Akai SB1 Deep Impact Bass Synth Processor

It's an extremely adjustable pedal. There are about a dozen perameters, all of which can be set from 1-9. It could take you awhile to get the sounds you want, but it's time well spent. The versatility is great.

Aight...this is why people spend $500+ to get this pedal. The sounds this thing makes are sooo ILL. You can get so funky with the Deep Impact. Every single person I've met who's heard the pedal is blown away by it, musicians or not...no lie. I get so many compliments and questions about the pedal, and for good reason. A few of the patches are a little corny in my opinion, but many more are just so dope sounding it doesn't matter, plus with 9 presets you can have a few variations of the same patch and not use the ones you don't care for. The tracking is very good in my opinion. However, it's completely dependent on your attack. If you have an inconsistent or sloppy attack, you're gonna get inconsistent and sloppy tracking. What you put in is what you get out.

I've had the pedal glitch on me a couple times. I plug it in and it's locked in a mode and won't let me switch modes or adjust any perameters. However, it's a quick fix. I just unplug it and plug it back in and it's fine. I've gigged with it and it's always sounded great. I don't have a backup and can't afford one, but it seems durable enough.

Never dealt with Akai.

I play in a funk/groove style jam band and the Deep Impact is an absolute god-send to my pedalboard. There are so many sounds I can get from the pedal that sound so incredibly filthy in a funk jam. It's an inspiring pedal, it makes everybody listening want to get down, and isn't that what music is all about? I can't say enough about this pedal. it's pricey, but for the kind of music I play, I couldn't imagine playing without it.

The Akai SB1 Deep Impact Bass Synth pedal is pretty easy to use. You can dial in bass keyboard and synth sounds from the factory settings or customize your own. To run up and down the patches in both directions you need another footswitch. Proper input volume and precise playing style are needed to avoid glitches or digitial noise. This pedal is rather large and takes up a fairly large footprint on a pedal board, especially when you add an optional footswitch. 9v power supply is included.

You can get alot of different sounds from this pedal. Some sound a little digital, some are very warm organic...not bad for a digital pedal. I found that you have to have the input volume as hot as possible to insure good tracking, along with precise fingering so that the pedal doesn't jump or miss notes. Works great with other pedals...distortion, phase shifters, envelope filters etc. There are sounds available that you would need a couple of keyboards to replicate.

Bought it new 3 years ago. I don't really use it much. Works fine but it has randomly distorted on me a few times??? If I was counting on this for live shows I would have to get a backup..I don't trust it.

Haven't contacted Akai

I play blues and funk bass mostly. Sounds great for that but I mostly use an EBS IQ or original Mutron III for funky sounds. I see these pedals going for about twice as much as original prices. This is a rare pedal as there aren't many pedals that can give you those 70's and 80's keyboard bass synth sounds. Just be aware there are some reliability issues with these pedals and it DOES have a degree of digital sound.

Easy to get a good sound out of it - hard to not get a good sound out of it. In case you haven't figured it out from the other reviews, the Akai Deep Impact takes your bass signal and adds 1 of 9 different synth patches to it.

Editing patches is simple - turn one knob to select which parameter to edit, another knob to modify it across a range of 1 to 9. Settings are automatically saved as you adjust them. There are 9 memory locations and 9 different patches. You can change which patch is used in each memory slot, they're not tied to a particular slot - you can have 9 variations of the same patch if you like.

There's one footswitch to turn the effect on and off and another footswitch to scroll up through the memory slots. An external footswitch with a 1/4" plug (not included) can be connected to it to add the ability to scroll down through the memory.

Unit runs of A/C adapter only - no batteries.

The manual doesn't really explain very well what changing different parameters does to the sound - you have to just rely on your ears and experiment with what each does. I usually end up just changing each parameter one at a time form min to max to see what effect it has and then find some where in the middle where it sounds like I think it should - it takes a couple passes like this to zero in on the sound I want.

