I have done this for years! I use a BOSS ME-5 because I can program the patch changes via SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE and the ME-5 has MIDI capability. Not only that but it contains all the Vintage pedals from the mid 80s - all controllable from an ATARI 1040 with PRO 24 too!
I keep expecting Liz Fraser to start trilling and making dolphin sounds somewhere around 3:20. By the way thank you so much for everything you do on this channel, and taking the time to put together these wonderful videos.
Brings back memories of late 80s when I could only afford a DX100, and then got a little Alesis reverb rack unit to post process it, and it actually sounded like something. Happy thoughts :-)
Xtra Spice Mikey I don't know how it is called but I've seen a thing (like a pedal) that lowers your input down to instrument level, you could feed that to your pedals and use a booster on the end of the chain :)
Paolo I'm still so impressed by your musicality and veersatility. Was this really just a quick improvisation? Cause the progressions you've played there sound so well composed. I could have imagined that to be a soundtrack in one of these crime series we've had here in Europe, especially Germany. Like a theme from "Tatort", "Der Alte" or "Derrick". Not sure whether you could see them in Italy but I'm sure there was similar stuff over there. One composer I'm thinking of is a guy named Frank Duval who did a lot of soundtracks like these, partially they even became hits. Anyways, when I listen to it whilst effects on I can picture a scene where the superintendent (Kommissar) holds in in a bad mood reflecting about a failure that led to a dead colleague or something like that. Something deep in a way. I wonder if you published anything that we should know about with all your potential and gear - if not you should think about it.
Very informative video again! Can you maybe say some things about dealing with the line vs. instrument level signals. Is that an issue? Do you run the synth at full volume?
This is proof that you always have to turn-off all FX sections in a new synth, prior buying, to really know the quality of the sounds...FX can totally make your Casiotone sound like a stack of Fairlights!!! LOL ;) well....almost! Auguri Paolo.
Sweet! A phase shifter works pretty good with arpeggios with choppy sounds like this but shorter. Slowly sweep it and lots of depth. ;-) I spot a couple of vintage Boss pedals I have too. :-)
Sounds lush, thanks for this one, Paolo. I used to do similar kinds of stuff myself back in the 90s, but back then I was using an Alesis QuadraVerb rather than footpedal effects.
This topic reminds me of a cover of crockett's theme by a finnish musician called Kebu, he uses a sansamp amp sim pedal to get a nice distorted lead from a korg poly 61.
Hi Paolo --- hope you are well ... I've got my dx7 going into an old 80's arion chorus pedal --- it causes the dx7 output to increase hugely in volume and then cause huge distortion. Any idea why that might happen --- maybe some impedance issue --- ie. line out and guitar out being different. However this is never a big deal on my other synths just dx7 for some strange reason? Any ideas much appreciated.
Very nice demonstration bud! My partner and I always used Boss “squash box” guitar pedals for synth effects back in the 90’s as well. It always turned out great and we couldn’t afford a rack-mount processor. Necessity is the mother of invention right? 😁 Anyways it’s awesome to see that folks are getting into pedals for synth effects lately. Oh and I agree with the comment below- amazing how much that reminded me of Siouxsie! 👌❤️
This is cool because most synths have output levels and impedance compatible with guitars..... BUT say I wanted to incorporate chorus or delay in my synthesizers.com rig .... in the patching chain.... now I have big problem because the levels are very hot ( like 10 volts p-p or +10dBm ) so I must attenuate at the input to guitar pedal and then boost again the output from pedal which ruins the S/N ratio.... since synthesizers.com does not offer phasing or delay modules it seems to me the only alternative is to buy other very expensive modules from specialist vendors or built my own..... what do you recommend ?... what would be a good solution ?
Tbh for chorus or delay I'd go as an auxiliary on a mixer / soundcard rather than in line, that way you can run your dotcom to one mixer channel, and then use another channel to dial in the chorus / delay to taste (and eliminate any potential impedance problem)
I have the Styrmon Deco (Space echo) how do you think it is? Tried it with my Jupiter 6 and it's OK-ish it does however kinda distorts and original signal and the delay is nicee
I ordered My first pedal two days ago. Some behringer overdraft vie for use with a xoxbox :) how do you handle stereo by the way? I love ping pong delays!
