Boss ME-90 Multi-Fx

[aerial7]

I have an FM9, no interest whatsoever

I also have an FM9 and absolutely love it; single best piece of gear I've ever owned.

But I recently got a GT-1, and I'm really happy with it for what it is. Very inexpensive, quite small, and battery powered....and Boss. Just a fun little box that goes anywhere, does a lot, and I couldn't care less if something happens to it. My only complaint is that the amp modeling is from 2016 (if not earlier) and I almost didn't get it for that reason.

What's that got to do with the ME-90? Well, I'm hoping it means we'll see a "GX-1"; keep the GT-1 form factor and basic design just as they did with the ME-90, but update the modeling and maybe switch to an OLED screen (if the brightness is good enough). Oh, and keep the AA-battery power! Would be an instant buy for me...

Saved preset settings become invisible, like on most pedals with presets but no displays.

Agreed, and this is why I'm not interested in the ME-90. Needs those rotary encoders with LEDs.....or something.... Wonder if there's a way to design for that without driving the price point up?

 

[laxu]

Agreed, and this is why I'm not interested in the ME-90. Needs those rotary encoders with LEDs.....or something.... Wonder if there's a way to design for that without driving the price point up?

Absolutely no way, those probably cost many times more than standard pots they can use for the ME-90.

 

[rd2rk]

If the BTS on an iPad reflects the preset settings that would pretty much solve the problem of not having those visible on the device itself.
IOW - BTS is the definitive UI screen?

 

[laxu]

If the BTS on an iPad reflects the preset settings that would pretty much solve the problem of not having those visible on the device itself.
IOW - BTS is the definitive UI screen?

Looks like the editor software has the same issue as most. It shows you a signal flow, but you need to click around blocks to see what is exactly happening in each of them.

 

[rd2rk]

Looks like the editor software has the same issue as most. It shows you a signal flow, but you need to click around blocks to see what is exactly happening in each of them.

Yes, I've tried the BTS off-line. What I'm hoping is that in preset mode BTS will show the preset settings for the blocks.

 

[JCW308]

I have an FM9 but this is really tempting. As much as I'd like to think otherwise, >90% of my playing is with basic sounds. OD, mod, delay, etc... I really don't need the horsepower of the FM9. The remaining 10% where I do use the FM9 power is really doing it because I can. It's overkill.

I also really like knobs. Yes, not being able to see the current settings on each patch is annoying. The wireless to Boss Tone Studio is an improvement but a screen would be better (but it's never happening on an ME box). IMHO the prime usage for the ME as an amp/pedalboard replacement. In a live situation I'd live on one patch with a few extra for unique song requirements.

Things that I find attractive about it:
1. Boss effects. I tend to like them.
2. You can switch out one of the effects in each type for a different one. Ex: Replace Recti Stack (which I'll never use) with Boutique.
3. Battery power.
4. Boss AIRD. I've had a GT-1k and I like some of the amps. I only need a few amps.
5. Knobs.
6. Great price.

What I hate?

1. The FX loop limited to right before or after the preamp is weak but honestly, how often would I or the millions who will buy this use the FX loop?
2. Digit only display. Really lame in 2023.
3. Only 3 IRs? That's cheesy.
4. Can't change the factory speaker type to a different factory speaker. It's either the factory matched cab or one of the 3 IRs.
5. Amp on/off tied to a footswitch. I can totally see myself accidentally turning the amp off while performing. I can't think of a use case where you'd want to turn it off on the fly with a footswitch. They should have used that switch for something else like dedicated CTL and had a different way to turn the amp sim on and off.

Agree with all. The amp on/off tied to a foot switch is really, really bad. I also wonder how the S/N ratio is. I tried an ME-80 is it was unusable going direct to FOH due to noise issues. I wonder if the ME-90 is any better.

 

[dronerstone]

I agree that it seems like an oddball move, and I definitely won't buy an ME-90, but (as has been stated) there sure is a market for those.

It'll probably sound decent enough, latency is almost non-existant, and Boss usually nail modulation and delay sounds, even if they're probably not too far out into the left field.

Sales numbers might look good - I don't expect them to sell like hot cakes, but they'll probably keep going in a quite steady fashion.

