jimfist

@fretmeister yes, this is the dilemma...the auditioning process. I guess perhaps we could all agree that "for those who know what IRs they already like, and don't need to search", 16 slots could be plenty. But you are 100% correct, if one is in the search of auditioning IRs in context at a live rehearsal or recording session, 16 slots wouldn't cut it. But I also wouldn't want to put my bandmates through the agony of auditioning a dozen IRs during a rehearsal...painful distraction. A good way to go about this is to get a proper live mix of your band MINUS BASS (bass as a separate dry ISO track), and use this recording to test IRs in a home studio type of setup. Another funny thing that can happen is people sometimes find that, for bass, they prefer EQ and blended tones to the cabinet IR. Go figure.

The B3 is what got me reacquainted with ZOOM products, and it is still extremely popular, yes. Great features for a great price. I don't regret moving on from it due to my inability to get along with 3 button multi-fx pedals of any kind (HX Stomp included). In terms of sounds, though, I'll take the B6 every day over the B3. I still highly recommend the B3, though, especially for those on a tight budget where needs are few and size matters. It's a great gateway!

In the sense of a split INTERNAL path for parallel processing, sadly the B6 does not do this. Dealbreaker for some, not for others. It really depends on what you want out of your parallel processing, though. A lot of effects, most drives, some preamps have a wet/dry blend or mix. So if the primary concern is getting some dry signal into a distorted/OD tone, then you can definitely do this. Only a couple comps have wet/dry blend. Also, there is an FX Loop and Send/Return for external pedals, but I'm guessing this isn't what you're talking about. I did do a parallel dry path experiment connecting the 1/4 send to the 1/4 return, placing the send at slot 1 and return post-effects in the signal path. It does work but sort of convoluted, and debatable whether it is worth eating up 2 of the 6 slots. But you technically CAN DO a pure dry parallel path is if interest....but a stretch.

GEAR AQUISITION SYNDROME

Man. It's a tempting pedal. I'm not ripping on Boss, really, but...but, but, but....If only they had included an XLR output and some basic synth modules, I'd probably already have it on pre-order, the new ZOOM B6 be damned (I'd probably keep it and clean house of my B3n AND G4n to make room). Good times for quality new toys!

It does get ridiculous, but evidently there are users who must appreciate massive IR quantities. This from Fractal Audio's FM9 modeler pedal: For certain the Fractal Audio crowd is looking for top performance. Is it a different market than the GX-100? Maybe, maybe not. In that context, 16 slots seems incredibly few. One way around this for Boss is if their editor had a feature that allowed you to audition IRs from a folder on the computer's hard drive, in a sort-of temporary IR slot, without formally loading them onto the pedal. That way you only load IRs that are keepers

Guitar Lab is clunky and quirky. It functions on a very basic level. I've been trying to figure out how to Rename Banks in Guitar Lab, but haven't yet found it. On the B6, you can name a bank when you create a New Bank, but it's strange where it locates the new, named bank. It blew out a bank of presets I made and hadn't backed-up. OUCH!

I'd recommend creating a backup folder in the patch pool area so you can get back to where you were if things go awry. I've been doing this using Guitar Lab, but I think it can be done on the unit itself, too: https://zoomcorp.com/manuals/b6-operation-manual/#unique_107 In Guitar Lab, you need to be on the "PATCH " view screen. [Note: I'm in Windows 10 OS] From there, you use CNTRL + select (individual select) or SHIFT + select (multiple sequential select) to choose the patches you want to move. I select the 4 patches that comprise whatever bank I'm moving, and then drag them where I want them. I'd practice this first moving to some wide open Empty patch areas so you can see the behavior.

