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Zoom B3 As Preamp Part 2
- Thread starter David Wilson
- Start date
Battery operation is a very strong argument for me. I hate those cheap and noisy wall power supplies on stage. They are a constant source of trouble. Using Panasonic Eneloops I get approx. 8-9hrs lifetime from my B3. Long enough for any show and avoiding any mess with noise or another cable on stage. I always carry a spare set of fully charged Eneloops with me which I replace on a regular base. Never had to use them.
Ahh rechargeables! Ya know every time im in wallmart I mean to pick some up, between my wireless body pack and all the other crap I burn up batteries like crazy, I will be ordering some eneloops right now
My son researched the heck out of rechargeable batteries and these Eneloops came out way on top.
At least to my experience your son seems to be right. I use them with the B3 for almost a year now with approx. 2hrs use per day. I don't know for how many charge cycles they have seen but it must be 100+ at least. No noticable capacity loss so far. I use them for all stompboxes, TV remote controls or electronic gadgets. Not a single failure yet.
Great !
I looked a bit, but it seems to be some work, and I'm not sure to have sufficient time nowadays to go in this project. But I'll come back to it as soon as possible. The 12/6 is sufficient to play with loud drummer and distorsion fan gutarist ?
Charlie and SoVeryTired > Regarding the SVT sim, I reached pretty interesting sound yesterday with my p bass.
The flat setting sounds fat and big but I felt that for the kind of sound I like (grindy but more on the top edge) it wasn't perfect.
And after some tweakings I found a very interesting frequency to boost instead of the instinctive 800 Hz : a big boost a 1.2 kHZ + a little treble boost, and there pick playing brings you to another tonal dimension
The low end is still fat, but less blurry, and there's a big clarity in the sound.If you want to give it a try and tell me what you think
Great !
I looked a bit, but it seems to be some work, and I'm not sure to have sufficient time nowadays to go in this project. But I'll come back to it as soon as possible. The 12/6 is sufficient to play with loud drummer and distorsion fan gutarist ?
Charlie and SoVeryTired > Regarding the SVT sim, I reached pretty interesting sound yesterday with my p bass.
The flat setting sounds fat and big but I felt that for the kind of sound I like (grindy but more on the top edge) it wasn't perfect.
And after some tweakings I found a very interesting frequency to boost instead of the instinctive 800 Hz : a big boost a 1.2 kHZ + a little treble boost, and there pick playing brings you to another tonal dimension
If you want to give it a try and tell me what you think
Thanks, ticol07
I will give your EQ suggestion a try later on!
Keep in mind that what may sound blurry using a P-Bass may be just right for a Jazz and fresh round-wounds
... or a StingRay!
Cheers!
Thanks, ticol07
I will give your EQ suggestion a try later on!
Keep in mind that what may sound blurry using a P-Bass may be just right for a Jazz and fresh round-wounds
... or a StingRay!
Cheers!
I know, I know, this is why is precised that it worked well with my P
I didn't give a try with my jazz already. I have some pickup issues with it I have to fix before spending time on its perfect match with the b3.
... Charlie and SoVeryTired > Regarding the SVT sim, I reached pretty interesting sound yesterday with my p bass. The flat setting sounds fat and big but I felt that for the kind of sound I like (grindy but more on the top edge) it wasn't perfect. And after some tweakings I found a very interesting frequency to boost instead of the instinctive 800 Hz : a big boost a 1.2 kHZ + a little treble boost, and there pick playing brings you to another tonal dimension
If you want to give it a try and tell me what you think
I grabbed my P-Bass and sure enough your settings for full 1.2 KHz boost produce a very aggressive, punchy mid-palette, better than 800 Hz!
Using full-range repro (and not bass cabs), TREBLE values above zero are not my friend, but when using bass cabs, modest TREBLE values add welcome definition.
Tweak as necessary, because as most have learned, even the best EQ settings prepared at home often get lost on-site at the gig
Cheers!
The 12/6 is 8 ohms and not quite as sensitive as the 15/6 so it may not maximize the output if your amp. Driving it with a Clarus (350 watts @ 8ohms) I only had a bit of volume trouble once playing with a guy who was favoring the lower registers on a guitar synth. He was crowding me and bear in mind I was playing a Lakland 55-02 through a very flat amp into a very flat cab. If you're dealing with obnoxiously loud guitars and drummers who "can't play quieter" then you'll want more wattage and/or more speakers. But I try to stay away from that kind of situation.
Ok so it seems that the 12/6 should fit my needs, as we play loud but not at insane volume. let's say at sufficient energical volume to be filled by the music
I grabbed my P-Bass and sure enough your settings for full 1.2 KHz boost produce a very aggressive, punchy mid-palette, better than 800 Hz!
