jimfist

Yes, and I probably should have gone with the HX Effects instead of the Stomp and ended the search right there. LOL. Oh well. I feel like I'm ready for something different though. No idea where I'll get money for a Quad Cortex, but for now, that's the itch I can't scratch.

Nothing against this Hotone pedal, as it looks pretty cool otherwise. FWIW, 3 button stomps are a non-starter for me. It's why I don't own the Fractal FM3, and only owned the HX Stomp for a couple months, and years ago flipped my original version Atomic Amplifire pedal. There's only so much you can do with 3 buttons without - for me - needing another set of external switches, and this defeats the purpose of an all-in-one for gigging.

Al, between the B3n and G5n I've been pretty happy for a while, and with the purchase of my Atomic Bass Box, I've got things well-covered. Though the Quad Cortex is a bit pricey, it could be my one-size-fits-all solution, sparing me the limitations of the other pedals. Of course, my Zoom and Atomic pedals are staying with me (perhaps the B3n goes on the chopping block). Currently, it's a moot point with Covid lockdown on gigging. I don't really NEED the Quad Cortex, and not sure if/when I'd have the coin....but man, this thing offers all the things I've been wanting in a pedal for so long, but none of the other manufacturers have really nailed down this combination of size, physical interface, and features.

The capture feature is killer for replicating pedal settings for tone/dirt/drive/fuzz. I can see this being a total game-changer in the modeling-fx world. https://youtu.be/3TtPBgbUimA

My advice if you really, REALLY want do understand compression: find someone who is well-equipped with high quality compressors who can help you adjust a variety of comps tweaked to your style of playing. The best comps (regardless of price) are the ones where you have to work hard to make them sound bad. Unfortunately, it's far easier to make most garden variety compressors sound either bad or ineffective. Thus, find out from someone who digs compression exactly what the fuss is all about. Learn. Then decide if you even need it, and how much you're willing to spend on the comp that gets you what you like. Personally, my view of compression changed completely after doing some studio work, which prompted me to purchase an Emperical Labs EL8 Distressor (rackmount). Pricey, yes....but holy crap, it's a slap in the face lesson as to why "good compression" is worthy of the love affair some bassists attach to it...and I'm one. That said, I'd rather have no compression than compression that doesn't meet my personal minimum threshold of tone/dynamics enhancement. Perhaps surprisingly (or not), this can even be found in a relatively inexpensive multi-fx pedal, though dialing it in to my liking is no trivial task. On the other hand, I owned a Fractal Audio AxeFxII for many years and had the darnedest time trying to dial that thing in. Go figure. Honestly, Any bassist who concludes they don't need compression can be considered fortunate. Good Luck!

Yes. I'm fortunate to own a Wal. Nothing out there like them.

I thought you knew that the bass is a Wal...it's a bird's-eye maple body. Once-in-a-lifetime purchase for me. It's the only bass I own that IMO sounds its best on its own, perhaps with a smidge of compression to tame my erratic playing. Wal does make beautiful instruments.

Is parallel blending absolutely necessary for quality bass tones? Well, how many bass tones have you heard in your life where you know for a fact the sound was just the bass into an amp or into a mixing console? As was said before, it depends on what your end game is. If you're happy with the sounds you're currently getting, then why fix something that ain't broke? The flip side is that parallel routing offers much flexibility that isn't available to you in simple, serial signal paths. (Me, personally? I can be perfectly happy with a simple serial path, but have extensively used parallel routing for more demanding/complex needs. Again, it depends.) Regarding phase issues with parallel path routing: If you use an analog outboard parallel path mixer with a DIGITAL effect, then you're likely to have tone problems with SOME effects since all digital processing has inherent latency (generally around 2 milliseconds, but can be more). This is not really noticeable with time domain (delay/reverb) effects that are 100% wet, but can be very apparent when blending with effects with no time delay element and lots of dry signal retention (for example: a slightly driven dirt pedal that retains much of the original frequency content). Digital devices that allow for parallel routing WITHIN THE UNIT will not suffer from wet vs. dry latency since the origination of any and all signal paths is the same signal (present at the unit's input). So, proceed with caution when mixing analog with digital for parallel blending. (This is also a common problem at mixing desks when a DI bass feed is to be blended with a mic'd cabinet, due to the distance of the mic from the speaker driver. Same general idea but for different reasons.)