I agree. This is one of the problems we run into when the whole Impulse Response search is a brand new endeavor. Why the need for so many IR slots? When one embarks on this search for "their speaker" IR, it can be a daunting task, and for a lot of reasons. Many IR providers give you a gazillion options for mic type and location in relation to the speaker. This, just for one mic selection, can yield a dozen permutations. Multiply that x 10 different mic types or combinations of mic types. Then multiply this for different "treatments" (to include the Power Amp EQ, or with different mic preamps with their desired tone imprint). So, for the uninitiated, the tendency is to take a stab at IRs from a few different mics, and load them all onto the device for auditioning. Then add in the notion of using the IR as a means of more basic filtering (think of an IR with HPF at 50Hz and LPF at 4kHz, 24 db/octave slopes, and a mid bump of 3db at 800Hz), and you have a whole other spectrum of possibilities. Thankfully, these days, you can make the process less painful by searching out IR providers who get good reviews (online in forums, etc.) for the type of speaker IR you're looking for. Easier said than done, and usually in the end, you wind up with maybe a handful of IRs that you'll ever want to use. Other than the auditioning aspect of needing a ton of IR slots (this may matter in the studio), for live performance, slot count is less important IME.

Yes, using the Guitar Lab Handy App (iOS only), from the B6 product page: Up to 120 IRs can be loaded on the B6.

Yeah, just saw this and it has a lot to offer, especially if you like to deep dive and program very specific things. I've heard rumor of pre-order price of $599 US (not to market until late March??), and then a street price of $750 US...not sure how true. Ultimately I don't think this will be for me, though it has a bunch of features I like. If I were to next-level-up from the Zoom B6, I'd be going all-in on a Quad Cortex or Fractal FM9....but the GX-100 looks like a winner.

Exactly! I have a running list of B6 wishes and the assignment of a switch to 2 slots was on that list. For example, I like to put a limiter after an envelope filter to tame the transients, and being able to switch both on/off with one button would be great. I also noticed on Guitar Lab, the Effects Pool shows 71% of memory used for effects residing in the unit. This means there's another 29% left for additional effects and whatnot, so there's room for Zoom to add amps & effects.

IMO, pretty much everything about the B6 is a better than the B3n. Unless you're fully wedded to the WYSIWYG stomp switches and knobs legacy design (in which case the G11 would suit you better...for a jump in cost), there's almost nothing I prefer on the B3n vs. the B6. B3n is smaller, if that matters. Both require a little tap-dancing to switch their "play modes" from stomp mode to bank/patch to memory. This could be improved for the B6. Tuner in the B6 is really fast and accurate, and much easier to read. Amp models, preamps and drives all sound improved: detail, depth, realism, feel. Things getting more realer. Some nice new additions to the preamps and amps that didn't exist on the B3n. If you like the SansAmp BDDI, you'll really like the B6 model. I like it more than when I actually HAD the BDDI. The B6 has the newer version modeled with Midrange control. Synth and pitch-based effects have taken a step up IMO. I'm finding that I like them more and can do more with them. On the B3n, this category was a real struggle. The synth sounds I'm getting now on the B6 are so much better than the B3 or B3n. 2 inputs w/dedicated switch and each with global EQ/Level is perfect for switching between 2 drastically different basses in live performance. Nice touch. XLR output. Yes, we get an XLR output. The level sent from XLR is NOT tied to the back panel volume knob, which is a smart move. This way, you have discrete volume control over the 1/4" (phones) output stage feed via the knob, while the XLR output remains static. Level to the XLR can be controlled by the input 1/input 2 global levels. DI output types: I thought this might be a little gimmicky, but the more I played with this feature, the more I got hooked on Tube-2 and Solid State-1 DI output types. Another nice final touch. Also, you have a bypass mode that leaves the DI type engaged, which is nice. USB recording/playback. On my computer, this was literally plug-and-play. Flawless. Touchscreen: so much easier to read, especially presets in Bank/Patch mode...big amber letters on a black background. I will say that swiping up/down and left/right on the touchscreen is a little less responsive than we've been accustomed to on smartphones. That said, it is no different than the response I get from my Mackie DM16 iPad mixer and Behringer XR 18 using my 2-in-1 laptop or iPad. A little patience and feel and it works fine. I'm used to it now. Looper: I'm not a looper guy, but if you are and looper time/capacity matter to you, the SD card slot solves this problem FX loop & Send/Return: Standard feature that comes in handy. Also, the discrete Send could be used alone to pull a feed before cab modeling to send to your stage amp. The discrete Return could be used as an additional input for an external source. On screen editing of FX blocks: in "effect board" mode, just touch the effect block you want to edit and up pops its controls, with adjustments made using the 4 knobs below. Again, easy-to-read factor is huge. Return to "effect board" mode by clicking the Mode switch, or back button on the screen. Pretty easy and intuitive. Now, on the CON side: 6 slots maximum, with 4 switches maximum. If I want to load up all 6 slots with effects, I'll only be able to switch 4 of them on/off. I could really use 2 more slots and 2 more switches. Oh well. DSP memory: some of the effects, preamps, amp models, etc. are very hungry for DSP. I find that sometimes I have to go with a lower preference effect in order to keep from going over 100% DSP. It's manageable, but 20% more DSP would go a long way. PLAY MODE switches: Switching from EFFECT BOARD (stompbox mode) to Bank/Patch (individual preset mode) to MEMORY (bank of 4 preset patches) to LOOPER is awkward for quick changes. Not a dealbreaker as I don't have a ton of different presets (they all can fit into 2 or maybe 3 banks). I can see it being a pain in the derrière though, if you regularly want to change patches and access effects in stompbox mode. Size: the pedal is big for a Zoom pedal...bigger than the G5n I use. I may need to carry it in its own case rather than stuffed in my gig bag.

