a bit heavy for keyboards, but they provide user adjustable duplicates of the 40 presets. I believe I saw an ad recently for a keyboard amp moduler/effects box from DigiTech that may be worth checking into.

[loxley11]

Industriac, I know you wrote this two years ago, but just saw this and thought I'd make a comment. Recently my brother (a guitarist) got an ElectroHarmonix Holy Grail reverb pedal, and I tried it out with my synth (an OB-8). It sounds awesome, and not just because of the analog synth. The real beauty of it, though, is not the reverbs, although they are good. Its "Flurb" effect adds incredible movement to a pad, depending on how much you apply. I haven't been able to find this effect on other boxes either, and I would say that if you just want a reverb for live applications it would be worth the price.

 

Loxley11

[jay da cop]

I second JimmieWannaB. I have a Digitech RP200 that I have mellowed out a bit for my SQ80 (remember that old Ensoniq?), and I think it has opened up a whole new world of sound possibilities for me. I don't use the distortion, but it has plenty of other stuff (chorus, reverbs, delays, phasers, wah, leslie) that can be edited real-time with the CC pedal. It's brought that dinosaur into the new world.

 

Jay

[JMcS]

Has anyone tried or know anything about this Polytone amp? http://www.polytoneamps.com/Taurus%20Elite.htm It apparently has a rotating horn, but the website is unclear about a drum for the low frequencies. It has a reverb unit and some other nice features.

[DafDuc]

I picked up a Johnson J-Station for $89 - kind of a baby Pod. Very cool sounds, a bit squirrely interface. Mostly used it with my QS-8 to fatten up bass and guitar patches, but itching to push my new Odyssey through it once it's out of the shop.

 

It's a little weird with levels, cos it's expecting a guitar-level input - so the factory presets aren't much use (I use some of them with my 335, though), but there are 33 or so user presets too. Cool little investment. There were 3 or 4 bass amps on it - like those a lot. Like the SPDIF out too - straight into the Delta or the VS-840...

 

Daf

[clusterchord]

in addition to aforementioned:

 

phasers: EHX smallstone, MF 12-stage phaser

delays: EHX memoryman deluxe, Blacet Time Machine

filters: Frostwave Resonator (MS20 style), MF101 (moog style), Eowave Filterbug

Chorus/Flanger: EHX Polychorus, Mistress

od/drive: fulltone pedal69 pedal70, EHX LPB 2ube, SPL Charisma 2

Digitals/Reverb: Eventide old DSP series, Lexicon PCM70/81/91

preamps/di for thickening: Avalon U5, Manley Tube Pre, Great River NV, API 3124, Vintech 473

[mound]

I love my Lexicon MPX-G2 . A bit pricey ($600-$900 depending if you get the midi foot controller as well), have to find them used on ebay or whatever, but my god, it is the absolute mother ship of all effects processors. It's "intended" for guitar, but I've used it on Guitar, bass, keys and vocals. The routing and programming capabilities of it literally give you endless possibilities for rig configurations. A warning though, the learning curve is pretty steep, but once you figure it out, the possibilities are amazing.

 

edit: it's even got a built in 20 second looper and it's stereo!

[MikeT156]

Here's a question for everyone. One of the biggest beefs I had with effects processors in the "early" days was they were so noisy. Is it safe to assume that the new stuff is quiet and doesn't interfere with a clean sounding rig? I use to hate the noisy crap in the background, especially when the song was over and you didn't get to the foot switch fast enough. I think a floor operated effects gizmo would be good for individual synths. Don't know about a rack based one, seems to be more limited to get to things quickly. Any "feedback"? (no pun intended)

 

Mike T.

[mound]

yeah, the MPX G2 is very quiet. you can even patch up to 2 noise gates into it, you can put one between your sound source and the effect, and/or after processing and before the amp..

 

I haven't found the need to use anything after it's processing, I've only had to use the gate in front of my instrument when I plugged a bass into it.

[DafDuc]

Anything that does compression or distortion, or amp modeling in general, can really accentuate the input noise. The noise off my QS-8.1 isn't bad, but it sounds like a jet on some of the J-Station's crunchier settings - even though the J-Station itself is pretty quiet. It's just the nature of those kinds of effects.

 

Daf

[GregH]

The latest update to the PODxt is pretty nice, as it includes a 4-band parametric post-EQ (2 sweepable bands). This can be used to notch out noise introduced by certain amp models, compressors, etc. Also, I've found that the new model packs (extra $$) have some pretty cool amp models, preamps, EQs and synth effects...very applicable to Rhodes and synth gear. If you're interested in a pedal controller to go with a PODxt, I'd wait a while. There's a new product (PODxt Live!) being discussed on several forums that apparently combines the PODxt bean with a shortboard, for less money than current Line6 options. If you don't need a pedal board, the PODxt bean has just had a price reduction...I may get another one for my accordion.

[Botch.]

I've been using a Yamaha SPX-900 on my Nord Lead for years now. Yammie's "Symphonic" effect is particularly nice on pads. You can also program it to change different parameters with the synth's mod wheel, which I use on occasion.

[MikeT156]

I've been checking out some of those toys you guys are using. The PODxt looks neat, the Lexicon is a rack mount, and the SPX 2000 is incredibily expensive! WOW. I chuckled when I gave the POD a once over and saw that it comes with a noise gate!

 

Still more of them to look over.

 

More reviewing for me to do too, for real.

 

Mike T.

[Mike Martin]

Expensive but my personal favorite -

 

http://www.synthman.com/kurzweil/Html/Images/305801.jpg

[MikeT156]

Figures you'd pick up on my last post Mike Martin. I didn't see "walking on water" under the features for the SPX2000, so I guess it might need an OS upgrade down the road. Yeah it's up there in price. My ES8 is "expensive" too, all the more reason to beat dealers up on price! Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

 

Mike T.

[Carlito]

Quote by: SteveRB

 

The Boss VF-1 multi-effects unit has a good Leslie effect, overdrive and distortion, and guitar amp simulations using modeling technology (COSM). It also has a Hi-Z input on the front so it's easy to patch in a guitar or keyboard without using a mixer. It's a half rack unit and the price has come down to $300 recently. It's a very versatile processor.

After reading your post, I started gathering information about this unit. Got one at eBay for $205.00 including S/H. Received it today. So far I only tested it with my Yamaha CP-70 and my electric guitar. Man, this thing sounds great!

 

SteveRB, thanks a million.