New Zoom B3

[dave_bass5]

It looks like there are some great patches there Greg. For me a bit too many dirty tones but im going to work my way through them over the next month or so, and hopefully upload a few of my own once i settle down with it.

I did a full reset last night, as im getting in to a bit of a muddle with the patches. I mostly play at home at the moment, so have been setting things up for headphone/recording use, but that then conflicts with my live patches.

Ive dumped all my "mess" to the PC using the software and will add them back in before going to gigs.

[OzzyGreg]

.
Cool Dave!

Make sure you upload yours mate, won't you?

It's the biggest library of B3 patches on the 'net and the more we have the better!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Was seriously considering one of these. Then I RTFM online.
No auxiliary in for MP3 player, so I'll have to break out my mixer...
At least I can phantom power it via XLR... Nope.
And if I could it'd be in MONO.
What's the point of stereo effects if you can only send a mono feed to the desk?

Jack of all trades, master of none, I fear. It could sound phenomenal, but the power leads are too fragile even for heavy domestic use, and the lack of appropriate connectivity hamstrings an otherwise good unit.

Off to sulk now.

[dave_bass5]

You're obviously missing the bigger picture. It's not just a live tool.
I'm sure you will find something more suitable.

[tonyclaret]

[quote name='OzzyGreg' timestamp='1367896441' post='2070743']

There's about [b]100 different Zoom B3 patches[/b] here in the [b][url="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7b88q8uy5hYMFJUem5nUDNyMkk&usp=sharing"]Zoom B3 Patch Library[/url][/b] to download into Edit & Share and try out.

I set it up so that anyone can upload their own patches for others to use, so please, by all means ......
[/quote]


Nice one Gregg, I thought Zoom would have their own user group but I can't see one? This though is very useful.

Cheers

Edited May 19, 2013 by tonyclaret

[OzzyGreg]

[Quote]What's the point of stereo effects if you can only send a mono feed to the desk?[/Quote]

Two separate leads out of the L/R channels into two separate DI boxes then onto the desk?

[OzzyGreg]

.

[Quote]Nice one Gregg, I thought Zoom would have their own user group but I can't see one? This though is very useful.
Cheers [/Quote]


Enjoy Tony!

[Junkyard Rocket]

who's using the psu with theirs & who prefers batteries?

I use mine for every rehearsal/gig & always power from batteries. I use amazon own-brand eneloop rechargable AAs and always put a freshly charged set in before I take it out. I can probably get about four or five hours on a set before it conks out, so long enough for a gig or evening rehearsal.

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='Junkyard Rocket' timestamp='1369002120' post='2083936']
who's using the psu with theirs & who prefers batteries?
[/quote]

I use the same power supply that powers the rest of my pedals. I've got a Diago Isolator Adaptor on it though because I was getting a high pitched hissing that you get when powering digital and analog pedals simultaneously.

[dave_bass5]

Ive only done two gigs with mine so far but i power it with a 1Spot PSU, with a set of Eneloops as backup in case the cable gets pulled out. At home sits always powered by USB as i use it in to my PC.

Edited May 20, 2013 by dave_bass5

[Lozz196]

I`ve gigged a few times with mine now, always powered by the provided PSU. But, I will be gigging in Dublin later on this year, and to keep items down to the minimum (and changeover time) will be putting batteries in for that one.

[bartelby]

I used the batteries during one band rehearsal and found that if I hit the foot switches too hard it would cause the batteries to break contact and restart the pedal.
It's not like I was stamping on the switches either...

[D.I. Joe]

At the moment always run it off of my laptop via USB at home. Live I just use my Powerplant on the board. Though I have noticed a bit of hiss so perhaps I'll get one of these isolating doodads...

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1368967016' post='2083447']
You're obviously missing the bigger picture. It's not just a live tool.
I'm sure you will find something more suitable.
[/quote]

I'd mainly use it at home, but don't want cables/boxes all over the place.
No single device does what I need.

Back to the Pandora, then. That gets closest to catering for my requirements.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='OzzyGreg' timestamp='1369001164' post='2083919']


Two separate leads out of the L/R channels into two separate DI boxes then onto the desk?
[/quote]
It's all more boxes, more boxes, MORE BOXES!
I thought the whole idea is that it's a one box fix for all your bass playing woes. Guess not.

Edited for- If they'd made it phantom powerable and given it two XLRs, you'd be able to jettison the power adaptor and two DI boxes from your gig bag.Add an aux "in" 3.5mm socket for external sources, and it'd be perfect. Wouldn't mind if it cost £100 more if it had those.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Lfalex v1.1

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1369062441' post='2084407']
I'd mainly use it at home, but don't want cables/boxes all over the place.
No single device does what I need.