One thing to keep in mind about "distortion" is that it doesn't need to necessarily be prominent in context while still qualifying as distortion. Isolated bass tracks can demonstrate exactly how distorted (or overdriven) a bass sound can be but still not necessarily come across as "dirty". One of my favorite discoveries as of late has been the Gold Drive (evidently a Klon Overdrive model) that lives in the Zoom G5n/G3n multi-fx pedals. In isolation, I've set it so that the distortion is audible, but not overbearing, while the drive distortion adds harmonics that contribute to better presence and clarity in the context of a mix. To my ears, it's remarkable. FWIW, I've also struggled to find distortions (other than blatant distortion effects) that largely keep the bass tone in tact while adding that special something that helps pop the bass out in the mix. If you're going for heavy distortion, then I've only been able to make this work by using parallel wet/dry mix methods, otherwise 100% distortion settings tend to bury the fundamental punch or clarity of the bass sound.

I really don't know about chipset, and though these details do matter from an engineering standpoint, I tend to let my ears and instincts make the decision (of course assuming that the function of the gear meets certain needs). The G11 is certainly a capable multi-fx modeler. The problems always have been the initial asking price, the looks (which turn off most), and that they are chasing existing competition that already do almost EVERYTHING the G11 purports to do better than ZOOM is doing it....perhaps with just a few noteworthy exceptions - predominantly, the dumbed-down simplicity (not necessarily a bad thing) of having 5 always-available switches w/control knobs. Otherwise, price was always king for ZOOM, and getting good bang-for-buck is the reason why many enjoy their products. Unfortunately, the G11 is outside the bang-for-buck sweet spot which will make it a difficult sell. I think the G6 will be more viable, and I'm curious to see where that lands in terms of features and cost. I can't say that I disagree with the notion that all ZOOM really needed to do following the old version G5/G3/B3 was work to improve the quality of its modeling algorithms - mainly for amps, cabs, and dirt/drive pedals. But they decided to junk that whole format in going to the "n" series, and are only now starting to re-incorporate some of those features, but without the depth of capability evidently (MIDI implementation, assignable parameter to exp pedal, etc.)

Yes, please. Will you be looking to use 3rd party IRs to load into the G11 for more cab sim flexibility?

I'm watching the G6 from a distance...seeing what develops and if anything interesting is described in an English translation owners manual. Hopefully, they'll integrate native (or add-in via editor) bass amps/cabs/effects since the G11 at least has a couple of bass items as a courtesy. If so, I could justify flipping gear for the G6....but....we'll see. Parallel signal path would be a big help IMO. Otherwise, I'm perfectly happy with my G5n, B3n, and Atomic Bass Box. Seems like the G11 has been a sales disaster from the little that can be concluded to this point, and though the G6 is definitely a step in the right direction, I hardly think it will "gateway" people to want to spend the extra cash on the G11, which evidently had a significant "cyber week" price drop recently, but now priced back at original MSRP (which is a bit too high IMO).

MAIN FEATURES 16 types of standard amp models + 6 types of ZOOM original amp models Pre-installed 70 IR data in addition to 22 cabinet models ZOOM original effect: 2 types of distortion + 3 types of modulation IR loader function that can read up to 2048 samples, 120 in total (70 presets + 50 users) Up to 7 effects + 1 amp model (or up to 9 effects) can be used at the same time 240 types of effect patches can be stored in memory (for both factory and user) 4.3-inch touch screen with swipe, drag and drop operations Looper function that can record phrases of up to 45 seconds (monaural 90 seconds) and 68 types of rhythm pattern function 2-in / 2-out USB audio interface function Send / return terminal to connect your favorite external effects Stereo AUX input terminal convenient for connecting music players, etc. Expression pedal for foot control of volume / pitch / wah, etc. SD card slot for reading external IR data and expanding / saving looper recording time Compatible with Mac / Windows software "Guitar Lab" for which additional effects / patches can be obtained You can use the iPhone / iPad application "Handy Guitar Lab" with the optional Bluetooth adapter (BTA-1). Extend the product warranty period to 3 years with free online user registration

New ZOOM G6 multi-effect modeler...I guess this is only being released in Japan for the time being, from what I've gathered on the interwebs. https://youtu.be/5nJd8D0ffK8

Yes, I was made aware of that editor and successfully ported many of the B3n items over to the G5n. Works great.

I've seen videos of the G11 with bass amps from the B3n (SVT and Aguilar). https://youtu.be/NZY9K3ZyKzk?t=90 As the G11 is having difficulty getting much interest (for a number of good reasons), it remains to be seen exactly how far Zoom will go in representing bass amps, cabs, drives, and other stuff in the G11. At least if they went the whole way in supporting bass, it might help some guitarist/bassists feel more comfortable with the G11. I might be interested, but for the same reason I didn't seek a Helix, Fractal AX8 or FX8, and some other larger multi-fx pedals, I just don't want to carry a single pedal that large. The G5n is about the max footprint.

