Effects for Violin??? (Zoom A1X Reviewed)
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- čas přidán 1. 02. 2021
- Those of you who have been part of our community for a while know that we don't review effects processors or pedal as they don't have string specific features and because there are so many thousands of guitar, bass, and keyboard players who are already doing a great job reviewing this gear. Last year at NAMM however we came upon Zoom's A1X Four with presets and effects specifically for acoustic and electric violins.
In this video, well not only review the unit from a string player's perspective, but we'll also discuss the entire concept of bowed string effects: is this snake oil and (if not), how well does this unit pull these off?
And of course, we'll deep-dive into each effect letting you hear every preset and patch for yourself.
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Zoom zoomcorp.com - Hudba
Thank you for your exact electric violin string player's pro analysis I need. Your content is not found elsewhere. Appreciatively, Daniel
Appreciate the comment man! Are you a violinist as well Daniel?
Now this is a legitimately useful review! Thank you very much, this tells me everything I need to know as an electric violin player. Appreciate it man!
Very informative! Thanks for your guys effort
Great review, thanks for the effort you put into it
Thanks so much for the likes and comments everyone! Hope you dig the video!
I just got mine and I am very pleased. I think this is an amazing value for the money. I attended this primarily for use with my harmonica when I play either acoustic or electric gigs. But it’s great to sing through also.The stock sound bank is excellent, there are extra slots to record your own presets, and you can modify the stock ones. I already have a Zoom 24 track digital recorder and the built-in delays and reverbs and choruses and distortions are all great. On this pedal, I especially love the rotary effect, the chorus effect,and an effect called Sax My Lady, that sounds like a stacked harmony.
I liked all the knob twisting, in combinations, to show the range of dimension in each effect. For the price, this box is amazing. I paid almost as much for a good pre-amp. I see an A1X four in my future.
great review ❤️
Thanks Tharina!!!
Excellent video thanks
Very welcome Donald
Thank you VERY MUCH for this violin-specific review. Partially based on your review, I just purchased. I perform on both violin and guitar, increasingly playing in different ensembles - ranging from classical, blues/jazz, country and singer-songwriter. I am primarily interested in having excellent acoustic / close-to-natural instrument sound with relatively minimal adjustment setup and gig friendly (predictable, minimal sound check and features that make instrument swap fast and audience friendly). I also hate spending a lot of time mucking with gear and the tonal tedium of over-the-top unnatural effects. (note - K&K and Fishman pickups in my guitars; Fishman piezo and soon a Realist on violins - if I use an AMP rather go direct to board it's Fishman SA-220 which I think sounds pretty excellent for both piezo and/or mic'd guitar and violin without any other signal processing)
I'll reply back on results I get with the Zoom A1X in performance to share in this thread.
Any tips you can share on specific patch settings via this device - or to get good natural sound (with this gear or other) I'd appreciate.
What’s interesting for me is that having bought the Zoom 9030 30 years ago, things haven’t really progressed that much really. The 9030 had a pretty grainy reverb, but the other effects especially the delays were very good. As you would expect I turned all the controls on the distortion to10!
Great review-VERY useful. How was the acoustic violin hooked up to this unit?
It truly is a breath of fresh air to see an honest review without all the BS. I think you 3 hit the nail on the head when you said it wasn't the same as using your favorite gear, but it does have it's uses. I have found that it really doesn't matter how much a person spends on effects, somewhere along the line it will have it's faults for different applications. Take for example a guitarist. If they are trying to play Hendrix, using a classical or flamenco guitar will not produce the desired effect. Even though the classical/flamenco guitar cost 10 times more than Hendrix's guitar, it will never sound like Hendrix. Same thing goes for trying to emulate Yo Yo Ma with a viola. Some of the multi effect units do some things great and other things not so great. It's just the nature of the beast. The Zoom pedal does however offer a beginner a starting point and maybe even a few useful bits and pieces for advanced players. Far from perfect, but the thought was there. My apologies for the rambling diatribe.
I love the pedals and screen. So good for ancient clumsy big footed players like me. The looper is so easy! Love it.
right on Lace!!!!
@@ElectricStringPlayer 😆
I guess I'm kinda randomly asking but does anybody know a good website to watch new tv shows online ?
@Neil Jamie Lately I have been using Flixzone. You can find it by googling =)
@Casen Quentin Definitely, been using FlixZone for months myself :)
Great review...New to amplified strings and JUST bought a helix lt. Its pretty complicated. I may pick up this zoom just to plink around on and travel with.
