SYNTH -ELECTRO-HARMONIX Synth 9 ...6 years later ...needs updating?

ELECTRO-HARMONIX

  SYNTH 9 

There are several models of pedals in this line but none are close to this in
giving you an instantly classic and obvious early keyboard Synth sound. To me it is the whole point of having one. In a 3 piece band you are going to hear nothing but a guitar sound. No amount of pedals will hide it. To the listener it is an assault of same, same, same timbre coming to their ears.

A box that makes the guitar sound permanently vanish in just a part of a tune here and there is heaven for your listeners.

FIX IT?

Without memory dialing up new sounds is a total non-starter if for no other reason than how precise each knob must be placed.

My biggest beef is that to get these sounds to be convincing and useful there should be a chip in the unit that takes the incoming pitch and convert it to acting like a mechanical switch.

Let me explain. A keyboard for a synth literally  dozen of switches to turn each note on or off. No matter how much ones fingers wiggle about the note it does not altered in pitch. 

With a guitar every note has the pitch altered just by touching it  because of the natural pliability of the strings. 

Do not think it is a tracking problem in that it can not track the guitar note. it is the opposite it is trying to give the guitars pitch at every millisecond dead on which means the ability for example track a string bend. But a piano doesn't bend its string ever but the pedal is trying to make it do that. Perhaps good if you want weird sounds like you want from a Fuzz. But do you want your piano to bend notes or do you want it to act like a piano. Sure both options are fine but you don't get both. Trust me if you want weird and bent sounds buy a good Fuzz it will sound 10 times better.

Guys that can get good stuff from the pedal do so by leaning to play like a computerized robot, holding down the string without moving a finger, never even slightly touching another string etc. This bullsh@t is not necessary and it defeats the purpose of buying these pedals.

CONCLUSION

Bottom line a new Synth 9 DeLuxe should be made with this triggering issue fixed even if it can be switched out for the Shoegaze and Star Wars buyers. Having memory is a given. No one needs even the aggravation of hours of programming being needed to use the pedal every time you need a particular sound.

the fine print

In August 2017 I got mine and did a review. 

I use it on only one tune because of the problems. I have learnt to write parts that work around the problems. 

It is not a pedal where you get a sound and wail away with your hot licks or play a tune you know.

It is more like playing and doing precise choreography at the same time.