Back to the Pandora, then. That gets closest to catering for my requirements.
[/quote]

Whatever works i guess. I do admit the lack of aux in would be an issue for me as well if i wasnt using my PC or iPad as a MP3 source. I sold my old Line 6 Bass POD XT (i think it was that version) and brought a Behringer Bass Vamp for its Aux in years ago for the same reason. I then replaced that with a Pandora PX4D that i never use these days. The B3 sounds so much better.

You can use a stereo jack to jack (or jack to phono) to a mixer though. The left hand output will give a stereo signal.

[OzzyGreg]

.
[Quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]You can use a stereo jack to jack (or jack to phono) to a mixer though. The left hand output will give a stereo signal.[/Quote][/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Good idea Dave.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If it's a line level signal (I'm not 100% sure what it is, I [i]assume[/i] line level) then you're right.[/font][/color]

[acronym]

can someone explain to me how does this work as an audio interface for a laptop, is it case of just plugging it in and then I can use it as my audio card in ableton?.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='acronym' timestamp='1370104191' post='2096511']
can someone explain to me how does this work as an audio interface for a laptop, is it case of just plugging it in and then I can use it as my audio card in ableton?.
[/quote]

Well thats how it works for me with my PC.
As soon as its hooked up to my Windows 8 PC it becomes the default in and output device.

[D.I. Joe]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1370109287' post='2096581']


Well thats how it works for me with my PC.
As soon as its hooked up to my Windows 8 PC it becomes the default in and output device.
[/quote]

+1

I'm not sure whether you need to download the ASIO driver first though. I did, but I didn't try using the B3 without first installing it.

[OzzyGreg]

.
[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]It's all more boxes, more boxes, MORE BOXES![/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I thought the whole idea is that it's a one box fix for all your bass playing woes. Guess not. [/font][/color] [/quote]

I've never owned/carried a single DI box in 20+ years of playing.
The sound guy always has them in his collection of gear.
If not then I'll just crank my amp up and let him worry about mixing the rest of the band to match my volume level!

[acronym]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1370109287' post='2096581']
Well thats how it works for me with my PC.
As soon as its hooked up to my Windows 8 PC it becomes the default in and output device.
[/quote]

Cheers, can I ask too stupid question because I need a usb audio interface can I still feed a guitar into the pedal to record as well?, is the signal clean and also as important can you still use the headphones to listen too and can you still apply effects on while using as usb audio interface?.

[dave_bass5]

Yes you can do all that, although im not sure about getting clean signal. Do you mean direct unaffected or just clean as in not broken up? The only way i can see of getting a direct, non affected signal is to turn the effects off.
Using the B3 as a USB interface allows you to use the headphone jack on the box itself, and you can listen back to music coming from the PC, whilst at the same time using the B3 in the normal way (ie, effects, different patches etc).
The B3 also has a mix control so you can use this to balance the Bass level with whats coming back from the PC, so the B3 tone doesn't have to go through the PC in order to play alone with MP3's etc, although turning that all the way to max cuts off the direct B3 tone and only gives you 100% whats coming back from the PC. I guess this is more for using with recording software. Depending on your PC you should be able to get quite low latency. Mine is 2ms without any issues.
There is also a level out for recording over USB. This gives a bit of extra boost or cut.

I think ive got all the above correct, ive not used mine too much like this but i did find it so much easier to use with my PC than using software like Amplitube and GuitarRig etc.

[acronym]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1370248668' post='2097953']
Yes you can do all that, although im not sure about getting clean signal. Do you mean direct unaffected or just clean as in not broken up? The only way i can see of getting a direct, non affected signal is to turn the effects off.
Using the B3 as a USB interface allows you to use the headphone jack on the box itself, and you can listen back to music coming from the PC, whilst at the same time using the B3 in the normal way (ie, effects, different patches etc).
The B3 also has a mix control so you can use this to balance the Bass level with whats coming back from the PC, so the B3 tone doesn't have to go through the PC in order to play alone with MP3's etc, although turning that all the way to max cuts off the direct B3 tone and only gives you 100% whats coming back from the PC. I guess this is more for using with recording software. Depending on your PC you should be able to get quite low latency. Mine is 2ms without any issues.
There is also a level out for recording over USB. This gives a bit of extra boost or cut.

I think ive got all the above correct, ive not used mine too much like this but i did find it so much easier to use with my PC than using software like Amplitube and GuitarRig etc.
[/quote]

Cheers this is great news, what I mean is there much hiss, static when plugging in a guitar or bass when connecting to the pc if that makes sense?.

[dave_bass5]

Oh right. Nothing to worry about there then (at least, its fine for me). It seems to be a very strong signal.
The way i use mine when im not recording means that im hearing the bass coming directly out of the B3, rather than going through the PC and coming back out.
The ASIO driver allows you to adjust the sample rate and latency if your system is a bit lacking, but im getting a better signal, and lower latency than when using my M-Audio 24/94 sound card with programs like Sonar X1 and Audition CS6.