Zoom 506 Pedal cutting my punch???

Muckaluck · #1 09-12-2007, 08:39 PM

Hey,

So the band I'm in wants me to get fancy with effects and they handed me an old Zoom 506 bass pedal (The first version not the second). It seems that when I plug it in, it cuts a lot of the punch and character of my sound out just on the clean setting.

Am I just a victim of psycho acoustics or is this possible?

bassbrock · #2 09-12-2007, 08:47 PM

what does it sound like when bypassed?

Swift713 · #3 09-12-2007, 10:28 PM

I'm not really familiar with the 506 but it may be cutting some life out of your signal. I have the B2 which I believe is an upgrade as far as processing power and sampling rate. Some of the models on the B2 can seem a bit 2 dimensional at times. It has a feeling almost like playing a recording or sample, or like looking at a picture rather than the real thing. It's a subtle thing, and some models may be better than others. I find that if I blend in some direct signal I can get the character of the model without loosing the life of the instrument. The B2 is much better than the 9003 PFX that I had before. I'm pretty happy with the sound of the B2 compared with most of the analog effects I've tried.

niftydog · #4 09-13-2007, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muckaluck

So the band I'm in wants me to get fancy with effects and they handed me an old Zoom 506 bass pedal...

Well, if I were you I would have then turned around and tossed it in the bin!

Yes it's possible, in fact it's very likely. My advice would be to download the manual and work out how to perform a factory reset so you know where your starting point is. Then learn to edit your own patches and start from scratch. I know, it's tedious, but Zoom are known for having very OTT factory patches.

Swift713 · #5 09-13-2007, 05:27 AM

You know, now that I think of it, it never even occurred to me that you weren't programming your own patches. These multi's take a while to learn and to find the sounds that work for you. I have never used a factory preset, I don't even know why they bother. Zoom does have a downloadable owner's manual for the 506 on their web site (zoom.com I think). Good luck.

Muckaluck · #6 09-13-2007, 05:35 AM

Good Advice!

I'll try downloading the manual and resetting everything. To be honest with you I didn't even know you could make your own patches.

I'll try messing with it today. I have to admit there's a tiny part of me that's concerned about using a $1000 bass with a $2000 amp and it all going through this $75 processor. One of those 'a chain is only as strong as its weakest link' kinda things.

I'll see what I come up with once it's reset.

bassbrock · #7 09-13-2007, 06:26 AM

I've been a Zoom pedal owner back to the original 506 Bass. I then upgraded to the 506II and now I own the Zoom B2. I've been extremely satisfied with all of them and felt the available effects were all high quality.

My guess is an EQ setting on the 'clean patch' you are using is robbing your punch. Try turning off the EQ.

In fact, I've turned off the EQ settings on most of the patches on my Zoom pedals and then saved them. I get much better results that way with my bass, preamp and power amp setup.

There is nothing inherent in the Zoom 506 that would cause it to rob your 'punch' just by design. It is most likely a setting in the patch conflicting with your bass setup. Change it up and you'll probably be happy!

bassbrad · #8 09-13-2007, 05:26 PM

Like Bassbrock I am a long time Zoom fan but their presets are horrible. The bypass is also an issue so what I do is start with neutral patches and then add effects by my own design that I can switch up or down to.
My neutral setting is everything off with just a touch of room reverb with the gain adjusted to match the normal output level of my bass.