For keyboard, you can use either guitar amplifier or a keyboard amplifier, but the keyboard amplifiers are more tailored to the frequencies produced by a keyboard, so you probably get a better sound from a keyboard amplifier such as - say - a Roland KC series, rather than - say - a Fender guitar amp - but you can use either type. However, if you are looking for an accurate "flat" sound for mixing, the best thing is to buy studio monitors, such as Genelec, Dynaudio, Yamaha, Focal etc. etc.
@@SynthManiaDotCom bother one more question, the guitar pedal output is mono, but keyboard amplifier input is stereo. If my guess is correct, it will only make one channel have sound, the other is mute. Any idea to solve this problem?
Yes, you can go mono In, and stereo out, shouldn't be a problem. Or you can just go mono all the way. Many of the classic studio effect processors worked like that, they had one (mono) input, but two (stereo) outputs. If you have a mixer, you can also use two channels to send the signal, and use two different auxes to send it to
hey, i apologize in advance for asking this question here, but Paolo you are clearly very knowledgeable, and i'm not finding this answer anywhere, even when i ask the re-sellers, so i'm guessing that you would know since you are around synths so much, and must have had plenty of boards in for repair over the years. i need to replace the display on my DX7llFD, and the best match i can find is for a DX7S. i >>believe
Wow, this sounds so great. Actually I have never liked 99% of the DX7 sounds, but with such a combination of effects, it turns a fly into an extraterrestrial eagle.
My DX7 is my go-to synth; it's just so musical! By itself, some of the patches are almost toyish/laughable, but those same sounds can seriously clean house in a mix with a touch of effects. I have a Juno 106, Prophet 6, D-50, and others that are sadly neglected because the DX7 always seems to get the job done better. The factory patches are really limited, but again great with effects. To really find its true potential, you must download the 10,000+ free patches floating around the internet. I've found a Prophet 5 pad patch that I just can't beat with my Prophet 6 no matter how long I tweak. The MKI is not an easy study, but with understanding of the concepts, it eventually becomes programmable. I've made some patches I'm proud of...my approximation of the E-MU "Liquid Stack" patch as well as some fat analog style patches are highlights. Its polyphonic aftertouch is the bomb! The MKII is a whole other machine and I've found it to be impossible to program, just FYI. The MKI sounds warmer and raw in comparison; I prefer both of these aspects over the MKII.
How do you deal with impedance? I've hooked up guitar pedals to my EMAX and first the volume has to be very low and then I hear some frequencies distorted. Like the mid highs sound weird. I've hear it's an impedance issue between line output and the hiZ the pedal expects.
You may need a direct-box. I occasionally use a cheapie GC Direct Box for recording electric guitars without an amp, world of difference. For that approach though you need a mixer/preamp capable of XLR input.
Guitar pedals generally have pretty high input impedance so the levels can be easily tweaked on the keyboard or pedal level side. It's the output side of the pedal where you need the DI box.
Correct, the Polara has two outputs (and two inputs) - And the Danelectro Cool Cat has stereo outs too, but in this video I'm just going mono in-out for the whole chain
Check these: ua-cam.com/video/QUJGdhdJKpE/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/Tv75MAnooew/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/h6ZUIkaQ7Kw/v-deo.html for example
Guitar pedals are really useful and fun hooking up to all kind of electronic equipment (Not just instruments). (Bit cheaty hooking up to your mike so you can do that deathmetal growling though)
enjoyed this thanks:), strymon bluesky is indeed very good on keyboards,i have one i tend to use it a little subtle tho as the sound is so recognisable and dx7 is so Marmite(you either love it or hate it).I have a tx816 so you can guess where i stand.
hey i love this! i've bought a dx7 and have some guitar pedals. wondering what i need to do to hook them up? what cables? do i need a keyboard amp? if anyone can help thanks i'm very much a noob.
You need standard 1/4" cables to connect them. You can use a keyboard amp, but for speakers, I'd get studio monitors speakers, hooked up to an audio interface if you plan to record into a computer
Same brand and type of synthesis (Yamaha FM chip inside the Genesis - Mega Drive) so the DX can do all the sounds of a Sega 16 bit but not vice versa as the Genesis chip is not as complex.
