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Zoom B3 As Preamp Part 2

#501
TitaniumRx said:
Congrats on your purcharge,well done!!!!:thumbsup:

In my tests the 12p sounds very good when is on ground and with the "monitor/music" EQ selected.Very good bass response and tight.In other eq settings i thing the bass area is more foggy.
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Thank you sir! :)

Yep -- had the 12P on the ground with "monitor" selected. I'll try your "music" mode suggestion first in a live setting.
 
#502
SemiDriven said:
The EV ZLX-12P has arrived!

Not bad. Could only mess around at low volume* but the sound I hear through the B3 via headphones translates well going through the ZLX-12P. It’s a bit crispier and livelier which is what I expected.

The ZLX-12P revealed that my E-string has a minor buzz to it. Didn’t notice that before. I call that an added plus (able to hear everything!). Course now I need to address that.

I’m looking forward to trying the ZLX-12P out in a live setting.

* Had the input volume at straight up noon, master volume at 0 db, treble & bass at 0 db, and found that the “club” mode had a more bass oomph to it than the “live” or “music” mode. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if I stick to the “live” mode for a live situation.
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Good news!!!
I think "Club mode" is boosting low-end a bit.
 
#504
DonaldR said:
Good news!!!
I think "Club mode" is boosting low-end a bit.
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Definitely having it on the floor so it can couple up for bass response is vital. Enjoy your experimentation. With a PA speaker, that generally has a flatter response than a Bass rig you will need to play around with the lower mids to get the cut you may be used to. I actually prefer to dial in rooms using a Boss eq that is external to the B3 or when using my other programmable pedal board, as I find it easier to do on the fly than going into programs to change each individual eq.
 
#505
TitaniumRx said:
In my book the b3 Di is a very good one.I don't make any comparison except with my Ampeg amp Di,and i found that the Di of B3 is very hot one,silent and transparent,in post(with no effect on) and pre mode.
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I haven't specifically found any issue with it, but I haven't directly compared it either. The few times I have used it at bigger shows I've had no complaints.

As you say - it is quite hot. Esp when using the B3 as a pre rather than just a multi effects unit in front of a traditional Bass Amp/ As Charlie has said a pad on the xlr out for when you are using it as a Pre would be ideal. I think Charlie said he is using a separate DI so he can engage the 15 or 20db pad so it plays better with the desk. I am running my DI in post so the effects and amp sims go to the desk of course. Most desks would have a pad on each channel - but whether that is as good as running a high end DI such as Radial JDI (with the Jensen Tranformer which is ideal for handling loud transients and hot signals) I am not sure.
 
#507
I've used a Whirlwind IMP 2 (passive), the Radial JDI (passive) and J48 (active), a Behringer BDI21, and now the B3's XLR output as DI to our church's Yamaha digital board. Since I have a passive bass, the sound tech has always (until now) complained about not having enough signal. With the B3, no more complaints. In fact, when I used it last week to front-end the piezo pickup from a string bass, the tech said he had enough signal he had to turn it down some. That's a nice problem to have, instead of the opposite... getting lost in the noise.

According to the B3 manual, 0dBm level is .774 Volts RMS, and the output is capable of +5dBm, so hot enough to drive the inputs of either consumer or pro power amps.

Marcus
 
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#508
When we used to have a board, our church’s sound tech also scratched his head on the hotness of the B3 feed. He went from B3 > board to B3 > DI > board in no time flat. However, then I couldn’t hear the bass in the mix through my iem pack. We ended up adding my bass cab on stage and micing it so he could control the mix for FOH and I could hear myself on stage.
 
#511
jmcorn said:
Is there a patch on the B3 that will make the finger style sound more like a pick style?
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jmcorn said:
Is there a patch on the B3 that will make the finger style sound more like a pick style?
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There are many settings on the B3 that do this.I have Harris Flats on my Ric 4003 and I can honestly get the Chris Squire tone out of it using the B3. Experiment with one and you'll get any tone you want. I promise.
 
#513
andreas_flf said:
Would you be so kind to share your settingss with us? Thanks.

Andreas flf
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Sure Man, I was just jamming this exact setup on the Ric and Grinning ear to ear the whole time. Hartke LH1000 EQ: Bass 3.5 Mids 5.5 and Treble on 6. Zoom B3 set to SansCmp on Factory settings. I am plugging RIC to B3 to Hartke Active input on front. The Action is quite low and Rattly on the Ric. I dig in hard too. I have all knobs on full but Roll off the Neck P'up Volume to remove Boominess and add Growl. I am not sure how much my Avatar Cab's affect the sound but it's absolute heaven. I was jamming to Heart of the Sunrise and it sounded pretty great.
 
