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New: Zoom B3n Multi-Effects

#1,921
I would love to talk the person responsible for not letting us do edits from the pc I guarantee it was this guy.

b4613b821919ba32cf6d5b87a854b53625dc7150d3351eaf91a32a76b17119ea.jpg
 
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#1,923
My plan was to sell off my other pedals, including the MS60B, after getting comfortable with the B3n. It doesn't take all that long to get comfortable with the B3n of course but I have to say that the recent and long delayed update to the MS60B adds a lot of new stuff and while the sound quality of the previous generation might not be quite as good it is certainly quite good. I had almost no time to play with it last night after doing the upgrade yet I already know that I love some of the new amp models. So now I am thinking that the MS60B is a keeper for the long haul. Sometimes it is nice to have all that power in such a small package. And it is easily good enough to work with the B3n in this interim period when the B3n is hopefully going to catch up with it, effects wise. Beyond that it can also be useful when your patch has maxed out the B3n processor before you were done adding effects to it.

I dearly hope that this MS60B upgrade is a sign of things to come for the B3n. It restores my faith in Zoom to see them finally giving an old bass pedal the same love that guitar pedals get all the time.
 
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#1,924
I contacted Zoom about the Guitar Lab software that doesn't allow you to do any edits and this is what they replied....

"Hello,

Thank you for contacting us and thank you for your feedback. I will relay the request to our development team in regards towards adding the feature once again.

Sincerely,
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
2_IAqu.png
2040 EXPRESS DRIVE SOUTH, S 500
HAUPPAUGE, NY 11788
P: 631 542 5270
WWW.ZOOM-NA.COM

I tried to use the Zoom Edit&Share software from the B3 but it doesn't recognize the B3n. I was thinking if enough of us write to [email protected] they may look at it?
 
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#1,926
When Zoom is in the process of granting a request, they usually say something like "hmmmm...interesting..." or "I think you'll like what we have coming soon...". Then it takes about 8 months before the public gets to see it. This type of boilerplate "thank you for your feedback" response doesn't sound very promising. Can't have everything, I guess, and I'd be happy to see them start to introduce more B3n stuff on a regular basis.
 
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#1,927
On an unrelated note, I'm always surprised by how many gear companies are out of NY .... I didn't know Zoom was too ... I also just learned that TC Electronics are out of NY and even more embarrassingly I had no idea the Fodera factory was in Brooklyn!! 20 minutes from where I live ... I wonder why so many high quality gear manufacturers are based out of downstate NY?
 
#1,932
I'm 49 years old and I probably spent HUNDREDS of hours in the Sam Ash in Huntington, Long Island over the last 35 years ... the place is sadly old and decrepit now but back in the day (before the interwebs) Sam Ash was the place! This is many, many years before Guitar Center was even a thought actually.

Back in the day, NYC was the MECCA of gear buying retailers ... didn't get much better ... I sound like an old timer, lol... now get off my lawn!!!
 
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#1,933
Spblat said:
Remember when CDs came out unleashing the concept of digital audio and a debate ensued about whether digital sound quality was indistinguishable from the best that records had to offer? Only the purists thought they could hear the difference, and only the purists cared. And they cared for reasons that seemed bigger than just sound quality; there was something heartfelt and perhaps slightly irrational behind it.

I think such is the current state of things in the DSP modeling vs. authentic "real" pedal discussion. I think the B3n's sound quality is good enough to satisfy all but the most ardent purists, who might not be able to prove they can actually hear a difference.
Click to expand...

Did a little research and came across this summation, "DA converters use several filtering techniques to "construct" the intented analog signal. In the early days of CD players, the importance of these filters were grossly underestimated, if not completely omitted. As a result, there were sampling frequency artifacts (quantization noise) in their output signals, reaching well into the MHz range. Not to mention anti-aliasing effects of higher frequencies.".. So what us/the purists were hearing is indeed plausible and not irrational. Sorry, that's been bugging me as a counter argument for the DSP modeling vs. authentic "real" pedal discussion, because due to what one hears and how opinions can differ from that, one can start to question their own ears or hard headedness instead of the source of the differing opinions
 
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#1,934
TodaysTomSawyer said:
Did a little research and came across this summation, "DA converters use several filtering techniques to "construct" the intented analog signal. In the early days of CD players, the importance of these filters were grossly underestimated, if not completely omitted. As a result, there were sampling frequency artifacts (quantization noise) in their output signals, reaching well into the MHz range. Not to mention anti-aliasing effects of higher frequencies.".. So what us/the purists were hearing is indeed plausible and not irrational. Sorry, that's been bugging me as a counter argument for the DSP modeling vs. authentic "real" pedal discussion, because due to what one hears and how opinions can differ from that, one can start to question their own ears or hard headedness instead of the source of the differing opinions
Click to expand...