This sounds incredible. I love my DX7...and you can actually program the MKI. The MKII is a goddamn nightmare. Nice to have for stacking patches live though...
If you have one, sure... but lowering the volume will also work... just follow what your ears tell you - it's the old maxim, 'if it sounds good, it is good' type of deal. TBH, I have several D.I. boxes in my studio, and half the time I use them, half the time I forget in the heat of the moment, or don't bother using them...
It might be worth lowering the contrast and exposure on your camera, at the moment you lose detail in the lighter parts of the image. I don't know what your lighting is like but you could try diffusing it with a softbox to lower glare. Great content though!
Turns instantly a DX sound into a Siouxsie and the Banshees, or maybe a Cocteaus track. Amazing transformation.
I've never heard a DX 7 sound so Siouxsie.
LOL - Yep, I did listen to a lot of Dark music as a teenager, and The Scream was/is one of my favorite albums
I can tell. The Banshees are one of my favorite bands, and that rendition you did some time ago with the drums, bass, etc, was awesome.
Beautiful isnt it?. Haunting and gorgeous.
Also sounds very Mode too!
John and Robert will be very proud of this presets
really warms up those FM tones nicely...
I have done this for years! I use a BOSS ME-5 because I can program the patch changes via SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE and the ME-5 has MIDI capability. Not only that but it contains all the Vintage pedals from the mid 80s - all controllable from an ATARI 1040 with PRO 24 too!
I keep expecting Liz Fraser to start trilling and making dolphin sounds somewhere around 3:20.
By the way thank you so much for everything you do on this channel, and taking the time to put together these wonderful videos.
Thank you, Ryan
Brings back memories of late 80s when I could only afford a DX100, and then got a little Alesis reverb rack unit to post process it, and it actually sounded like something. Happy thoughts :-)
I absolutely love everything about the dx7 but I've always felt the one thing it was missing was a nice stereo chorus effect
Dx7ii
Xtra Spice Mikey I don't know how it is called but I've seen a thing (like a pedal) that lowers your input down to instrument level, you could feed that to your pedals and use a booster on the end of the chain :)
Yes and its when you put it through a sterei chorus. Its true power and beauty comes out.
my ce-1 on my dx7 work magic
i have two dx7 and i'm considering fitting a chorus inside!
Nice. Really changes the feel of the sounds.
Paolo I'm still so impressed by your musicality and veersatility. Was this really just a quick improvisation? Cause the progressions you've played there sound so well composed. I could have imagined that to be a soundtrack in one of these crime series we've had here in Europe, especially Germany. Like a theme from "Tatort", "Der Alte" or "Derrick". Not sure whether you could see them in Italy but I'm sure there was similar stuff over there. One composer I'm thinking of is a guy named Frank Duval who did a lot of soundtracks like these, partially they even became hits. Anyways, when I listen to it whilst effects on I can picture a scene where the superintendent (Kommissar) holds in in a bad mood reflecting about a failure that led to a dead colleague or something like that. Something deep in a way. I wonder if you published anything that we should know about with all your potential and gear - if not you should think about it.
Beautiful
DX7 sounds like The Cocteau Twins. AMAZING!!!!!
That sounded very Frozen Autumn. Love it.
I used my DX7-IIFD with a Zoom 9030 and/or a Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus pedal (the later dark blue one)
What a difference with those effects applied.It sounded awesome man.
And shoegaze was born!
Are they related to the Thompson Twins?
MegaCrasherMusic Yeah, Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil definitely springs to mind... Some Elizabeth Fraser-like vocals would go nicely with this.
Great lesson, and it confirm that our DX7s are immortals!
Awesome presentation, guitar pedals for the win!
beautifull sound here.
Beautiful melody
This is a huge coincidence since I am now just connecting pedals to my synths!
Hi, Paolo. A great video, the FX are a really important part of the sound
The polara is such a good pedal. And this is such an awesome channel
Thank you!