Sound quality is fabulous. My original bass tone comes through uncolored and the synths sound great. Tracking is great - very fast and accurate - doesn't like more than one note at a time though, as is usually the case for octavers and the like. I play drop-D a lot and it tracks at least that low with no problem. If run a guitar through it, somewhere around the 7th fret on the high E you'll hit the upper range of it's tracking abilities and it will freak out. No noise at all and it's also true bypass.

If all you ever use is the octave effect (patch #6) then it's money well spent. Everything else is gravy. Every effect is good, but whether you can use a particular one is up to you - there's 2 or 3 different patches that I use regularly and a couple variations of the octaver.

I play either a '78 P-bass w/EMGs, a Fretless Jazz Bass Special w/EMG P+J, or a Power Jazz Bass Special w/stock active electronics through a Sunn 1200S head and 410H cabinet.

The cabinet doesn't like going much lower than the A string with the octaver patch. The percieved level of the effect on stage depends a lot on the level of your cabinet's horn, if it has one.

I've been gigging with it several times a month for a couple of years now with no problems. Seems solid enough - nothing rattles when you shake it, at least.

I use it without a backup because I can't afford a backup but I have no reason to think it won't continue to work and should it fail, the show can go on.

Never had any occasion to deal with Akai's customer support.

My primamry band is a rock cover band - 1 guitar, bass, drums and vocals. I don't use the Deep Impact on every song but I find ways to slip it in wherever I can and the songs where I can really use it, it shines.

I've been playing bass for about 20 years now, since I was 12 or 13.

If it were stolen, I'd be heartbroken. I'd have to buy another one.

Again, it's hard to impress how clearly the original bass tone and synth tones come through - it's amazing.

I love that I can get killer octave and synth sounds out of it. Nothing to hate about it.

There's a couple of things I wish it had though. I wish it had an optional seperate synth output like it's sister the Akai Unibass does. I also wish you could dial the original bass signal all the way out if you wanted to. It would have been nice if they'd found a way to get a footswitch for down on there too.

Before buying the Deep Impact I compared it to Boss's synth pedal. After fooling around with the Boss pedal in the store for a good 1/2 hour, all I was able to get out of it were random squawks. I also had a DOD Octoplus and a Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter (auto wah) that I was using to approximate some of the synth sounds I was after (not very well I might add).

I bought the Deep Impact based soley off the reviews here and the sample clips available on Akai's website: http://www.akaipro.com/int/download/audio.html

The Deep Impact sounds every bit as kick-ass as those samples would lead you to believe!

The only reason I don't give the Deep Impact a perfect 10 here is because all these glowing reviews and a dwindling supply of these things is driving the price of them up. Akai, put these things back into production please (with my suggested improvements, of course)!

This pedal is very plug and play. The manual is only one page long, but you get the idea very quickly...

I use a bunch of effects, and this is one of my favorites. My board's got a(n): Boss RV-5 reverb, Budda Phatbass, Prescription electronics depthcharger, TC electronics chorus/flange and an Electroharmonix blackfinger compressor, plus the Deep impact. Although it does not like polyphony (most synth pedals don't), it tracks extremely well. And the sounds? Incredible!!! Although most bass players like the rounder, more Q-tron like sounds for a synth effect, what initially attracted me to this pedal were the sawtooth-wave type sounds. REAL big, and very adjustable. Definitely a space-rocker type pedal. (Everybody's right about preset 6, it is one of the best octaver-type sounds I've ever heard.)

I haven't gigged very hard with it, so I honestly don't know...Seems pretty solid so I'll give it an eight.

Not applicable, never dealt with them...

I tend to play bass from a "whatever sounds right" kind of approach. Most of the music I've been involved with is kind of "out there", so I tend to experiment with a lot of different effects and basses. This pedal is one of the few pedals I've ever hung onto for a long time. (I get bored really easily.) If you try this, I guarantee you'll love it.

Pretty easy.Manual is quite good.The factory presets are all useable.

Very fat.Thick and richly textured synth sounds.Not as raw or aggressive as the Electo-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth but alot more "funky." When I began to make my own edits it really shines.Preset #6 can be edited to make the best octave effect I have ever heard.

I am reviewing this 2 years after purchase and I can attest this box is totally reliable.

