Zoom B2 in the studio?

harlon · #1 08-13-2007, 01:03 PM

Has anyone used a Zoom B2 in the studio? If so - how has that worked for you? Also - what's the difference in the B2 and the B1? Can't find anything on their website comparing the two.

Thanks!

BassMan250 · #2 08-13-2007, 01:55 PM

I've only recorded one 6-song album so I'm not very experienced, but for those sessions I used my MIA Jazz through a B2 into a Nemesis 210 combo, which ran into the board through the DI. I generally use my B2 for tone, not effects, so I stick to the amp modeling, limiting, EQ and noise reduction and only occasionally use phaser or delay. That being said, the B2 works fine if your amp is a little lacking tone-wise. I don't know if it's possible to use a B2 as a DI or not but I doubt it. The B1, as far as I know, is a scaled-down version of the B2 with less features. The B2 IMHO is about the best multi-effects on the market in that price range. The B2.1 is just the B2 with an expression pedal. Hope this helps

manicbassman · #3 08-14-2007, 01:04 AM

B2.1U has a DI and a USB interface as well as the expression pedal...

Swift713 · #4 08-14-2007, 06:02 AM

The B1 I believe is plastic,

as opposed to the B2 which is a very solid metal box. I'm pretty sure the B1 has fewer parameters/controls etc.
As far as using the B2 for recording...
It should work as a direct box, after all it'll drive headphones and most 4tracks or mixing boards have trim knobs.
IME I did get a slightly cleaner sound with my bass straight into my little 4 track. This may be due to the funky wiring in my house, where the fewer gadgets in the chain the clearer the signal. However, My bass already has a pre and sounds great by itself. I also record with the B2 if I want any effects since my 4track doesn't really allow me to re-amp or anything.

Puru · #5 08-14-2007, 11:47 AM

I've recorded directly out of the B2 into the mixing board, always seem to work well. It's not a high-end rig, but sounded decent to me, I liked it better than the sansamp.

FunkQueen · #6 08-23-2007, 04:28 AM

I wonder how the drum patterns sound when they're recorded?
Any mp3 we can hear from anyone?
Can I use my zoom g2.1u's drums in recordings?
Even the G2.1.u's worked well on bass. (many of its FXs)
I guess 24 bit and 96 KHZ quality are huge steps.
I really liked the drum sound coming from my bass amp. and also many fxs.
I also own analog gear but the zoom's high quality blew me away.
any similar experiences?

theunknowndude · #7 08-23-2007, 04:57 AM

hmmm I havent actually recorded on my B2...
just a few thoughts though, im not quite sure how good it is for a 5 string, I have my rbx375 through it into a 40w amp which I think the amp kills the B string slightly,... doesnt bother me too much but when using alot of the effects, using the E and B strings it either doesnt track or sounds very horrid,... I mainly leave it on the A0 default setting and occasionally use distortion and phaser... still sounds decent enough that id record with it though I havent tried yet,...

thought the drum track thing was good at first, then realised it was impossible to get it to the tempo or drum style that I actually WANTED for any one song,... much easier to play along with a CD,.. nice novelty for having a fake jam or something but didnt overly like it... especially as the "metal" drum track was so far removed from any metal drumming I listen to... *shrug*

problem could be more with my amp as on the clean setting through headphones the B string sounds nice but yeah not sure on the tracking for B and E with fx which is mostly where I like to play... (this is through either headphones or the actual speaker...)

Swift713 · #8 08-23-2007, 05:29 AM

The Zoom handles my low B just fine. As for the "drum machine"... none of these kind of preprogrammed drum beats will have the flexibility of a real drummer. I've found patterns that kind of work for some of my tunes but I would certainly get a real drummer for recording.

FunkQueen · #9 08-24-2007, 11:25 AM

I wish my G2.1u had a built-in looper as well...
Does b2.1u have one?

::Saint:: · #10 08-24-2007, 11:55 AM

Anyone use the USB output on their B2.1u? I'm trying to figure out if I could use it as an all-in-one PC interface for Cubase SE or not.. seems I should be able to record anything I want through there, even if it will be mono and not necessarily the greatest sound quality.. I mostly just want the ability to do some simple multi-track work for getting ideas down, etc.

Swift713 · #11 08-24-2007, 04:54 PM

Funk Queen, do you mean "tape" loop? or effects loop? Echo and delay get up to 5 seconds and you can set up an external hold switch.