Yeah, if you have the full size helix especially you won't want to travel with that! Check out our string-specific 3 part review on thepickuptest.com of the Helix for allot of great ideas!
Thank you for this great review. Are these violin presets also available in the Zoom A1 (without the volume pedal ans the X) ?
Great review ! Any experience with using the Microcosm to use with electric violin 🎻?
QUESTION: I have two adjacent patches, one with much reverb/delay and one with little or no reverb/delay. I alternate between two within songs and even in the middle of a chord. Can I change patches in the middle of a chord with no "click", no "pop", no silent gap, and with the reverb & delay "tails" continuing into the next patch? [I realize that to have continuing "tails" I must set "tail on" in the reverb & delay parameters.] Please answer only if you've actually tried this. Thanks!
Hello Sir, i just want to ask about the pedal on A1X Four, is it usefull for violin or just for adjust volume? Thank you.
QUESTION: Zoom claims that the Output jack can be used for both "line out" and headphones. I cannot find a "headphones" setting in the manual that would allow the unit to know which output level I want. Does this unit properly support headphones with a correct volume level [as opposed to simply claiming that you can just plug a headphone into a "line out"], and if so how does it know that headphones are connected? Please answer only if you've tried this. Thanks!
Very informative..appreciate the time you have taken to run through all of the features. I'm particularly looking for a harmonizing effect as well as octaves, which I caught toward the back end of the presentation. Are you able to assist with recommendation for a harmony pedal? I play in several bands, one of which I'm tasked with emulating a pedal steel guitar. The harmony feature with the gain/volume pedal will go a long way in assisting to emulate this sound. Thank you
Yes!!! Watch or three part series on Octaver pedals on this channel! Is packed with comparisons and useful tips that are string specific. It’s some of the best string testing we’ve seen
Hi! I have a big question! For cello, do you recommend me the b1x or A1x?
Excuse me, could you kindly tell me how many inputs and outpust and e sizes of tem? thank you. Can this tool record in the DAW directly or should I connect it trought its stereo outputs to an audio interfance like a Scarlett first?
QUESTION: Zoom advertises this unit as being designed for acoustic instruments. Do these same effects work equally well with an electric guitar (i.e. a guitar with magnetic pickups)? Please answer only if you've tried this. Thanks!
Thank you. Very thoughtful review. I play a solid body electric cello, a 20+ year old Zeta I found on Reverb. Any thoughts on the effectiveness of the Zoom on the sonic range of a cello? Also….looking at the mic input I kept wondering if you tried in on vocals. Subscribing now.
Well there’s a lot of flexibility there Steve although I might not use the violin EQ specifically if that’s what you mean. The emulations of some of the other preamp‘s many of which cost 3 to 4 times more seem to be from 60 to 80% of the originals in terms of accuracy which is more than enough for gigging. Every job has a different appropriate tool but there’s a lot of bang for your buck here. Keep in mind we’re not sponsoring or selling these ourselves. Thanks so much for subscribing by the way
A noob question, is this good for an electric violin (not pickup) such as NS Design WAV 4? Thanks.
Thank you for the video, it was very helpful! I'm a cellist and I recently started exploring amplifiying my cello. I have a couple of questions. Does this pedal work as a preamp too? Or it's best to have a preamp separately from the pedal? Also, can it work as an IR loader?
Thanks!
i too am more “cellist” than violinist any knowledge i can garner is a plus.
I gotta admit, the tone of the poly octave down surprised me. Nice rich sound there!
muchas gracias
I appreciate the video. I have been looking for something cheap to cover a lot of bases for myfiancées fiddle. I play guitar so naturally I am obsessed with myriad individual effects,but I’ve wanted ONE easy thing to use for her. I’d thought if this one in passing through online catalogues, but didn’t realize it had violin specific effects. I may go for it. For our needs it dies a lot, and for home sessions and maybe the odd farmers market gig, I think i’m in. And I bet I’ll end up playing with it fir guitar and vocals too.
And that mic amp... yes.
SeSa, We don't endorsements or sponsorships, nor do we sell anything, but I don't think you can go wrong at this price point.
I understand that yes, and it’s appreciated, which makes the information all the more useful. Cheers.