Have never had to contact.AKAI no longer makes the SB-1.Tragic.

This is truly an awesome effect system.I have never before had as much fun with a device for electric bass.I had already owned an Electro Harmonix Bass Micro-Synth when I got the AKAI and the SB-1 is so much easier to use.The AKAI is not as "radical" as the EH but it tracks better with all my basses.(the EH specifies that it is to be used with single-coil pickups like on a Jazz bass)I play FENDER(USA)basses,both Precision and Jazz.The AKAI is well suited for both.
I would also like to make another EH-AKAI comparison:The AKAI mixes well with other effects,especially overdrive/fuzz and wah/filter.The EH "freaks-out" when other effects are added.The EH only sounds good when used alone.

Like everyone one else says: this thing sounds great right out of the box! The editing is easy and idiot-proof. The manual is fine but some imagination is required.

I use custom BoneBasses through an Eden Metro w/ 1X18 & 2X10 cab. My current FX roster (usualy) includes: Q-Tron, octaver, Frostwave Resonator & flanger. The Akai sounds great on its own but you gotta try it in front of a Q-Tron! You'll never think about the money you spent again!

It's built like a German tank. Unfortunatly I treat it like an allied bomber. My gear has had some tour mishaps, one time my (open) FX board tumbled down a flight of concrete stairs. Everything needed to be replaced/repaired. The Akai's power input jack was tweaked and the output pot needed to be replaced. Other than that it just looks cooler now!

They are helpfull, understanding and great!

After reading the earlier postings I realize that: it isn't just me! There are other people out there who have noticed how BadAss this thing is! I've been using the Deep Impact for two years now and it's become an important part of my sound. I prefer to use it with a fretless bass. But it sounds great with a fretted and also five stringers.
I am currently in a band that has a two minute bass solo section where I basicaly just groove through the very first patch (1.9). It sounds great! That solo section is the first thing I played on this pedal when I originaly tried it out! I love using gear that inspires. And that's exactly what this thing is.
My only criticism would be to beef up the AC jack and/or allow a CV pedal input control. But hey, I aint complaining there's nothing else out there like this thing.

Tremendously easy to use, setting your own sounds takes about 20-30 mins after opening it up from box. I found tweaking out the sounds to be very fun, you get alot out of alittle and find out the versatility of the box.

I only used my back-up amp and it sounded fatt. 4 string Kawai E /Alembic clone thru an Ampeg B2. Tomorrow night I will pump it through my SWR-WKM300 w/triad cab on my warwick TB/5.

Seems very rugged, metal box, but I'm sure the knobs will be 1st to go.

If your looking for some serious ice cream grooving sounds from the bass this is the sound you need to run it through. If your playing EWF, Commodores, or if your a Mike Gordon phan then you need this.
I got the boss GT-6b so I could have some of these features, but they sucked and more importantly it was difficult to use. This is not hard at all, it's fun to tweak and EASY. If your looking for a lowpass/envelope filter, and you want an octaver then get this. I still recommend moogerfooger filters for slapping but if your looking for something over the edge, this is it. And by the way, it's FUNKY!!
By now all the prices are down on it so you can afford it.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
As soon as you plug it in it sounds good. Will require some tweeking to get it perfect for you however, esp if changing between active and passive instruments.

How about Editing patches?
Patches are edited by a selecting a combination of the dials for each patch. Not instantly intuitative, but after 10 mins you will know how to work it.

How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
A bit thin, but complete.

Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?
Nope.

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?
A (cheap) passive P-Bass clone into a Roland JC-120.

Is it noisy? On what settings?
There is some noise in some patches, but no where near enough to be a problem.

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?
They are always full-on! But you can blend the synthasised notes with dry bass to chill it out a little.

Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?
It only does one "thing", which is a mix of synthasis and octave. It's definately a one-trick-horse, but it whipes the floor with anthing else like it I have played.

Can you depend on it?
It is very solid in construction. It's only new and i haven't had a chance to break it yet, but it looks and feels solid.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes.

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
No.

Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
No.

What style of music do you play?
Progressive rock, some beats, some funky grooves. Modern sounding music.

Is this a good match?
Yep.

