Source Audio Zio Bass Preamp

[moon-bass]

Always a fan of new preamp pedals, might have to give this one a try once y'all are report back.

 

[Thegreatzambini]

I think this is actually really cool…. I definitely have to check one out at some point.

 

[shoepedals]

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all your enthusiasm and kind words. I'm Christopher from Shoe Pedals (the guy from the video). I'm really happy that people are liking the sound of the pedal and doubly happy that you all seem to be appreciating the design goal we had in mind, which is simple to use, compact, but including a lot of useful functions in that package.

I always try to design circuits that sound good pretty much no matter the settings (but still contain a lot of versatility) and it seems like you all are picking up in that, which makes me super happy! It's harder than it looks, lol!

On the topic of extra knobs and footswitches, I am personally not opposed to that (my modular synth rig is looking at me knowingly). It does come with some tradeoffs, of course. One big one is well...it would be a pretty big pedal requiring a lot of pedalboard real estate. Another is that, sometimes, bigger pedals with more knobs and footswitches can be intimidating to some users. But, that said, we are open to all of your feedback and if these are things people are asking for, we will certainly take it seriously!

 

[logdrum]

Hopefully now it makes more sense why both Scoop and Grit became on/off toggle switches instead of us coming out with a three footswitch design.

The design encourages the old men to stretch and bend down. I think it's a great idea.

I was really looking to get a pre-amp last year - returned the Ampeg SGT-DI, cannot really bond with any SansAmp or Tech 21, the posh London accent did not really sell me on the Origins, I want see through glass, not dark and when aged horse asked, what EQ topology, I said Pultec. That's the best feature of this pedal

I am Fully-Sourced™ , with the exception of Boomerang and Infinity Mk I looper and the H90 , I only use SourceAudio pedals now (got rid of everything else ) - And this makes sense. Thanks for bringing this out.

BTW SourceAudio has the best customer support. They replaced the board of my Ventris and I was not even the original owner. And it was way past beyond any warranty. Stoked about this and will get one soon. None of their pedals have disappointed.

 

[shon]

This really is a brilliant looking and sounding pedal. I'm happy and a bit surprised that SA went analog on this one. Now they need a similar form factor for an updated C4. That'd get my money

 

[StayLow]

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all your enthusiasm and kind words. I'm Christopher from Shoe Pedals (the guy from the video). I'm really happy that people are liking the sound of the pedal and doubly happy that you all seem to be appreciating the design goal we had in mind, which is simple to use, compact, but including a lot of useful functions in that package.

I always try to design circuits that sound good pretty much no matter the settings (but still contain a lot of versatility) and it seems like you all are picking up in that, which makes me super happy! It's harder than it looks, lol!

On the topic of extra knobs and footswitches, I am personally not opposed to that (my modular synth rig is looking at me knowingly). It does come with some tradeoffs, of course. One big one is well...it would be a pretty big pedal requiring a lot of pedalboard real estate. Another is that, sometimes, bigger pedals with more knobs and footswitches can be intimidating to some users. But, that said, we are open to all of your feedback and if these are things people are asking for, we will certainly take it seriously!

Welcome!

Meant constructively, with respect:

I really wanted a bass version when the original Zio came out, as its EQ curves weren’t suitable for bass. Had this bass version in cart within minutes of knowing it existed; first gear I’d have bought in a few years. Gotta give it a pass though.

A “get a screwdriver to micro-adjust a trim pot you can’t quite see every time you switch basses or EQ” drive is on my JHS Pulp & Peel V4. Not at all practical, to be kind. And flailing on a small, fragile something directly mounted to a circuit board isn’t a path to long-term reliability.

The scoop sounds extreme to me. Perfect slap sound, but how often is someone likely to be slapping for a whole song these days? Needs at least a footswitch, and ideally a way to adjust the degree of contour. Bending down to flick a tiny toggle between songs, or for parts of songs, isn’t feasible.

Last request, in case you ever do add features to a future larger version: none of those micro knobs, please and thanks.

Larger footprints than this, with a lot more knobs and switches, are common in bass preamps. Or a smaller version for less cost, like the original Zio without the drive and scoop, would be nice.

With knobs that are easier to see the settings of. Can’t tell what the settings are on the The Bass Channel’s YT review thumbnail, for example (bottom one in the OP). Not gonna be much clearer under stage lights.

Sincere best of luck with this!