Nice melancholic theme and chords. And this with the 80s chorus sound :)
Very informative video again! Can you maybe say some things about dealing with the line vs. instrument level signals. Is that an issue? Do you run the synth at full volume?
thank you. this gave me so many ideas on how to spice up the dx7
Sounds like a movie track, nice!
Simply amazing.
I just could watch this for a whole day.
Amazing! Really inspirational!
How about a video on Angelo Badalamenti? Like his Twin Peaks soundtrack for example (especially Laura's theme).
Yes, once I get an MKS-70 again I'll do a video on it
Beautiful sounds. Thank you.
Thank you
This is proof that you always have to turn-off all FX sections in a new synth, prior buying, to really know the quality of the sounds...FX can totally make your Casiotone sound like a stack of Fairlights!!! LOL ;) well....almost!
Auguri Paolo.
This is proof that no matter what synth you have since you have idea how to use it :)
wow, does that sound deep and vibe-y! thank you
Gorgeous sounds!
I use the tube amp ones and the auto wah and overdrive (to give me a wurly sound) love em
I just gave you a standing ovation!!
The Cool Cat chorus is great, I love mine on my guitar but have never tried it on my synths. I'll have to give it a shot!
MrSonis3 I've had it for 20 years. It's the original 18 volt version like in the video. It's great with guitars and analog synths.
5Rounds Rapid Yep, that's the same one I have. I think I paid $20 for mine. Sounds great on bass too!
Sweet! A phase shifter works pretty good with arpeggios with choppy sounds like this but shorter. Slowly sweep it and lots of depth. ;-) I spot a couple of vintage Boss pedals I have too. :-)
this is the best way to make my Yamaha SHS-10 not sound terrible
Sounds lush, thanks for this one, Paolo. I used to do similar kinds of stuff myself back in the 90s, but back then I was using an Alesis QuadraVerb rather than footpedal effects.
Great video. Of all the synths that need effects Dx7/Tx is the first that comes to mind. I've got an fx unit just for my Tx802 (a dsp2024p)
Nice man. I've been doing this for years to my cheap Casio key boards. i think Delays, Tremelo, Flange, and chorus sound the best
Strymon Deco is great. I use it for chorus and tape wobble.
This has me thinking about the reverse: how do FX processors meant for synths sound when they're used on guitar?
This topic reminds me of a cover of crockett's theme by a finnish musician called Kebu, he uses a sansamp amp sim pedal to get a nice distorted lead from a korg poly 61.
Hi Paolo --- hope you are well ... I've got my dx7 going into an old 80's arion chorus pedal --- it causes the dx7 output to increase hugely in volume and then cause huge distortion. Any idea why that might happen --- maybe some impedance issue --- ie. line out and guitar out being different. However this is never a big deal on my other synths just dx7 for some strange reason? Any ideas much appreciated.
I always use Polara reverb and Canyon delay pedals with synths and they sound awesome!
Wow sounds so nice...
You are amazing thx
Incredible. This is something I wanna do
So awesome!!!
Very nice demonstration bud! My partner and I always used Boss “squash box” guitar pedals for synth effects back in the 90’s as well. It always turned out great and we couldn’t afford a rack-mount processor. Necessity is the mother of invention right? 😁 Anyways it’s awesome to see that folks are getting into pedals for synth effects lately. Oh and I agree with the comment below- amazing how much that reminded me of Siouxsie! 👌❤️
do you have the danelectro tape delay? the big pedal with a fake reel to reel on it. I think it was called the reel echo.
This is cool because most synths have output levels and impedance compatible with guitars..... BUT say I wanted to incorporate chorus or delay in my synthesizers.com rig .... in the patching chain.... now I have big problem because the levels are very hot ( like 10 volts p-p or +10dBm ) so I must attenuate at the input to guitar pedal and then boost again the output from pedal which ruins the S/N ratio.... since synthesizers.com does not offer phasing or delay modules it seems to me the only alternative is to buy other very expensive modules from specialist vendors or built my own..... what do you recommend ?... what would be a good solution ?
