The Boss SY-1 is absolutely fantastic – as long as you like at least some of the 121 presets. Just plug it in and get playing! It takes five seconds to learn how to scroll through the sounds, and maybe two minutes to learn what the parameter dials do. Here’s what you need to know, right out of the box: Effect, the smaller knob on the left, is the volume for the synth signal – turn it down if the synth effect is too loud. Direct, the larger knob on the left, is the volume for the source signal (your guitar, or whatever). Use these two together as your mixer.Most of these sounds are too 80’s synth-y for me, and there are some in the SFX and SEQ sets that I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. That’s perfectly OK though, because there are at least twenty voices that I really like – Bell 7, plus reverb and chorus from my pedalboard, is my favorite voice for chords.There’s really nothing to dislike about the SY-1 (unless you dislike the sounds). What it doesn’t do – and why I’ll probably upgrade to the SY-200 – is save your settings. Switching sounds means changing parameters, most of the time. For the price though, you won’t do any better. It’s a Boss, which means as long as you don’t drive over it with a truck or drop it from the Eiffel Tower, it’ll last forever.Update: I upgraded to the SY-200, and whoa Nelly it's worth the extra hundred bucks. Fifty more voices, including decent rotary organ voices (better than the SY-1), and the ability to save your presets.