 

[jcburn]

I think this is a cool unit and different enough in the realm of bass preamps to become it's own thing.
Personally I'm ok with the switches. I don't use a scooped sound, and I would use the Drive as always on.
The thing I like the most is the sound\tone\flavour of the drive. Sounds perfect to me.

 

[Nashrakh]

I'm happy and a bit surprised that SA went analog on this one.

Surprised me as well. I was kind of hoping for a fully customizable experience like their One Series pedals. My body is ready for that! The ZIO sounds very nice, but I'm not quite sure if I actually have a need for it in my current setup.

 

[shoepedals]

Welcome!

Meant constructively, with respect:

I really wanted a bass version when the original Zio came out, as its EQ curves weren’t suitable for bass. Had this bass version in cart within minutes of knowing it existed; first gear I’d have bought in a few years. Gotta give it a pass though.

A “get a screwdriver to micro-adjust a trim pot you can’t quite see every time you switch basses or EQ” drive is on my JHS Pulp & Peel V4. Not at all practical, to be kind. And flailing on a small, fragile something directly mounted to a circuit board isn’t a path to long-term reliability.

The scoop sounds extreme to me. Perfect slap sound, but how often is someone likely to be slapping for a whole song these days? Needs at least a footswitch, and ideally a way to adjust the degree of contour. Bending down to flick a tiny toggle between songs, or for parts of songs, isn’t feasible.

Last request, in case you ever do add features to a future larger version: none of those micro knobs, please and thanks.

Larger footprints than this, with a lot more knobs and switches, are common in bass preamps. Or a smaller version for less cost, like the original Zio without the drive and scoop, would be nice.

With knobs that are easier to see the settings of. Can’t tell what the settings are on the The Bass Channel’s YT review thumbnail, for example (bottom one in the OP). Not gonna be much clearer under stage lights.

Sincere best of luck with this!

Thanks for the constructive feedback! I think those are all good ideas.

Maybe just a little bit of context on the gain trimmer, specifically. The plan was not to have any gain control at all, initially, as I don't think it's strictly necessary with the way this particular Grit circuit works (it's a pretty unique circuit that is more aimed at subtler transformer-like hysteresis distortion than your typical overdrive type of circuit. It does do a little bit of both and it will certianly clip more at higher gain settings). However, we thought people might appreciate having the option to fine tune the flavor of it if in order to access a more distorted sound if they prefer that (we calibrate it to a specific setting at the factory that is most transformer-like). We considered just having an internal trimmer so people could calibrate it differently if they want to, but we opted to have an easy access hole on the side so that you don't have to take the back off of a tech would have easy access as needed, etc. That said, I understand where you're coming from about having it be a front panel knob.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Another vote for a larger version with foot switches for the scoop and grit.

 

[rsmith601]

I would note that we arrived at the current configuration after significant time actually playing around with the actual development board.

 

[40Hz]

I just listened to all the demo vids above. (I also want that Ray that’s being played in the third one! ) Hits the sweet spot for useful functionality at a decent price IMO. I think SA has a winner with this one

Nothing I couldn’t duplicate with gear I already own. But I own a lot of gear. And it would require about four or five pedals to do it. So it’d be hard to beat for its size, convenience, and cost effectiveness since it has everything you really need for a gig or recording session. I’m tempted to pick one up just for home recording purposes.

I also like how it can be subtle. Too many of this type of pedal tend to be more in your face when it comes to grit settings. I like how nicely it seems you can dial things down to add just a hint of enhancement where and when you want it.

Also deserving of praise are its cosmetics. Nice subdued color choice. Minimal graphics. And legible labels! It definitely shows class when it comes to its appearance.

Yep. Definitely a well thought out bass preamp. A round of applause to SA for this one.

 

[rsmith601]

I just listened to all the demo vids above. (I also want that Ray that’s being played in the third one! ) Hits the sweet spot for useful functionality at a decent price IMO. I think SA has a winner with this one

Nothing I couldn’t duplicate with gear I already own. But I own a lot of gear. And it would require about four or five pedals to do it. So it’d be hard to beat for its size, convenience, and cost effectiveness since it has everything you really need for a gig or recording session. I’m tempted to pick one up just for home recording purposes.

I also like how it can be subtle. Too many of this type of pedal tend to be more in your face when it comes to grit settings. I like how nicely it seems you can dial things down to add just a hint of enhancement where and when you want it.