How long have you been playing?
7 or 8 years or so

What other gear do you own?
My main amp is a Roland JC-120 combo (a deliberate and conscious decision, thankyou very much :-)

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I test-drove most of the compition for this little baby, and it beat them all.

what do you love about it?
a) user-friendly, you forget you are using a computer, and b) the awesome sounds.

What do you hate?
Nothing yet, give me a few months to find something

What is your favorite feature?
The presets are pretty good, quite usable.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
I compared it to the Boss SYB-3 and a Digitech multi-efects. It beat both of them in the variety of sound and the ability to track low notes.

Anything you wish it had?
YES! I wish you could add an expression pedal and change a param or two in real-time. I might investigate how hard this would be to mod myself once the warenty has expired. Please Akai, include this in future models!

Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
It lets me play grooves that I never could get away with before.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Biggest thing in it's favor: The ability to track low notes as quick as you can play them (it prefers an active bass for this I think). In the shop I detuned the [B] of a nice active 5 string down two semi-tones and it still tracked quickly. It has superiour tracking :-)

Biggest flaw: Cannot change params (like cutoff etc) in real time without taking your finger off the instrument. It's not a big flaw, just a nice-to-have feature.

It is very easy to use. I can change sounds during show. Instant saving.

This is the best pedal for bass I ever used. If you wanna have really good octaver, preset 6 and all parameters to 1 or so. Tracking is amazing! I've got perfect house bass sound, rap bass (like Korg X3)and more...
True bypass - bass player's dream. It's here.

You can step on it without fear.

Never deal with them and it's very good!

I play jazz, funk, latin for 20 years. I tried a lot of bass pedals and now I have only this red magic box. Nice synth sounds, good tracking and rest of all in my hands. If somebody will steal it, I hope he'll enjoy it like me. But ... f*** him!

It sounds great right out of the box. If you do need to tweek some of the parameters, the stripped-down programming interface is a real plus. The manual leaves a bit to be desired. You can tell that English is not the first language of whoever wrote it. Most of the parameters are intuitive; a few aren't defined very well, but you can just go by sound.

This is not a subtle effect! When they named it the "Deep Impact", they meant it. The synth-sounds are very high quality and full of "stank". There is no noise when bypassed (true bypass!), and virtually no noise while operating. However, this is a true synthesizer and not an envelope filter. It requires certain modifications to one's playing style. You must play very cleanly, articulately, and no double-stops or slapping. If you don't play correctly with this, the snyth will either not track at all, or make some weird sound that's not what you want.
I mainly use this with my Zon Sonus Custom V, though it works just as well with my old squier II p-bass. With the Zon, it actually seems to track better when rolled to the neck pickup, which is counter intuitive. I would think that the bridge pickup would provide a more articulate sound. It really does track down to low B! Plugged into my SWR stage rig, it makes a LOT of sound.

It's in a nice steel case with good quality switches. The footswitches are not mounted on the circuit board like lesser effects. More companies should build things this way. I think it's going to last a long time.

Haven't delt with them. I'm not sure, but I think the Deep Impact has been discontinued. It's kinda a specialty item.

I think this is a good musical instrument. When you kick this thing in, it will really get noticed. It will completely alter the sound of your band. Additionally, when used at the right time in the right way, it will make a postive contribution to the music, and increase you and your bandmates' interplanetary funksmanship.
Overall, this is probably the best product of its type on the market (though I guess there's not a whole lot of competition.)

Its pretty simple to use. The manual easily explains to few knobs and functions of the unit. Even though you can control several parameters of each preset, the range of control is not very large. normally this would be a bummer, but luckily they made the presets sound good so you dont need to tweak too much. having no save function is quite convienient too. however, you can only go up through the patches. to go down, you need to hook up an external trigger pedal. bummer.

