zoom a3

simonbj · #1 05-11-2018, 10:07 AM

i have recently purchased a zoom a3 and cant seem to access the "home"page to actually try to adjust it, every time i hit effect it either turns on the effect or goes into some strange tap function.
has anyone else had trouble getting to the first page of programming on these boxes?

simon

rogueacoustic · #2 05-11-2018, 10:16 AM

Can’t think of how to help you as I’ve got one of these too, but just wanted to chime in that I think this unit has one of the worst user interfaces I’ve ever dealt with. I’ve jacked up presets I’ve made beforehand while at a gig because I can never remember how to navigate the menu system. Too bad it sounds great to me, otherwise I would have thrown it into the river already.

buzzardwhiskey · #3 05-11-2018, 10:20 AM

I used to use a Zoom A3 and liked it as a solution. I deeply suspect it's not broken, but it's UI is just the worst. I wish I could help I've forgotten how to use it.

simonbj · #4 05-11-2018, 10:58 AM

i can get one page like the guitar modeling page to open but its like it wont let me select a model and move on. and it never goes to the home page

89bruin · #5 05-11-2018, 10:59 AM

I’m not certain what you’re trying to do but if you want to access the menu to adjust memory banks or other settings simply tap the left-hand button between the “menu” and “anti-feedback” labels. If, on the other hand, you’re trying to adjust individual effect settings, press the button that looks like an led light immediately under the “effect” label, select the effect using by pressing one of the three buttons on the middle sloped section of the unit, press one of the two right hand buttons under “type” to select the effect for that bank and then (and this is where things aren’t clear at all) twist one of the three middle buttons (on the sloped portion) to enter the menu to adjust the effect parameters. If there’s a “page” tab for the effect pusing the button under that tab will access more menus.

Hope that helps!

simonbj · #6 05-11-2018, 11:37 AM

i realize the problem is that the leds that i thought were lights are buttons too, i reread the manual and still cant see where that piece of information is.
this thing is the least user friendly pedal i have used in a while, which is a shame because if you can handle how frustrating it is , it actually doesnt sound half bad.
thanks for the tip!

89bruin · #7 05-11-2018, 11:45 AM

I’m with you! The only way I initially figured the thing out was by watching a YouTube video!

MarkF_48 · #8 05-12-2018, 06:44 AM

A hard reset might be worth a try to get it back to factory settings. Page 32 in the manual.
You will lose any patches you may have created.

silverspear · #9 05-12-2018, 07:02 AM

just a few simple rules I learnt to navigate this unit:

- the red led effects indicator is also button also a button to turn on or off the effect.
- when displaying a stomp box, turning any of the 3 knobs will enter it's settings.
- the knob also is a button.. press it to enter the next page or deeper hierarchy.

guitaniac · #10 05-12-2018, 07:08 AM

Its a pretty steep learning curve for the A3, but I've been using it so long that its intuitive at this point. A lot of the work is done by the three combination knob/buttons in the middle and the little button which lights (labeled "effect) which is right below the middle knob/button.

I'm not sure what you mean by "home page", but once I turn mine on, effect #3 shows in the window and the middle light/button indicates whether that effect is on (button liighted) or off (button not lighted). To turn the effect on or off, press the middle stomp switch. To change the effect type, you need to press the middle or right knob/button. To get inside the effect and start changing parameters, you need to turn one of the knob'buttons.

To get to the menu (home page?) when one of the effect or model icons is being shown (as when you first turn it on), you must press the left button/knob. To select from "memory" (which lists program slots), "settings" or version, you turn the left button/knob to highlight which you want, then you press the left button/knob to enter the chosen area. Pressing the middle knob/button will back you out once you've gotten the program you want or adjusted the settings factor (mic channel phase, for example) which you want to alter.

Be advised that an effect or model icon must be showing before you can jump to "menu". Once you are inside an effect and have adjusted the parameters, you must tap the middle knob/button to get back to the effect icon before you can switch to menu.

You asked about changing the models. Once you're in area #1 (where the models are) and a model icon is showing, you press the right knob/button to go down the list or press the middle knob/button to go up the model list. Mercifully perhaps, there are no parameters which can be changed for the models. You can only select from a long list of models. In areas #2 and #3, you can choose from a long list of effects and actually go into the effects and change parameters.

To switch between areas 1,2 and three, you must press the middle light/button (labeled effect) when one of the effect or model icons is showing, this will bring up a "select effect" icon and you can select 1 or 2 or 3 by pushing down the corresponding knob/button.

I'm not going to rewrite the manual here, but I hope that will get you started. Its interesting to note that Zoom must have gotten a lot of flack about how complicated the A3 is, because subsequent preamp products have been much more simple and user friendly. Personally, though, I've found it very useful that I can use the A3's graphic EQ and parametric EQ in series, and that the EQ parameters are very adjustable. Beyond the two digital EQ's, there's an additional three band EQ for "quick and dirty" adjustments at the gig.