Hey, was wondering if anyone can help? My partner bought me a GX1. The problem is I play the trumpet and am wondering if I should swap it for the AX1 is there a big enough difference? I already have a voco loco (preamp). Any advice would be greatly appreciated (sorry that this isn't string related - just imagine I played a violin and received a gx1 :p)
Hi Sir,
currently I am using zoom b1x four for my violin, please guide me how to add this violin sounds to my processor.
Witch pickup use with b1x?
Are the modelled EQs in this as good as the real thing? I'd imagine the LR Baggs para EQ probably has some light compression? Does the unit capture the essence of it? I'm just need something to plug into a small PA for outdoor weddings. Thanks!
not always adam and they are not quite the same, as you could hear in the video comparison we did, but how is 80 percent of the original for a third the cost?
Very interesting. Did you try it with cello? (Only had time to skim the video so apologies if I missed that.)
I've tried it out Quite a bit, but not in the video hence the title. The presets and patches were "created for violin" so it made sense to focus on that. I do mention in the end that the box comes with emulations of most of the acoustic preamps on the market allot of cellists are using including the Radial PZ pre which we shoot out with a real one.
God! Finally somebody made video about violin + Zoom A1 Four! Thanks very much! One question is left - is the pedal of A1X really useful for violin? Or may be save some money and buy A1 Four?
Hi
Is that possible to record while playing violin with same effects which we are selected. Via USB connection or out put.
This is not an interface, but probably easy enough to split the signal in the studio with any number of cheap splitter boxes.
The one patch you didn’t show was the VN Orchestra patch, which effects are used in that patch. I want to see if I can replicate it in a zoom G1
9:55 ?
Are there any other multi effect pedals for violin you would recommend ¿
Well this one is for acoustic instruments with a few violin presets (which we liked). There are no multi effects pedals for violins that exist.
Just wondering why Paul used an Electric Violin Graphic EQ for the demonstration (time stamp 12:04) with his acoustic violin with a pickup on/in it? I am curious how that same acoustic violin would sound using the Acoustic Graphic EQ? When I hear the words electric violin, I am thinking strictly solid body violin not necessarily an acoustic violin with a pickup on/in it as that is amplifying the acoustic properties of the body (resonant chamber) along with some of the string vibrations of the violin whereas a solid body electric violin's pickup is amplifying the strings' vibrations only. Also, what PA or amp is Paul using? Thank you for listening!/reading this :) I'm maybe playing Devil's Advocate here but I am just a very curious inquisitive individual who can't help but absorb as much information about violin as I can.
good question Mozart... I think because every electric pickup system varies by manufacturer there is allot of inherent variability there.
Спасибо! Я играю на саксофоне и просмотрел отличный обзор!!! Стою перед выбором: купить этот продукт или zoom v6-zp вокальный процессор. Все же , для живых выступлений, думаю вокальный процессор подойдет более, а этот процессор больше подходит для домашних упражнений. Буду думать... Спачибо за такое замечательное видео!
question or more of a suggestion.
will there be a chance that make a tutorial on how to use it from a violinists point of view? there are other tutorials but most i see are guitars and/or no English speaking guide.
Im sure you would help a lot.
thanks
How do we load these violin presets into the G1x? Mine doesn’t have it includedd
I have g1 x, I am searching for violin presets, pls let me know if u find
How are the reverb and delays?
Well, they were obviously way too cranked in the presets for our tastes, but quite useable as long as your not doing crazy shoegaze stuff. Check out some other reviews of Zoom Multistomp shot out with Helix/strymon etc. These are the same algorithms and it tends to hold its own althoohg not usually beat those effects and it's almost unfair comparing to those as this is so much more affordable and a multi trick pony:)
are there degrees of uniqueness? really good review, other than that tiny quibble.
Geez Darol you're really making me wish I finished high school!
Can I use it for my violin and saxophone at the same time. I play both instruments at each gig
There are no stereo inputs. I’m assuming you’re not playing them at the exact same time so you could just get a splitter box to avoid having to plug-in and unplug during the show. Those are really cheap and easy to find
@@ElectricStringPlayer thank you
thankyou, i just bought it. i love the sounds of the violin effects especially 39 distortion. which number effect was the octaver that you used in the video?
@@83gregorycharlene don't remember numbers, but it was the stock preset!
I used. Zoom G7.1 through 10 years. Is good for realizing what kind of effects you really want, but it’s a toy. If you really want good effects you’ll need to get something different, preferable single pedals.
Which pickup did you use?
Ehud, PAul was using a Wilson Pickup.
My violin is NS DESIGN WAV 5
cool axe! we love NS!
