Zoom B2.1u - Help!

bspot · #1 05-04-2010, 09:10 AM

HELP!

A little background: I have owned a Zoom B1 for a few months and really have had a good time with it. In fact, I now only use that one pedal during gigs and use the A0 patch as my 'clean' effect. That patch is modeled after the Fender Bassman 100 and really cuts thru the band's mix so my bass is really clear and crisp.

Well....I kept reading threads on TB about the Zoom B2.1u and found one here in the TB classifieds and bought one. I read all the threads, took notes, inputted custom patches I found on TB, and spent a few days learning the patches and customizing many of the patches too.

Last night was the first chance I had to use the B2.1u with my band. I immediately noticed that I was now getting lost in the mix. Other guys in the band stated that fact as well, which is telling since they usually only care about hearing themselves. I tried a ton of different patches and could not get myself back into the overall mix like I could with the B1.

Halfway thru the night, I even shelved the B2.1u and went back to the B1. But I didnt spend a wad of money to have the new pedal sit on the shelf.

HELP??!! Is there some setting on the B2.1u that i am missing that will get my sound back to that clean crisp sound that i'm used to? Any advice/feedback would be great appreciated...

bassbrad · #2 05-04-2010, 10:32 AM

With the B2.1u there are several volume settings that you have to get just right. For the Bassman setting you are using be sure that the cab sim is off when playing thru a bass amp and also that the volume in the ZNR/Mix module is set high enough . There is an additional master volume in the control section. You might search out the Zoom B2.1u cheat sheets posted here to get a handle on all the parameters.

bspot · #3 05-04-2010, 10:40 AM

bassbrad, thanks for the info.

I did find the b2.1u cheatsheets and have inputted a few of them into my pedal this week. They too dont seem to cut thru my band's mix. For some reason, the B1 seems to come thru 'hotter' than the B2.1u does....hotter is probably the wrong term. This is less of a volume issue but more of an issue that I cannot get a crisp sound, but rather everything seems muddier.

Lync · #4 05-04-2010, 11:35 AM

Try resetting the B2 back to factory defaults or just use the numbered settings first off.

bspot · #5 05-04-2010, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lync

Try resetting the B2 back to factory defaults or just use the numbered settings first off.

It was set back to factory defaults prior to me trying it out and i've tried all numbered settings too.

Keep the ideas coming though!

Lync · #6 05-04-2010, 12:01 PM

Have you messed with the gain on the settings you like? I believe that the B2 series has a different processor than the B1, so you may get a refined sound quality with less output? The Bassman emulator on my B2 is B4 or 14. A0 is and SVT into an 8x10, and B0 is an SVT.

Mrdak · #7 05-04-2010, 12:54 PM

Try turning the bass down on your amp... then turn up the mids on your amp, while trying your presets on the B2.1u. Just a little bit at a time.

atheos · #8 05-04-2010, 01:13 PM

Does it sound OK if in tuner/bypass mode? Also make a patch with absolutely every effect off. If there's nothing wrong then you start tweaking. If it sounds muddy there's something wrong with your wires or the device itself and that's not solved by tweaking parameters.

As said, make sure you have no cab simulation in any patch. Also the compressor/limiter is pretty hardcore with all settings cranked to 11 so be careful with it. It could squash your tone down to the point it has zero definition. Leave the EQ (both lo and hi) flat and only use it to fine tune some problem frequencies and balance different patches if necessary.

Multieffects are nice but there is a high risk of screwing something up badly if you get too excited while tweaking the hundreds of parameters. Remember: every element you add reduces some other element. Use only what's absolutely necessary.

bspot · #9 05-04-2010, 01:16 PM

atheos,

What you're saying is probably part of the issue [cab sim, compressor/limiter, etc]. I have read the manual a few times but I highly doubt that I actually understand what every aspect of each knob does to each specific patch. I wish these multi-effect pedals would explain each knob a bit better...or shoot, is there a class I can take??

bassbrad · #10 05-04-2010, 01:48 PM

Another thing to keep in mind is that the B2.1u has a 6 band eq but it is broken up into 2 sections lo band and hi band. That is the reason I made up the cheat sheet and refer to them all the time. I really like the Zoom sound but the user interface can be a real challenge especially changing stuff on the fly. IMO that is one of the reasons that they are not more popular and other brands are preferred--ease of operation. FWIW none of the sounds I use are based on the presets, which are pretty useless overall, but tailored to my specific needs and basses.