Feel free to fire away with any questions you have. I gave the B6 a healthy workout last week, and my tests using it in conjunction with the Atomic BassBox over at the other thread are done now. I'll be keeping the discussion here moving forward. I will be selling my B3n now that I've got the B6 up to speed (but keeping my G5n for the time being).

No USB audio.

Well...since I posted this over at that other bass forum, I figured might as well do the same here.... https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/sets/zoom-b6-demo?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Excellent! Glad things worked out for you. It's refreshing to not have to menu-dive just to get a simple, solid bass tone going, or make a quick adjustment. Good old knobs and switches.

I wanted to see if how much of a difference it made when I loaded the Atomic (Dr. Bonkers) 8x10 Mesa cabinet IR into the B6 and did more side-by-side listening. Both the Atomic and B6 set for SVT amp model and the above IR. Hot damn if that didn't narrow the gap quite a bit. Now the difference seems not as much. Just goes to show how integral a good IR is for modeled tones. I'm still keeping the B6 and BassBox, but now I can use the B6 with a little more confidence as a stand-alone pedal.

Cool. Smart to have plan B ready. Interested to see what you think. Good luck!

What are you using for stage monitoring? If the tech staff allows a few extra minutes for bass-check time to iron out any possible issues, I'd say go for it.

OK. Spent some time doing a direct comparison of the B6 with the BassBox for core tones: Boost > Comp > EQ/Amp > Cab IR. @Tripehound, the good news is that the BassBox wins this shootout rather easily IMO. The comp, EQ, and amp settings just seem to be dialed in, and there's just a more immediate feel with the BassBox. It has an "it" factor of quality that's easily felt & heard, but tough to put into words. Not so much a knock on the B6, as I think the BassBox is on par with the some of best dedicated bass pedal processing out there (albeit in limited format...I prefer it over the HX Stomp, too). The B6 does well, though. No problems gigging with the tones I'm getting. I've always been of the opinion, though, that the Boost drives on the BassBox are perhaps its weakest point....very fiddly in some respects...I've had to go into the editor a few times to tweak the Boost level...still not sure if I'm 100% good with it. This may be where the combo of B6 front-end into the BassBox is the best scenario, as I do like a number of drives in the B6. I hadn't yet ported the IRs from the BassBox into the B6. The three I use are a Shift Line Hartke 4x10 (cleaner tones), a Dr. Bonkers Mesa 8x10, and a Dr. Bonkers SVT 8x10, all with tube amp emulation in front of them. Of these three, the Mesa 8x10 is my favorite. I wouldn't be surprised if this stands to narrow the gap tonally between the BassBox and B6. I drilled down into the B6 effects a bit, also. My view on effects is that I have no expectation every form of effect is going to be great, especially for multi-fx in this price range and lower. If I can get maybe 10 or so solid, standard effects (dirt/OD, chorus/pitch shift detune chorus, flange, tremolo, envelope filter), along with lower priority oddities like a synth and octaver, I'm getting my money's-worth. I consider compression a core part of my tone along with preamp/bass amp modeling, so those are a given (prefer the LMT 76). Of course, the most dodgy of the bunch are the