I just got a Boss pocket GT for my NS Wav. I've played it 4 years either direct to amp or unplugged, and this is my first experience with effects of any type. I'm loving it, even with the presets. Having the ability to play on headphones and freedom from my amp is the primary reason I bought it, but now that I've heard what a difference reverb and delay make I can't imagine playing without it.
Metal family 😉
Great review. Useful unbiased comments to help potential users make a decision.
The background music is SO f@cking annoying!!!!
Sorry you don’t like the music.
A1X FOUR, OR, G1Xfour 🙏🙏
No thnx all in ones are bad news for me.
As I can post directly a comment about your violin pickups paid tests, I post it here...
I just paid for listening to this pickups tests... I watched the videos on CZcams and thought "Ok, those guys are not ones of these numerous mediocre violinists doing demos with reverb and effects and expecting us to have an opinion afterwards... They are thorough. Indeed, you guys have a total potential to do high quality stuff but your website, your pickups list... This is simply a huge demonstration of disrespect that feels like a rip-off. As a concrete example, your list don't make sense. The player has two violin pickups for the Realist. One is for the Realist sound clip, one is named the Realist (??). We come to discover and learn about the violin products on the market but you don't bother to name any of your mikes properly. When we go on your pickups list, we only see one Realist pickup!
The problems continue with the shadow XXX (??) being in the list for the violin but inexistant in the media player. Good job.
Also, you did not bother adding thumbnails to show how does the microphone look, so there is no way to see if it is a gooseneck mic or a pickup unless we do the work we paid you to do; Despite you already know that many of us love the sound of a gooseneck, we still look for pickups to avoid feedbacks.... The only solution we have to know what your acronyms refer to is to google them and doing some personal researches although we just paid you to do the job right ? Sad. Very sad. I call that an unfinished work, and as it is paid work, if we have professional standards, it is indeed a really dirty job!
There are no comments on the mikes. What about feedback? How explicit is a PUTWCMP next to a PUTWSBT. You seem to have done these tests for yourself and thought "oh, maybe we can make money out of it!". Be kind enough to make it user-friendly.
I frankly regret my purchase as I am highly disappointed.
Please, take seriously into consideration my feedback. There is a huge contract between what you produce on CZcams and this ersatz of interface.
Ben,
Jacob here responding personally and Thanks for your feedback. We love hearing from our members!
I'd like to address all your comments starting from the end.
"There are no comments on the mikes."
-We review and give extensive comments on EVERY mic we test in the video reviews.
"What about feedback?" We have done feedback tests on the mics designed to resist it in extreme situations, (REMIC, DPA,) but didn't do a full feedback test on every mic. The main reasons are that most of these mics were not designed to be played in extremely loud situations and don't claim to be. More importantly, it's very hard to simulate those live situations in the studio in a way that would be useful to most players. It was a thought-out decision on our part and sorry you don't agree.
"You seem to have done these tests for yourself and thought "oh, maybe we can make money out of it!".
-It's hard for me to understand what this comment even means Ben. I can assure you that I don't have the time or money to test every piece of gear in existence "For myself????" If we wanted to make money, we wouldn't do $10-$15 LIFETIME memberships and accept no sponsorships. Our hosting costs alone are more than the revenues we make from our members, which is why we are the only site like this on the internet.
"Also, you did not bother adding thumbnails to show how the microphone looks, so there is no way to see if it is a gooseneck mic or a pickup unless we do the work we paid you to do"
-Please see my other comments on this above. You simply need to go to the video reviews page. Most review videos even have thumbnails in the title.
"Despite you already knowing that many of us love the sound of a gooseneck, we still look for pickups to avoid feedbacks."
-I'm not sure what this means, but if it is regarding feedback tests for every single lav mic, please see my comments above as to why we didn't feedback test every lav
"As a concrete example, your list don't make sense. The player has two violin pickups for the Realist. One is for the Realist sound clip, one is named the Realist (??). We come to discover and learn about the violin products on the market but you don't bother to name any of your mikes properly."
-Looks like you found an error in our labeling for this specific pickup. We make mistakes all the time and then fix the labels/titles etc. and truly appreciate our members pointing these out.... I don't think it means our work is "Sad, unfinished, or insulting" but you are certainly entitled to feel however you'd like.
Thanks for your support and despite being a very small team, we will continue to improve.. including the label fixes you mentioned.
Jacob
Hablas demasiado.
Gracias!
Holay talk 20 minutes and say nothing .