Tbh for chorus or delay I'd go as an auxiliary on a mixer / soundcard rather than in line, that way you can run your dotcom to one mixer channel, and then use another channel to dial in the chorus / delay to taste (and eliminate any potential impedance problem)
I have the Styrmon Deco (Space echo) how do you think it is? Tried it with my Jupiter 6 and it's OK-ish it does however kinda distorts and original signal and the delay is nicee
I ordered My first pedal two days ago. Some behringer overdraft vie for use with a xoxbox :) how do you handle stereo by the way? I love ping pong delays!
Wow great tones ! Is that the default E piano patched you started with?
I believe that was the acoustic piano emulation patch
Do you have any tips plugging in guitar pedals into a mixer's send return circuit? Would it hit the right impedance?
The sound is Amazing. Could you let know what kind of speaker should be used when pedals applied to synths, guitar speaker or regular speaker?
For keyboard, you can use either guitar amplifier or a keyboard amplifier, but the keyboard amplifiers are more tailored to the frequencies produced by a keyboard, so you probably get a better sound from a keyboard amplifier such as - say - a Roland KC series, rather than - say - a Fender guitar amp - but you can use either type. However, if you are looking for an accurate "flat" sound for mixing, the best thing is to buy studio monitors, such as Genelec, Dynaudio, Yamaha, Focal etc. etc.
@@SynthManiaDotCom got it, thanks for so detailed reply. I finally know to what to choose, so sweet.
@@SynthManiaDotCom bother one more question, the guitar pedal output is mono, but keyboard amplifier input is stereo. If my guess is correct, it will only make one channel have sound, the other is mute. Any idea to solve this problem?
Yes, you can go mono In, and stereo out, shouldn't be a problem. Or you can just go mono all the way. Many of the classic studio effect processors worked like that, they had one (mono) input, but two (stereo) outputs. If you have a mixer, you can also use two channels to send the signal, and use two different auxes to send it to
@@SynthManiaDotCom Cool, thanks again.
Beautiful!
I love using pedals in my studio. If you haven't already try some of the pigtronics pedals in your studio on your keyboards and vocals
That's pretty cool! I like it!
Great vid as always ! Is it me or are you putting out more vids lately ?
Thanks! I try to upload videos every day
Get an H9 from eventide. I run that and a big sky with my prophet 08, minilogue and novation peak. Amazing sounding pedals
I just bought a behringer distortion pedal. Is it correct that all these distortion pedals have a bit of a noise floor?
hey, i apologize in advance for asking this question here, but Paolo you are clearly very knowledgeable, and i'm not finding this answer anywhere, even when i ask the re-sellers, so i'm guessing that you would know since you are around synths so much, and must have had plenty of boards in for repair over the years.
i need to replace the display on my DX7llFD, and the best match i can find is for a DX7S.
i >>believe
Actually the DX7s has a different, smaller display (like the original DX7). The DX7IIFD was an DX7IID, plus the floppy drive.
@@SynthManiaDotCom thank you for your reply.
Wow, this sounds so great. Actually I have never liked 99% of the DX7 sounds, but with such a combination of effects, it turns a fly into an extraterrestrial eagle.
My DX7 is my go-to synth; it's just so musical! By itself, some of the patches are almost toyish/laughable, but those same sounds can seriously clean house in a mix with a touch of effects. I have a Juno 106, Prophet 6, D-50, and others that are sadly neglected because the DX7 always seems to get the job done better. The factory patches are really limited, but again great with effects. To really find its true potential, you must download the 10,000+ free patches floating around the internet. I've found a Prophet 5 pad patch that I just can't beat with my Prophet 6 no matter how long I tweak. The MKI is not an easy study, but with understanding of the concepts, it eventually becomes programmable. I've made some patches I'm proud of...my approximation of the E-MU "Liquid Stack" patch as well as some fat analog style patches are highlights. Its polyphonic aftertouch is the bomb! The MKII is a whole other machine and I've found it to be impossible to program, just FYI. The MKI sounds warmer and raw in comparison; I prefer both of these aspects over the MKII.
chords anyone? also, how do you feel about anyone sampling your videos/playing? thanks again for another great video!
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
How do you deal with impedance? I've hooked up guitar pedals to my EMAX and first the volume has to be very low and then I hear some frequencies distorted. Like the mid highs sound weird. I've hear it's an impedance issue between line output and the hiZ the pedal expects.