#514
FunkHead said:
Sure Man, I was just jamming this exact setup on the Ric and Grinning ear to ear the whole time. Hartke LH1000 EQ: Bass 3.5 Mids 5.5 and Treble on 6. Zoom B3 set to SansCmp on Factory settings. I am plugging RIC to B3 to Hartke Active input on front. The Action is quite low and Rattly on the Ric. I dig in hard too. I have all knobs on full but Roll off the Neck P'up Volume to remove Boominess and add Growl. I am not sure how much my Avatar Cab's affect the sound but it's absolute heaven. I was jamming to Heart of the Sunrise and it sounded pretty great.
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Thanks man :-)) Will try it out and see what this heaven hears like ;-)

Cheers,
Andreas flf
 
#515
Despite only being released this past December 2013, Zoom has already seen fit to update the B1on/B1Xon's firmware to include 25 new effects.

Invalid Link Removed

This update now includes all 12 of the B3's amp and cab models, with capability for 5 simultaneous effects, making the B1on/B1Xon Zoom's most powerful DSP bass product in their line.

Come on, Zoom! Show us B3 owners some firmware love or at least release a successor product with a chassis not made of molded plastic! :rollno:
 
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#516
Zoom B3 cable jacks - 41HOOu4XpSL.jpg So far I'm mostly happy with my B3, but have a small problem with the XLR output socket. The male connection from the snake fits loosely enough that if there is any movement, it sends popping noises through the PA. I've tried multiple cables, so I'm pretty sure that the problem is with the socket. I keep the B3 on a music stand, set flat as a tray, with the cable looped and run around the front of the B3 to provide some relief and keep from moving the connection. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm considering replacing the socket with a metal Amphenol version (available for $2 at PartsExpress) to reduce possible wear in the plastic connection. This would require opening the case and probably desoldering or clipping, then making connections on the circuit board. Since it's used, I'm not afraid of losing the warranty. Any other suggestions?

Marcus
 
#517
MarcusPHagen said:
View attachment 413404 So far I'm mostly happy with my B3, but have a small problem with the XLR output socket. The male connection from the snake fits loosely enough that if there is any movement, it sends popping noises through the PA. I've tried multiple cables, so I'm pretty sure that the problem is with the socket. I keep the B3 on a music stand, set flat as a tray, with the cable looped and run around the front of the B3 to provide some relief and keep from moving the connection. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm considering replacing the socket with a metal Amphenol version (available for $2 at PartsExpress) to reduce possible wear in the plastic connection. This would require opening the case and probably desoldering or clipping, then making connections on the circuit board. Since it's used, I'm not afraid of losing the warranty. Any other suggestions?

Marcus
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I never had any such problems with my B3. I believe this is a problem unique to your specific B3. So I suggest to repair yours, whether you can do this yourself or not. Good luck!

Cheers, Andreas flf
 
#519
MarcusPHagen said:
View attachment 413404 So far I'm mostly happy with my B3, but have a small problem with the XLR output socket. The male connection from the snake fits loosely enough that if there is any movement, it sends popping noises through the PA. I've tried multiple cables, so I'm pretty sure that the problem is with the socket. I keep the B3 on a music stand, set flat as a tray, with the cable looped and run around the front of the B3 to provide some relief and keep from moving the connection. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm considering replacing the socket with a metal Amphenol version (available for $2 at PartsExpress) to reduce possible wear in the plastic connection. This would require opening the case and probably desoldering or clipping, then making connections on the circuit board. Since it's used, I'm not afraid of losing the warranty. Any other suggestions?

Marcus
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And should you want to completely avoid repair, you could always use an external DI box intercepted from the B3's L/MONO 1/4" Output.

Cheers!
 
#520
CharlieC said:
And should you want to completely avoid repair, you could always use an external DI box intercepted from the B3's L/MONO 1/4" Output.

Definitely a possibility, although I like the compactness of running from the B3's DI. I'll keep this as a possible alternative until the repairs are completed.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
andreas_flf said:
I never had any such problems with my B3. I believe this is a problem unique to your specific B3. So I suggest to repair yours, whether you can do this yourself or not. Good luck!

Thank you, that confirms what I thought.

Cheers, Andreas flf
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andreas_flf said:
And do not worry to open the case or soldier to its boards. With my modification I made good experience. The B3 is nicely built, no cheap plastic. ;-)
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Since I'm considering a similar modification, it would make sense to do the repair at the same time. Thanks for the encouraging words.

Marcus
 

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