New Meris pedal - sounds synthy

GavRichList

Right. Whilst it sounds LEAGUES better than any other synth emulator pedal I’ve heard before, I don’t really get the point personally. It doesn’t sound as good as a synth... so use a synth? Impressive in many respects and they’ll sell billions, but probably not one to me in this instance. 

BintyTwanger77

I’m sold. Totally sold. 

joetele

GavRichList said:

Right. Whilst it sounds LEAGUES better than any other synth emulator pedal I’ve heard before, I don’t really get the point personally. It doesn’t sound as good as a synth... so use a synth? Impressive in many respects and they’ll sell billions, but probably not one to me in this instance. 

Some of us don't have the space for synths which can create that kind of sound....and it's nice to be able to do everything from the guitar and add extra effects to it (which I know many do with their synths anyway). And to me it sounds almost exactly like a synth. Horses for courses, but this is exactly what I look for in the more unique pedals. 

GavRichList

I’ll give you it sounds like a generic synth sound... I’m being too fussy, but maybe im not the target market, having spent thousands of pounds on specific synths for their own unique nuances. As I say, I’m certain they’ll sell trucks full. 

Would it just be a tool for live? Just for approximating a synth part perhaps? I can’t see you ever using it on record over a proper one. 

meltedbuzzbox

It looks like it behaves better than the ehx synth9. 

I don't think I could personally play most of that on a synth, not in real time anyway 

VJIves

Ugh, absolutely cannot wait.

sweepy

I wonder if it does that classic Metheny Fairlight, GR patch properly

Teetonetal

GavRichList said:

I’ll give you it sounds like a generic synth sound... I’m being too fussy, but maybe im not the target market, having spent thousands of pounds on specific synths for their own unique nuances. As I say, I’m certain they’ll sell trucks full. 

Would it just be a tool for live? Just for approximating a synth part perhaps? I can’t see you ever using it on record over a proper one. 

Certainly useful for those who want a synth for specific sections of songs, but don't have synths, don't want the extra person in the band or don't want the extra setup hassle.

I haven't looked into the pedal beyond the vids, but I wonder if it has a PA out and a Guitar amp out? Or some EQ stuff to make it work with a guitar speaker?

Also has the huge advantage of being much easier to smuggle into the house  

BintyTwanger77

Trying to work out if it could also octave - and/or +... 

hubobulous

Definite purchase for me

joetele

GavRichList said:

I’ll give you it sounds like a generic synth sound... I’m being too fussy, but maybe im not the target market, having spent thousands of pounds on specific synths for their own unique nuances. As I say, I’m certain they’ll sell trucks full. 

Would it just be a tool for live? Just for approximating a synth part perhaps? I can’t see you ever using it on record over a proper one. 

Honestly, I'd use this on recordings and thus live. I think you could get very strong sounds on recordings, certainly enough for my needs. I can certainly appreciate your fussiness if you've got specific synths, but for a guitarist like me where I can't spend thousands on synths nor have the space for them, getting some rather tasty synth sounds from a pedal like this is ideal. I've already been using the EHX Synth 9 on a fair few songs, either for synth pads, or lead lines, or basslines, and it's become a big part of the sound in the band. 

meltedbuzzbox said:

It looks like it behaves better than the ehx synth9. 

I don't think I could personally play most of that on a synth, not in real time anyway 

Yep, totally agree with this. My piano years are far behind me and some synths I struggle to get to grips with - it'll take me years to learn the basics and onwards of using synths, whereas with this I can use an interface I'm already familiar with (guitar) and achieve those synth sounds in a manner I'm accustomed to. If I were going to purely pursue electronic music, then yes, I'd invest the time in learning synths and save for some decent ones, but as most of the music we make is guitar-based, this makes more sense. We use lots of effects to make the guitar sound unique or different, and this is just another tool for the arsenal. 

BintyTwanger77 said:

Trying to work out if it could also octave - and/or +... 

Hopefully it plays nice with octave pedals...

BintyTwanger77

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

joetele

BintyTwanger77 said:

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

Yeah, just watching the Pedal Zone review of it now. It's basically got everything I wanted. 

Now where the heck to we get one from??

