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Zoom B1Xon Settings Thread...... OMG
- Thread starter gregmon79
- Start date
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It's discontinued but if you added an extra 1/4 inch input and replaced the standard pot with a blend it might work, assuming the pots inside are standard (I am not going to take apart my Zoom volume/expression pedal to check though!). You'd need to split out the signal from the bass with a Y cable.
It's discontinued but if you added an extra 1/4 inch input and replaced the standard pot with a blend it might work, assuming the pots inside are standard (I am not going to take apart my Zoom volume/expression pedal to check though!). You'd need to split out the signal from the bass with a Y cable.
Weird, the 60b has a Line Selector that could do this, but it appears to be missing to the B1on/B1xon. Maybe there's an effect with a blend control that you can put at the end...keep the effect low and map the blend to the expression pedal so that it's a master mix control for the patch?
Not sure if this is what you mean (probably not) but I noticed that on the B1Xon almost every effect has a blend on it. That is a def plus. That is really weird that it doesnt have a line selector. I never thought of that. Maybe they felt they didnt need to put it there because of the way it functions. Who knows.
But it will only map one knob from one effect to the pedal. So it works great to pedal blend a single effect, or just one effect of several in a patch, which is fine if it's a preamp/comp/ delays patch. But I don't believe it can blend the effected signal of an ensemble/chorus/delay/verb patch into a dry signal using the expression pedal. You only get one blend and not a master blend. Put it on the last one and you just bring the verb up, the rest is always on.
Oh well. I'll work with that.
Yeah I hear ya. Its just not designed like that I guess. You can still get it to do what you want for the most part, you just have to play with it for a while. I do know that the expression pedal will do different things besides volume control and expression. I think.....
I have a couple of questions for the compressors in this unit... First, are the ones supplied decent emulators of the units they are designed after? What settings are you using? I set up an M-comp with a BB for a little hair and I think it sounds pretty good (I have not played it through my main rig yet). I'd like to set up one to even out my very poor pick playing and one just as a general clean sound, maybe to fatten it up a bit. Any suggestions?
1. No idea how close they are to the originals.
2. The M-comp is one of the more flavored compressor models in its default settings. I find the 160comp to work great in a variety of patches and adds some nice stuff when you bump the gain. I have a clean-ish preamp patch set up with the 160 and the DI5 and like it quite a bit for general evening of notes and fattening of the sound. I think my patch is a slight variation on the "Studio" factory patch, so I would recommend starting with that one.
Just picked one up ten minutes ago. Seemed like for the price I should be able to find SOME use for it even if it ends up being a tuner/volume pedal. How are the Fuzz effects? Is there a volume level for the Aux in? I may use that in place of my IK stompbox and bring my synth through the Zoom instead.,
No volume for Aux in. Fuzz is not great, but if you are creative you can get usable fuzz sounds from combining other effect models (I like the BassBB a lot). There are various patch ideas in the B3 and MS-60b patch ideas threads.
That is no problem. Most sound cards have an instrument input, and since you can also plug in headphones, I guess you can record as line level, too. So buy any sound card you like. It can record B3 and B1on just fine.
But these pedals are NOT sound cards. The USB is for upgrades and power only. It can not be connected as a sound card directly to your computer USB port.
But these pedals are NOT sound cards. The USB is for upgrades and power only. It can not be connected as a sound card directly to your computer USB port.
Yeah I know about USB, I'd have to buy Zoom B3/G3 instead for recording without interface. I wanted to get that or something along lines of Boss GT-100 but audio interface would give me more options later to expand and record keyboards, vocals or use midi. I remember from reading B3/G3 manual about different output setting, I couldn't find this option in B1on/G1on manual, that's where my question came from. About soundcard I'm a bit confused because my PC always had one build into motherboard, now I'm thinking about going for something along lines of Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or 2i4 for home only use. Getting sounds from hardware should free some computer memory instead of using pluggins, vst like amplitube, guitar rig etc and I could take Zoom B1on to friends, gigs without amp or just play without turning on PC if I don't want to record.
I would definitely get an interface separate from the FX pedal if you can swing it. The B1Xon output straight into my Focusrite 8i6 line in sounds great, as do the rest of the aspects of the 8i6, including the mic pres. It blows away the older Digi002, MBox, and MBox2 mini I used to have at home, and they were still around when I got the Focusrite so I could compare them.