You may need a direct-box. I occasionally use a cheapie GC Direct Box for recording electric guitars without an amp, world of difference. For that approach though you need a mixer/preamp capable of XLR input.
What about a impedance converter? To go from a Synth to a guitar HI Z pedal
Guitar pedals generally have pretty high input impedance so the levels can be easily tweaked on the keyboard or pedal level side. It's the output side of the pedal where you need the DI box.
Output I can connect it to my analog console.
I really like the Polara
Damn! This is awesome!
I even run my synths into a tube guitar amp after the pedals. That's how Eddie Van Halen got that tone on "Jump".
amazing, thanks!
Awesome!!
You are a BOSS !
Any stereo effects?
This theme makes me think, "Who killed Maddy Ferguson?"
Reminds me of something Porcupine Tree or Steve Wilson would do.... great job
Just got a Zoom G3n for my Minilogue and a Boss GT-100 for my Sledge 2.0 👍🏿
you are the MAN!!!
Beautiful.
Everything is mono ? Even the reverb ?
Thank you, yes, the FX chain is all mono in this video -
The Polara has 2 outputs (stereo) but in this video only one output (mono) seems to be used.
Ok thank you
Correct, the Polara has two outputs (and two inputs) - And the
Danelectro Cool Cat has stereo outs too, but in this video I'm just
going mono in-out for the whole chain
How about distortion pedals, would it work with synths as well or would it just sound terrible? ;)
Check these: ua-cam.com/video/QUJGdhdJKpE/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/Tv75MAnooew/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/h6ZUIkaQ7Kw/v-deo.html for example
Awesome! :) I got myself a Pro Co Rat i am gonna try with the TR-8.
Make a video to how connect all of the pedals to de audio exit and more, pls.
Add phase shift and it would be really cool!
Sounds great, what is the song you playd ?
Thank you, I'm just improvising, it comes from me.
Guitar pedals are really useful and fun hooking up to all kind of electronic equipment (Not just instruments). (Bit cheaty hooking up to your mike so you can do that deathmetal growling though)
You can really beef up cheep keyboards with the right effects.
enjoyed this thanks:), strymon bluesky is indeed very good on keyboards,i have one i tend to use it a little subtle tho as the sound is so recognisable and dx7 is so Marmite(you either love it or hate it).I have a tx816 so you can guess where i stand.
hey i love this! i've bought a dx7 and have some guitar pedals. wondering what i need to do to hook them up? what cables? do i need a keyboard amp? if anyone can help thanks i'm very much a noob.
You need standard 1/4" cables to connect them. You can use a keyboard amp, but for speakers, I'd get studio monitors speakers, hooked up to an audio interface if you plan to record into a computer
@@SynthManiaDotCom ah thank u so much !!! that helps a lot
@@emma4332 Very welcome
Only dry, it's a note use in sega genesis (megadrive) I love !!
Same brand and type of synthesis (Yamaha FM chip inside the Genesis - Mega Drive) so the DX can do all the sounds of a Sega 16 bit but not vice versa as the Genesis chip is not as complex.
This sounds incredible.
I love my DX7...and you can actually program the MKI. The MKII is a goddamn nightmare. Nice to have for stacking patches live though...
My synths are clipping when used with the pedals I just bought 😢
Lower the volume slider on the synths...
SynthMania I don’t need a di box?
If you have one, sure... but lowering the volume will also work... just follow what your ears tell you - it's the old maxim, 'if it sounds good, it is good' type of deal. TBH, I have several D.I. boxes in my studio, and half the time I use them, half the time I forget in the heat of the moment, or don't bother using them...
Nice
That’s an epic sound you got there from a barely useable one.
The difference is night and day!
The Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi destroyed some gear I had a while back. I gave it to my friend who played death metal after that.
My best friend FX for my synth, it's the Boss SX700 :-)
super gothy. i love it :)
It might be worth lowering the contrast and exposure on your camera, at the moment you lose detail in the lighter parts of the image. I don't know what your lighting is like but you could try diffusing it with a softbox to lower glare. Great content though!