Zoom B2 1.u

[silverfoxnik]

Hi Folks,

After about a year of owning a Zoom B2 and a B2 1.u, I finally managed/bothered to work out how to use the drum machine in it.. So after playing around with the drums for a while, then finding a really cool tube pre-amp tone, a bit of auto-wah and some ping-pong delay, I had a brilliant time jamming and practicing!! Kept me quiet for hours, it did..

It really does amaze me just how good these B2 fx units are for the money!

Nik

[cheddatom]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='144120' date='Feb 21 2008, 12:40 AM']It really does amaze me just how good these B2 fx units are for the money!

Nik[/quote]

+1!!!!

I wish I still had time to mess around with mine

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='144208' date='Feb 21 2008, 09:05 AM']+1!!!!

I wish I still had time to mess around with mine [/quote]

I know what you mean.. My little session was at 2am in the morning because that's the only time I could find!

Edited February 21, 2008 by silverfoxnik

[SwordRaven]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='144120' date='Feb 21 2008, 12:40 AM'][i]Kept me quiet for hours, it did..[/i][/quote]

Kept you loud surely?

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='SwordRaven' post='147332' date='Feb 26 2008, 05:20 PM']Kept you loud surely? [/quote]
Unfortunately not - I was using headphones! Just waiting now for a convenient time when everyone's out and it's not too late...

[SwordRaven]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='147449' date='Feb 26 2008, 09:36 PM']Unfortunately not - I was using headphones! Just waiting now for a convenient time when everyone's out and it's not too late... [/quote]

I hear that! The zoom unit is great with headphones... I used it quite a bit but I never learned to use it [i]properly[/i] so I ended up selling it a little later on.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='SwordRaven' post='148694' date='Feb 28 2008, 11:42 PM']I hear that! The zoom unit is great with headphones... I used it quite a bit but I never learned to use it [i]properly[/i] so I ended up selling it a little later on.[/quote]
Now I've sussed it out a bit, it's great fun!. Before that, it was very useful for gigs but I wasn't using it anywhere near it's true potential. Even now, I'm probably scraping the surface of what it can do, but it's getting better the more I use it..

[SwordRaven]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='148720' date='Feb 29 2008, 12:12 AM']Now I've sussed it out a bit, it's great fun!. Before that, it was very useful for gigs but I wasn't using it anywhere near it's true potential. Even now, I'm probably scraping the surface of what it can do, but it's getting better the more I use it..[/quote]

Absolutely, it's a case of building a nice selection of effects in the customisable bank and then remembering which number is which in a gig!

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='SwordRaven' post='148743' date='Feb 29 2008, 01:19 AM']Absolutely, it's a case of building a nice selection of effects in the customisable bank and then remembering which number is which in a gig![/quote]
That's far too difficult for mere bass players to do, especially at my age!!

[tempo]

You may be interested to know Zoom are about to bring out a B9.2ut, full width pedal board efx, Similar to guitar version, with tubes in. Lots of connectivity- USB, stereo XLR outs, midi.... It also has a proper display, so no need to memorize preset numbers!

[tempo]

and here's a pic to prove it.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='tempo' post='148778' date='Feb 29 2008, 08:28 AM']and here's a pic to prove it.

[/quote]
Looks a bit Starship Enterprise to me!! Impressive....

[pauljdcooper]

want to give me a few pointers then with the drum machine please? i am still messing with presets etc and really want to get the drums happening on it too.....

[tempo]

It's not really a drum machine as such. There are 30 (ish) preset rhythms, adjustable only tempo and volume, its just a practice aid. Turn em on and play along!!

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='tempo' post='149052' date='Feb 29 2008, 04:58 PM']It's not really a drum machine as such. There are 30 (ish) preset rhythms, adjustable only tempo and volume, its just a practice aid. Turn em on and play along!![/quote]
That describes it pretty much exactly! Limited as it is though, it's a useful tool to have around and is good for timing, listening to drum patterns, grooves etc and for a bit of fun when doing scales, exercises etc gets too boring...

[King Tut]

[quote name='tempo' post='148778' date='Feb 29 2008, 08:28 AM']and here's a pic to prove it.

[/quote]

That's the bit of kit I've been waiting for - I want one!!

[cheddatom]

I e-mailed them ages ago asking if they were going to release a b9.1u and they said no! Wrotters.

[Moo]

Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme.

[tempo]

I'm thinkin, mid april, and £250 rrp/ £200 street. Which puts it way below the Boss/line6 competition. (sorry if i come across as a fanboy, but have been a zoom user since 1995) Might not have the ultimate flexibility of the aforementioned competition, but usually does the trick

[StanBassMan]

Greetings everyone.

Having relatively recently joined the Effects Pedal brigade, (it was actually a week after my 50th birthday so, yes, I'm an old git but young at heart) I acquired a B2 1.u to go with my bought-at-the-same-time Schecter Hellraiser 5, the sound of which being enhanced by my Ashdown Electric Blue 180.

I know it's generally a good idea to read the [i]"owner's manual"[/i] but we all know it can be extremely tedious having to do that.

Is it just me or is there anyone else out there who thinks that [i]"user friendliness"[/i] is NOT one it's best attributes?