I have a rather large rig, especialyl when it comes to pedals. I also use an EH microsynth and a Korg G5 Bass Synth. This is similar to the Korg in its function; 9 editable presets, similar kinds of waves. the akai sounds better than the korg in its different presets and waveforms, but the korg has more variation in editing. kind of a trade off. thats why i still use both. both have crappy tracking if you play more than one note, which is a bummer. the akai can sound super funky if you want it to, which is major fun at shows.

the box itself is nice and meaty metal. solid feeling knobs and footswitches too. the power cord doesnt feel very secure when inserted though. ive had it pull out at shows a few times.

i play in a jam band with progressive roots. this thing fits in well. definately different than my other synths too. if i want huge atmospheric sweeping synths or big housy stabs, i use the EH. if i want growly vowel like weirdness, i use the korg. if i want phat phunk in your phace style i use the akai. last show i threw it on with chorus and just got the meatiest phunk bass. the whole band went into this awesome groove cuz of it. lovin it! i have foudn my favorite presets, modified of course, are 1 and 3, but i wish i didnt have to scroll all the way through 4-9 to get back to 1. all in all, a good buy and a fun product. a pedal should inspire and suggest without being overbearing. this does that well.

Ease of Use -
This unit sounds great right out of the box. It was a no-brainer to set up and start tweaking. It did take a little time to find out that there is no real way to control the individual voices (volume of the sub-octave voice vs volume of triangle-wave voice). I was under the impression that there were four oscillators in the unit, but it appears that it is really a digital sample of some amazing synth sounds. I could be wrong here, but not having the ability to control the individual voices could mean that. The thing that sets this unit apart from the EH or the Boss synths is that it can store 9 different presets, so patches can be selected and played without tweaking in between - very nice when gigging.

Sound-
This thing sounds way, way rich. It has a great, full sound right from the start. Mixing in various amounts of the original bass sound thicken it up even more. Most sounds were warm and vowel-like. Some of the patches had a synth-snake sound to them. Versitile, as all of the sounds that came standard are all useable. It sounds analog to me, and if it isn't, it doesn't matter because that's what it sounds like. Funky sounds from the Gap Band to Parliament to Earth Wind and Fire are all right there.

I've had this unit for a few months and it looks like there has been no problems so far. It is built like a tank.

Not used thus far

Overall I feel great about this unit. It does thunder some groovy funk through my Dave Eden rig. I would replace it if it was stolen. Unlike the Boss unit, it didn't take any time at all to get it sounding great and tracking great. I think that I'll buy another one just because.

This is definitely the best feature of the SB-1. It is easy to use right out of the box. There are 9 different sounds and you tailor them to your playing style and you can change the sound some, but it is all very easy to use. Editing the 9 different sounds is basically picking what you want and turning a knob to change the settinga and it automatically remembers the setting. NO FORGETTING TO PUT IT IN MEMORY. Do not think this is a multi-effect unit though, it is definitely not. The settings that you can change are as follows:1. Note Off Level: sets the sensitivity for triggering the end of the effect. this setting doesn't change between presets.

2. Note On Level: sets the sensitivty for triggering the start of the effect. This is setting doesn't change between presets.

3. Preset: There are 9 different synth sounds in this pedal, but if you only like 4 of them...you can program each sound twice with different settings. Like progam one may have synth sound one, and program two can have synth sound #one.

4. Attack: Sets how fast the sound sounds.

5. Decay: Sets how fast the sound diminishes.

6. Envelope depth: set the amount of change the effect sound makes.

7. Dynamics: Sets the sensitivity of the tone variation dependant on how hard or soft you hit the string.

8. Cutoff: Sets the brightness of the effect sound.

9. Resonance: Adjusts how much the effect sound characterized by synthesizer sound.

10. Balance: Sets the balance between the original bass sound and the synthesized sound.

11. Level: Sets the loudness of each program.

You basically have these settings for all nine different synth sounds. The manual is piece of paper (actually about 5 pieces of paper, but one page per language), but it is all it needs because it is that easy to use. It also has input and output levels so you don't have to change you playing style to make the pedal work well. You do have to play more consistently to make the pedal work better, but that will make you play better...and that's a good thing to me.