Waiting to hear from the " I don't use a compressor and never will, and because I don't use one, you shouldn't need to either, unless you have lousy technique, and so I'm better than you" crowd.

I agree. If you want to dip your big toe into the water, the Zoom multi-effects are a great way to start. They'll get you some reasonable representations of various effects to dabble with, and it's an easy learning curve as far as multi-effects go. Even if a multi-effect is just a gateway to getting "real" individual stomp pedals, it's a very practical way of finding out what tickles your funny bone. Individual stomps are the real deal and tend to do their sole purpose better than what is represented in a lower-cost multi-effect, but there's the downside of additional wiring and power supply. You may find that a multi-effect suits you well (I do) if your needs are not critical. I'd also suggest the Zoom B3n, which is a little more cash than the B1 Four, but in Stompbox mode, behaves just like having (3 at one time) pedals, with dedicated switches and knobs for parameter control. The now discontinued Zoom B3 was quite a popular pedal, and may be had for low cost IF you can find one on the used market.

Did this ever happen?

Yes, apparently they're only showing the $100USD discount for getting on the "reserve" list. I'm pretty sure that the price is $399.99 retail, minus the $100 reserve discount...USD, of course. I'm in the USA. Atomic Amps owner Tom King mentioned on a forum the other day that they've run out the initial batch and stocking up again in a couple of weeks. Atomic is a small operation, so I'd guess they need to be careful about how much they've got wrapped up in inventory, especially during these dicey times.

https://youtu.be/-OTfpM7vNqU Video link for Atomic Bass Box.

I don't know if any of you had caught wind of this pedal, the Atomic Amps Bass Box, when it was introduced over a year ago at winter NAMM 2019. This is a pedal I was hoping Atomic Amps/Studio Devil would produce for bassists. Atomic does a great job with the Amplifire pedals for amp modeling/multi-fx, targeted at guitarists. The Bass Box is just an incredible device that packs so many great bass-targeted features in a small pedal, described here in an Anderton's interview with the guys from Studio Devil & Atomic Amps: Atomic Bass Box Winter NAMM 2019 Also, happy to say that this pedal is now shipping, and I was one of the first to get one! Here are some comparative clips from my soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-svt-ampcab-model https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-processed-tone-track-2 https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-processed-tone-track-3 https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-angry-fet-svt https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-ged-slo https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-clean-5-fingers https://soundcloud.com/jimfist/atomic-amps-bass-box-clean-5-pick

from the Quad Cortex website Q * A: Do Neural DSP plugins come with QC? Not by default as of now, but we will send a free plugin update in a Cortex compatible format to everyone who owns our plugins so they can be loaded onto the device.

This for certain. Previous rig: 2013 Wal bass (custom 4 string) - Fractal Audio AxeFxII - Behringer FCB1010 MIDI pedal - Crown xti Current Low budget rig: Ibanez Mikro bass (short scale 4 string) - ZOOM B3 (retired in 2016) or ZOOM B3 (grab-n-go/rehearsal) or ZOOM G5n (most gigs) My choice of stage speakers hasn't change (won't compromise there) but instead of powering them with a Crown xti4002 power amp, I picked up a GK 1001RBII second-hand on a sweet deal (less than half the cost of the Crown amp new). When available, I'll just DI into the provided PA system w/stage monitoring sans stage rig. For those gigs, my entire setup fits in a gig duffel bag + 2 basses. The bulkiest bag item is the ZOOM G5n. [Many of my gigs are with majority full-time pro musicians who don't tolerate anything that makes them look or sound bad, though I hung up my full-time status in favor of a regular day job (w/full benefits package). I've heard not a peep from them about a downgrade of tone or sound. Ditto for audience comments.] Regarding the Quad Cortex, the combination of size, features, user interface, and price - though not inexpensive - is dead on the money for my needs. That QC is backed by Doug Castro from Darkglass is icing on the cake for bassists. I'm a Fractal Audio fan, but as a bassist, their optional products (FX8/AX8/FM3,pedals) are excellent, but all sort of miss the mark for what I prefer in a footprint, price, and UI workflow. I'm not going in on the QC at ground floor, though. As thing progress next year and with positive feedback, I'll be doing a gear sell-off to majority fund a Quad Cortex. Likely I'll keep only the G5n.