Source Audio Zio Bass Preamp

[Xad]

Hmmm, slightly odd that you're not hearing anything from GRIT toggle with the GAIN maxed. I certainly wouldn't call the Bass ZIO a "fuzz," but the GRIT should be audible when the GAIN is maxed. I just sent you a private message, we'll see if we can't figure out this thing.

Ok, it turns out I play very softly and let FOH do the heavy lifting. When I put a little effort into it, I can squeeze some distortion out of the Zio. And, yeah, when I do that, having the trimpot maxed is WAY too much! I now have it set about 50% and all is well

 

[dedpool1052]

I love it.
Started with both toggles off.
Bass and treble flat.
Set volume to taste.
Instantly noticeable to me.
Slightly boosted treble, and I'm in love.

So, the LED is super weak. (*On mine)
Hardly noticeable in normal lighting.
But, I definitely know when it's on.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

So, the LED is super weak. (*On mine)
Hardly noticeable in normal lighting.
But, I definitely know when it's on.

Ummm... weird....?

 

[dedpool1052]

Ummm... weird....?
View attachment 5329994

I appreciate the hyperbole, considering I do some welding at my job.

 

[blmeier7]

Last night at rehearsal I got a chance to try out the Zio in the mix. For reference, I was running a P bass with roundwounds into a Genzler Magellan 350 into a Fender 115 cab. I took my compressor pedal out of my chain and only ran the Zio, aside from a tuner pedal. We are primarily a cover band focusing on classic rock, blues, and country.

The Zio did an excellent job thickening up the low end without getting boomy. I kept the bass around 10-11 o'clock, focus around 9-11 o'clock, treble around 1:00, and grit and scoop off. This setting provided a nice tight low end that sat well in the mix.

Keeping all settings the same I then engaged the grit (gain sweep somewhere in the middle). I really liked this tone, and I felt the grit of the Zio does exactly what I was hoping for. I've tried quite a few mild overdrives and low gain distortion pedals over the years and have never been all that satisfied. As you raise the treble control it noticeably increases the grit break-up, so I need to spend some more time experimenting there.

I had a little more trouble getting useable live tones with the scoop engaged. It would sound good as I was dialing my tone in before a song, but then I was missing that 800hz to 1khz bite. For those busier bass lines that require more mids and less low end fundamentals I found myself turning the Zio off and relying on my amp to get there. I plan to spend some more time today working with the scoop, treble, and focus ranges.

We didn't play any of our modern rock songs at rehearsal, but I have been able to dial in a great modern rock sound with the scoop engaged, treble at 3:00, bass around 12:00, and focus at 10:00. To me this setting sounds great doing the P bass with a pick thing...and works well with the grit on or off depending on the sound I'm after.

I will say that the controls on the Zio are very dependent on one another, so I do have quite a bit of exploring left to do. The focus and bass, treble and scoop, treble and grit controls are all interactive. Kind of reminds me of a Tone Hammer amp in that you can't take all the controls at face value...it requires a little knowledge to know how the controls interact with one another. However, with that said it would be hard to get a completely unusable sound out of the Zio - the control ranges don't go to extreme levels unlike some pedals I've experienced. It's apparent to me that some time was spent developing this pedal, I don't get the feeling that it's just another bass preamp trying to grab some of the market share.

Please report back about how it performs in a band context.....and if possible, specifically how it sounds with bass maxed, scoop engaged and Focus at about 10 o'clock....which seems closest to Pultech trip territory based on limited graphic info.

I found the bass at max level to be too much for my taste...at least for my needs at rehearsal. With the bass going much past 2:00-3:00 it gets into that reggae dub zone to my ears. It's still very useable, but just not what I needed. But I need to try higher bass levels with more of the focus knob dialed in and see what that does.

To my ears the focus control starts audibly pulling the sub lows around 9:00, so I found somewhere around 10:00 to be the sweet spot. Once I get the focus much past noon it starts thinning the low end more drastically.


My overall first impressions with the Zio are great. I was fully prepared to return this pedal if I felt it didn't give me the tones I was after. I know I've only had the Zio for 24 hours, but I feel it improves my tone and provides some sounds that I was specifically going for. And I really like the relatively simple design...there aren't too many controls to over complicate things.

