Synergy

Boudoir Guitar said:
Any experience with the Ecstasy module, Elric? Clips sound good, and suuuuuuper versatile.
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Yeah, I‘m a big fan of it; but it is actually a love it or hate it kinda a module. It’s real easy to dial in too much gain on the Red channel and get it way over saturated depending on the switches and knob settings. There are also switches on the board itself that affect it (AIR, X100 vs 101B), too. So it requires a lot of futzing around with, but I have been using Fractal stuff forever, so I’m used to tweaking. ;) I suspect some people go straight for the ‘M’ setting on the Red, which has way more gain than most people probably expect and then they end up fighting it the whole time.

The Blue channel just slays, though, really nice dirty clean with single coils or tapped bucker… switch to a full bucker and crunch city... it has a separate EQ for red and blue which is really great. It will not really do a straight clean channel kinda clean, though.

The Schizo/Mode switch has a very clear/tangible effect which is genuinely useful (although you can not just flip it and have it sound good, you have to flip it and then redial) as does the Pre-EQ, although some may find all but neutral a bit much for that one. The bright settings add noticeable bright plus gain, not subtle, IMHO.

I’d like to see Bogner do another module. Love the Uber as well.
 
Elric said:
Yeah, I‘m a big fan of it; but it is actually a love it or hate it kinda a module. It’s real easy to dial in too much gain on the Red channel and get it way over saturated depending on the switches and knob settings. There are also switches on the board itself that affect it (AIR, X100 vs 101B), too. So it requires a lot of futzing around with, but I have been using Fractal stuff forever, so I’m used to tweaking. ;) I suspect some people go straight for the ‘M’ setting on the Red, which has way more gain than most people probably expect and then they end up fighting it the whole time.

The Blue channel just slays, though, really nice dirty clean with single coils or tapped bucker… switch to a full bucker and crunch city... it has a separate EQ for red and blue which is really great. It will not really do a straight clean channel kinda clean, though.

The Schizo/Mode switch has a very clear/tangible effect which is genuinely useful (although you can not just flip it and have it sound good, you have to flip it and then redial) as does the Pre-EQ, although some may find all but neutral a bit much for that one.

I’d like to see Bogner do another module. Love the Uber as well.
Click to expand...
Yeah, mostly just interested in the blue channel. Sounds like it would be perfect for HSS w/ a boost in front for clean(ish)-to-scream. Thanks for your thoughts!
 
Achilles said:
Another vote for both the Deliverance and Powerball ones. Deliverence is great Marshall tones and the Powerball can cover basically anything.
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Totally agree and check out the analog cab sim. I think it sounds really good. Has nice warmth and thickness, not in a muddy way, in the mids that I find a lot of IRs can be missing.
 
module arrived today. Running through my Samson Servo 120a power amp into Weber Silver Bell loaded 1x12 it sounds fantastic. It's been a couple years since I played a Mesa Cali Tweed, so who knows, but I feel like this is in the same league I remember the Cali Tweed being in.

I was able to do some quick A/B-ing against the Helix batsman normal channel and the biggest surprise is how close they sound given how wildly different they are design wise. The Helix does introduce a little bit of power amp grind and malfunction to the tone when you start to wind it up, but the pre-amp-only distortion is not nearly as far off the mark as a lot of folks would make it seem. SLIGHTLY more modern sound, but more along the lines of "modern boutique take on mid-gain grind" not "doesn't sound anything like a vintage amp".

The sag knob sucks.

The Synergy does have a little more immediacy to its sound/response that is super fun to play through, where the Helix actually probably gives a bit more authentic tone.

Time to find bargain on a Synergy OS module for the cage match...
 
A little cross-posting on this topic, because digital people are waaaaay more interested in quasi-clinical comparisons than amp folks, and because the post is mostly about how I'm integrating it into a digital system:

BLIND COMPARO IS THE BESTO!!!!!!!!! EVEN WHEN THEY MAKE NO SENSE!! Helix vs Synergy

Clickbate audio file is at bottom, but this post will be mostly about how I'm integrating these two things. The Helix Rack/Control is the hub of my audio workstation/guitar rig at the moment. I have added a Synergy Syn1 loaded with the Synergy BMAN module, and its really fantastic in so many...
thegearforum.com thegearforum.com
 
OS module arrived yesterday and had a few minutes with it today. Really great. More flexible than the Kingsley Maiden D I had a few weeks ago -- The deep and bright switches seem more subtle and useful in both positions where the Maiden D felt like they were "pick one for your guitar and never flip it again". The jazz/rock switch, for me, is more useful than the EQ lift. OD side is really great...reeeeally wide range of useable levels of clipping, from moderate breakup to full on saturation. Audio memory is terrible and all, but I feel like this module sounds a LITTLE bigger than the Kingsley pedal did, too on straight clean tones.

Next stop is prooooobably Metroplex. That and the T/DLX are the only two that I'mr really feeling much itch for currently.
 
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