BOSSSL-2 Slicer Audio Pattern Processor Pedal

This is an awesome, feature rich, cost effective pedal. I use it for bass and can't be happier with its addition to my rig.

What a significant effect! Fun, FUN FuN! When sending MIDI from a Master clock source, it syncs the tempo then you can try the effects presets. It has editor software that you can make even more variations! A good recomendaiotn!

I've been wanting an OG slicer for years and everytime I've found 1 for a good price it gets snatched up right away, so when I saw that boss was releasing a new version I had to grab one and I'm glad I did. I'm always looking for unique effects, especially ones that can cater to rhythm and texture. I like to make funky groves that resemble electronic music on guitar and this effect is definitely a missing link in my setup. At it's core it is an amazingly clean and functional tremolo but as you peel back the various layers of options it becomes this infectious machine that transformers your instrument into something unrecognizable and beyond what you ever thought a guitar could be.

Absolutely absurd piece of machinery.

Can user alter the preset patterns themselves in any way? or only variable attack & depth through the gate? any random functions ? it would be a mod worth exploring; add a random gate clock, but likely too nano SMD to enjoy doing. YMMV

This is an amazing pedal, super versatile, great sounds. The problem which shoving so much into such a small space is that it takes several convoluted steps to do any programming, e.g. to use the midi, set everything clockwise, unplug then plug in the 1/4" in jack, hold down the foot switch, set the midi channel, let go of the footswitch, blah blah blah. I returned it and got an MD-200 which is much easier to program.

Creative , but processed… and no manual , cheapskates, makes it harder to understand functions and possibilities quicker and easier . The duty function is obscure . Some nice unique effects 💩… I got a cool mmj style sample hold kind of groove with one mode , but u have to explore a bit blindly to to see what it does . A nice creative edition and palette to a setup but not essential perhaps Z the tremolos add versatility. Beautiful color of green is a plus … worth exploring and could add really inspire . But takes adjustment to get sound right and in sync with some settings . Check it out , I’m picky and I’m keeping it . There’s also a cool 3-d process for mix output . And possibilities big time for keyboards . I was just using a Firebird guitar .

The BOSS SL-2 Slicer is definitely a “niche” pedal, but it’s also extremely well-executed and insane fun to use. BOSS released the original SL-20 Slicer around 2008 – it was a massive, dual-footswitch unit, and despite nerding out on pedals for the last decade or so, I rarely seemed to come across it.But similar to the SY-1 Synthesizer, BOSS has repackaged the Slicer into a their classic compact pedal format, which places this at a size and price point that would appeal to far more users. Let me try to break down what the SL-2 does – and some of what it doesn’t do – in my comments below.DESCRIPTION & FEATURESThe best way to think of the SL-2 is as a rhythmic pattern arranger with 88 presets that can be further tweaked. I’ve seen some people describe it as a “glorified tremolo” pedal (because the sound cuts in and out), but I think that’s an oversimplification. The SL-2 chops up the input signal and then outputs it into one of the aforementioned patterns that you select. Some of the patterns are smoother and can be made to sound like a more traditional tremolo effect. Other patterns chop up the sound much more abrasively, and add in other modulation and pitch effects to your signal.While you cannot change the patterns on the device itself, there are controls for the following:BALANCE: This is basically the mix between the dry signal and the effect (chopped) signalTEMPO: Controls the pace of the pattern; can also be controlled by external MIDIATTACK: Counter-clockwise settings have the sounds swell in; clockwise settings have the notes enter more aggressivelyDUTY: Basically “pulse width”, or how long each sound in the pattern lastsA lot of these concepts are foreign to guitar players, but if you have some background in synthesizers and drum machines, then you begin to understand the SL-2 as sort of like a step sequencer, and the Attack/Duty controls as similar to a “gate” function on a sequencer or arpeggiator.PROS:The best thing about the SL-2 is how fun it is to use and how unique of an experience it offers relative to other effects pedals. The effect itself has a lot of similarities to some delay and modulation effects, but the patterns are quite varied and will have you thinking completely different about looping and performing music. Maybe you chop a single distorted note into a series of 8th and 16th notes and make an interesting bassline. Or maybe you find yourself making creative chord stabs to layer in the background. One of the interesting things about using SL-2 on guitar is that it can abruptly start and stop notes in a ways that are not technically possible with a distorted guitar, and more resemble a synth or other audio instrument. At the same time, the SL-2 can be used with a wide variety of instruments with great success!While the number of patterns limits the possibilities to a degree, I was surprised how much the ATTACK and DUTY controls changed the character of those individual patterns. You could argue that the SL-2 is over- and under-simplified at the same time, but I found it quite easy to fire it up and create interesting variations with very little advance thought.Incredibly, I find myself having nice things to say about the MIDI implementation – at least in conjunction with other BOSS gear. The use of the 1/8” MIDI jack means that you can daisy chain it to other BOSS MIDI pedals with a simple TRS audio cable. I was able to hook it up to my RC-500 (Loop Station) and found that not only did the tempo follow BPM changes on my looper, but any pattern I played seemed to line up with the beats and drum hits in my loop. That was a pleasant surprise, since creating interesting loops was one of the main reasons I was interested in the SL-2.CONS:The TEMPO control, however, is a mixed bag, as you have no LED screen and no internal way to set it to a particular BPM setting. BOSS did engineer a tap tempo feature (accessed by a long press of the main switch), but I’ve heard mixed results on how effective that is. You can also map the tap tempo to an external control switch, which probably makes more sense.In order to hook up the SL-2 to a MIDI sequencer using a standard 5-pin DIN MIDI jack, you need to use BOSS’s proprietary adapter cable. There are other cables that look like they would work, but are somehow incompatible.Finally, BOSS has been a little unclear on the ability to create your own slices and upload them to the pedal using BOSS Tone Studio. Early release materials seemed to suggest that you could create your own, but at the present, it looks more like they are offering first-party “expansion packs” with some alternative patterns you can download. Except that they aren’t actually “expansion” packs if they require you to then overwrite some of the 88 factory presets. It's not a big deal to me, but if past experience with BOSS rings true, they make durable and functional gear that lasts for years, but are unlikely to revisit said gear with firmware updates or added features post-release.CONCLUSION:It would irresponsible of me to say that the SL-2 Slicer is a pedal that “everyone would enjoy”. That is most certainly not the case, and some people will hear the effect and immediately dismiss it as a gimmick or a musical toy. But I am really enjoying the pedal, and think that BOSS has done an amazing job of cramming this amount of technology and control into their compact pedal enclosure. In a world where pretty much every type of guitar pedal has been done, done again, and then cloned, the Slicer comes up with things are that are unique and musically unexpected.