Also deserving of praise are its cosmetics. Nice subdued color choice. Minimal graphics. And legible labels! It definitely shows class when it comes to its appearance.

Yep. Definitely a well thought out bass preamp. A round of applause to SA for this one.

Thank you for the nice comments! I am so glad the videos are communicating the concept and sound. With most of our products this is easy. With Bass ZIO it is much more challenging.
I shared your post with all the SA team!

 

[_Tay_]

As someone who likes a certain amount of drive on my "clean" tone i am very much looking forward to getting my hands on one of these next week. Really like the sound of the drive on this, sounds crunchy/crisp without getting all fuzzy.

I do have a question though for anyone that may know... How exactly does the FOCUS knob work?? I get that it is a HPF but does it change the HPF center frequency as it turns? or does it take db level away?? Or both ??

 

[StayLow]

Thanks for the constructive feedback! I think those are all good ideas.

Maybe just a little bit of context on the gain trimmer, specifically. The plan was not to have any gain control at all, initially, as I don't think it's strictly necessary with the way this particular Grit circuit works (it's a pretty unique circuit that is more aimed at subtler transformer-like hysteresis distortion than your typical overdrive type of circuit. It does do a little bit of both and it will certianly clip more at higher gain settings). However, we thought people might appreciate having the option to fine tune the flavor of it if in order to access a more distorted sound if they prefer that (we calibrate it to a specific setting at the factory that is most transformer-like). We considered just having an internal trimmer so people could calibrate it differently if they want to, but we opted to have an easy access hole on the side so that you don't have to take the back off of a tech would have easy access as needed, etc. That said, I understand where you're coming from about having it be a front panel knob.

Thanks much.

Respect to you for having put thought into it. I’ve not found close to a “one size” type solution for bass because of the extremely wide dynamic range of input levels devices will face.

It may well fit most however, as most bassists do stick to one style, attack, and type of instruments with respect to dynamic range.

Nearly all drive / grits require a comp in front to work properly for my needs, so I perhaps shouldn’t expect different in this case.

Cheers.

 

[ole Jason]

I think it sounds great. Like others I was initially surprised to see the gain on a trimmer but at the same time I almost never touch the gain on my amp after getting it where I want it. The only situation I can think of where it would be a detriment is if someone brings several wildly different basses to a gig and wants to use them all with the grit engaged. I'd imagine that subset of players is so small they're not really relevant to consideration when designing a product like this though. Nice job guys.

 

[shoepedals]

As someone who likes a certain amount of drive on my "clean" tone i am very much looking forward to getting my hands on one of these next week. Really like the sound of the drive on this, sounds crunchy/crisp without getting all fuzzy.

I do have a question though for anyone that may know... How exactly does the FOCUS knob work?? I get that it is a HPF but does it change the HPF center frequency as it turns? or does it take db level away?? Or both ??

Hi!

The Focus control sweeps the cutoff frequency of the HPF. So, for example, when you boost the low end with the Bass knob, it's a shelf boost, but you might want to focus in on a particular frequency range with more of a bell shape that suits the room/your rig. Or you may want to some sub-bass interference tones resulting from choral playing, etc. Turning up the Focus knob will allow you to do that to fit the mix/room/rig as needed. I find that roughly matching the settings between Bass and Focus is a good starting point in a lot of cases, but of course every situation is different

 

[mikesjam]

The gain trimmer is not an issue for me at all; in fact I see it as a space-saving benefit. For my uses I'd only need to adjust it to the level I want once and probably never touch it again.

 

[_Tay_]

Hi!

The Focus control sweeps the cutoff frequency of the HPF. So, for example, when you boost the low end with the Bass knob, it's a shelf boost, but you might want to focus in on a particular frequency range with more of a bell shape that suits the room/your rig. Or you may want to some sub-bass interference tones resulting from choral playing, etc. Turning up the Focus knob will allow you to do that to fit the mix/room/rig as needed. I find that roughly matching the settings between Bass and Focus is a good starting point in a lot of cases, but of course every situation is different

Cool to know and thanks for the reply!

 

[40Hz]

Thank you for the nice comments! I am so glad the videos are communicating the concept and sound. With most of our products this is easy. With Bass ZIO it is much more challenging.
I shared your post with all the SA team!

You’re more than welcome. Credit where credit is due.

I’m hoping a local store ends up stocking a few. I’ve got so many preamps already that I have forced myself to try before I buy any more gear.

Poor me! Real first world problem, right?