Using full-range repro (and not bass cabs), TREBLE values above zero are not my friend, but when using bass cabs, modest TREBLE values add welcome definition.
Tweak as necessary, because as most have learned, even the best EQ settings prepared at home often get lost on-site at the gig
Cheers!
Ah, you see : 1.2 kHZ is good !! I was looking for that tone since a long time !
What I understood is that high mids have to be boost more than we think to be efficient.
And as you say I will surely have some adjustments to do while playing with my band.
But I made my researches while playing on one of our rehearsal recording in which I forgot to put the line on for the bass. And as the guitar and the drums were recorded with mics, the sound is not so far away from reality.
So they're perfect bass backing track to work sound
Anyway, I'm happy because I was focused on the 800 Hz which, if they gave clarity, weren't the best to fit a more agressive tone.
Every day is a new lerning day !
And I know for sure now that the B3 SVT sim is way more focused on my needs than my VT bass (even if the VT bass can be very efficient, you can't boost low mids and highs mids while leaving the frequencies inbetween untouched. If you boost the bass and the mids, the curve bertween them stays flat, so you have basically the same sound but louder).
my aggro metal bass tone using full range speakers (Atomic CLRs) is the SVT model is with the tone shape on BOTH (Ultra bass and brite boost), bass -3, mid at 1.2khz +4, Treble -4, cab sim blend 80, drive around 32. In a hard rock or metal context played with a pick, this is a tone very much like I would get with my real SVT rig. The treble settings on the bass are never up full, but usually 0-50%, otherwise it is too piercing.
so....in agreement that 1.2k is a useful freq for aggressive bass tones.
so....in agreement that 1.2k is a useful freq for aggressive bass tones.
+1
The 1.2 KHz Mid_F with a full-on MID value is a force to be reckoned with
Thanks, ticol07!
I'm quite curious about your Ultra bass and bite boost combined to bass and treble reduction. I'll soon give it a try and tell you how I like it.
And as you, the best setting I found was with a 80% cab sim mix. The sound stays really fat, but more tweakable than with a 100% : with 100% it's more difficult to deal with the mids, I find. But I speak in term of personnal tastes, not trying to convince anyone I know the real truth
And too, I was set on a low value gain : around 40 -> clean low end and gritty high mids -> very present in the mix without sounding distorded.
And for more noise, I still find the BB preamp or Squeak be very good bets when combined with the SVT sim.
So, may the force be with you to become the Jedi of the mix
I'm quite curious about your Ultra bass and bite boost combined to bass and treble reduction. I'll soon give it a try and tell you how I like it.
And as you, the best setting I found was with a 80% cab sim mix. The sound stays really fat, but more tweakable than with a 100% : with 100% it's more difficult to deal with the mids, I find. But I speak in term of personnal tastes, not trying to convince anyone I know the real truth
And too, I was set on a low value gain : around 40 -> clean low end and gritty high mids -> very present in the mix without sounding distorded.
And for more noise, I still find the BB preamp or Squeak be very good bets when combined with the SVT sim.
So, may the force be with you to become the Jedi of the mix
ticol07, I should add that I also put a D-Comp in front of the SVT, Sensitivity on 1 or 2, Tone on 7 or 8. The basses I use are Schecter Stiletto Studio Elites, all tone controls at "neutral" center-detent position, and with mild adjustments to the pickup blend centered around 50/50, though leaning toward more of the Neck pickup blend for this specific preset.
My other bass (drop tuned to E flat) is a Sterling Ray34 CA (classic active), one pickup, one volume, bass and treble tone controls. Bass control usually up around 70%, Treble at about 20% (tons of high end in this pickup). For hard rock pick playing, these sound really, really good IMO. When you dig in, the D-comp keeps things in line and allows the "grind" from playing hard to really surface. I LOVE IT, especially with the Sterling bass (great little bass for the $$$).
[edit: the Wal bass in my avatar was purchased for the TOOL tribute I was in, and generally doesn't get used live but for special occasions, recording sessions, etc.]
My preferred bass tone for metal pick playing is based on a sound similar to Paul D'Amore (original bassist from TOOL) and also somewhat Justin Chancellor. I also use fingers with this same preset and it sounds really good with no adjustment other than tweaks on the tone knobs of the bass guitar, depending on whether it's a more "pop" rock tune, or if it's a classic metal (Iron Maiden, etc.) tune.
Using my B-3 into full range cabinets this past weekend was a real eye-opener for me. I didn't expect it to perform as well as it did....which is a very good development for me. Life just got easier, and my rig got much lighter!
