Zoom b3 vs Me-50b

[Tenju777]

Hey guys, so I'm finally ready to jump into the world of effects. And to be honest I know a little about everything and a lot about nothing when it comes to effects. So because of that I decided to go ahead and get a good Multi-Effect just to get my feet wet and see what I like/don't like.

I like that the zoom is about a 100 bucks cheaper, and I see a lot of love for it on TB. I'm not interested in built in od's/distortions/fuzzes/amp models or anything like that. I've got separate pre amps and stomp boxes for those. I'm mainly interested in modulation/synth/wah type stuff. So which unit is gonna get me better off in that direction? And can both units skip amp modeling all together? I like the idea of a lot of banks for presets for a wide variety of soundscapes and all that jazz.

TL;DR Zoom b3 or Boss ME-50b?

[DeltaPhoenix]

B3 for the win

[willbassyeah]

Might as well get m9? so much better in term of modulation

[Woodsbass]

Originally Posted by Tenju777

Hey guys, so I'm finally ready to jump into the world of effects. And to be honest I know a little about everything and a lot about nothing when it comes to effects. So because of that I decided to go ahead and get a good Multi-Effect just to get my feet wet and see what I like/don't like.

I like that the zoom is about a 100 bucks cheaper, and I see a lot of love for it on TB. I'm not interested in built in od's/distortions/fuzzes/amp models or anything like that. I've got separate pre amps and stomp boxes for those. I'm mainly interested in modulation/synth/wah type stuff. So which unit is gonna get me better off in that direction? And can both units skip amp modeling all together? I like the idea of a lot of banks for presets for a wide variety of soundscapes and all that jazz.

TL;DR Zoom b3 or Boss ME-50b?

The issue with the ME-50b is that you cannot turn off the EQ, so your tone is always somewhat "effected"

I have a video on youtube demonstrating most of the sounds the ME-50b has. I ended up selling mine though, because I didn't like the always on EQ.

Also, to my ear, the effects on the B3 sound better.

[matante]

The consensus here seems to be that the B3 is great for modulation and lousy with overdrive so it sounds like it fits you. You also get a DI out and a USB interface for computer recording. I think it's a no-brainer.

[Explorer]

Originally Posted by Woodsbass

The issue with the ME-50b is that you cannot turn off the EQ, so your tone is always somewhat "effected."

I think I've read that comment from you previously.

If I set the knobs in the Master section to 12 noon ((Mid-Freq doesn't matter, of course), and turn all the effects off, I can toggle between On and Bypass and not have any difference in EQ.

I checked, and even the manual verifies that this is the expected behavior.

Is it possible you had a bum unit? I own two currently, and they both behave the same, flat EQ when set to noon. It's puzzling that yours didn't.

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@ the OP - I do love the ME-50B, but modulation and reverb are definitely not its strong suits.

With only three effect slots active at any time on the G3, even if I pick one up (and this is very likely), I'll still run reverb and delay after it, likely the reverb/delay Muza FD-900.

The effects on the G3 are much more usable out of the box, and it manages to do a lot of the things I really love about the ME-50B, including having an expression-pedal-controlled resonance. Combining that with, say, the Muff setting sits squarely in synth territory.

The only thing is... a lot of the synth stuff I use on the ME-50B makes use of more than three effects at a time. My dark orchestral pad combines compression, slow attack, the natural overdrive, the octave down on the expression pedal, and the reverb/chorus combo, as well as the EQ. A lot of the other ME-50B sounds I made and routinely use also combine the full capabilities of the ME-50B, and I can't get there completely with just the B3.

If you're just looking for the basics out of the box though, the B3 is the way to go.

[Tenju777]

First off, thanks everyone for the input! I wasn't expecting so many replies this quickly.

And to Explorer. So basically what you're saying is at any given time on the B3 you can only have 3 effects active and whatever settings those come with, but with the ME-50B you can have 3 effects, a compressor, and the eq set to that specific patch? I can see how the Boss pedal is a tad more "customizable" if you will.

But would you say if I've already got separate drives/rack eq/compressor that I won't be missing much of the extra features on the ME-50B?

Ultimately I'm thinking the B3 is more up my alley because it seems a little more straightforward. Not that I don't like tweaking sounds till the cows come home, but I feel like the Boss pedal might be a little redundant with the gear I'm already working with.

[DeltaPhoenix]

The B3 kills the ME-50B for synth stuff. It has Synths in it. So you put a Synth in one slot of the patch, the Slicer next, and a Bit Crusher after that.

One other thing is that the B3 has a Great tuner and rythms to practice to.

[Explorer]

I agree that the B3 has better patches out of the box. If you have outboard gear already, then the B3 is a great adjunct to that.

However... if I'm using minimal gear, that board often just has the ME-50B, the FS-6 footswitch (for moving through the ME-50B's preset banks), and my Muza FD-900 M Ambience pedal (combined reverb and delay, four presets).

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In general, it's worthwhile for anyone considering gear like this to watch demo vids for similar gear. There was a great demo of the Red Panda Bitcrusher being used as a double feedback loop to get a great clavinet sound out of a bass, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the Zoom B3 can do the same....

[Tenju777]

Alright guys I ordered my Zoom B3 and a moog expression pedal this afternoon and it should be here early next week. Thanks for all the advice! I'll make sure to post my thoughts on it as soon as I get it.