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Beginner questions about Multi-Effect Pedals like Line 6, BOSS, Zoom, etc

J

jwcc

Apr 21, 2009
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#1
Hello,

I've been playing bass for about 20 years and never really been into using effects before now...

Way back at the beginning I has a Zoom multi-effects pedal that I think was guitar + bass, and it was really awful.... the only 'overdrive' sounds it had were just way to rough and over the top.

Other than tuners and switches, I've had a Boss limiter/compressor and an Ibanez chorus pedal that I've been fairly happy with but rarely use. (I play lightly and thus make other players use the limiter if they're using my rig, lol ) I bought a JHS mute switch and a Donner noise gate last year and I'm really happy with them (first pedal purchase in well over 10 years).


The guitar players in my band are totally into their effects and they're good at it. Most of them use Line 6 (HDX?) and have started suggesting I get one.

So, I'm in the mood to play around with a multi-effects board now, especially if it has any good amp modeling, and happy to spend a few / several hundreds dollars on a good board or system... cringing at the ones that are selling for $1500+ but I'd go for it if there was compelling reason to do so.

I'd prefer for it to be something made for bass,not just "guitar" but I don't even know if that's barking up the wrong tree or not.

All that said, as an effects-newbie, I'd like to hear opinions on what gear to try, and why (why meaning Pros and Cons, + what do you like about it?)

Thanks!

P.S. in short: talk to me about multi-effects pedal boards please ;-)
 
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#3
I recently had an earlier zoom pedal, for the cost vs the things it can do it is/was wonderful. and it sounded phenomenal

That said I gave it away because plugging info into an electronic device is not my idea of fun...

I do prefer individual pedals, but I even hate the ones with more than 2 dials.... add a switch and I'm really hating life...

my favorite amp has a volume and a tone.....
 
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#4
Most effects are not exclusive to bass or guitar. Exception in my experience is dirt/OD/distortion/fuzz, whatever grit you may like. And then it’s often only because so many dirt boxes are clones of vintage circuits so the lows may be filtered because of the desired tone of lead guitar. Nearly anything “not dirt” is a sure bet. Almost.
Many of the multi effect units work for both and you can find demos supporting bass. Good luck. Have fun. Welcome to the rabbit hole.
 
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#5
Have a look here - Zoom B6

People started getting their Zoom B6 units around page 25 and subsequently started discussing their gigging experiences compared to their previous gear. Plenty of great info in this thread if you wanted to start with newly-released-bass-specific gear that won't break the bank right off the bat. Amp/cab sims and octave/pitch tracking are highly spoken of compared to previous zoom units. May be worth your time to have a readthrough of the final 15 pages or so.
 
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#6
Most multis have presets designed to show off an effect. Which means there's a lot going on in the preset. So when I use multi-fx, I tend to start from blank presets and build my sound from there.

The big thing for me is programming. How many menus do I need to dive down to get to the control I want to modify. Things are better these days as many multis have a computer interface you can use for programming. But that also comes with its own hiccups. Especially when you're in rehearsal or a gig and want to change things and you end up menu diving on the unit.

Personally, I prefer single effects pedals. I want this box to make this sound and I can control everything from the knobs. I also have a clear idea of what I want to sound like and what does and doesn't work for me.

Depending on how much you want to spend, I would look at the Line 6 Helix Stomp. Small screen but it has the best computer interface. The BOSS GT-1B is a distant second, though it's significantly less expensive. I'm not sure I could recommend anything else.
 
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#7
Multi effects are great for many things but suck for others so my solution is to use both single effects and a multi effect. Even many of my single effects are capable of actually doing several effects at a time so it does get more complicated. As mentioned the demo patches that come on effects units are never optimal so you will need to explore the manual as to functions and listen to the different effects to see if they are what you are interested in and create your own. Most multi effects will have some effects you may never use but it is still good to explore those sounds as you never know. Once you discover your favorite or most used types then it is time to go shopping for single effects.

IMG_20220916_140315811_HDR.jpg I use a Zoom MS60b MultiStomp multi effect.
 
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#8
I am probably going to be the Mr. Cheapo dumpster diving voice in this thread, but here goes:

I have used a borrowed Line 6 Pod 2.0, then a Zoom B2, and now a Zoom G1Xfour as a preamp, feeding a rack power amp and bass cab. The attraction for me in doing that is, it combines all the things I use for bass into one box: tuner, compressor, amp model, EQ and noise reduction if I need it.

All three of those units I named (despite two of them being intended for guitar and only one, the B2, intended for bass) contain some variation of a modeled Marshall Plexi head, and that is the model I like best. Those amp (models) will clean up enough at low gain settings to make a decent clean, or clean-ish, fingerstyle bass tone, while delivering a little grit and grunt when you dig in. There’s a bit of a pillowy compressed feel to the low notes that I find appealing, but some may dislike.

Anyway, I completely ignore the factory presets and tweak up my own user preset using the features I mentioned and once I get it figured out and saved, it’s a simple, consistent way to travel light with minimal cord spaghetti. And I can run the Zooms on AA batteries and have one less AC plug-in to worry about. They run for several hours of full blast on a set of batteries. Probably 3-4 practices, at least.