The only consideration I would make regarding any inexpensive interface but especially bus powered ones (the 8i6 is not bus powerable) is to check that the mic pres sound ok to you. The preamps designed to be powered, and send phantom power to a condenser mic, only by USB bus power can perform a bit below its wall wart counterpart. Sometimes this difference in spec is negligible and nearly imperceptible in actual use, but sometimes it's not. Plus what you need from it makes a difference in if it matters. So when you settle on a model find out if people are giving the pres decent grades for the kind of music you'll make The pres on the Digidesign ones I mentioned were all noticeably inferior, but they were just for writing so I didn't really care much.
But I have a lot of faith in Focusrite hardware. Had it well over a year and it's been rock solid and support is very good. I would think that going the Focusrite line in your budget would be a good thing.
The only consideration I would make regarding any inexpensive interface but especially bus powered ones (the 8i6 is not bus powerable) is to check that the mic pres sound ok to you. The preamps designed to be powered, and send phantom power to a condenser mic, only by USB bus power can perform a bit below its wall wart counterpart. Sometimes this difference in spec is negligible and nearly imperceptible in actual use, but sometimes it's not. Plus what you need from it makes a difference in if it matters. So when you settle on a model find out if people are giving the pres decent grades for the kind of music you'll make The pres on the Digidesign ones I mentioned were all noticeably inferior, but they were just for writing so I didn't really care much.
But I have a lot of faith in Focusrite hardware. Had it well over a year and it's been rock solid and support is very good. I would think that going the Focusrite line in your budget would be a good thing.
I'm a ZOOM bass pedal junkie now, and just got the B1Xon for $69.99 delivered 2nd day. In a nutshell, I think it's a really great little box for the money, taken at face value for what it is, what it does, and how it sounds. I like that it has the expression pedal and up to 5 fx processors available. I don't like the plastic construction and the lack of discrete L/R outputs, headphone output, and XLR mono direct out, but whaddya expect for cheap money, right?
All in all, it's a cool unit that will now be my backup to the B-3, and my B-rig preamp pedal, replacing the MS-60B, which will soon be up for sale. It always makes me nervous bringing my top-dollar "good stuff" rig into creepy, crappy bars for fear of beer spillage and other drunken accidents, so this ZOOM stuff is a godsend for me. I also do small duo/trio gigs where only a very small, compact stage rig is needed, with limited stage space, and a full-on rack preamp with MIDI controller is just too much. These ZOOM pedals fit these niches perfectly.
All in all, it's a cool unit that will now be my backup to the B-3, and my B-rig preamp pedal, replacing the MS-60B, which will soon be up for sale. It always makes me nervous bringing my top-dollar "good stuff" rig into creepy, crappy bars for fear of beer spillage and other drunken accidents, so this ZOOM stuff is a godsend for me. I also do small duo/trio gigs where only a very small, compact stage rig is needed, with limited stage space, and a full-on rack preamp with MIDI controller is just too much. These ZOOM pedals fit these niches perfectly.
Unless you have a biamp rig or lots of stuff downstream then I don't see that there's a big issue with a lack of separate L and R outputs since there isn't big mileage running bass in stereo for live work. An XLR would be nice but often the sound engineer wants to use their own DI box anyway, rather than something attached to a pedal. Getting a feed after the pedal and not direct from the bass is the first hurdle!
I'm still debating whether the B1on/MS60B/B3 range offer enough over the B2 or B9. Ordering flexibility is handy, though. I'm not sure how much better the synth sounds are unless I go and buy one. Still, the best thing would be a G5 with some bass-centric EQ, compression, amp models, and anything else required. If the synths were up to snuff I could probably replace all my other effects with that (twice for backup perhaps, if sale of old stuff got in enough). So come on Zoom!
With my B3, I sometimes wind up feeding multiple sources "dual mono" off the L/R outputs, and the XLR to FOH. It's just a versatility/convenience thing that I like about the B3 vs. B1Xon. And yes, sometimes I run a biamped rig.
also, both the MS60B an B1on will distort badly at their input stage when pushing a hot signal off an active electronics bass with a low end bump....something I've not experienced with the B3
