32-bit conversion and a
96Khz sampling rate, as
well as selectable true or
buffered bypass among
other features, but these
claims are little more than
marketing hype if the
tones can’t back them up.
I found that the MD500
has no trouble in this
regard, however. Cheap,
poorly designed effects
processors seem to bury
the fundamental guitar
tone in a plasticky, effected
sonic goop. Boss’s new
modulator, on the other
hand, has an organic
warmth and authentic
dynamic quality that we
usually associate with
the finest classic analog
effects. It simply becomes
one with your base guitar
sound, complementing it
and enhancing it without
burying it in synthetic
muck. In terms of pure
sound quality, the MD500
is beyond reproach.
As far as the modulation
effects themselves, Boss
has (wisely, I think) avoided
trying to recreate too many
of its classics within the
MD500. Included are the
sounds of just a handful
of beloved old and newer
units, including the CE-1’s
chorus and vibrato tones,
the Roland Dimension
D’s signature spacial
enhancements, the Slicer’s
deadly tremolo chop, and
the MO-2’s extra-harmonic
magic, but all the other
sounds are brand new and
purpose-designed. There
are 12 modes in total, with
28 different algorithms,
including all the standard
modulation sounds like
chorus, phaser, flanger,
vibrato, tremolo, some
sweet, deeply undulating
vibe and rotary speaker
sounds, and a superb ring
mod. Also available are
several types of filter and
auto-wah (awesome on
bass, by the way), as well
as the aforementioned
Overtone, Slicer, and
Dimension D sounds. It’s
a remarkable palette of
sounds that could easily
replace every other
modulation pedal on your
board.
I found the Boss MD-
500 very easy to use, for
the most part. Getting
it powered up (with a
regular old Boss PSA-120,
rather than some clunky,
proprietary wall wart) and
situated on the pedalboard
was accomplished without
any challenges, and it’s no
problem to just plug in and
play without consulting
the manual. Scrolling
down through banks
can be accomplished by
holding down two switches
at once, the A and B
switches, while scrolling
up requires holding down
the B and TAP/CTL switch
simultaneously. You then
select your patch by
engaging A, B, or both.
TAP/CTL lets you alter
modulation rate on the
fly, among other possible
functions. The preset
patches sound uniformly
excellent and very musical,
by the way, a far cry from
the usual over-the-top
factory presets that bog
down most multi-effects.
I was able to get the
MD500 up and running
without resorting to the
manual, at least until I
wanted to check out the
effects loop function.
This is an extremely cool
feature that lets you place
an external pedal anywhere
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