SWR Sound Mini-Mo' Preamp With Mo' Control 2 Master Footswitch Controller - Manual (Page 16)

USING THE BASSYNTH
The Mini-Mo' Preamp Bassynth will react differently to every single user. Factors such as the kind of
bass, the EQ of the bass, the pickup selection on the bass, the technique of the player, the Preamp
volume of the Mini-Mo' Preamp, the control settings of the Bassynth itself, and the Bassynth Mix
control will all come into play. Spend some time with it and become comfortable––you'll probably
stumble across a sound that we haven't even heard yet. Here at the factory, it happens to us all the
time!
The following is a "road map" for getting acquainted with the Mini-Mo' Preamp Bassynth. For simplicity's
sake, we used a typical Jazz bass for the following examples.
Start by setting the Preamp Volume on the Mini-Mo' Preamp to '5'. Set the Filter, Resonance and
Envelope controls to minimum ('0'). Now set the Bassynth Mix control all the way to "Synth." Press the
Bassynth switch and the amber LED should illuminate. Start playing your bass. You should hear
practically nothing. Don't panic––this is normal.
Now bring the Filter control up to '3' on the dial, and play again. You should now start to hear some
sound. Turn the Filter control further up to '7', and a very obvious "synth" sound should be present. Try
attacking the strings both harder and softer. When you play harder, more high frequency should be
present. A softer attack will result in a "darker" sound. This is what we mean when we say that the
Bassynth is a highly dynamic effect.
Now let's try the Resonance control by setting it to '6' on the dial. When you increase the resonance,
the signal will decrease slightly in overall level because you are taking away certain frequencies upon
the initial attack. This is normal. The sound should now resemble that of a classic synth even more. Try
experimenting with your string attack again––things about the tone will change. Try both the Filter and
the Resonance controls in various positions...and try not to let time get away from you!
Let's move on to the Envelope control. First set the Filter control at '2' and the Resonance control at '7'.
Now strike an open note and slowly turn the Envelope control until you hear a "wah" sound. The harder
you play, the more present the "wah" will become. At this point, all three Bassynth controls are working
in harmony and all will affect each other. For instance, if you open up the Filter too much, the "wah"
from the Envelope may go away. If you close the Filter too much, the Envelope won't have a chance to
"wah" anything. How you attack the strings can make all the difference in the world.
Finally, try switching back and forth between having the Bassynth effect engaged and disengaged. If you
hear a difference in levels not to your liking, use the Bassynth Level control to achieve the proper
balance (as mentioned previously in the section marked Bassynth Level control).
With an active bass, the overall gain structure will be slightly different. You may find you want to back
off on the Preamp Volume of the Mini-Mo' to keep the Bassynth from seeing too hot a signal. Also, the
tone controls on your active bass will greatly affect the Bassynth. One particular example: your
midrange control may directly affect the sensitivity of the Envelope control.
You've now got three onboard controls, your bass and your fingers to find new sounds within the
Bassynth. Mix and match at will!
Once you've fully explored the possibilities, try adding the SubWave to the Bassynth. Now both the
SubWave and the Bassynth signals will be affected by the Filter, Resonance and Envelope controls. (It
should be noted that when the SubWave effect is activated, the raw sub waveform is routed to the
Bassynth, regardless of where the SubWave Mix and SubWave Tone controls are set.)
Want more? Add in the Mo' EQ. Try experimenting with each of the tone controls individually––they'll all
do something unique to the sound of the Bassynth.
13 •MINI-MO’ OWNER’S MANUAL