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Zoom B3 Beginner help

ebick

ebick

Guest
Sep 3, 2013
79
11
www.rukind.com
#1
Hello,

I got one of these baby's for Xmas. I have been an acoustic, non-effects guy for most of my life. I am real excited about the possibilities of this pedal.

When I started to read the manual, I was fine until I got to page 10, Selecting patches. My mind tells me that "creating a patch" should be before selecting; storing is next.

I guess my real problem is that I am not really sure just what a "patch" is. I have some theories, but it's probably better if I just leave it there and have someone educate me. Thanks in advance.

Ed
 
#2
Zoom pedals caught my attention when a friend was looking to spend some Christmas money, so I'm subbing.

Not a scientific explanation, but a patch is basically a saved configuration of (multiple) effects.

Example:
-- Patch 1: thick chorus, fat distortion, skinny EQ
-- Patch 2: castrating compression, envelope filter, mid-scooped EQ
By kicking a button, the pedal would switch from Patch 1 to Patch 2.
 
#3
EricssonB said:
Zoom pedals caught my attention when a friend was looking to spend some Christmas money, so I'm subbing.

Not a scientific explanation, but a patch is basically a saved configuration of (multiple) effects.

Example:
-- Patch 1: thick chorus, fat distortion, skinny EQ
-- Patch 2: castrating compression, envelope filter, mid-scooped EQ
By kicking a button, the pedal would switch from Patch 1 to Patch 2.
Click to expand...


So in effect, I'm flipping through the different things that the pedal offers and say I come to a certain reverb that I like. I tweak the settings on it so they are what I want, and then I store that as a patch, so now it's not just reverb, it's my reverb, is that correct?

Can one patch be a combination of multiple effects?
 
#4
On the B3, a patch is a combination of (up to three) effects. They're numbered from A0-J9. They come set up with various suggested sounds but you typically overwrite them with your own settings.

As an example, I started with patch A0. I set one of the three effects to the Ampeg SVT amp emulator, one to overdrive and one to chorus. I tweaked the individual settings until I was happy. Then I went into the patch settings and renamed it to something that reflected how I'd use it.

Then, when I'm playing with that patch, I can choose which of the three effects to use at any point in time by stepping on the footswitches. I might leave the amp on at all times, but switch the chorus and overdrive on and off as needed.

The difference between the B3 and some other multi-fx units (like the Zoom MS60B) is that you can turn individual effects on and off within a patch.
 
#5
I'd recommend downloading the 'Edit and Share' software from teh Zoom website. Using that, you can easily drag the patches around to put your favourites together, and back up any that you're about to overwrite. You can also download all the stock factory patches, which I've done in case I ever want to restore one.
 
#6
+1 on the Edit and Share software. It makes creating, arranging and storing patches so easy. Just play around with it and have fun. You really can't mess up the B3 because you can always restore the factory default settings if you have to. Also I would recommend creating a folder on your computer to store your favorite patches and the ones you download from TB or other sites. That way if you do accidentally erase a patch you can upload it again from your PC.

Also check out this thread with patches you can download:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/zoom-b3-patch-ideas-918990/
 
#9
gjbassist said:
+1 on the Edit and Share software. It makes creating, arranging and storing patches so easy. Just play around with it and have fun. You really can't mess up the B3 because you can always restore the factory default settings if you have to. Also I would recommend creating a folder on your computer to store your favorite patches and the ones you download from TB or other sites. That way if you do accidentally erase a patch you can upload it again from your PC.

Also check out this thread with patches you can download:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/zoom-b3-patch-ideas-918990/
Click to expand...

Awesome...thanks.
 
#10
ebick said:
This is because I have 3 displays? So I can put an amp simultor in the first one, reverb in the middle, and octaver on the right, set them all how I want them and say "That is a patch for me". Right?
Click to expand...

That's exactly it!

Note that the order you put them in is (by default) the order they go, so it'd be like putting your amped sound through reverb then an octaver. You can reverse this so the path goes right to left.

Then you can turn the individual effects on and off as you wish during the song, using the relevant footswitch below each display.
 

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