Of course, my opinion is certainly influenced by recently remembering/discovering a Boss ME-50B I forgot I got "for free" from a guy I knew 15 years ago, and being surprised how straightforward and easygoing it is to achieve legit sounds.

PS: What you see is what you get - nothing wrong with that! I'd stick to manual mode on these units, that's a given.

 

[JCW308]

It looks like tap tempo cannot be used with all delays?

 

[gonzoknife]

It looks like tap tempo cannot be used with all delays?

Here’s my take on it from the manual. Caveat: I could be very wrong.

You can set the tempo of any Delay or Mod (in ms) via the pedal BUT if you want subdivisions you can only do that with the Tempo delay. I think Boss is splitting hairs on setting the delay in ms vs bps which is confusing.

What’s crazier is that in memory mode you can only set delay time with the foot switch if both Mod & Delay are on. That’s wacky.

 

[Orvillain]

It's like boss design stuff with accountants in mind.

 

[ragingplatypi]

I predict some of you will rage buy this

Unlike most gear, I think this one is priced in the “sweet spot” instead of the “sour spot” which is where all my rage buys happen.

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[JCW308]

Here’s my take on it from the manual. Caveat: I could be very wrong.

You can set the tempo of any Delay or Mod (in ms) via the pedal BUT if you want subdivisions you can only do that with the Tempo delay. I think Boss is splitting hairs on setting the delay in ms vs bps which is confusing.

What’s crazier is that in memory mode you can only set delay time with the foot switch if both Mod & Delay are on. That’s wacky.

View attachment 8761

Yeah, I saw that too. Order canceled. Lots of small stuff adding up. No high and low cuts either. Keeping my FM3!

 

[V|J]

But once you have your patches dialed in, you have all the knobs for impromptu minor adjustments.

Sure it lacks the stuff you all are talking about but for a basic modeler at this price.. looks good to me.

Though usually my signal chain is :
Amp, comp, eq and delay.

 

[MixMinisterMike]

But once you have your patches dialed in, you have all the knobs for impromptu minor adjustments.

Sure it lacks the stuff you all are talking about but for a basic modeler at this price.. looks good to me.

But usually my signal chain is :
Amp, comp, eq and delay.

But my understanding is that currently you can't tell where the knob location is when you recall a patch. You can set it to only change once you've moved the knob past the current location, but without a visual indicator you have to rely upon your memory and your ears if you're looking for minor adjustments. Hopefully they add (or it exists and it's just not been mentioned anywhere) a flash on the display or something to indicate when you've hit the saved parameter position on the knob.

 

[luckymethod]

So they can't fix IR loading on the GX so the solution is to release a new rehashed product with the same broken IR loading?

Boss is going to use this paragraph in the About Us section of their website.

 

[laxu]

So they can't fix IR loading on the GX so the solution is to release a new rehashed product with the same broken IR loading?

So what's the issue with the IR loading?

 

[V|J]

But my understanding is that currently you can't tell where the knob location is when you recall a patch. You can set it to only change once you've moved the knob past the current location, but without a visual indicator you have to rely upon your memory and your ears if you're looking for minor adjustments. Hopefully they add (or it exists and it's just not been mentioned anywhere) a flash on the display or something to indicate when you've hit the saved parameter position on the knob.

Right..
That’s why someone was suggesting rotor knobs with LED indicators earlier.
Yeah, then it can only be used in manual mode pretty much, which is how these old generation units have typically been used.
That’s a shame.

 

[laxu]

Right..
That’s why someone was suggesting rotor knobs with LED indicators earlier.
Yeah, then it can only be used in manual mode pretty much, which is how these old generation units have typically been used.
That’s a shame.

I don't know why those rotaries with LED indicators haven't really caught on. Do they just take too much space, cost too much or are they unreliable?

The most prominent product using them is the Kemper, but the only pedal I know that uses them is the Mooer Preamp Live. Fractal AX8 had them, but they bungled it by not also using those same knobs as fx parameter adjustments.

I get not having them on something like the ME-90 since it would make it probably a 600+ euro product instead of a 350 euro one.

 

[the-trooper]

I get not having them on something like the ME-90 since it would make it probably a 600+ euro product instead of a 350 euro one.

Probably not. I doubt they would be installed in something as cheap as this if they were ridiculously expensive.