Even in the smallest of combos, a practice amp, by nature, will still make noise, and that noise can attract unwanted attention from roommates, neighbors, and that one dog who never shuts up. Today, Boss announced a possible solution to the practicing guitarist's predicament: the Waza-Air System.
The Waza-Air Wireless Personal Guitar Amplification System, or simply "Waza-Air," seeks to marry the ease and privacy of a traditional pair of headphones with the depth and nuance of a real amp played in a real space. According to Boss, the Waza-Air creates "natural dimension, resonance, and 'moving air' feel" within "an immersive sound field with extraordinary spatial realism" thanks to three-dimensional algorithms and a built-in gyro sensor.
In short: the Waza-Air is supposed to sound like an amp at full roar while you're sitting in a chair, quietly strumming. When in play, the headphones give you three environments to choose from: Surround (virtual studio room), Static (changing response as you move your head), and Stage (up on, well, stage with a virtual backline).
For more customization, the Waza-Air sports controls, amp models, and over 50 effects from the fan-favorite Katana series. Players will also be able to tap into the BlueTooth connectivity to access the Boss Tone Studio for further customization and even play along to songs on your smartphone.
The Waza-Air drops today and can be had for a street price of $399.99 USD. Be on the lookout for listings to pop up on Reverb.
On the more traditional but still exciting side, Boss also announced the SY-1000, the latest addition to its long-running guitar synthesizer roster.
This newest face is built on a triumvirate of a fresh sound engine, DSP modeling, and re-conceived GK (Guitar Keyboard) technology. Boss touts it as "the finest performance and most organic playing experience yet."
Looking beyond the sleek chassis and large LCD display, the SY-1000 is an upgrade to the SY-300 built with three instruments that can be run independently or simultaneously: the Dynamic Synth, the OSC Synth, and the GR-300. The OSC gives you an analog-adjacent engine with plenty of filters and ADSR control to boot, while the GR-300 is an onboard recreation of the company's '80s guitar synth effect of the same name.
Among the three, the Dynamic Synth stands out if only for its laundry list of sound-sculpting features. Contained in the single are:
- 10 oscillator waveforms
- Six filter types
- Amplifier control
- Two LFOs
- Two 16-step sequencers
- Pitch, filter, and amplitude parameters
The company's newest big-box effect goes up for sale in January with a price tag of $999.99.