synths and pitch shifters. It's a mixed bag in this respect so YMMV regarding exactly what floats your boat here. That said, I've always been able to beat these unwieldy beasts into submission with patch creations that are unique in their own right to do that one thing, forgetting about all amp modeling structure. Sometimes it takes a bit of pre/post treatment to get a synth to sit just right, and slots run out fast. I will say that the tracking is pretty good on pitch effects, and the new Super LO preamp is unique, seemingly designed for those who can't get enough sub-bass (1 octave down) in their bass tone. That one will drive some FOH mixers nuts!

The experiment with discrete Send and Return did work to create a pseudo-parallel path. Kind of funky getting it sorted. But since so many of the effects include a mix or wet/dry blend feature, I found it to be unnecessary for most applications. I did my experiment using the simulation of the dbx160 (160 comp) as the parallel-processed effect. Curiosity is satisfied, but I probably won't ever NEED TO use this method....which is a GOOD thing. The Looper, like the rhythm section, is its own discrete area, and loops don't reside within a preset patch....so NO, you can't save pre-recorded loops and call them up at will using preset patch selection. Oh well. No biggie for me.

The B6 landed today, and I had some time to wrestle with it this evening. As expected, it's a mixed bag of pleasant surprises and the foreseen problems with DSP and 6 slot maximum limitations. I'm late for bed, so I'll just say that this is the best sounding bass pedal I've heard out of Zoom, in terms of core sounds for drive pedals, preamps, amps, and cabinets (IRs). The DI selections flavors are very cool. With respect to the Atomic BassBox, I'll be doing some side-by-side listening to see what my ears tell me.

I should have my B6 coming today or tomorrow. There's a discussion over here about the B6 and Atomic BassBox: If you'd like to read my comments, I'll be posting over there for the time being, so I don't have to keep ping-ponging back and forth between threads. I've got an open mind on this purchase. The limitation of 6 slots for effects/amps/cabs/etc may be a tight fit for some situations. I may use my BassBox outboard of the B6 in some situations so that I can load the B6 up with effects only. The BassBox would then provide the "always-on" amp/cab/eq/compression along with Boost if needed. Ideally, though, I'd like to be comfortable with the B6 for all occasions, so I'm hoping the new models and other improvements impress. If so, it may spell the end of my B3n and/or G5n for live use. It's been quite a few years, so I'm ready for a change I think. Some of the new features look tasty. I'll be trying out the Send/Return feature to see if I can create rigged-up parallel dry path to the effects path. Even though it would eat up 2 slots, it would be great if it worked, to be able to have the ability to wet/dry mix between 4 other effects - mainly OD and compression. Also will be experimenting with loops, to see if they can be saved via SD card and recalled on a patch-by-patch basis. This would be a cool bonus feature, but I haven't seen anyone mention whether it can be done.

I've read that the Yamaha MagicStomp pedal has the Symphonic effect. https://reverb.com/p/yamaha-magicstomp-ub99-stereo-multi-effect-pedal https://www.manualslib.com/manual/526717/Yamaha-Magicstomp.html?page=5#manual and they also make a bass version (purple housing)