I am using a Musicman Stingray and a nemesis 210 combo amp and am very pleased with the sound. This has True Bypass so the signal when the pedal is off is completely silent, and that is really cool. It shows how much other pedals without the bypass color your sound. The effects sound very good once you have tweaked them to fit your playing style, and some of the synth sounds aren't meant to be played at super fast speeds. I haven't tried this out with other pedals, because I can't imagine it sounding good with other stuff. It gets a nine because it does take some time to get used to knowing what it likes and doesn't like to make a perfect synth bassline, it really likes consistent bass playing to sound excellent.

The pedal is really, really solid. I definitely would use it without a backup, besides the fact I can't afford another. It seems to be built about as solid as a pedal can be, something you will see once you see one.

I know I won't have a problem with this pedal because I take really good care of my stuff, and I think I could kick this pedal around a bit and it would be great for the next gig.

I play this with a funk/fusion kinda music and am very happy with the pedal I got, It's a good match for me because the sounds are good and it is sooooooo very easy to use...and I am somebody who really appreciates user-friendly items. I have been playing 10 years and own an octave pedal, chorus pedal, compressor pedal, and an eq pedal. If it were lost, I think I would buy a new one as long as I start the band that I want and start using this pedal. That's the important thing about this pedal, it's too expensive for a toy...make sure you are going to use it. I really enjoy this pedal and I think I would like it over the EH microsynth because of user friendliness and the only 2 q-Trons I've tried both had something wrong with them. that doesn't say much for Electro-Harmonix besides there product is SH*T in my book. A company that doesn't have good quality control is somebody I don't want to buy from. This is a great bass-synth pedal for somebody looking for a easy to use, ready to gig, pro-sounding synth pedal.

Very easy to use, even if you have never used effects before. The manual is very basic but adequate. There are 9 presets/user memories, which means if you want to edit the sounds, you will be changing the presets. I tried this out in the shop for about 45 mins. You can edit each of the presets to your own taste. It's very simple, no going into edit menus, no saving. Turn knobs for everything. You can edit the attack, decay, envelope depth, dynamic sensitivity, filter cutoff, filter resonance, synthesiser and direct balance, program level. Each parameter can only be changed from 1-9, but this still gives you a wide variety of sounds. What each parameter does is explained clearly in the manual, sorry I can't remember them.

I tried this out with a Warwick Streamer LX 4 string through a Peavey amp. I didn't think it was noisy at all. This has true bypass. All the sounds are really cool, if you're into that kind of thing. It's definitely very different and probably should be used sparingly. There's an octaver in the sixth program I think, and it tracks all the way down to my E string and beyond (I tuned my E string lower to see how far it could go) I would like to see if it would track all the way to a low B string. Nevertheless I was very impressed. And it sounds wicked. Lots of really great sounds. Warning! Don't play more than two notes at once!! It starts freaking out. Good effect though! It can keep up with pretty fast playing, but you have to make sure you pluck every note clearly. (no gentle playing!) I reckon it tracks better than the Boss SYB.

I only played with it for about 45 mins, but the casing is made of metal so that's reassuring. I own an Akai headrush and it started making crackling noises after I'd had it for about 3 months, but they gave me a new one. So I'm not too sure. I'd use it on a gig without a backup, but hey, I'd love to own two if I had the money!

When I went back to the store about the crackling noise on my Headrush (NOT the bass synth), they called me up and told me there was no crackling noise when they tested it. But they gave me a new one anyway so I'm pleased with that. Very helpful. (note: I've never dealt with Akai directly)

I play all kinds of music and I was trying this out to try and get some weird/different sounds, not really to emulate anything. And it has lots of really cool and way out sounds. I've been playing for 7 years. One feature that is good about this is that you can change the program but keep playing on the program you were on before. When you are ready to change to the new program, press the on/off switch. But there is a slight break in the sound, minor problem to me though. You can adjust the input and the output levels. Everything on this is very simply laid out. This is the bass synth to get if you're on the market, it's much cheaper than the EH bass microsynth (in Australia anyway) and it is the only one I know of that has presets. (If there is something else would someone please let me know!) The EH has a wider range of sounds but this is way easier to use. Fantastic fun machine, but make sure you have a practical application for this before you buy!! It lost one point because it's a leeetle bit pricey. Loads of fun.