Some of the sounds are great but I find that switching from one patch to another can create a "where's the bass player disappeared to?" effect, as from a booming bass sound to barely audible. Can anyone give any tips on the subject?

Also, when I got the unit, I was hoping, at some point, to try and get Chris Squire's fantastic [i]"harmonised bass"[/i] sound, or something very near, as used so dramatically on Yes' Tormato album. Any ideas on that one, good people? I want to put my fretless through it with that effect active to see what it sounds like.

I'm probably getting too old for this malarky!

Cheers m' dears.

Stan.

(Having got the Schecter and the Zoom for a tad over £500, two months later I saw a Line 6 Variax bass for £599.

[b]Aaaarrrrrgh.......![/b])


[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='144120' date='Feb 21 2008, 12:40 AM']Hi Folks,

After about a year of owning a Zoom B2 and a B2 1.u, I finally managed/bothered to work out how to use the drum machine in it.. So after playing around with the drums for a while, then finding a really cool tube pre-amp tone, a bit of auto-wah and some ping-pong delay, I had a brilliant time jamming and practicing!! Kept me quiet for hours, it did..

It really does amaze me just how good these B2 fx units are for the money!

Nik[/quote]

Edited March 7, 2008 by StanBassMan

[cheddatom]

I really would just read the manual and play around with it. I found that the presets weren't that useful for me, so I just made my own patches. I'm not sure if it does much harmonizing, I have a digitech whammy at the start of my chain for that.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='StanBassMan' post='152149' date='Mar 6 2008, 02:43 AM']Greetings everyone.

Having relatively recently joined the Effects Pedal brigade, (it was actually a week after my 50th birthday so, yes, I'm an old git but young at heart) I acquired a B2 1.u to go with my bought-at-the-same-time Sheckter Hellraiser 5, the sound of which being enhanced by my Ashdown Electric Blue 180.

I know it's generally a good idea to read the [i]"owner's manual"[/i] but we all know it can be extremely tedious having to do that.

Is it just me or is there anyone else out there who thinks that [i]"user friendliness"[/i] is NOT one it's best attributes?

Some of the sounds are great but I find that switching from one patch to another can create a "where's the bass player disappeared to?" effect, as from a booming bass sound to barely audible. Can anyone give any tips on the subject?

Also, when I got the unit, I was hoping, at some point, to try and get Chris Squire's fantastic [i]"harmonised bass"[/i] sound, or something very near, as used so dramatically on Yes' Tormato album. Any ideas on that one, good people? I want to put my fretless through it with that effect active to see what it sounds like.

I'm probably getting too old for this malarky!

Cheers m' dears.

Stan.

(Having got the Sheckter and the Zoom for a tad over £500, two months later I saw a Line 6 Variax bass for £599.

[b]Aaaarrrrrgh.......![/b])[/quote]

Hi Stan,

In my experience, the best way around the problem of the bass disappearing as you switch from one patch to another, is to set the volumes for each patch by a process of comparing one against the other until the [i]sound[/i] the same level to your ears. It won't work just by setting the volume for each patch at the same level (e.g. 70) because each sound is different and some seem much louder than others, and vice versa.. It's a slow process but it's either that or use a limiter in your FX chain...

Hope that makes sense?

Nik

[StanBassMan]

Thanks for that Nik. I'll have to try that.

I simply detest having to go through the manual with a magnifying glass, in an attempt to gain some practical knowledge, but it would appear that there's no quick fix is there?

I was hoping that someone who's managed to produce a workable patch, like that which I described, may read my post and reply "Yes, you set that knob to so and so and this knob to whatever and the last one to something else and you should get the effect that you're looking for!".

Maybe I should keep waiting or maybe I should've bought a Boss ME50 B unit which, as I understand it, will deliver the goods, with some trial and error.

Is there anybody out there?

Stan.


[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='152773' date='Mar 6 2008, 10:59 PM']Hi Stan,

In my experience, the best way around the problem of the bass disappearing as you switch from one patch to another, is to set the volumes for each patch by a process of comparing one against the other until the [i]sound[/i] the same level to your ears. It won't work just by setting the volume for each patch at the same level (e.g. 70) because each sound is different and some seem much louder than others, and vice versa.. It's a slow process but it's either that or use a limiter in your FX chain...

Hope that makes sense?

Nik[/quote]

Edited March 7, 2008 by StanBassMan

[cheddatom]

I can help i'm sure! I find the zoom really easy to use. I haven't bothered with the manual. Basically I use the left hand knob to scroll through different settings, and use the other three knobs to mess with these settings. The last position on the left hand knob is the control setting, which is useful for the expression pedal etc. If you can just find an hour to sit and play with it through your rig or headphones, you should be able to come up with some decent patches.

I reckon the harmony settings will be in the "synth" section, but i'm not sure. If you just mess about with it, you'll learn more than just copying someone's settings.

[karlbbb]

That B9.1ut looks the ldog's danglies. Have had very good experiences with Zoom multi FX pedals when I used to play our 6 string sisters. I'm sure they've only improved since then. This pedal is already available everywhere except the UK it would seem. I think I'll definitely get my hands on one when I get back from sea!