BintyTwanger77

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

Yeah, just watching the Pedal Zone review of it now. It's basically got everything I wanted. 

Now where the heck to we get one from??

Same here.... and I wish I knew when they were shipping to the UK.

joetele

BintyTwanger77 said:

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

Yeah, just watching the Pedal Zone review of it now. It's basically got everything I wanted. 

Now where the heck to we get one from??

Same here.... and I wish I knew when they were shipping to the UK.

I've emailed them  

impmann

GavRichList said:

I’ll give you it sounds like a generic synth sound... I’m being too fussy, but maybe im not the target market, having spent thousands of pounds on specific synths for their own unique nuances. As I say, I’m certain they’ll sell trucks full. 

Would it just be a tool for live? Just for approximating a synth part perhaps? I can’t see you ever using it on record over a proper one. 

All the above is fine if you can use a keyboard. I can prod a synth with my one-fingered, out of time, not consistent technique but I'm never going to get close to the fluidity of my guitar playing... not without spending months and months of solid practice and learning (something I genuinely don't have time, or enthusiasm to do). Therefore, anything that can produce useable sounds from a guitar as a vehicle/controller perspective is massively interesting to me.

So for *recording* this would be ace for me. For the project I'm involved with, we've used Mel9, Synth 9, Microsynth, Digitec Space Station and even the Roland GR20 set up to get those sort of sounds onto the tracks - would a "proper" synth sound "better"? Well, no, actually as we haven't used them thinking "that'll do, wish it sounded like 'x'", we've used them enjoying the sounds they create.

Its not about "approximating a synth part" its about playing using an inspiring, unusual and cool sound - using a guitar.

BintyTwanger77

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

Yeah, just watching the Pedal Zone review of it now. It's basically got everything I wanted. 

Now where the heck to we get one from??

Same here.... and I wish I knew when they were shipping to the UK.

I've emailed them  

Cool, let me know if/when you hear anything. I'm sure previously with other Meris there wasn't a huge amount of time between release in the US and availability in the UK/Europe.

joetele

BintyTwanger77 said:

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

joetele said:

BintyTwanger77 said:

@joetele Looks like it can actually function as an octave pedal on its own.

Yeah, just watching the Pedal Zone review of it now. It's basically got everything I wanted. 

Now where the heck to we get one from??

Same here.... and I wish I knew when they were shipping to the UK.

I've emailed them  

Cool, let me know if/when you hear anything. I'm sure previously with other Meris there wasn't a huge amount of time between release in the US and availability in the UK/Europe.

Yeah. I'm imagining that the $299 RRP will mean a UK RPP of £299....

octatonic

Yummy.
I'm certainly getting one.

meltedbuzzbox

impmann said:

GavRichList said:

I’ll give you it sounds like a generic synth sound... I’m being too fussy, but maybe im not the target market, having spent thousands of pounds on specific synths for their own unique nuances. As I say, I’m certain they’ll sell trucks full. 

Would it just be a tool for live? Just for approximating a synth part perhaps? I can’t see you ever using it on record over a proper one. 

All the above is fine if you can use a keyboard. I can prod a synth with my one-fingered, out of time, not consistent technique but I'm never going to get close to the fluidity of my guitar playing... not without spending months and months of solid practice and learning (something I genuinely don't have time, or enthusiasm to do). Therefore, anything that can produce useable sounds from a guitar as a vehicle/controller perspective is massively interesting to me.

So for *recording* this would be ace for me. For the project I'm involved with, we've used Mel9, Synth 9, Microsynth, Digitec Space Station and even the Roland GR20 set up to get those sort of sounds onto the tracks - would a "proper" synth sound "better"? Well, no, actually as we haven't used them thinking "that'll do, wish it sounded like 'x'", we've used them enjoying the sounds they create.

Its not about "approximating a synth part" its about playing using an inspiring, unusual and cool sound - using a guitar.

I've used two synths* thank you very much on our tracks. 

but totally agree. Much easier via the guitar and I am going to say it... I think I generally prefer the guitar based synth stuff sound wise. It seems easier to shape, I literally cant be fucked fiddling with all the knobs on my jx-03. One bad adjust and it all goes to pot. 


*Cheap ass Roland stuff