I only use the one sound and don’t kick effects on an off, so I just set the unit on top of my power amp rack.
 
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#10
Zarcsby said:
Have a look here - Zoom B6

People started getting their Zoom B6 units around page 25 and subsequently started discussing their gigging experiences compared to their previous gear. Plenty of great info in this thread if you wanted to start with newly-released-bass-specific gear that won't break the bank right off the bat. Amp/cab sims and octave/pitch tracking are highly spoken of compared to previous zoom units. May be worth your time to have a readthrough of the final 15 pages or so.
Click to expand...
I think Zoom B6 is a great multieffect pedal. But if you wanna try something simpler and cheaper, Zoom B3n is you friend. I have this unit for a year and a half and am very happy with it.
Here's the main topic: New: Zoom B3n Multi-Effects
But it's far from the only one.
 
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#13
I prefer to have individual effects rather than a multi-effect. I’ve not had good luck using multi fx - the endless menu diving, the “just ok” sound of them - and using any product with an LCD always produced unwanted noise for me that goes away when the multi effect got turned off. Multi Fx are not for me. It would be one way to try an individual effect without buying a separate effect pedal for just one effect.
 
#16
I started off with a Zoom B3, dabbled with individual pedals, jumped straight into a Line 6 Helix and went back to individual pedals. Don’t get me wrong, the multi-effects were great, especially the Helix. Issue for me was the time commitment to program it and switch things up on the fly. Options were almost endless on the Helix and most of of bass specific settings sounded really good. It’s just easier for me to tweak a couple knobs then to go through several menus. The only bad thing about individual pedals is you can never have enough and the cost adds up quickly.
 
#17
My zoom b3 finally bit the bullet and stopped working... used it for nearly a decade with lots of success and compliments on tone (thanks mainly to the zoom b3 patch ideas thread). I'm now running individual pedals and I'm just as happy with my tone even though I don't have hundreds of sounds at my disposal, I hardly use em except for cover songs or when I need a bit of dirt.
 
#18
IMO a B3n will get the job done and is a great start for MFX. The stomp xl has replaced my b3n as I snagged a deal on the TB classifieds. I don’t feel it is any less of a “bass” pedal than the B3n, it just has a bunch of guitar stuff too. The B6 was on my radar, but the button layout wasn’t what I need.
 
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#19
I use a Line6 HX Stomp XL and I think it's great. The interface on a PC is super easy to use, at least compared to my old Zoom B3. It's not that difficult to tweak on the pedal either although it does take some getting used to. The only con for me is no DI out, but DIs are relatively cheap if you need to go that route. The amp and cab sims sound great to me, I use IEMs at church so I get a fair amount of use out of them. The XL is basically the same as the base Stomp except it has more stomp buttons. The only reason I can think of to go with a Helix or a Floor is if you need the connectivity options, which if you're just using it for a multiFX for a single bass you probably don't need. Or if you want a built in expression pedal. I'm always a little intimidated at the potential cost of single pedals so I like the fixed cost of a multiFX.
 
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#20
jwcc said:
And if I need to build my own setup one pedal at a time and ignore all the mutli- systems, I'm all ears to hear opinions about that too.
Click to expand...
I'm like you in that I've been playing for several years and aside from an occasional quack-out with an envelope filter, I haven't really used effects too much. My current band is doing a combo of fun rock and dance material, so I now have several opportunities to throw in something funky sounding like a synth, different sorts of fuzz, or maybe a little more grindy tone when we're rockin'.

I also noodle on guitar at home, so I thought it would be fun to get one thing that could do guitar stuff and also bass stuff reasonably well. That led me to the Line 6 Pod Go. I can say that this gizmo is rather impressive - it seems that these folks have poured a LOT of quality sounds into this board. The trouble for me here is that there's a bit of a learning curve and I've been way too busy of the last couple of months to really dig into the how-to videos, etc.

Hopefully I'll have more time to get up to speed with the Pod Go in a few weeks once my other pursuits slow down. I may have to report back sometime after Thanksgiving on that...

I was looking at the Zoom B6 before I caught one or two recommendations for the Pod Go, so I went a little crazy and grabbed one of these, too. In both cases, I very much like that everything is in the unit itself in terms of different useful effects, spaces to setup new patches, etc. I don't need to plug either one into my computer to do any work on it - unlike something like the Source Audio C4.

I can say that as soon as I got my B6, I was off and jammin'. I'm not an electronics whiz like my nephew, but it's been remarkably easy for me to navigate the Zoom using its foot switches, control knobs, and colorful touch screen that shows me what I can do and where I can go. Many of the presets are fantastic, they're easy to tweak, and I've already built a couple of my own patches and used this board at a gig.

Some multi gizmos like perhaps the Helix can apparently do almost everything under the sun, but I don't seem to need anything that elaborate. The B6 is super easy for me to use right now, it has plenty of potential for me going forward, and I can say that it sounds really great compared to some of the cheap little things they were producing several years ago (I had one).

I think that if you get anything half decent, you'll find out what you can use as you go. I also have a few individual effects, but my preference right now is to have things consolidated into one board. I love the tuner in the B6 and also need it's feature that lets me switch between two inputs because I usually use my two favorite basses at our shows :thumbsup:
 
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