 

[lomo]

So for those few who have both a Zio and Lowrider, my question is specifically which is better for thick defined low end with some glassy highs (the famous Pultech trick)? It seems for that goal the scoop has to be engaged and bass boosted at least some, with the Focus somewhere between 9 & 11? The P-trick freq plot looks a lot like that of a passive 3 band Fender tone stack set at 10-2-2, but with an HPF cutting below 60 Hz.

 

[lomo]

I ordered a ZIO direct from Source Audio on Jan 10th (no Canadian retailers had it then, and I don't think any have it now either). It appears to be stuck in a snow drift since the 11th. I'm rooting for the little guy, hope it makes it home soon.

Has yours landed? I know you have a Sushi Box Underground Accelerator and I assume an HPF as well. When/if you have time, can you please do an A/B of the UA at 10-2-2 (or 10-5-5) with HPF at 60Hz vs the Zio with Bass boosted, Focus around 10 or 11 o'clock and scoop engaged?

 

[Derek Williams]

Has yours landed? I know you have a Sushi Box Underground Accelerator and I assume an HPF as well. When/if you have time, can you please do an A/B of the UA at 10-2-2 (or 10-5-5) with HPF at 60Hz vs the Zio with Bass boosted, Focus around 10 or 11 o'clock and scoop engaged?

Nothing yet. When it does eventually arrive I'll compare it to the UA and Lowrider. If it arrives

 

[Johno Dunn]

Mine was set for delivery today, now it’s showing as delayed!

 

[Deleted member 360599]

Just arrived

 

[triviani]

Ok, couldn't resist it and ordered one. Just waiting for Pedalplayground to add a picture of it

 

[PotsdamBass8]

How are we feeling about this as a straight DI to board? Can the grit be dialed back to have a tiny touch of saturation like an amp while still sounding “clean”?

 

[Rick Penrose]

I am curious whether this preamp removes the need for a dedicated DI pedal like a radial JDI. Is the this DI in this preamp high quality? Being an SA product I would think so but wanted to put this out there as there is little info on the DI.

 

[_Tay_]

The DI sounds decent. Indeed high quality and can get light drive easily.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

In my mind, in evaluating this device, that could have easily included an effects loop and a host of others potential features. I felt that the DI would have to be very good and the HPF well thought out?

Why else buy it?

This is why I ordered it to sit on my cabinet next to my amp primarily. Other applications would be obvious.

 

[J Posega]

In my mind, in evaluating this device, that could have easily included an effects loop and a host of others potential features. I felt that the DI would have to be very good and the HPF well thought out?
View attachment 5331630
Why else buy it?

Sure, they could have made this a 300, 400, 500+ dollar device that would have a bunch of niche features. I haven’t seen anyone else saying that the basic feature set doesn’t suit them, so maybe this isn’t the right box for you.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Sure, they could have made this a 300, 400, 500+ dollar device that would have a bunch of niche features. I haven’t seen anyone else saying that the basic feature set doesn’t suit them, so maybe this isn’t the right box for you.

Perhaps your reading comprehension in English needs to be shaper. I am saying your exact interpretation.

 

[J Posega]

Perhaps your reading comprehension in English needs to be shaper. I am saying your exact interpretation.

No. It took several times to understand what you were trying to say, and only after reading your edit did I get the gist that you had a specific use for it. Proofread your posts before you poop on someone's reading comprehension, bro. Hope you enjoy the pedal.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

No. It took several times to understand what you were trying to say, and only after reading your edit did I get the gist that you had a specific use for it. Proofread your posts before you poop on someone's reading comprehension, bro. Hope you enjoy the pedal.

I'm steeped in the art of sarcasm and exaggeration to cause one to think about things sometimes....?

I was going to put an sfx Micro Thumpinator under a pedal on my not too large board. But SA released the ZIO Bass Preamp and I decided the added bonus of the DI with the HPF would be perfect. Had it been a Swiss Army Knife, I'd have passed. It should be great as a solo standalone device in other situations, too.

 

[lomo]

But SA released the ZIO Bass Preamp and I decided the added bonus of the DI with the HPF would be perfect. Had it been a Swiss Army Knife, I'd have passed. It should be great as a solo standalone device in other situations, too.

I agree. I'll probably cave....this looks and (based on demos) seems to sound right up my alley. If it was $300+ with cab sims & an FX loop or whatevs (and larger) I wouldn't have been interested.