Interesting. So, what do you think of the B3n? ;-)
 
#1,935
jimfist said:
When Zoom is in the process of granting a request, they usually say something like "hmmmm...interesting..." or "I think you'll like what we have coming soon...". Then it takes about 8 months before the public gets to see it. This type of boilerplate "thank you for your feedback" response doesn't sound very promising. Can't have everything, I guess, and I'd be happy to see them start to introduce more B3n stuff on a regular basis.
Click to expand...

I wasn't very hopeful after that response I guess if it isn't available at launch then it probably won't be added in the future.
 
#1,936
TodaysTomSawyer said:
Did a little research and came across this summation, "DA converters use several filtering techniques to "construct" the intented analog signal. In the early days of CD players, the importance of these filters were grossly underestimated, if not completely omitted. As a result, there were sampling frequency artifacts (quantization noise) in their output signals, reaching well into the MHz range. Not to mention anti-aliasing effects of higher frequencies.".. So what us/the purists were hearing is indeed plausible and not irrational. Sorry, that's been bugging me as a counter argument for the DSP modeling vs. authentic "real" pedal discussion, because due to what one hears and how opinions can differ from that, one can start to question their own ears or hard headedness instead of the source of the differing opinions
Click to expand...
I stand by my quoted remark. I'm not drawing a parallel between the B3n and the world's first CD player, I'm saying that to this day there remain purists who prefer analog to digital. I'm not saying anyone is dumb or wrong to express such a preference; I'm expressing skepticism about the degree to which these preferences are grounded in the realities of whether the sound difference between one and another is reliably discernible.

I'm down with purists. I'm down with preferring "the real thing" (whatever it may be). I'm just not down with accusations of tone suck that aren't based on something measurable or verifiable, like a gain-adjusted A/B test for example. Without that kind of evidence I think we should be regarding it as a religious discussion.

jimfist said:
Interesting. So, what do you think of the B3n? ;-)
Click to expand...
Exactly.
 
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#1,937
Spblat said:
I stand by my quoted remark. I'm not drawing a parallel between the B3n and the world's first CD player, I'm saying that to this day there remain purists who prefer analog to digital. I'm not saying anyone is dumb or wrong to express such a preference; I'm expressing skepticism about the degree to which these preferences are grounded in the realities of whether the sound difference between one and another is reliably discernible.

I'm down with purists. I'm down with preferring "the real thing" (whatever it may be). I'm just not down with accusations of tone suck that aren't based on something measurable or verifiable, like a gain-adjusted A/B test for example. Without that kind of evidence I think we should be regarding it as a religious discussion.


Exactly.
Click to expand...

"Religious discussion". Well said! I just inferred that you were using the CD vs records comparison to discredit purists and you were basing your conclusion on that, when in fact there were discrepancies. As far as accusations of tone suck, after learning about analog bypass and DSP bypass it makes more sense. Perhaps tone suck is the wrong term to use describing it
 
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#1,938
TodaysTomSawyer said:
"Religious discussion". Well said! I just inferred that you were using the CD vs records comparison to discredit purists and you were basing your conclusion on that, when in fact there were discrepancies. As far as accusations of tone suck, after learning about analog bypass and DSP bypass it makes more sense. Perhaps tone suck is the wrong term to use describing it
Click to expand...
I was talking to someone and asking if it was the difference in sound quality or process. Is it the warmth of the record or, is it the sound of a needle slapping down the groove of vinyl :/ Same here, is it the sound of paper or plastic? :/
 
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#1,939
DJ Bebop said:
I was talking to someone and asking if it was the difference in sound quality or process. Is it the warmth of the record or, is it the sound of a needle slapping down the groove of vinyl :/ Same here, is it the sound of paper or plastic? :/
Click to expand...

I don't have the b3n but my board has the b1on doing some amp sim, hpf, and some other effects when needed, and the ms60b is in an effects loop after my bass microsynth doing detune chorus, and I can measure the sound quality this way - its making me able to do gigs that are earning money and I'm getting compliments on my sound. On wedding / cover gigs, so many more bass sounds needed than once was true, and my setup is letting me get sounds that work well.

If I eventually get a b3n I'm sure the same will still be true.
 

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