Synergy High Gain modules

tia_project

tia_project

New member
Hello! I am lucky enough to have scored some of the high gain synergy modules in the last months.
There are a lot of amazing in depth review and playthrough by amazing players, but I thought people might be interested in just one riff reamped through multiple modules:



I have also uploaded a double tracked version in case:



In this goggle drive Folder i have uploaded the DIs and also the bare tracked that include (or exclude)
- the power amp emulation via the Axiom's PAE2
- the syn1 native IR (in case you want to send it through your fav poweramp + cab or applying your IRs)
- some small processing (BAE 1073 + 90hz high pass filtre + 7kHz low pass filter + noise gate)

All the recordings are in 32bit and 96kHz sample rate.
Since there are more than 350 tracks I have added a spreadsheet to help navigate them (but I hope the files naming convention will make it not strictly needed)

I hope you find interesting and i am curious if there is any module that stand out for you or surprised you!

Cheers!
 
Wow, nice work!

I think I might try to get into Synergy stuff at some point. I've heard it doesn't so much replace a roomful of amps as it instead lets you build one idealized dream gigging amp. It's a really cool system and those clips do a lot to show some differences between the modules. Thanks!
 
Thank you so much! I am really glad you liked it and find it useful!!!

I agree with your vision of the synergy system as a great rig builder. I don't own any of the original they refer to so I can't say yes you got amp X at a fraction of a cost unfortunately.
But I see them as their own take on them with plenty of differences among them to satisfy any demand.

I find them very sensitive to the power amp you use with, but so far I really like them!
 
well done!
you put some time into that.

although i can hear the differences, i’m more struck by how similar the modules sound set to that higher gain realm. having a Syn-2 myself, i know how different things sound and feel in the room.
 
Thanks!
One thing that I loved is that the DNA are quite well represented. Like the SLO and its "descendant" with the IICP having its own thing.

Then the british family starting from the friedman and then down to the Pitbull and the Kali that can easily bridge the USA/British territories.

And then there is Diezel VH4 that has its own peculiar sound.

One thing that I noticed is how sensible they are to the power amp. All of them have been recorded using the same PAE2 setting this is why I have recorded them with and without it.

I am so curious to know how they sound when you pass them through different power amps and cab thus I have recorded them completely raw with no IR or pa emulation.

If you have the time I would love a clip from you (I devoured your tri-stereo clips on youtube!) of the raw tracks via your poweramp and cab system (and w/d/w)! If you ever produced one please share with me!
 
tia_project said:
One thing that I noticed is how sensible they are to the power amp.
Click to expand...
I have some Synergy & old Randall MTS modules. Even though the heavy tone lifting is mostly in the module, the power amp definitely makes a difference. It's nothing that's going to make or break the tone, but it can be that 1-2% difference between almost and spot on. For example comparing my IICP module to my Mark III red stripe. I can hear just enough of a difference between the IICP in my modded Randall RM100 and the MKIII to tell the two apart. When I put the IICP into the loop of the MKIII I could barely distinguish which was which to the point I would lose track when switching back and forth.

I see Synergy as getting the core tone or different revision of the actual amp. As long as you're not looking for a 1:1 exact copy you wouldn't be disappointed.

The drawback I see on Synergy is it sits in a really niche market between digital and stand alone tube amps. It's more for weirdos like me who don't necessarily want to shell out for certain amps, but still want those tones around without going digital. It's definitely a perfect platform for that. I do whish they'd back off from doing copies of other amps and do a few original/exclusive ground up designs. That could make it more appealing for newcomers to get into the system.
 
Awesome thanks for that! Crazy the minute the Friedman comes on, I hear that mid bloat that I always hear in the room when I play his synergy stuff. His Randall stuff was not like that at all. I really like the 6505 in those clips for that type of sound.
 
Power amp and Power Tubes def. make a difference. Having owned this modular gear since it came out one of the best things about the early MTS amps was the ability to mix and match power tubes. Still sitting on about 24 modules and 2 MTS heads. Too bad the heads weigh a ton, makes gigging with them a real PITA!
 
tia_project said:
One thing that I noticed is how sensible they are to the power amp. All of them have been recorded using the same PAE2 setting this is why I have recorded them with and without it.

I am so curious to know how they sound when you pass them through different power amps and cab thus I have recorded them completely raw with no IR or pa emulation.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the poweramp, cab, and mic represent such a huge part of the overall tone that it seems like the Synergy preamps (and most preamps, really) are mainly there to provide the amount and character of distortion you want, and maybe some very broad EQ. That's not a bad thing, btw.

Like, for anybody who wants an overall "signature" kind of tonal footprint, while still having access to multiple amounts of gain to switch around between, like if you want to swap between crystal clean, "hot clean" or EoB, crunch, modern high gain, and also leads or whatever else, all while still sounding like "you" in the context of the mix, I don't think there's a better all-tube solution out there than Synergy stuff plus your favorite tube poweramp. There certainly isn't any one single tube amp that can compete with the versatility of a Synergy setup. Even the most "footswitchably versatile" amps I know of (Mesa Mark VII, Marshall JVM410, Bogner Ecstasy, etc) can't touch it for giving you as many options as you want with as little tonal compromise.
 
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