“It's almost the same setup, and it's based on the BOSS SY-1000 Guitar Synthesizer. The SY-1000 is the centerpiece.”
What guitar does Nate Mercereau play?
Nate Mercereau uses a BOSS SY-1000 guitar synthesizer as the centerpiece of his live rig, sending MIDI to Ableton Live, plus a Roland GR-300 and GR-20. He has said he used a Godin Freeway with a Roland GK-1 pickup, a BOSS ME-70 and a Gamechanger Audio PLUS pedal.
Shop Nate Mercereau's setup.
Where to start with Nate Mercereau's gear.
What guitar synths Nate Mercereau uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Stage
“It's almost the same setup, and it's based on the BOSS SY-1000 Guitar Synthesizer. The SY-1000 is the centerpiece.”
“I also use the MIDI Out from that to control Ableton, so I can play software instruments and do live sampling.”
Studio
“I use a lot of different sounds these days, but the GR-300 sound has always been there.”
“I also use the Roland GR-20 to get a similar sound.”
“And I used the 500 for some bass stuff, and some lead become mono-synth lead things.”
“So the GR-700, the big silver one, I use that on the song 'Joy Techniques' in particular”
“It originally started with an early Akai sampler, the S612. I was controlling it with the Roland GI-20 GK-MIDI Interface.”
“That's really what started my sampling journey.”
Guitars
“I'm using a Godin Freeway guitar with a Roland GK-1 pickup installed”
Pedalboard
Recording
“We recorded into Ableton Live through a Focusrite 8-channel Scarlett interface into a laptop.”
About Nate Mercereau's gear.
What guitar synth does Nate Mercereau use?
Nate Mercereau uses a BOSS SY-1000 as the centerpiece of his rig, and keeps a vintage Roland GR-300 in his studio. He also uses a Roland GR-20 for a GR-300 style tone, and has said he used the GR-500 and GR-700 on his album Joy Techniques.
What DAW does Nate Mercereau use?
He uses Ableton Live, controlling it with MIDI from the SY-1000 so samples recorded during a concert can be mapped across his fretboard and played live.
What guitar does Nate Mercereau play?
For Duets | Golden Gate Bridge he has said he played a Godin Freeway guitar fitted with a Roland GK-1 pickup, running into a Roland GR-300.
What pedals does Nate Mercereau use?
On the Golden Gate Bridge recordings he has said he used a Korg expression pedal, a DigiTech XP400, a Gamechanger Audio PLUS pedal and a BOSS ME-70.
What audio interface does Nate Mercereau use?
He has said the Golden Gate Bridge sessions were recorded into Ableton Live through a Focusrite 8-channel Scarlett interface on a laptop.
Nate Mercereau is a Los Angeles guitarist, producer and multi-instrumentalist known for guitar synthesizers and live sampling, including on Andre 3000's New Blue Sun. This guide covers his guitar synths, pickups, pedals and recording setup in his own words.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Nate Mercereau didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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